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Amaryllis
Minna no Uta ／ Minna no Uta: Amaryllis ／ アマリリス
Description
The final nine measures of the first ballet, titled “Le son de la clochette auquel Circé sortit de son jardin” – the sound of the bell at which Circe leaves her garden – contain a tune that became the basis of a nineteenth‑century arrangement by Henry Ghys. Ghys mistakenly credited this tune to the air “Amaryllis,” which was composed by Louis XIII. In 1968, the arrangement was given Japanese lyrics and introduced as “Amaryllis” on NHK’s *Minna no Uta* series. Since then, the melody has become well known in Japan as a French folk song, and it is still heard today as a chime that signals the hour over the PA systems of some schools and rural municipalities.
