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Thumbnail-size images of copyrighted artworks are displayed under fair use, in accordance with guidelines recommended by the Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for the Visual Arts, published by the College Art Association in February 2015.

Melody of the Sea (Umi no merodȋ)


Victor Harmonica Music Sheet (Vikutȃ hȃmonika gakufu) No.17
ビクターハーモニカ楽譜No.17 海のメロディー
Designer: Saitô Kazô (Japanese, 1887 – 1955)
Composer: Sassa Kôka (Japanese, 1886 – 1961)
Arranger: Matsuhara Chikashi (Japanese, born in 1905)
Lyricist: Shigure Otowa (Japanese, 1899 – 1980)
Publisher: Vikutȃ shuppansha (Japanese)
Japanese
Shôwa era
1929 (Shôwa 4), June 23

Medium/Technique Color lithograph; ink on paper
Dimensions Height x width: 26.5 × 19.1 cm (10 7/16 × 7 1/2 in.)
Credit Line Gift of Mary and Robert Levenson
Accession Number2023.1128
NOT ON VIEW
ClassificationsMusical scores

DescriptionTranslation of lyrics from Japanese, by Kuniko and Kendall Brown:
"Seaward, seaward, the seagulls’ beckon
The sea is azure hued, amethyst liquid
Is it a dream, reality, the pebbles’ song?
In the sky lightly, the rhythm of waves.
Faint footsteps, the beach is a dream,
A gentle breeze, peeping at a ‘parasol,’
Is it the tidal dance, or the gulls’ song?
In the sky shining, the rhythm of waves.
Footprints in the sand, breaking foam,
A gentle breeze, peeping at a ‘parasol,’
Is it a dream, reality, the pebbles’ song?
In the sky calmly, the rhythm of waves.
Seaward, seaward, the white sails beckon,
The sea is azure colored, amethyst water,
‘Capes’ streaming, going along the beach,
In the sky playing, the rhythm of waves."

Marks marked “S Kazō” at bottom left
ProvenanceBy 2019, Mary and Robert Levenson, Belleair, FL; 2023, gift of Mary and Robert Levenson to the MFA. (Accession Date: December 13, 2023)