Blanche comme neige, cont’d

30 Sunday Aug 2020

Posted by michelinewalker in Canada, Foklore, Legends

Tags

Blanche comme neige, Canadiana, folklore, Notre Seigneur en pauvre, Sir Ernest MacMillan, Two Sketches for Strings

I’ve published posts about or featuring Sir Ernest Macmillan. Sir Ernest MacMillan was, for decades, English Canada’s most prominent figure in the area of music.

Moving to Toronto

David and I had just moved to Toronto and we needed a home. While I was resting, David drove up and down the streets I liked. He saw a sign on a large tree and a lady standing by. She owned the house and she was Sir Ernest MacMillan’s niece. Yes, she would let me play the piano. I liked the little apartment very much. We moved to Walmsley Boulevard two weeks later. Andrea would be my best friend for nearly fifty years.

I have told this story, so let us hear Sir Ernest MacMillan’s “learned” version of the piece. It is learned because it has been composed and/or arranged. As interpreted by the McGariggle sisters, Blanche comme la neige belongs to folklore, or an “oral” tradition. It is as though it had yet to be composed. It is also somewhat naïve and forever renewed.

Let us return to our “learned” song. It was arranged, or composed, by Sir Ernest and is interpreted by Toronto’s Mendelssohn Choir, founded by Sir Ernest MacMillan (click on 2). We can classify this interpretation as “learned” because Sir Ernest set it to music. He also set to music “Notre Seigneur en pauvre,” a song I mentioned a few posts away. His Two Sketches on French Canadian Airs (click on 3) combines Blanche comme neige and Notre Seigneur en pauvre (Our Lord as a poor man). I do not know of a separate Notre Seigneur en pauvre. “À Saint-Malo,” French folklore, is number 4.

RELATED ARTICLES

Blanche comme neige (28 August 2020)
Angels and Archangels: Michael, Lucifer… (30 November 2014)
Sir Ernest Macmillan: a Testimonial (9 January 2012)
Two Sketches on French Canadian Airs

RELATED ARTICLES

Blanche comme neige (28 August 2020)
Angels and Archangels: Michael, Lucifer… (30 November 2014)
Sir Ernest Macmillan: a Testimonial (9 January 2012)

Love to everyone 💕

Two Sketches on French Canadian Airs

Blanche comme neige

28 Friday Aug 2020

Posted by michelinewalker in Art, Canada, Music

≈ 9 Comments

Tags

Acadian, Blanche comme neige, Canadian, Canadiana, French, Legend

La belle s’est endormie sur un beau lit de roses
The beauty fell asleep on a beautiful bed of roses
La belle s’est endormie sur un beau lit de roses
The beauty fell asleep on a beautiful bed of roses
Blanche comme la neige belle comme le jour
White as snow, beautiful as [the] day
Ils sont trois capitaines qui vont lui faire l’amour
There are three captains who will make love with her

Le plus jeune des trois la prend par sa main blanche
The youngest of the three takes her by her white hand
Le plus jeune des trois la prend par sa main blanche
The youngest of the three takes her by her white hand
Montez, montez princesse dessus mon cheval gris
Climb, climb Princess on top of my gray horse
A Paris j’vous mène dans un fort beau logis
To Paris, I’m taking you, to a beautiful home

Finissant ce discours le capitaine rentre
As he stopped speaking, the captain comes in
Finissant ce discours le capitaine rentre
As he stopped speaking, the captain comes in
Mangez buvez la belle selon votre appétit
Eat and drink Beauty to your appetite
Avec un capitaine vous passerez la nuit
With a captain you will spend the night

Au milieu du repas la belle a [sic] tombé morte
In the middle of the meal, the beauty dropped dead
Au milieu du repas la belle a tombé morte
In the middle of the meal, the beauty dropped dead
Sonnez, sonnez les cloches, tambour au régiment
Ring, ring the bells, beat the drums regiment
Ma maîtresse elle est morte à l’âge de quinze ans
My mistress she has died at the age of fifteen

Mais au bout de trois jours son père s’y promène
But at the end of three days her father walks by
Mais au bout de trois jours son père s’y promène
But at the end of three days her father walks by
Ouvrez, ouvrez ma tombe mon père si vous m’aimez
Open, open my coffin my father if you love me
Trois jours j’ai fait la morte pour mon honneur garder
For three days I’ve played dead, for my honor to keep

The translation above is mine. It is mostly word for word, so one can understand the original French. It is a folk song and folk legend, from French Canada or France. It is only remotely related to Christmas, because Beauty is as white as snow.

Kate and Anna McGarrigle

Love to everyone 💕