Francis Poulenc: 1899- 1963- Two excerpts from La Courte Paille, Les Chemins de l'amour and Cé

Below you will find two exquisite performances of two pieces from Poulenc's La Courte Paille. Poulenc is at the piano with Denise Duval,the legendary French soprano who created the roles of Elle in La voix humaine and Thérèse in Les mamelles de Tirésias. She also had much success with the role of Blanche de la Force in Dialogues of the Carmelites, although she didn't sing the world premiere. The artistry between these two is absolutely stunning. Like Britten, Poulenc is considered one of the all time great accompanists. Read this NY Times article by William Crutchfield for more information.

The video begins with a short interview between Poulenc and the host. In it, you can hear Poulenc speaking about the cycle, that he wrote it for Denise Duval and he refers to her as one of his favorite singers. (They toured together quite a bit towards the end of his life, forming in addition to his great partnership with Bernac, one of the great duos in Art Song performance.) Listen to the interview and see how good your French comprehension is!

From
La Courte Paille/The Short Straw
Text: Maurice Carème (1899- 1978)

# 2
Quelle aventure/What an adventure

A flea was pulling
a little elephant in its carriage.
They looked
in all the jewelry store windows.

My God, my God! What an adventure!
Who's going to believe me?

The baby elephant was absent-mindedly
sucking on a pot of jam.
The flea didn't mind,
and pulled him with a smile on her face.

My God, my God! And it keeps right on!
I'll start to think I'm crazy!

Suddenly, by a fence,
the flea blew away in the wind
and I saw the little elephant
break down walls as he ran away.

My God, my God! It surely happened,
but how will I tell Mother?

# 5
Les anges musiciens/ The musical angels

Upon the threads of the rain
the Thursday angels
play on the harp for a long time.
And beneath their fingers, Mozart
tinkles, deliciously,
in drops of blue joy
since it is always Mozart
which is played endlessly
by the musician angels
who, all day Thursday,
make their harps sing
the sweetness of the rain.

Complete translations for La Courte Paille found here.



Denise Duval, soprano and Francis Poulenc, piano


Next, listen to this fabulous find!
Singer/actress, Yvonne Printemps sings "Le Chemin de l'amour" with orchestra in this very affecting performance. Pay close attention to the wonderful portamenti and her superb attention to the text.


Les Chemins de l'amour/ The Pathways of Love
Text: Jean Anouilh (1910-)

The pathways that go to the sea
have kept from our passage
some plucked flowers
and the echos under the trees
of our sweet, clear laughter.

Alas! Some days of happiness,
radiant times flown away,
I go on without finding traces of them in my heart.

Pathways of my love,
I search for you always,
Lost pathways, you're not there any more
and your echos are deafened.
Pathways of desperation,
Pathways of memories,
Pathways of that first day,
Divine pathways of love!

If I have to forget one day,
life erasing everything;
I want that in my heart one memory remains
stronger than any other love:
the memory of the pathway,
where radiant and delirious
one day I felt your hands burning upon me.

Pathways of my love,
I search for you always,
Lost pathways, you're not there any more
and your echos are deafened.

Pathways of desperation,
Pathways of memories,
Pathways of that first day,
Divine pathways of love!


Yvonne Printemps, soprano


One Final Performance: "C" Text: Louis Aragon (1897-1982)
This is one of Poulenc's most beautiful and moving compositions. It's not on the listening list, but you must be familiar with it!

Aragon, who was a member of the Communist Party since 1927 and was a high ranking member of the French Resistance wrote the poem. It is filled with imagery about the war, nostalgia for the past and hope for the future. Note that each line in the French ends with the rhyme Cé. Hugues Cuenod is the tenor. The pianist is unfortunately not noted.


Le Pont de Cé/ The bridge of Cé

I have crossed the bridges of Cé
It was there that it all began
A song of times past
Speaks of a wounded knight
Of a rose upon the road
And of a bodice unlaced
Of the castle of a mad duke
And of the swans in its moats
Of the meadow where will dance
An eternal fiancée
And like cold milk I drank
The long lay of false glories
The Loire carries off my thoughts
Along with the overturned cars
And the defused weapons
And the tears not rubbed away
Oh my France, oh my abandoned one
I have crossed the bridges of Cé.


Hugues Cuenod, tenor, pianist, unfortunately not noted.

Antoine Watteau: 1684-1721 /Verlaine/Debussy/Fauré

Click on the photos to enlarge!

Meeting in the open air


Pierrot Content c. 1712


Fetes Champetres


Italian Comedians














Gilles

Debussy: La Flûte de Pan, C'est l'extase langoureuse, Il pleure dans mons coeur, Mandoline

La Flûte de Pan, Maggie Teyte, Alfred Cortot


Elly Ameling, Dalton Baldwin



Claire Croiza: mezzo-soprano Francis Poulenc: piano Recorded: June 1928



Elizabeth Schwarzkopf, soprano, pianist, not listed


More Debussy, with Debussy at the piano, Mary Garden singing:

Green HERE

Il pleure dans mon coeur HERE

L'ombre des arbres HERE

Paris Exposition 1889

"In the year 1889 there was revolution in Paris. No shots were fired, no buildings torched, no palaces looted. But on the Champ de Mars and the Esplanades des Invalides, the past and the future fought a world war of ideas. Iron battled stone, Javanese ritual music defied the siege of German orchestration, electricity triumphed over gas. It was a year to celebrate a revolution's centennial, a time to consolidate one hundred years of industry, art and social ideals that flowed from the great events of 1789."

The above paragraph is from an article written by Arthur Chandler entitled: Revolution The Paris Exposition Universelle, 1889. It captures the energy and ambience of this extraordinary time in history and this event.
Complete article found here.

Now imagine that you're Debussy living in Paris in 1889. A young, brilliant composer determined to avoid the German tradition.

Naturally, you are drawn to music of other cultures. The Paris Exposition of 1889 comes to town. You hear Rimsky-Korakov conduct his Capriccio espagnol" at the Trocadéro Palace.

You go to the Javanese Pavillion, which was a model "Kampon"-- a village, recreating all aspects of communal village life from agricultural practices to religion. You spend hours listening to the gamelan music from this island in the Malay Archipelago.

You use some of the different scales you've heard when you improvise on the piano, and also the sense of floating qualities of the form and rhythym in Javanese music. All these find a way into your formally composed music-- especially for piano. In six years, you will compose "La Mer."

Imagine the excitement of living in Paris when he did. He witnessed the building of the Paris metro system and the Eiffel Tower. (See below.) He lived alongside Monet, Renoir, Gaughin, Rodin, Baudelaire, Verlaine, Proust, Mallarmé, Emile Zola to mention only a few. In a few years, the Dreyfus Affair of 1894 would shake the foundations of the French Third Republic. You would have to choose-- Dreyfusard or anti-Dreyfusard? Not a time to sit on the fence. Fin de siècle Paris-- an important nexus of artistic and social activity. What a time to be alive! The Belle Époque has arrived.

Milagro Vargas, 2009

A FEW IMAGES FROM THE PARIS EXPOSITION 1889


Built between 1887 and 1889, the Eiffel Tower was contructed as the entrance arch for the Exposition Universelle, the 1889 World's Fair.


Original poster from the 1889 Exposition Universelle












Panorama of the Place de la Concorde at the Exposition Universelle held in Paris in 1889.


Russian House Exhibition at the 1889 Exposition Universelle







Crowd of people along parterre beside illuminated fountains, view toward the Central Dome, Paris 1889 Exposition Universelle


Illustration of the interior of the Galerie des Machines, designed by Ferdinand Dutert,1889 Exposition Universelle


Gallery of various industries,1889 Exposition Universelle


Entrance to the Javanese Pavillion,1889 Exposition Universelle

Female Javanese dancer, seated in costume,1889 Exposition Universelle


Six people posed before Javanese house in Javanese village, 1889 Exposition Universelle

WATCH THIS FILM! It's an excellent compilation of photos with an interesting voice over at about 1:30 that gives a flavor of the times!

MANY MORE PHOTOS HERE: LIBRARY OF CONGRESS ARCHIVE!

Gabriel Fauré: Some comparative performances

Fauré (1845- 1924)
Ninon Vallin sings "Les Berceaux" (Piece begins around 2 minutes in, if you're in a hurry. Also, I'm not sure, but it may be Cortot at the piano!)



Elly Ameling sings "Après un rêve"; Dalton Baldwin, piano



Georges Thill sings "Après un rêve"



Nicolai Gedda sings "Nell"

Two different versions of Kiri Te Kanawa singing "Nell"

Kiri Te Kanawa sings "Nell"; Richard Amner, piano (First Version)



Kiri Te Kanawa sings "Nell"; Roger Vignoles, piano (Second Version)

Duparc

Two wonderful performances with French baritone, Gérard Souzay


Duparc "L'Invitation au voyage"
Gérard Souzay, baritone Dalton Baldwin piano

AND
Gérard Souzay sings "Chanson triste" in an orchestral version here.

Janet Baker is transcendent!

Six or so years ago, I was asked to be on a panel to discuss the topic of "Definitive Performances" or something like that. The panel discussion never took place. I don't quite recall why, but I was relieved. I really didn't want to take part in it and I didn't even know whether I believed there was such a thing. I still don't know, but if I did, this Les Nuits d'été with Janet Baker would certainly be one of my choices.

When it comes to Les Nuits d'Été, the Régine Crespin recording with Ansermet has always been the acccepted gold standard. I remember listening to it until the LP was worn down, same thing with Crespin's recording of Ravel's Shéhérazade.

Coming across these videos of a live performance of Janet Baker singing these pieces with Herbert Blomstedt conducting was such a thrill! Her performance is utterly transcendent.

Having never seen Baker or Crespin perform "live" is one of my greatest disappointments, so this is really an amazing treat. No better way to start our journey into Mélodie.

After watching these, I would encourage you to also view the Crespin performance of Spectre d'une rose, which is at YouTube HERE. Crespin's approach focuses on the ethereal quality of the "spectre." Her ability to control her sound to achieve this is astonishing.

Berlioz, Nuits d'été. Janet Baker.n°1. Villanelle.

Note: This is the only one that is out of sink. The rest are fine.
All translations are from the Lied Art Song Texts Page- Link at left of blog.

Villanelle

When verdant spring again approaches,
When winter's chills have disappeared,
Through the woods we shall stroll, my darling,
The fair primrose to cull at will.

The trembling bright pearls that are shining,
Each morning we shall brush aside;
We shall go to hear the gay thrushes
Singing.

The flowers are abloom, my darling,
Of happy lovers 'tis the month;
And the bird his soft wing englossing,
Sings [carols sweet]1 within his nest.

Come with me on the mossy bank,
Where we'll talk of nothing else but love,
And whisper with thy voice so tender:
Always!

Far, far off let our footsteps wander,
Fright'ning the hiding hare away,
While the deer at the spring is gazing,
Admiring his reflected horns.

Then back home, with our hearts rejoicing,
And fondly our fingers entwined,
Lets return, let's return bringing fresh wild berries
Wood-grown.

Berlioz, Nuits d'été. Janet Baker.n°2. Le spectre de la rose

Text: Pierre-Jules-Théophile Gautier (1811-1872)

Le spectre de la rose/
The ghost of the rose

Open your closed eyelid
Which is gently brushed by a virginal dream!
I am the ghost of the rose
That you wore last night at the ball.
You took me when I was still sprinkled with pearls
Of silvery tears from the watering-can,
And, among the sparkling festivities,
You carried me the entire night.

O you, who caused my death:
Without the power to chase it away,
You will be visited every night by my ghost,
Which will dance at your bedside.
But fear nothing; I demand
Neither Mass nor De Profundis;
This mild perfume is my soul,
And I've come from Paradise.

My destiny is worthy of envy;
And to have a fate so fine,
More than one would give his life
For on your breast I have my tomb,
And on the alabaster where I rest,
A poet with a kiss
Wrote: "Here lies a rose,
Of which all kings may be jealous."

Berlioz, Nuits d'été. Janet Baker.n°3. Sur les lagunes.

Text: Pierre-Jules-Théophile Gautier (1811-1872)

Sur les lagunes/
On the lagoons

My beautiful love is dead,
I shall weep always;
Into the tomb, she has taken
My soul and my love.
Without waiting for me,
She has returned to heaven.
The angel which took her there
Did not want to take me.
How bitter is my fate!
Ah! without love, to go to sea!

The white creature
Is lying in the coffin;
How all in Nature
Seems bereaved to me!
The forgotten dove
Weeps and dreams of the one who is absent;
My soul cries and feels
That it has been abandoned.
How bitter is my fate,
Ah! without love, to go to sea!

Above me the immense night
Spreads itself like a shroud;
I sing my romanza
That heaven alone hears.

Ah! how beautiful she was,
And how I loved her!
I will never love
Another woman as much as I loved her;
How bitter is my fate!
ah! without love, to go to sea!
To go to sea!

Berlioz, Nuits d'été. Janet Baker.n°4. Absence.

Text: Pierre-Jules-Théophile Gautier (1811-1872)

Absence/
Absence

Come back, come back, my dearest love!
Like a flower far from the sun,
The flower of my life has drooped,
removed from the charm of your smile.

Between our hearts how long a distance!
What a wide space our kisses divide!
O bitter fate! O cruel absence!
O longing vain, unsatisfied!

To that far land where dwells my love,
Alas! if I could only go!
If wings were tied to my body,
As to my soul, then I would fly!

Far away, above the green hill tops,
The lofty mountains with peaks of blue,
The meadows gay, the babbling rivers,
With quick, sure wing I'd take my flight!

The body can't keep up with thought!
With me the spirit goes ahead,
Just like a poor dove that is wounded
And lights on the roof of his cot.

Berlioz, Nuits d'été. Janet Baker.n°5. Au cimetière.

Text: Pierre-Jules-Théophile Gautier (1811-1872)

Au cimetière/
At the cemetery

Do you know the white tomb
Where floats with plaintive sound,
The shadow of a yew?
On the yew a pale dove,
Sad and alone under the setting sun,
Sings its song:

An air sickly tender,
At the same time charming and ominous,
Which makes you feel agony
Yet which you wish to hear always;
An air like a sigh from the heavens
of a love-lorn angel.

One would say that an awakened soul
Is weeping under the earth in unison
With this song,
And from the misfortune of being forgotten,
Moans its sorrow in a cooing
Quite soft.

On the wings of the music
One feels the slow return
Of a memory.
A shadow, a form angelic,
Passes in a trembling ray of light,
In a white veil.

The beautiful flowers of the night, half-closed,
Send their perfume, faint and sweet,
Around you,
And the phantom of soft form
Murmurs, reaching to you her arms:
You will return!

Oh! never again near the tomb
Shall I go, when night lets fall
Its black mantle,
To hear the pale dove
Sing on the limb of the yew
Its plaintive song!

Berlioz, Les Nuits d'été. Janet Baker.n°6. L'ile inconnue

Text: Pierre-Jules-Théophile Gautier (1811-1872)

L'ile inconnue/
The unknown isle

Say, young beauty,
Where do you wish to go?
The sail swells itself,
The breeze will blow.
The oar is made of ivory,
The flag is of silk,
The helm is of fine gold;
I have for ballast an orange,
For a sail, the wing of an angel,
For a deck boy, a seraph.

Say, young beauty,
Where do you wish to go?
The sail swells itself,
The breeze will blow.

Is it to the Baltic?
To the Pacific Ocean?
To the island of Java?
Or is it well to Norway,
To gather the flower of the snow,
Or the flower of Angsoka?
Say, young beauty,
Where do you wish to go?
Lead me, says the beauty,
To the faithful shore
Where one loves always!
This shore, my darling,
We hardly know at all
In the land of Love.

Scandinavia

Norway landscape


Sweden: Riddar Island is part of the oldest area in Stockholm, Sweden. It is known for its historic sites and architecture


Finland landscape: There are over 180,000 lakes in Finland.

Norway: Grieg's "En Svane" and selections from "Haugtussa"

Edward Grieg (1843- 1907)
Swedish baritone,Håkan Hagegård, baritone, Warren Jones, piano
"En Svane" (A Swan) Poem: Henryk Ibsen
The text and translations are in the video. It is in Norwegian.



The next performance is from "Haugtussa, op 67 (The Mountain Maid), 8 songs in Norwegian.

It is a song cycle to poems by Arne Garborg (1851-1924). "Grieg himself maintained that the 'Haugtussa' songs were the best he ever composed. Grieg's Haugtussa" cycle is a richly varied poetic work which nonetheless possesses a high degree of unity. The poems are centred around Veslemoey, a visionary young herd girl from a wilderness area in southwestern Norway. Rejected by her lover, she tries to escape life's harsh realities and the indiference of those around her. In her visions she comes into contact with nature itself and the powers of the underworld." by FinnBenestad; Cd. "Grieg; Songs Lieder"

ENTIRE HAUGTUSSA SONG CYCLE
Swedish mezzo, Anne Sofie von Otter singing, Bengt Forsberg, piano.

Haugtussa (Op. 67):
1. Det syng 00:00
2. Veslemøy 03:51
3. Blåbaer-li 06:20
4. Møte 09:03
5. Elsk 12:56
6. Killingdans 15:11
7. Vond dag 16:52
8. Ved gjaetle-bekken 19:21

The  fourth song in this beautiful  cycle is  Møte,  (The Enounter)  and can be heard at 09:03

Text is Norwegian (Nynorsk)
Translation below:

Ho sit ein Sundag lengtande i Li;
det strøymer på med desse søte Tankar,
og Hjarta fullt og tungt i Barmen bankar,
og Draumen vaknar, bivrande og blid.
Då gjeng det som ei Hildring yver Nuten;
ho raudner heit; - der kjem den vene Guten.

Burt vil ho gøyma seg i Ørska brå,
men stoggar tryllt og Augo mot han vender;
dei tek einannan i dei varme Hender
og stend so der og veit seg inkje Råd.
Då bryt ho ut i dette Undringsord:
"Men snille deg då, at du er så stor!"

Og som det lid til svale Kveldings Stund,
alt meir og meir i Lengt dei saman søkjer,
og brådt um Hals den unge Arm seg krøkjer
og øre skjelv dei saman Munn mot Munn.
Alt svimrar burt. Og der i Kvelden varm
i heite Sæle søv ho i hans Arm.
*******************************************
Translation:

One Sunday she sits pensive on the hillside,
while sweet thoughts flow over her,
and her heart beats full and heavy in her breast,
and a shy dream wakens within her.
Suddenly, enchantment steals along the hilltop.
She blushes red; there he comes, the boy she loves.

She wants to hide in her confusion,
but timidly she raises her eyes to him;
their warm hands reach out for one another,
and they stand there, neither knowing what to say.
Then she bursts out in admiration:
"My, how tall you are!"

And as the day moves softly into evening,
they turn to each other full of longing,
their young arms wind around each other's necks,
and trembling mouth meets mouth.
Everything shimmers away, and in the warm evening
She falls blissfully asleep in his arms.


Here is something that I found completely by chance. This is Lynni Treekrem singing a beautiful composition by Ketil Bjørnstad, a composer I knew nothing about until today. It's actually hard to pin the style, straddling folk and a more modern idiom. I thought it would be interesting to hear what this rich poetry would sound like in the hands of a contemporary composer.

This is the prologue of the Haugtussa, Text: Arne Garborg (1851-1924) I wasn't able to find a translation.

Til deg, du Hei og bleike Myr
med Bukkeblad,
der Hegre stig og Heilo flyr,
eg gjev mitt Kvad.

Til deg, du visne Lyng um Haug,
der Draumar sviv,
eg gjev min Song um Dimd og Draug
og dulde Liv.

Eg kjenner deg, du Trollheim graa,
du Skugge-Natt!
Eg rømde rædd; men stundom maa
eg sjaa deg att.

Eg kjenner deg, du Havsens Marm,
med Galdre-Song;
du gauv meg Gru i rædde Barm
so mang ein Gong.

Eg kjenner Striden tung og sein
mot Trolldoms Vald.
Gud hjelpe oss for brotne Bein
og Mannefall!

Eg kjenner deg, - eg kjenner deg,
som ikkje vann! --
Eg saag din Strid, eg veit din Veg
i Skugge-Land.

Eg røynde sjølv den Striden stygg
i mange Aar,
med ville Mot, med bøygde Rygg,
med svære Saar.

Du um meg sviv, du hjaa meg sit,
du arme Aand!
I meg du enno riv og slit
i dine Baand.

Eg veit det væl: dei sterke Troll,
den Vilje rik;
ein Baat i Foss, eit Kvad i Moll,
sløkkt i eit Skrik. ­--

Men Lerka stig fraa gløymde Grav
med Sigers Ljod;
og Vinden stryker inn av Hav
so frisk og god.

Og um me kjenner Graat og Gru
og Saknad saar,
so maa me Lerkesongen tru,
som lovar Vaar.

Finland: Siblelius' "Flickan kom ifrån sin älsklings möte," "Luonnotar" and Saarriaho excerpt

Jean Sibelius 1865- 1957

Some things to note:
A majority of his songs are in Swedish. Sibelius was brought up in a Swedish-speaking family, but he entered a Finnish-speaking school and was bilingual, Swedish however was his mother tongue.

A couple of interesting facts concerning the language issue in 19th century Finland:

From about the year 1200 until 1809 Finland was a part of Sweden, which explains the important position of the Swedish language in the 19th century. The Swedish language remained in this position even when Finland became a Grand Duchy of Russia in 1809 and after Finland gained its independence in 1917. Today Swedish is the second official language of Finland. During the 19th century Swedish was the language of the educated classes, while Finnish was regarded as a language of the peasants. It was not until the second half of the 19th century that Finnish was recognised as the official language of Finland and the Finnish-language secondary school system was founded.

The main source of Sibelius' inspiration comes from Swedish lyric and nature poetry, whether by Finnish poets writing in Swedish such as Runeberg, Tavastjerna or mainland Swedes like Fröding and Rydberg. One quarter of his song output are by Runeberg, who was much admired by Brahms.

Both Sibelius and Swedish composer Stenhammar set the famous poem by the Finnish poet, Runeberg- "Flickan kom ifrån sin älsklings möte," which was written in Swedish. Stenhammar's is the earlier setting by seven years. Is anyone confused?
This is Sibelius' setting.

Flickan kom [från]1 sin älsklings möte,
kom med röda händer. Modern sade:
"Varav rodna dina händer, flicka?"
Flickan sade: "Jag har plockat rosor
och på törnen stungit mina händer."

Åter kom hon från sin älsklings möte,
kom med röda läppar. Modern sade:
"Varav rodna dina läppar, flicka?"
Flickan sade: "Jag har ätit hallon
och med saften målat mina läppar."

Åter kom hon från sin älsklings möte,
kom med bleka kinder. Modern sade:
"Varav blekna dina kinder, flicka?"
Flickan sade: "Red en grav, o moder!
Göm mig där och ställ ett kors däröver,
och på korset rista, som jag säger:
En gång kom hon hem med röda händer,
ty de rodnat mellan älskarns händer.
En gång kom hon hem med röda läppar,
ty de rodnat under älskarns läppar.
Senast kom hon hem med bleka kinder,
ty de bleknat genom älskarns otro."
*******************************************
The girl came from meeting her lover,
came with her hands all red. Said her mother:
"What has made your hands so red, girl?"
Said the girl: "I was picking roses
and pricked my hands on the thorns."

Again she came from meeting her lover,
came with her lips all red. Said her mother:
"What has made your lips so red, girl?"
Said the girl: "I was eating raspberries
and stained my lips with the juice."

Again she came from meeting her lover,
came with her cheeks all pale. Said her mother:
"What has made your cheeks so pale, girl?"
Said the girl: "Oh mother, dig a grave for me,
Hide me there and set a cross above,
And on the cross write as I tell you:
Once she came home with her hands all red,
... they had turned red between her lover's hands.
Once she came home with her lips all red,
... they had turned red beneath her lover's lips.
The last time she came home with her cheeks all pale,
... they had turned pale at her lover's faithlessness."

I found this particular performance interesting because it introduced me to the singing of tenor, Rickard Söderberg, whom I hadn't known and also because I've heard this piece only done by women.

LUONNOTAR 
by SIBELIUS

When I first heard Luonnotar, I was completely overwhelmed by the myth and the primeval atmosphere created in this extraordinary piece.  If you're not familiar with this piece, I think you're in for a marvelous treat. Finnish soprano, Karita Mattila is singing here.

Luonnotar (Daughter of Nature)

Language: Finnish and English translation beneath

“Olipa impi ilman tyttö,
“Air’s daughter was a virgin,
kave Luonootar korea,
Fairest daughter of creation.
ouostoi elämaätään.
Long did she abide a virgin,
Aina yksin ollessansa
Dwelling ever more so lonely
avaroilla autioilla
In those far-extending deserts.
Laskeusi lainehille
After this the maid descending
aalto impeä ajeli,
Sank upon the tossing billows
vuotta seitsemänsataa.
Seven long centuries together
Vieri impo ve’en emona
Then she swam, the Water-Mother
uipi luotehet,
Southward swam and swam to North-West,
etelät uipi kaikki ilman rannat.
Swam around in all directions.
Tuli suuri tuulen puuska,
Then a sudden mighty tempest
meren kuohuille kohotti.
Drove the billows of the waters.
Voi poloinen päiviäni,
Oh how wretched is my fortune
parempi olisi ollut
Better were it I had tarried
ilman impenä elää
Virgin in the airy regions
Oi, Ukko, Ylijumala
Ukko, thou of Gods the highest
käy tänne kutsuttaissa
Hasten here for thou art needed.
Tuli sotka, suora lintu
Then a beauteous teal came flying
lenti kaikki ilman rannat,
Flew round in all directions,
lenti luotehet, etelät,
Southward flew and flew to North-West,
ei löyä pesän sioa.
Searching for a spot to rest in.
Ei! Ei! Ei!
No! No! No!
Teenko tuulehen tupani
Should I make the wind my dwelling,
aalloillen asuinsiani.
Should I rest it on the billows,
Tuuli kaatavi, tuuli kaatavi
Then the winds will overturn it,
aalto viepi asuinsiani.
Or the waves will sweep it from me.
Niin silloin ve’en emonem
Then the Mother of the Waters
nosti polvea lainehasta
From the waves her knee uplifted;
siihen sorsa laativi
Gentle there the teal alighting
pesänsä alkoi hautoa.
So she might her nest establish
Impi tuntevi tulistuvaksi
Then the maiden felt a burning
järskytti jäsenehensä
And her limbs convulsive shaking
pesä vierähti vetehen.
Rolled the eggs into the water,
Katkieli kauppaleiksi
And to splinters they were broken,
muuttuivat munat kaunoisiksi.
And to fragments they were shattered
Munasen yläinen puoli
From the cracked egg’s upper fragment
yläuseksi taivahaksi,
Rose the lofty arch of heaven,
yläpuoli valkeaista,
From the white the upper fragment
kuuksi kumottamahan
Rose the moon that shines so brightly;
mi kirjavaista tähiksi taivaalle,
All that in the egg was mottled
ne tähiksi taivaalle.”
Now became the stars in heaven.”

One final excerpt from a piece by Kaija Saariaho. She is a gifted contemporary, Finnish composer. This is a short introduction to her compositional style. There are other examples of her work at YouTube.

This piece was written for Edna Michell's Compassion project. Saariaho, speaking of her work: "In the composition I follow the idea of a dialogue, suggested by the text I have chosen. The intimate nature and fragile sound world of the duo mirror the fragility of our uncertain existence." Go here for more about Saariaho.

Eastern Europe

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Dist_of_hu_lang_europe.png



Map of the Czech Republic

Images of Poland, Czech Republic and Hungary

KRAKOW, POLAND

PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC

BUDAPEST, HUNGARY

Czech Republic formerly Czechoslovakia

ANTONIN DVORAK (1841-1904)
IPA: /dvoɹæk/
Here is a very beautiful performance of mezzo soprano, Bernarda Fink singing two of the Dvorak Biblical Songs Op. 99.

Note: These songs were published first in 1894 for Sop./Tenor or Alto/Baritone and pianoforte. In 1895, he arranged Nos. 1-5 for orchestra and 6-10 were arranged by Zemánek.

1. Psalm 97:2-6
"Oblak a mrákota jest vůkol něho"

Oblak a mrákota jest vůkol něho,
Spravedlnost a soud základ trůnu jeho.
Óheň předchází jej a zapaluje
vůkol nepřátele jeho.
Zasvěcujít' se po okršku světa blýskání jeho;
To vidouc země děsí se.
Hory jako vosk rozplývají
se před obličejem Hospodina,
Panovníka vší země.
A slávu jeho spatřují všichni národové.
******************************************
Clouds and Darkness are around Him:
justice and judgment are foundations of His throne.
Fire goeth before Him, and sets on fire his enemies around Him.
His lightnings flash around the world:
the earth sees it, and trembles.
Mountains melt like wax before the LORD,
the Lord of the whole earth.
and His glory is seen by all the Nations.

2. Psalms 119:114-117,119,120
"Skrýše má a paveza má Ty jsi"

Skrýše má a paveza má Ty jsi,
Na slovo vzaté očekávám.
Odstuptež ode mne, nešlechetníci,
Abych ostříhal přikázáni Boha svého.
Posiluj mne, bych zachován byl,
A patřil ku stanoveným Tvým ustavičně.
Děsí se strachem před Tebou tělo mé,
Nebo soudů Tvých bojím se náramně.
************************************
Thou art my refuge and my shield: I await Thy word.
Depart from me, ye evildoers:
so that I keep the commandments of my God.
Give me strength, so that I shall be saved,
and that I observe your law always.
My flesh trembleth for fear of Thee;
For I am afraid of Thy judgments, exceedingly.

Translations and more information can be found HERE.


Here are Bernarda Fink and Roger Vignoles performing Dvorak's song cycle Gypsy Songs Op. 55.

Text

1.My song sounds of lovewhen the old day is dying;
it is sowing its shadows
and reaping a collections of pearls. My song resonates with longingwhile my feet roam distant lands.My homeland is in the distant wilderness -my song stirs with nationalism. My song loudly resounds of lovewhile unplanned storms hasten.I'm glad for the freedom that I no longer have a portion in the dying of a brother.

2. Ah! Why is my three-cornered bell ringing so passionately?
As a gypsy song when death is imminent -
the death of a gypsy brings an end
to song, dance, love and all concerns!
To song, dance, love and all concerns! 

3. The forest is quiet all around;
only the heart is disturbing the peace.
As if black smoke is flowing,
tears flow down my cheeks and so they dry.
They need not dry -
let other cheeks feel them.
The one who can in sorrow sing
will not die but lives and lives on. 

4 When my old mother taught me to sing,
Strange that she often had tears in her eyes.
And now I also weep,
when I teach gipsy children to play and sing!

5.The string is taut - young man turn, spin, twirl!
Today reach the heights, tomorrow down again and
after tomorrow, at the holy table of the Nile.
The taut string is stretched - turn young man - turn and twirl! 

6.Wide sleeves and wide trousers have
more freedom than a robe of gold.
The robe of gold constricts the chest
and the song within the body dies.
He who is happy - his song blooms with wishes
that the whole world would lose its taste for gold. 

7.Given a cage to live in made of pure gold, 
the Gypsy would exchange it
for the freedom of a nest of thorns.
Just as a wild horse rushes to the wasteland,
seldom bridled and reined in,
so too the gypsy nature has been given eternal freedom.

Here is Renée Fleming singing her signature aria from Dvorak's Opera, Rusalka.

Poland: Chopin

POLAND
FRÉDÉRIC CHOPIN (1810-1849)

Below, you will find three performances of Chopin's Songs from Op. 74-- I've included two different versions of Życzenie/ Wish, which is the first song in Op. 74 and one performance of Gdzie lubi/ There where she loves #5 OP. 74


Wish, F.CHOPIN song, Ewa Iżykowska soprano; Jerzy Maciejewski - piano

Elzbieta Szmytka, soprano; Malcolm Martineau,piano

You may want to explore the language links I've included in the Link Section of the blog for further study.

Życzenie/ Wish
Text: Stefan Witwicki (1801-1847)

Gdybym ja była słoneczkiem na niebie,
Nie świeciłabym jak tylko dla ciebie.
Ani na wody, ani na lasy, ale po wszystkie
Czasy pod twym okienkiem i tylko dla ciebie
Gdybym w słoneczko mogła zmienić siebie.

Gdybym ja była ptaszkiem z tego gaju,
Nie śpiewałabym w żadnym obcym kraju.
Ani na wody, ani na lasy, ale po wsystkie
Czasy pod twym okienkiem i tylko dla ciebie
Gdybym w słoneczko mogła zmienić siebie.
**********************************************
If I were the sun in the sky
I wouldn't shine just on you.
Neither on lakes nor forests but on everything;
Oh the times under your window and only for you
If I could only change into the sun.

If I were a bird from that forest
I wouldn't sing in any foreign country
Neither on lakes nor forests but on everything;
Oh the times under your window and only for you
If I could only change into the sun.

Elzbieta Szmytka, soprano; Malcolm Martineau,piano
Gdzie lubi/ There where she loves #5 OP. 74
Stefan Witwicki (1801-1847)

Strumyk lubi wdolinie,
Sarna lubi w gęstwinie,
Ptaszek lubi pod strzechą,
Lecz dziewczyna, dziewczyna!

Z uciechą lubi gdzie niebieskie oko,
Lubi gdzie i czarne oko,
Lubi gdzie wesołe pieśni,
Lubi gdzie i smutne pieśni.

Sama nie wie gdzie lubi,
Wszędzie, wszędzie serce zgubi,
Sama nie wie gdzie lubi,
Wszędzie, wszędzie serce zgubi

**************************************
There where she loves

Streams gurgle through the valley;
Birds are nesting under the eaves;
Deer hide in the forest,
But where can a girl's heart find its home?

Perhaps where there are bright blue eyes,
Or dark, deep, mysterious ones;
But to songs of love or pain
Her heart may or may not fly.

She herself is powerless
As to where her heart will alight.
She is powerless
As to where her heart will stray.



All translations are from the Lied Art Song Page.

HUNGARY

Hungarian Folk Song


Some info on Hungarian Soprano, Erika Miklósa

Interview with composer: Béla Bartók (1881-1945)
Listen to him speaking about his music.


Bartók plays Bartók Romanian Dance no. 1
Many other performances of the composer playing his own music at Youtube!



I wasn't able to find very many examples of Bartok or Kodaly Songs. But here is the wonderful Lucia Popp,who was born in Slovakia (formerly Czechoslovakia) with pianist, Geoffrey Parsons. She sings four Kodaly Folk Songs in Hungarian and according to Kata, her pronunciation is perfect!
Zoltán Kodály: "Magyar népzene" (Hungarian Folk Music/Ungarische Volksmusik)

"Akkor szép az erdő" (Lovely is the forest/Schön ist' s im Walde)

"Kocsi, szekér" (Wheelcart, barrow/Noch ein Monat)

"Ifjúság, mint sólyommadár" (A Little Sad Song/Jugend)

SEE ADDITIONAL LINKS UNDER THE COMMENTS OF THIS POST!

Spain and South America

Spanish Singer by Manet



Goya

Harmony of the Universe

"An Astronomer"- detail from a map of the planets from "The Celestial Atlas" by Andreas Cellarius
"Harmony of the Universe" my title.

"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