KANARIYA
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Kanariya was the one of the first Japanese children's songs to become popular. It was written in 1918 by Yaso Saijo (1882-1970) and composed by Tamezoo Narita (1893-1945). The song was inspired by a youth memory of Saijo. He was once taken to a church during a Christmas celebration. All the lamps in the church were shining brightly except for one in the corner. Despite his desire to be a poet, Saijo had to stop writing for a while to make a living. He was sad for not being able to do what he wanted, just like a canary that forgot how to sing. It's said that the canaries possess the most beautiful voice among all the birds. The composed melody made this song more popular because it was composed in a Western-like style which was quite new to the Japaneses back then in the 1910's.