A record of the Doshisha Choir
Published at Yomiuri Online November 10. See the original post here
Former students Shohei Nakamura (left) and Reiko Mitsumoto (both in Kyoto) look back on those days with a record in their hands
Special record exhibition at Imadegawa Campus
A precious record is on special exhibition until the 17th at Doshisha University’s Imadegawa Campus (Kamigyo Ward). The sound source engraved on it is the Choral Suite from the popular anime Space Battleship Yamato. The Doshisha Student Mixed Chorus (CCD) participated in this record, which was released by Nippon Columbia in 1979. It conveys the era when the group was known as “The Chorus of Doshisha” and was very active. (Satoshi Matsuda)
The anime first aired in 1974. It shows a battleship traveling to a distant planet in space to retrieve a system to restore the Earth’s environment, which has been attacked and destroyed by aliens. It became a hit that will go down in anime history. Its orchestral music is also distinctive.
The Choral Suite was arranged by composer Joe Hisaishi for chorus and piano. The choir was conducted by Hiroshi Kumagai, who also conducted the theme song “Fate” for the soundtrack of the movie Castle of Sand. A total of about 70 people sang, including current members and alumni, and the recording took two days at the former Osaka Welfare Pension Hall in Osaka City.
CCD choruses often include religious songs accompanied by an orchestra, so anime music is unusual. In addition to the theme song with lyrics, the record also features onomatopoeias such as “Ah” and “Lulu” for the orchestra and pipe organ parts.
Kumagai gave instructions to the members on stage practicing under the direction of student conductor Yoshinori Takeuchi (66), and took to the stage to conduct the actual recording.
Takeuchi said, “It was the first time we had written a score for ourselves, and we had to do 38 takes (singing the song 38 times). I wondered how to perform and create a song without lyrics.” Fellow students Shohei Nakamura (67) and Reiko Mitsumoto (66) said, “We never thought we’d be involved in Yamato. Their instructions brought out even more of our potential, and it was fun.”
In the 1970s, club activities were popular, and the university had several choirs, each with over 100 members. Takeuchi believes they were probably selected based on their skills and activities, but the music publisher has no record of why they chose CCD.
Regarding the track From Yamato With Love, Nakamura said, “It was an honor to sing Kenji Sawada’s big hit.” Takeuchi recalls, “Everyone put emotion into it, and the staff was in tears when we finished.”
In the liner notes for the record, Hisaishi wrote, “There are some parts that require quite advanced technique, but the Doshisha Student Mixed Choir reproduces that beautifully.”
Kumagai later conducted the score for the animated film Princess Mononoke, which was composed by Hisaishi. Nearly half a century has passed since the recording of Yamato. Now 92 years old, Kumagai’s memory has faded, but he said, “(Yamato) is quite good music. When a conductor is given the score, he should do his best,” and praised the members of the choir, saying, “Thank you for cooperating with the music.”
The special exhibition “Doshisha Chorus,” where the record is on display, is being held at the Harris Building on the same campus until the 17th.
