Choral singing, My Life Work and Epochs in My Life
Sadao Yamamoto
Advisor, Hiroshima Choral Association
Hiroshima Bombing Witness
First, let me start by sharing with you my atomic bomb experience. When the first atomic bomb in the history of mankind was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 I was a fourteen-year-old student in the second year of Hiroshima Second Middle School. At the East Parade Ground 2.5 km from the hypocenter, I sustained burns on the left half of my face. While none of the second year students were killed, the first year students were just hundreds of meters from the hypocenter and all three hundred and twenty-one lost their lives. This led to the creation of the requiem “Ishibumi” which I will explain later.
I have always regarded choral singing as my life work. I don’t recall how choral singing among the middle and high school students were revived in the post war period. It seems however that such musical activities restarted surprisingly soon after the city had been burned to ashes. A male chorus “Wakourudo” held a concert in the fall of 1946, a year after the bombing. “Hiroshima Peace Song”, which was to be sung at every Peace Memorial Ceremony on August 8th in the pursuant years , was selected for this purpose two years after the atom bomb was dropped. According to records from program booklets, one can see that choral festivals were held quite frequently. Perhaps the people sought joy and purpose of life and bonding with others in choral singing during the times of hardships. One can even say that Hiroshima’s reconstruction of musical activities started with choral singing. I started taking part in a choir in the senior year of high school but it was only after I started working that I became seriously involved. There were two unforgettable epochs in my life in the years in which I served as President and conductor of Hiroshima Männerchor. The Hiroshima Choral Association and the Chugoku Choral Association were established in 1962 which held choral competitions in which we entered. Our Männerchor won the competition on our first try and we proceeded in high spirits to take part in the National Competition held at the Tokyo Metropolitan Festival Hall. That was the first epoch-making event. The second was the premiere performance of “Ishibumi, Requiem for Male Chorus” on October 2, 1970 which was a piece to mourn the first year students of Hiroshima Second Middle School who were all killed by the atomic bomb. This composition is regarded as a piece of Hiroshima which shall be sung from generation to generation and will be performed, with the text translated into English, next summer commemorating the 75th anniversary of the bombing.
Finally, my dream is to have a song designated as “Choral Hymn for World Peace” which can be sung by choral singers all over the world. To realize world peace through a circle of united singers: That is what Voice of Hiroshima wishes.
Sadao Yamamoto
After graduating from the Engineering Department of Hiroshima University, Mr. Yamamoto worked at Chugoku Electric Power Company until retirement. Having been active in various choirs over the years he served as President of Hiroshima Choral Association and Head of the Chugoku Chapter of Japan Choral Association. He is currently Vice President and Secretary General of the Hiroshima Cultural Association and is active as a Hiroshima Bombing Witness.