George Frederic Handel -- See, the Conqu'ring Hero Comes!

 

Well, I didn't expect to be writing something about this particular song tonight but this scene from the currently running "Tomo-chan wa Onna no Ko!"（トモちゃんは女の子!...Tomo-chan is a Girl!）seems to have become one of the highlights of the series so far. Thank you, Carol!

Over the years, I've heard this proud tune being played in Japan at everything from the end of a sports championship to the end of a much older Kohaku Utagassen broadcast. I simply called it "The Award Song" because the winner was given a prize or a pennant to hold once the competition was done as this was playing. Its official title is "Tokushouka"（得賞歌）.

My curiosity was sated this evening when I learned that the original song was "See, the Conqu'ring Hero Comes!". It was performed for the third act of German-British Baroque composer George Frederic Handel's 1746 oratorio "Judas Maccabaeus" when joy and peace have come to the land again after a great victory. In the J-Wiki article for the oratorio, "See, the Conqu'ring Hero Comes!" was apparently introduced to the Japanese when Irish musician John William Fenton came to Japan from England during the Meiji era to establish a military band. It was first played in 1874 for a competition event which was seen as the prototype for the modern sports festivals held annually at schools, and yep, I also heard it played in those festivals when I was on the JET Programme. 

Perhaps the "Tokushouka" should be played for real right here since this article now contains the oldest song ever written about in "Kayo Kyoku Plus".