About Kon-In No Uta (Medeta)

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"Kon-In No Uta" is one of the most beautiful song arrangements in Rudolf Dittrich's 1894 collection. The lovely four-part harmonization is a delightful example of late-nineteenth-century Viennese song setting technique.

Text

Dittrich provides a pleasant illustration for "Kon-In No Uta" (shown below) , and gives the following words and explanations for the song, in Japanese, German, and English.

Japanese Wedding

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KON-IN NO UTA (MEDETA)

SOLO:—Medeta, medeta wa
  Wakamatsu-sama yo!
  Yeda mo sakayuriya,
  Ha mo shigeru! Medeta ya!
CORO:—Chiyo no ko medeta ya!

HOCHZEITSLIED

(Strophenlied mit Chor-Refrain.)

SOLO:—Heil, Heil sei dem jungen
  Föhrenbaum* ergebenst dargebracht!
  Mögen die Aeste sich ausbreiten
  Und auch die Nadeln dicht aneinander gedeihen! Heil!
CHOR:—Den Kindern durch tausend Generationen Heil!

*Der junge Föhrenbaum ist Symbol für die
Vereinigung des neuen Paares.

WEDDING SONG

(Strophe with Chorus.)

SOLO:—Hail to the young pine tree,*
  Hail with all respect!
  May its branches spread out
  And its needles grow thickly together!
  Hail!
CHORUS:—
  Hail to the children for a thousand generations!

*The young pine-tree is the symbol of
the union of the newly married pair.

Remarks

References

Dittrich, Rudolf, Nippon Gakufu (“Six Japanese Popular Songs collected and arranged for the Pianoforte”), Breitkopf and Härtel, Leipzig, 1894.

Daisyfield Archive of Japanese Traditional Music

About "Kon-In No Uta (Medeta)"

Title in English: "Wedding Song "