"Polo" by Manuel de Falla

Teresa Berganza, mezzo soprano
Gabriel Estarellas, guitar
"Polo" from Siete Canciones Españolas by Manuel de Falla
Text- Traditonal


¡Ay!
Guardo una, ¡Ay!
Guardo una, ¡Ay!
¡Guardo una pena en mi pecho,
¡Guardo una pena en mi pecho,
¡Ay!
Que a nadie se la diré!

Malhaya el amor, malhaya,
Malhaya el amor, malhaya,
¡Ay!
¡Y quien me lo dió a entender!
¡Ay!
**************************************
Ay!
I keep a... (Ay!)
I keep a... (Ay!)
I keep a sorrow in my breast,
I keep a sorrow in my breast
that to no one will I tell.

Wretched be love, wretched,
Wretched be love, wretched,
Ay!
And he who gave me to understand it!
Ay!

Translations from
The Lied and Art Song Texts Page

"El paño moruno" by Manuel de Falla

Teresa Berganza, mezzo soprano
Gabriel Estarellas, guitar
"El paño moruno" from Siete Canciones Españolas by Manuel de Falla (1876-1946)
Text: Traditional

Al paño fino, en la tienda,
una mancha le cayó;
Por menos precio se vende,
Porque perdió su valor.
¡Ay!
*********************************
On the fine cloth in the store
a stain has fallen;
It sells at a lesser price,
because it has lost its value.
Alas!

"Sevillanas del Siglo XVIII" by Federico Garcia Lorca

Lorca and La Argentinita performing together. Clicking on La Argentinita will take you to a link to learn who she is.

Sevillanas del S.XVIII
Text:Federico García Lorca

¡Viva Sevilla!
Llevan las sevillanas
en la mantilla
un letrero que dice:
¡Viva Sevilla!

¡Viva Triana!
¡Vivan los trianeros,
los de Triana!
¡Vivan los sevillanos
y sevillanas!
**************************
Long live Sevilla!
The women of Sevilla wear a sign in their mantillas that reads "Viva Sevilla!

Long live Triana!
Long live the people of Triana!
Long live the women and the men of Sevilla!

Poem here is incomplete. There are more verses.
Trans.Milagro Vargas

"En el Cafe de Chinitas" by Federico Garcia Lorca

Teresa Berganza, mezzo soprano; Narciso Yepes, guitar

El café de Chinitas
Federico García Lorca (1898-1936)

En el café de Chinitas
dijo a Paquiro un hermano:
"Soy más valiente que tú
más torero y mas gitano."

En el café de Chinitas
dijo a Paquiro un Frascuelo:
"Soy más valiente que tú
más gitano y mas torero."

Sacó Paquiro el reló
y dijo de esta manera:
"Este toro ha de morir
antes de las cuatro y media."

Al dar las cuatro en la calle
se salieron del café
y era Paquiro en la calle
un torero de cartel.

Enlgish Translation

In Chinita's cafe Paquiro said to his brother:
I'm more courageous than you,  a better bullfighter and more of a gypsy.

In Chinita's cafe Paquiro said to Frascuelo:
I'm more courageous than you,
more of a gypsy and more of a bullfighter.

Paquiro took out his watch and said in this manner:
"This bull is going to die before 4:30.

When the 4 o'clock arrived in the street, they left the cafe,
and Paquiro was in the street, a star bullfighter!

Translation M. Vargas

Arthur Rubenstein in de Falla's "Ritual Fire Dance"

Click on title for performance.  Amor Brujo is a ballet composed by Falla.  He later composed this piano suite based on the themes in the larger work.

The orchestral piece can be heard here!

"Cancion de cuna para dormir a un negrito" by Montsalvatge

Composer:Xavier Montsalvatge (1912-2002)
Cradle Song for a small black child
From Cinco Canciones Negras
Text: Rafael Alberti
Teresa Berganza, soprano; Felix Lavilla, piano
Aix-en-provence festival 18 July 1964

Translation

Ninghe, ninghe, ninghe, so tiny,
the little black child that doesn't want to sleep.
Head of coconut, grain of coffee,
with pretty freckles, with eyes wide open
like two windows that overlook the sea.

Close your tiny eyes, frightened little black boy;
the white boogey-man can eat you up.
You're no longer are slave! And if you sleep a lot
the master of the house promises to buy you
a suit with buttons, so you can be a "groom."

Ninghe, ninghe, ninghe, sleep little black child,
head of coconut, grain of coffee.

Translations from
Lied and Art Song Page

"El vito" by Obradors

Composer: Fernando J. Obradors (1897-1945)
Teresa Berganza, soprano; Felix Lavilla, piano
Aix-en-provence festival 18 July 1964

El Vito
Text: Anonymous

Una vieja vale un real
y una muchacha dos cuartos,
[y yo, como]1 soy tan pobre
me voy a lo más barato.
Con el vito, vito, vito,
con el vito, vito, va.
No me haga 'usté' cosquillas,
que me pongo 'colorá'.
******************************
An old woman is worth a real1
and a young girl two cuartos2,
but as I am so poor
I go for the cheapest.
On with the dancing,
on with the dancing, ole!
Stop your teasing, sir,
else I'll blush!

Note: a vito is a dance full of fire, performed in the taverns by a woman standing on a table before an audience of bullfighters.
1 Real: A silver coin.
2 Cuarto: A copper coin.

Translations are from
Lied and Art Song Page