Words and Music

Plegaria a un labrador (Víctor Jara)

2009-10-20T23:20:00.016+01:00

Plegaria a un labrador is literally prayer to a worker, but when Victor Jara first performed this song in the late 1960s he said it was was specifically a call to the peasants who cultivated the land with their hands, to join with their brothers in the struggle for a fairer society. Check Wikipedia for the tragic and inspirational story of Victor Jara.

Levántate y mira la montaña	Arise and behold the mountain
de donde viene el viento, el sol y el agua.	from whence come (the) wind, (the) sun and (the) water.
Tú que manejas el curso de los ríos,	You who drive the course of (the) rivers,
tú que sembraste el vuelo de tu alma.	You who beget the flight of your soul.
Levántate y mírate las manos	Arise and behold (the=)your hands
para crecer estréchala a tu hermano.	to grow embrace your brother.
Juntos iremos unidos en la sangre	Together we will go, united in (the) blood
hoy es el tiempo que puede ser mañana.	now is the time that can be tomorrow.
Líbranos de aquel que nos domina	Deliver us from that which us dominates
en la miseria.	in (the) misery.
Tráenos tu reino de justicia	Bring your kingdom of justice
e igualdad.	and equality.
Sopla como el viento la flor	Blow like the wind the flower
de la quebrada.	of the ravine.
Limpia como el fuego	Clean like (the) fire
el cañón de mi fusil.	the barrel of my gun.
Hágase por fin tu voluntad	Have at last thy will
aquí en la tierra.	here on (the) earth.
Danos tu fuerza y tu valor	Give your strength and your courage
al combatir.	to fight.
Levántate y mírate las manos	Arise and behold (the=)your hands
para crecer estréchala a tu hermano.	to grow embrace your brother.
Juntos iremos unidos en la sangre	Together we will go, united in (the) blood
ahora y en la hora de nuestra muerte.	now and in the hour of our death.
Amén.	Amen.

Levántate y mira. I usually avoid self-consciously poetic translations like arise and behold, but in this case echoes of the biblical language of the Lord's Prayer are important. Though because tu isn't archaic in Spanish I've mostly avoided thou and thy.
El viento, el sol y el agua. I've put the in brackets if we'd drop it in English.
Estréchala has many other meanings, including accept and honour.
Sopla como el viento la flor de la quebrada. Second edit: I wasn't happy with my translation, so I referred it to a WordReference forum. Bandama suggests Blow on the valley flower, as the wind does, which makes a lot more sense than what I'd originally come up with. (For the purpose of the song, let's not get too hung up on the difference between a mountain valley and a ravine.) And Adolfo Afogutu points out a secondary meaning of flor: cream, or best of; just as several english knights were described as being the “flower of chivalry”, perhaps the flowers of the valley/ravine are the guerillas from that area. This could be Jara's poetic way of telling the guerillas to blow like the wind.

I found what I think may be the original lyrics on the official website maintained by Joan Turner Jara, Victor's wife; the image just appears with no explanation. Click it to see it slightly larger.

I'm not aware of any recordings of the choral version, but you can hear Victor himself sing the song with his group Quilapayún on YouTube.

Eternal Light (Howard Goodall)

2009-10-18T17:13:00.006+01:00

Howard Goodall intends his 2008 requiem Eternal Light to give solace to the grieving. Like other modern requiems it includes passages in English; but it also includes a Latin passage not found in traditional requiems. Most of this post translates what is effectively chapter eight of the revelation to St John, originally written in Greek but sung here in a non-standard Latin version. For the standard Latin movements (Kyrie, Agnus Die, In Paradisum), see my post for Gabriel Fauré’s requiem.

2. REVELATION: FACTUM EST SILENTIUM
Factum est silentium in coelo	Made was silence in heaven
et vidi septem illos angelos qui adstant in conspectu dei	and I saw seven of those messengers which stood in the sight of God
quibus datae sunt septem tubae.	and to them given were seven trumpets.
Et septem angeli qui habebant septem tubas	And the seven angels which had seven trumpets
preparaverunt se ut clangerent.	prepared themselves in order to sound.
Primus igitur angelus clanxit	The first therefore angel sounded
et facta est grando et ignis mista sanguine	and made was hail and fire mingled with blood
projectaque sunt in terram	and they thrown were upon the earth
et tertia pars arborum exusta est	and the third part of trees burnt up was
et omne gramen viride exustum.	and all grass green burnt up.
Deinde secundus angelus clanxit	Next the second angel sounded
et quasi mons magnus, igne ardens, projectus est in mare	and a sort-of mountain great, with fire burning, thrown was into the sea
factaque est tertia pars maris sanguis	and made was the third part of the sea blood
et mortua est tertia pars creaturum quae erant in mari animantia, dico	and dead was the third part of the creatures which were in the sea alive, I say
et tertia pars navium periit.	and the third part of the ships perished.
Tum angelus tertius clanxit	Then the third angel sounded
et cecidit e coelo stella magna	and fell from heaven a star great
ardens velut lampas	burning just like a lamp
ceciditque in tertiam partem fluminum,	and it fell upon the third part of the rivers
et in fontes aquarum.	and upon the fountains of waters.
Nomen autem stellae dicitur Absinthium	The name however of the star was called Wormwood
versa est igitur tertia pars aquarum in absinthium	changed was therefore the third part of the waters into wormwood
et multi homines mortiu sunt ex aquis,	and many men died from the waters
quod amarae factae essent.	which bitter made were.
Deinde quartus angelus clanxit	Next the fourth messenger sounded
et percussa est tertia pars solis	and struck was the third part of the sun
et tertia pars lunae et tertia pars stellarum	and the third part of the moon and the third part of the stars
ita ut obscuraretur tertia pars eorum	so that darkened was the third part of them
et diei non luceret pars tertia et noctis similiter.	and the day did not shine for part one-third and the night likewise.
Et vidi et audivi unum angelum	And I saw and I heard one messenger
volantem per medium coeli, dicentem voce magna	flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a voice great
‘Vae, vae, vae incolis terrae a reliquis	‘Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabitants of the earth remaining
sonis tubae trium illorum angelorum qui clangenti.’	from the sounds of the trumpets of the three of those messengers which will sound!’
7. RECORDARE
Recordare Jesu pie,	Remember Jesus merciful
quod sum causa tuae viae,	that I am the reason for your journey
ne me perdas illa die.	do not me forsake on day that.

Est is literally is; but the next line has vidi of veni vidi vici (I came, I saw, I conquered) fame. Latin mixes tenses in a way we find confusing, so I've put all the present tenses into the past and translated est as was.
Et septem. Latin is one of many languages that avoid articles like the or a(n). I've added them where needed to keep the sense in English, so And the seven instead of the literal And seven.
Projectaque sunt. Projecta means thrown when talking about ‘them’, que is just tagged on to mean and, and sunt means were.

Cantabile minor

2009-08-10T22:25:00.005+01:00

Okay, so that's not a good name, give me time. Some Cantabile people wanted a bit more singing over the summer. I couldn't join Amy, Rosemary, Anne and David last week; but I could tonight and I had a great evening.

All renaissance music and all new to me apart from the Byrd (sort-of: somebody put some words to the E of S’s Pavane which doesn't make for a very singerly result but is a chance to sing some gorgeous harmonies). Sight-singing one to a part is challenging but very rewarding.

It would be invidious to pick favourites on a first acquaintance although I'm almost ashamed that I'd never previously heard of Arcadelt, Manchicourt or Verdelot. For the record –

Jacques Arcadelt	Ave Maria Il blanco e dolce cigno;
William Byrd	The Earl of Salisbury’s Carol
Orlando di Lassus	Bonjour mon coeur
Pierre de Manchicourt	Ung doulx regard
Josquin des Prés	In te domini speravi
Phillipe Verdelot	Con lagrime e sospir Fuggi, fuggi, cor mio Quanto sia liet’ il giorno
Tomás Luis de Victoria	Ne timeas, Maria

Spooky Men

2009-08-01T00:05:00.003+01:00

Hm, no posts since April. That'll be because I've not started any new songs since then. A shame when singing gives me so much pleasure. So let's re-purpose the blog, let's turn it into a singing diary so I don't forget all those magic moments.

Everybody I sing with is having a summer break right now, but that didn't stop me having a great time last week when the Spooky Men's Chorale came to Leeds. These guys can sing all right, beautifully, but they come across as just straightforward straight comfortable unstagey friendly blokes. No divas, no flourishes, no barbershop glitz. Just something rather special when a shuffling throng of surly behatted men in black grimly clear their throats and launch into the tragedy of Kasey Chambers’ Am I not pretty enough.

I was lucky enough to join in their workshop before the concert. We heard a couple of songs and then learnt a couple from the easier end of their repertoire; three-part, quite simple and repetitive but with some Georgian (Caucasian) cadences that sounded to my unattuned ears a bit like Trio Bulgarka. Oh, and sung in Georgian to keep us on our toes.

Interesting technique too; the starting point was that we weren't going to do anything we didn't already do with our voices, and then we started deconstructing what happened when we cried and laughed. A great way to handle the larynx. I was very gently chided for trying too hard and sounding too singer-y, and quite right too.

Highlights of the concert, or to be more precise what I can still remember a week later: the Spooky Theme, Don't stand between a man and his tool, And I love her, Ghost riders in the sky, Lightpole (about the existential angst of what we Brits call a lamppost, with the distorted pathetic voice of it has to be said a rather cute soloist), Dancing queen, and some break-your-heart Georgian songs.

Catch them if you can.

Forêts Paisibles (Jean-Philippe Rameau)

2009-04-18T19:35:00.003+01:00

Louis Fuzelier wrote the lyrics for Rameau's ballet-opera Les Indes Galantes. In 1736 they added a fourth part Les Sauvages; in North America, a Spaniard and a Frenchman compete for the love of Zima, daughter of a native chief. She prefers one of her own people, so everybody joins in the Dance of the Peace Pipe to music which Rameau was recycling for at least the third time. And then they sing this song to the same music. Hey, it's a great tune.

Forêts paisibles,	Peaceful forests
Jamais un vain désir ne trouble ici nos coeurs.	Never (may) a vain desire trouble here our hearts.
S'ils sont sensibles,	If they are sensitive,
Fortune, ce n'est pas au prix de tes faveurs.	Fortune, it is not at the price of your favours.
Dans nos retraites,	In our retreats,
Grandeur, ne viens jamais offrir tes faux attraits!	Greatness, never come to offer your false attractions!
Ciel, tu les as faites	Heaven, you have made them
Pour l'innocence et pour la paix.	For innocence and for peace.
Jouissons dans nos asiles,	Let’s enjoy our refuges,
Jouissons des biens tranquilles!	Let’s enjoy peaceful things.
Ah! peut-on être heureux,	Ah! Can one be happy
Quand on forme d'autres voeux?	When one has other wishes?

Jamais actually means always, but when it's associated with a ne then the two together mean never.

This short extract is a sort of rondeau. Two soloists sing the first verse as a duet, and the same material is then expanded to four parts by the chorus. The soloists sing the second and third verses to variations on the original music, but after each verse the chorus repeats its treatment of the first verse.

I mention all this because I am/was one of the soloists when Gay Abandon sing/sang this in London (4 May 2009) and Leeds (13 June).

Requiem (Gabriel Fauré)

2009-02-14T18:48:00.006Z

Gabriel Fauré wrote this, the best-known of his large-scale choral works, between 1887 and 1890. Although his parents died in 1885 and 1887, he disclaimed any connection and declared it was “composed for nothing … for fun, if I may be permitted to say so”.

The text is based on the Roman Catholic Mass for the Dead, with some omissions and amendments. To this he added the motet Pie Jesu and two texts from the Order of Burial, Libera me and In Paradisum.

I. INTROITUS – KYRIE
Requiem aeternam dona eis Domine	Rest eternal give them, Lord,
et lux perpetua luceat eis.	and let light always shine on them.
Te decet hymnus, Deus in Sion	It is right to hymn you, God, in Sion
et tibi reddetur votum in Jerusalem.	and to you will be made a vow in Jerusalem.
Exaudi orationem meam, ad te omnis caro veniet.	Hear my prayer, to you all flesh will come.
Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison, Kyrie eleison.	Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy, lord have mercy.
II. OFFERTORIUM
O Domine, Jesu Christe, Rex Gloriae	O lord, Jesus Christ, king of glory
libera animas defunctorum	free the souls of the dead
de poenis inferni et de profundo lacu.	from the punishment of hell and the deep pit.
O Domine, Jesu Christe, Rex Gloriae	O Lord Jesus Christ, king of glory,
libera animas defunctorum de ore leonis	deliver the dead souls from the mouth of the lion,
ne absorbeat eus Tartarus ne cadant in obscurum.	so they are not swallowed by hell and do not fall into darkness.
Hostias et preces tibi Domine, laudis offerimus	Sacrifices and prayers to you, lord, with praise we offer
tu suscipe pro animabus illis	receive them for those souls
quarum hodie memoriam facimus	whom today we remember.
Fac eas, Domine, de morte transire ad vitam	Make them, lord, from death cross over to life
Quam olim Abrahae promisisti et semini eus.	as once to Abraham you promised and to his seed.
III. SANCTUS
Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus Dominus Deus Sabaoth	Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts
pleni sunt coeli et terra gloria tua	full are the heavens and earth with the glory of you
hosanna in excelsis.	hosanna in the highest.
IV. PIE JESU
Pie Jesu, Domine, dona eis requiem	Merciful Jesus, Lord, give them rest
dona eis requiem sempiternam requiem	give them rest, eternal rest.
V. AGNUS DEI
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi	Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,
dona eis requiem.	give them rest.
Lux aeterna luceat eis, Domine	Let light eternal shine on them, lord,
Cum sanctis tuis in aeternum,	with your saints for eternity,
quia pius es	for you are merciful.
Requiem aeternam dona eis Domine,	give them eternal rest, lord,
et lux perpetua luceat eis	and let light always shine on them.
VI. LIBERA ME
Libera me, Domine, de morte aeterna	Free me, lord, from death eternal
in die illa tremenda	on that day of dread
quando coeli movendi sunt et terra	when the heavens will be shaken and the earth
dum veneris judicare saeculum per ignem	while you come to judge the world with fire.
Tremens factus sum ego et timeo	I am made to shake, and am afraid
dum discussio venerit atque ventura ira	awaiting the trial and the coming anger.
Dies illa, dies irae, calamitatis et miseriae	That day, day of anger, of calamity and misery,
calamitatis et miseriae
dies illa, dies magna et amara valde.	that day, the day of great and exceeding bitterness,
Requiem aeternam …	(reprise of the introit)
VII. IN PARADISUM
In Paradisum deducant Angeli	Into paradise may angels draw them,
in tuo adventu suscipiant te Martyres	on your arrival, may the martyrs receive you
et perducant te in civitatem sanctam Jerusalem	and lead you into the holy city Jerusalem.
Chorus Angelorum te suscipiat	May the chorus of angels receive you,
et cum Lazaro quondam paupere	and with Lazarus, once a beggar,
aeternam habeas requiem	may you have eternal rest.

Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison, Kyrie eleison. A transliteration of the greek prayer Κύριε ἐλέησον, Χριστὲ ἐλέησον, Κύριε ἐλέησον.

December 1999: the first half of the first concert by what would later become known as The Sacred Wing was a performance of Fauré’s Requiem. My friend Ian B, an intelligent and privately-educated man, came up to me during the interval and said “That was lovely. What was it about?”

We'd chosen the work because we thought it was well-known, and anyway everybody would know what a requiem was and think it appropriate for a concert so near World Aids Day. A reminder, if one were needed, of the dangers of making assumptions. Since then I've always included a translation of anything non-english when putting programme notes together (here's a pdf of the programme for Sacred Wing's 2004 performance), and I suppose that ultimately you've got Ian to thank for this blog.

Démons et Merveilles (Maurice Thiriet)

2009-02-08T23:46:00.004Z

Jacques Prévert wrote these lyrics as part of his screenplay for the 1942 film Les Visiteurs du Soir, an allegory of the eternal struggle between good and evil.

Démons et merveilles,	Demons and wonders,
Vents et marées	Winds and tides
Au loin déjà la mer s'est retirée	In the distance already the sea has withdrawn
Et toi comme une algue	And you like a piece of seaweed
Doucement caressée par le vent	Gently caressed by the wind
Tu remues en revant.	You stir dreaming.
Démons et merveilles,	Demons and wonders,
Vents et marées	Winds and tides
Au loin déjà la mer s'est retirée	In the distance already the sea has withdrawn
Mais dans tes yeux entr'ouverts	But in your half-opened eyes
Deux petites vagues sont restées	Two little waves have remained
Démons et merveilles,	Demons and wonders,
Vents et marées	Winds and tides
Deux petites vagues pour me noyer.	Two little waves to drown me.

Trois Beaux Oiseaux du Paradis (Maurice Ravel)

2009-02-08T17:48:00.008Z

One of three songs which Ravel wrote to his own words in 1915, shortly after the outbreak of the First World War. Blue, white and red are the colours of the french flag (and the flags of many other countries).

Trois beaux oiseaux du Paradis,	Three beautiful birds of paradise,
(Mon ami z'il est à la guerre)	(My friend has gone to war)
Trois beaux oiseaux du Paradis	Trois beautiful birds of paradise,
Ont passé par ici.	Have passed through here.
Le premier était plus bleu que ciel,	The first was more blue than the sky,
Le second était couleur de neige,	The second was the colour of snow
Le troisième rouge vermeil.	The third red, bright red.
“Beaux oiselets du Paradis,	“Beautiful little birds of Paradise,
Qu'apportez par ici?”	What (do you) bring through here?”
“J'apporte un regard couleur d'azur.	“I am bringing a blue-eyed look.
“Et moi, sur beau front couleur de neige,	“And me, on a beautiful forehead the colour of snow
Un baiser dois mettre, encore plus pur”	A kiss should place, even more pure”
“Oiseau vermeil du Paradis,	“Vermillion bird of paradise,
Que portez-vous ainsi?”	What do you bring as well?”
“Un joli cœur tout cramoisi …	“A beautiful heart all crimson …
“Ah! je sens mon cœur qui froidit …	“Ah, I feel my heart is becoming cold …
Emportez-le aussi”.	Take it also.”

Z'il. The z doesn't really mean anything, it's just a way of keeping the two vowels apart. It's like the t introduced when elle a is inverted to a-t-elle.

Rouge vermeil. Tempting to use vermilion, but that's the english for vermillon. Vermeil is an adjective meaning bright red, and qualifying rouge (red).

Un regard couleur d'azur. Azur (azure) is a literary way of saying blue. There are more brown eyes than blue in France, and the tendency was even more marked before the days of easy travel. So someone with blue eyes was likely to be foreign.

CPDL

Les Fleurs et les Arbres (Camille Saint-Saëns)

2009-02-08T14:50:00.005Z

The second of two unaccompanied chorales opus 68, published some time in the 1880s. The first is Calme des Nuits.

Les fleurs et les arbres,	The flowers and the trees,
Les bronzes, les marbres,	The bronzes, the marbles,
Les ors, les émaux,	The golds, the enamels,
La mer, les fontaines,	The sea, the springs,
Les monts et les plaines	The mountains and the plains
Consolent nos maux.	Console our pains.
Nature éternelle	Eternal nature,
Tu sembles plus belle	You seem more beautiful
Au sein des douleurs,	To a heart in sorrow,
Et l’art nous domine,	And art reigns over us,
Sa flame illumine	Its flame illuminates
Le rire et les pleurs.	The laughter and the tears.

CPDL

Calme des Nuits (Camille Saint-Saëns)

2009-02-08T14:21:00.005Z

The first of two unaccompanied chorales opus 68, published some time in the 1880s. The second is Les fleurs et les Arbres.

Calmes des nuits, fraicheur des soirs,	Still periods of the nights, coolness of the evenings,
Vaste scintillement des mondes,	Vast shimmering of the worlds,
Grand silence des antres noirs	Great silence of black caverns
Vous charmez les âmes profondes.	You charm profound spirits.
L’éclat du soleil, la gaité,	The burst of sunlight, merriment,
Le bruit plaisent aux plus futiles;	Noise please the more frivolous;
Le poéte seul est hanté	The poet alone is haunted
Par l’amour des choses tranquiles.	By the love of quiet things.

CPDL

Quatre Motets sur des Thèmes Grégoriens (Maurice Duruflé)

2009-01-26T23:20:00.018Z

Four beautiful if challenging little gems, a 1960 re-imagining of plainsong. Leaning on the marked syllables (á, é, etc) rather than the first beat after every irregular bar-line adds to the effect.

UBI CARITAS
Ubi cáritas et ámor, Déus ibi est.	Where (there is) charity and love, God is there.
Congregávit nos in únum Chrísti ámor.	We are gathered into one by Christ’s love.
Exsultémus et in ípso jucundémur.	Let us rejoice and, in him, be happy.
Timeámus et amémus Déum vívum.	Let us revere and love the living God.
Et ex córde diligámus nos sincéro.	And from the heart we are diligent by being genuine.
Amen.	Amen.
TOTA PULCHRA ES
Tóta púlchra es, María, et mácula originális non est in te.	You are wholly beautiful, Mary, and original sin is not (found) in you.
Vestiméntum túum cándidum quasi nix, et fácies túa sicut sol.	Your clothes are as white as snow, and your face is like the sun.
Tu glória Jerúsalem, tu laetítia Israel, tu honorificéntia pópuli nóstri.	You (are the) glory of Jerusalem, you (are the) joy of Israel, you (are the) honour of our people.
TU ES PETRUS
Tu es Pétrus, et super hanc pétram edificábo ecclésiam méam.	You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church.
TANTUM ERGO
Tántum érgo sacraméntum venerémur cérnui,	Only because of this sacrament let us bow low,
Et antíquum documéntum novo cédat rítui,	And let the old law give way to the new rite,
Praéstet fídes suppleméntum sénsuum deféctui.	Let faith make up for our deficient senses.
Genitóri genitóque laus et jubilátio, sálus, hónor, vírtus quóque;	To the begetter and the begotten praise and jubilation, salvation, honour and power also;
sit et benedíctio, procedénti ab utróque cómpar sit laudátio.	And be there blessing, to the one proceeding from both let there equally be praise.
Amen.	Amen.

Amen. The usual translation is so let it be. But it's also the verily in verily I say unto you – a solemn afirmation.

Petrus, petram. A contender for the world's most venerable pun. Two very similar words, meaning Peter and rock, but in different forms because they have different functions in the sentence. It's easier in french, which uses Pierre for both meanings and both functions. Or of course if Mr Hudson had been a bit godlier …

Ergo. Best known as the therefore in I think therefore I am (cogito ergo sum), but can also do the opposite job in logic and mean because.

Genitori genitoque. I've used the biblical begetter and begotten to emphasise how similar the two words are. The que on the end is a neat way of saying slightly more than just and, of emphasising that two words are strongly paired.

Tant que vivray (Claudin de Sermisy)

2009-01-21T23:40:00.011Z

First published in 1527, this is one of about 175 chansons by Claudin de Sermisy, who gets a name-check in Rabelais’ Gargantua and Pantagruel.

Tant que vivray en âge florissant,	So long as I live at a flourishing age,
Je serviray d'amour le dieu puissant,	I will serve love's powerful god,
En faictz, et dictz, en chansons, et accords.	In actions and words, in songs and harmonies.
Par plusieurs fois m'a tenu languissant,	Many times (he) left me languishing,
Mais après dueil m'a faict réjouyssant,	But after mourning made me rejoice,
Car j'ay l'amour de la belle au gent corps.	Since I have the love of a beautiful woman with a fine body.
Son alliance	An alliance with her
C'est ma fiance:	That's my pledge:
Son cœur est mien,	Her heart is mine,
Le mien est sien:	Mine is hers:
Fi de tristesse,	Boo to sadness,
Vive lyesse,	Long live joy,
Puis qu'en amour a tant de bien.	Since in love there is so much good.
Quand je la veulx servir, et honorer,	When I want to serve her, and honour (her),
Quand par escripts veux son nom décorer,	When with fine scripts (I) want to decorate her name,
Quand je la veoy, et visite souvent,	When I see her, and visit her often,
Les envieux n'en font que murmurer,	Envious people just murmer about it
Mais notr'amour n'en sçaurait moins durer;	But our love won't therefore endure less;
Aultant ou plus en emporte le vent.	So far or further will the wind carry it.
Malgré envie	Despite envy
Toute ma vie	All my life
Je l'aimeray,	I will love her
Et chanteray,	And I will sing,
C'est la premiere,	“She is the first
C'est la derniere,	She is the last
Que j'ay servie, et serviray.	That I have served, and will serve”.

The french text is from our Editions Outremontaises edition, slightly different in places from CPDL.

I've based my translation on an anonymous one lent to me by friend and fellow-Cantabilean David Adshead which begins “While I am in my prime”. In most other contexts that would be better but in this blog I'm trying to be more literal and give singers a clue as to what the individual words mean.

La belle au gent corps. La belle is literally the beautiful (female), so she may be a bit younger than woman implies. Gent meant graceful or elegant, with overtones of being well-born. I'll lay good money that someone somewhere has translated this phrase as fair maid.

Fi de. Well yes, you could perhaps translate this as Fie upon. But I couldn't.

Il est bel et bon (Pierre Passereau)

2009-01-15T22:01:00.011Z

A jolly 16th-century chanson in archaic language.

Il est bel et bon, commère, mon mari.	He is handsome and good, dear, my husband.
Il estoit deux femmes toutes d'ung pays,	There were two women, both from the same area,
disanst l'une à l'aultre – “Avez bon mary.”	saying one to the other, “got a good husband?”
Il ne me courrousse, ne me bat aussy.	He doesn't abuse me, or beat me either.
Il faict le mesnaige,	He does the housework,
il donne aux poulailles,	he gives (food) to the poultry
et je prens mes plaisirs.	and I take my pleasure.
Commère, c'est pour rire	Dear, it’ll make you laugh
Quand les poulailles crient:	to hear the cries of the poultry:
Petite coquette, (co co co co da), qu'esse-cy?	You little charmer, what’s this?

Commère was used by a woman to (or about) a female friend who she liked chatting with. Now it means more of a gossip. I’ve used dear as a placeholder; a restrained englishwoman probably wouldn't feel the need to say anything at all, and an ebullient american might well say girlfriend. Unfairly, as ever, the male equivalent compère is still quite a positive word for a friend.

Co co co co da is great fun to sing. It picks up the first syllable of coquette, and when the altos and basses sing it under the sopranos’ and tenors’ petite coquette then it sounds as if the poultry are clucking away. But perhaps there's also an echo of cocu or cuckold – maybe je prens mes plaisirs (I take my pleasure) means more than just sitting around chatting.

CPDL

Tanzen und springen (Hans Leo Hassler)

2009-01-14T20:55:00.013Z

For my first ever blog post: a German madrigal from Cantabile’s first full concert in July 2008.

Tanzen und springen, singen und klingen,	Dancing and jumping, singing and sounding,
Lauten und Geigen, soll’n auch nicht schweigen,	lutes and fiddles should also not stay silent.
Zu musizieren und jubilieren steht mir all mein Sinn.	To make music and rejoice is all my sense.
Schöne Jungfrauen in grüner Auen,	(There are) beautiful young women in green meadows,
Mit ihn’n spazieren und converzieren,	with them to walk and talk,
freundlich zu scherzen, freut mich im Herzen	to have a friendly joke, makes me happy in the heart
für Silber und Gold.	more than silver and gold.

It's a sprightly little number, and a bit of a tongue-twister with plenty of Zs (pronounced “TS”) and the odd J (“Y”) to trip up the unwary.

CPDL