"Katyusha's Song" - Kachusha no Uta

Japanese: 《カチューシャの唄》 - かちゅーしゃのうた

...The poetic form is based on the rhythm of sevens and fives, such as 7-7-7-5, but there are also many freer versions that are closer to everyday conversation.
[history]
"Katyusha's Song" (1914, lyrics by Shimamura Hogetsu and Soma Gofu, music by Nakayama Shinpei) is considered to be the first popular song. It was written as a song for the play "Resurrection" based on an original work by Tolstoy, and it brought a breath of fresh air to the world of popular songs, which were traditional folk songs, school songs, and parodies of military songs.

From [Art Theatre]

...theater company name. (1)The first was founded in 1913 (Taisho 2) by Shimamura Hogetsu and Matsui Sumako, who had been expelled from the Literary Association for a love affair, and is said to have borrowed the name of the Moscow Art Theatre. Sumako's plays became popular when they included theme songs composed by Nakayama Shinpei, and her most famous work is "Katyusha's Song" from "Resurrection" (based on a Tolstoy novel). She later signed a contract with Shochiku, but struggled financially for a long time. For this reason, Hogetsu wrote literary plays at the Geijutsu Club, a small theater in Ushigome, Tokyo, while also moving to Asakusa to become more familiar with the public and attempting national tours. ...

From [New Drama]

...Performing foreign plays as a way of introducing them to the public was not enough to ensure the company's independence or to build a financial base, and as new theater companies were constantly coming together and splitting up, the Geijutsuza, which was launched in September 1913 with a work by Maeterlinck and was led by Shimamura Hogetsu and Matsui Sumako, attempted to achieve independence and sustainability by taking a "dual path" of establishing a financial base by acquiring entertainment for the masses and performing experimental small-theater performances in pursuit of artistic merit. In Geijutsuza's third performance, a performance of Tolstoy's Resurrection (March 1914), in which Sawada Shojiro and others also participated, Hogetsu inserted Nakayama Shinpei's composition "Katyusha's Song" as a song in the play sung by Sumako, who played Katyusha, and it was a huge hit, enabling them to tour the country. In this way, they established an economic base and created a theatrical troupe system that simultaneously promoted the popularization of new theater and the performance of artistic research. However, in the winter of 1943, Hogetsu suddenly passed away, and in the New Year of 1944, Sumako followed Hogetsu to death by hanging, bringing an end to the activities of the First Art Theatre Company.

From Shinpei Nakayama

…In 1912, he graduated from the Tokyo Music School (piano) and worked at an elementary school in Asakusa. In 1914, at the request of Hogetsu, he composed the song "Katyusha no Uta" (lyrics by Soma Gofu and Shimamura Hogetsu) for the third Geijutsuza production "Resurrection", which became popular when sung by the lead actress Matsui Sumako, and he quickly became famous as a composer. The following year, he composed "Gondola no Uta" (lyrics by Yoshii Isamu) for the same Geijutsuza production "Sono Zen'ya", and the sheet music was published with a binding by Takehisa Yumeji. …

From [Resurrection]

…Hairstyles, combs, and even postcards were created bearing the name Katyusha. In particular, the song "Katyusha's Song" (composed by Shinpei Nakayama) sung in the play was so popular that it was called "the birth of popular music." [Kawabata Kaori]. …

*Some of the terminology that refers to "Katyusha's Song" is listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

Japanese:

…詩型は，〈7･7･7･5〉等7と5を基本にしているが，日常会話に近い自由なタイプのものも多くなってきている。
［歴史］
　《カチューシャの唄》(島村抱月･相馬御風作詞，中山晋平作曲，1914)が歌謡曲の第1号とされる。トルストイ原作《復活》の劇中歌として作られ，伝統的な俗曲，俗謡以外は唱歌，軍歌の替歌という流行歌の世界に，新風をまきおこしたのである。…

【芸術座】より

…劇団名。(1)第1次は，1913年(大正2)文芸協会を恋愛事件で除名された島村抱月･松井須磨子が創立したもので，モスクワ芸術座の名称を借りたといわれる。須磨子の演目に中山晋平作曲の主題歌を挿入したのが人気を呼び，とくに《復活》(トルストイ原作)の〈カチューシャの歌〉が名高い。のちに松竹と契約しているが，長く経済的には苦労した。そのため抱月は芸術俱楽部という東京牛込の小劇場で文学的戯曲を手がける一方，大衆と親しむために浅草に進出，全国巡演も試みた。…

【新劇】より

…　外国劇の作品紹介的な上演活動では劇団の自立性も経済基盤もつくれず，離合集散を重ねる新劇団活動のなかで，大衆的娯楽性の獲得による経済基盤の確立と芸術性追求の実験的小劇場公演の“二元の道”をとることによって，劇団の自立と持続をはかったのが，文芸協会解散直後の13年9月にメーテルリンク作品で旗揚げした島村抱月･松井須磨子主体の芸術座であった。沢田正二郎らも参加した芸術座第3回公演のトルストイ作《復活》上演(1914年3月)において，抱月は中山晋平作曲の《カチューシャの唄》をカチューシャ役須磨子の歌う劇中歌として挿入し大当りをとって全国巡演を可能ならしめた。こうして経済基盤をつくり，新劇の大衆的普及と芸術的研究上演の二元体制を同時進行させる劇団体制をつくりだしたものの，18年冬，抱月は急逝し，翌19年正月，須磨子は抱月の後を追って縊死を遂げ，第1次の芸術座活動は終わった。…

【中山晋平】より

…1912年東京音楽学校本科(ピアノ)を卒業し，浅草区内の小学校に勤務。14年抱月の依頼で芸術座第3回公演《復活》の劇中歌《カチューシャの唄》(相馬御風･島村抱月作詞)を作曲，これが主演女優松井須磨子の歌で評判になり，作曲家として一躍名を知られるようになった。翌15年，同じ芸術座公演《その前夜》のために《ゴンドラの唄》(吉井勇作詞)を作曲，竹久夢二の装丁で楽譜が出版された。…