Although many foreign songs were translated for school music classes in the early Meiji period, most of them were awkward, with translated lyrics forcibly set to the music; accordingly, there was high demand for Japanese songs composed by Japanese composers.
明治時代の前半に多くの翻訳唱歌ができたが、日本語訳詞を"無理にはめこんだ"ぎこちない歌が多く、日本人作曲家によるオリジナルの歌を望む声が高まっていた。