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Micheline's Blog

~ Art, music, books, history & current events

Micheline's Blog

Tag Archives: words and music

“Plaisir d’amour,” sung by Kathleen Battle

14 Tuesday Aug 2012

Posted by michelinewalker in Music

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

Antoine Watteau, Hector Berlioz, Jean de Florian, Jean Paul Égide Martini, Kathleen Battle, Micheline Walker, Plaisir d'amour, Wikipedia, words and music

L’Embarquement pour Cythère, Antoine Watteau (1684 – 1721)

Wikipedia‘s entry on Plaisir d’amour is very informative.  For instance, it even contains the lyrics for the song.  I will therefore provide a point-form summary of the story of the song, using the Wikipedia entry.  There are several pop music settings of this song.  Nana Mouskouri ‘s interpretation is particularly delightful, but I have not been able to embed the video.

(please click on the picture to enlarge it)
La Surprise, by Antoine Watteau
 
 

 Plaisir d’amour

  • The words, or lyrics, based on a poem by Jean de Florian (1755–1794), were written in 1780;
  • The text was set to music by Jean Paul Égide Martini in 1784;
  • In 1859, Hector Berlioz (1803–1869), a Romantic composer, arranged the piece for orchestra

Words for Plaisir d’amour

 
Refrain:
Plaisir d’amour ne dure qu’un moment.
Chagrin d’amour dure toute la vie. 
The pleasure of love lasts only a moment.
The pain of love lasts a lifetime.
1)
J’ai tout quitté pour l’ingrate Sylvie.
Elle me quitte pour prendre un autre amant.
I left everything for the ungrateful Sylvia.
She is leaving me for another lover. 
Refrain  
2)
“Tant que cette eau coulera doucement,
Vers ce ruisseau qui borde la prairie,
Je t’aimerai”, me répétait Sylvie.
L’eau coule encore, elle a changé pourtant.
“As long as this water will run gently
Towards this brook which borders the meadow,
I will love you,” Sylvia told me repeatedly.
The water still runs, but she has changed 
Refrain
_________________________
© Micheline Walker
August 13, 2012
WordPress 
 
45.408358 -71.934658

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A Voyageur Song: “Mon merle”

20 Monday Feb 2012

Posted by michelinewalker in Folksongs

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Voyageur folksong, words and music

Mon merle

Mon merle (My Blackbird)

This song is difficult to translate as the blackbird, le merle, loses first its beak, then an eye, then its head, its neck, its back, its wing and, finally its tail.

In each stanza, the last lost body part is added to the previous loss.  The song grows.

CHORUS:

Comment veux-tu mon merle, mon merle?
Comment veux-tu mon merle chanter?
How do you want my blackbird, my blackbird?
How do you want my blackbird to sing ?
 
1.  Mon merle a perdu son bec. (2) its beak
(My blackbird has lost its beak.)
Un bec, deux becs, trois becs, marlo. one…, two… three…, marlo
CHORUS
 
2.  Mon merle a perdu son œil. (2) its eye: un œil (plural: yeux)
(My blackbird has lost its eye.)
Un œil, deux yeux, trois yeux,
Un bec, deux becs, trois becs, marlo.
CHORUS
 
3.  Mon merle a perdu sa tête. (2) its head
(My blackbird has lost its head.)
Une tête, deux têtes, trois têtes,
Un œil, deux yeux, trois yeux,
Un bec, deux becs, trois becs, marlo.
CHORUS
 
4.  Mon merle a perdu son cou. (2) its neck
(My blackbird has lost its neck.)
Un cou, deux cous, trois cous,
Une tête, deux têtes, trois têtes,
Un œil, deux yeux, trois yeux,
Un bec, deux becs, trois becs, marlo.
CHORUS
 
5.  Mon merle a perdu son dos. (2) its back
(My blackbird has lost its back.)
Un dos, deux dos, trois dos,
Un cou, deux cous, trois cous,
Une tête, deux têtes, trois têtes,
Un œil, deux yeux, trois yeux,
Un bec, deux becs, trois becs, marlo.
CHORUS
 
6. Mon merle a perdu son aile. (2) its wing
(My blackbird has lost its wing.)
Une aile, deux ailes, trois ailes,
Un dos, deux dos, trois dos,
Un cou, deux cous, trois cous,
Une tête, deux têtes, trois têtes,
Un œil, deux yeux, trois yeux,
Un bec, deux becs, trois becs, marlo.
CHORUS
 
7. Mon merle a perdu sa queue. (2)  its tale
(My blackbird has lost its tale.)
Une queue, deux queues, trois queues,
Un dos, deux dos, trois dos,
Un cou, deux cous, trois cous,
Une tête, deux têtes, trois têtes
Un œil, deux yeux, trois yeux,
Un bec, deux becs, trois becs, marlo.
CHORUS
 
 
imagesCAXYWP38
 
 
(please click on the tile to hear the song) 
06 Mon merle 
_________________________
Theodore C. Blegen, Songs of the Voyageurs
(St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 1998 [1966])
Université de Moncton, New Brunswick, 30-voice male choir  
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Songs of Voyageurs: À Saint-Malo

25 Wednesday Jan 2012

Posted by michelinewalker in Canada

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

À Saint-Malo, Micheline Walker, voyageurs, words and music

À Saint-Malo

Chorus 
Nous irons sur l’eau,
Nous y prom-promener,
Nous irons jouer dans l’île,
Dans l’île.
 
1. À Saint-Malo beau port de mer, (2)
Trois gros navires sont arrivés.
Chorus
 
2. Chargés d’avoine chargés de blé, (2)
Trois dames s’en vont les marchander.
Chorus
 
3. Marchand, marchand, combien ton blé ? (2)
Trois francs l’avoine, six francs le blé.
Chorus
 
4. C’est bien trop cher d’une bonne moitié, (2)
Montez, madame, vous le verrez.
Chorus
 
5. Marchand d’avoine n’a pas ton blé. (2)
Si je ne le vends, je le donnerai.
Chorus
 
6. Si je ne le vends, je le donnerai. (2)
À ce prix-là, on va s’arranger.
 
Chorus
Nous irons sur l’eau,
Nous y pro-promener.
Nous irons jouer dans l’île,
Dans l’île.
 
We’ll go on the water,
To wander around.
We’ll go play on the island,
On the island.
 

 * * *

Jacques Cartier, who claimed Canada for France (1534), left from Saint-Malo, but this song has nothing to do with him.
 
1.  First, it tells what a beautiful harbour Saint-Malo is and that three big ships (trois gros navires) have arrived (sont arrivés).
 
2.  Three ladies (trois dames) go to a merchant whose boats contain oat (chargés d’avoine) and wheat (chargés de blé[le]).  They want to know how much the wheat costs: combien ton blé ?
 
3.  How much is your wheat ? 
It’s three francs for the oat (l’avoine[f]) and six for the wheat (le blé).
 
4. They say it’s too expensive (trop cher), it should be half (la moitié) the price.
Come up (Montez) ladies, you’ll see it (vous le verrez).
 
5. The oat merchant does not have your wheat.
He says that if he does not sell it (si je ne le vends pas),  he’ll give it. (je le donnerai)
 
6. He repeats that if he does not sell it, he’ll give it.
At that price, (à ce prix-là), one can arrange something. (on va s’arranger) 
 
 

À Saint-Malo

(please click on title to hear the song)

* * *

 
 
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À la claire fontaine

22 Sunday Jan 2012

Posted by michelinewalker in Canada, Music

≈ 11 Comments

Tags

À la claire fontaine, Group of Seven, Marius Barbeau, Theodore C. Blegen, Université de Moncton's Male Choir, voyageurs, words and music

  

Barn on the York River, A. F. Casson*

 
*A. F. Casson, Group of Seven [i]
 
 
À la claire fontaine
 
À la claire fontaine,
M’en allant promener,
J’ai trouvé l’eau si belle,
Que je m’y suis baigné.
 
Refrain
Lui y a longtemps que je t’aime,
Jamais je ne t’oublierai.
 
Sous les feuilles d’un chêne,
Je me suis fait sécher,
Sur la plus haute branche,
Le rossignol chantait.
Refrain
 
Sur la plus haute branche,
Le rossignol chantait,
Chante, rossignol, chante,
Toi qui as le cœur gai.
Refrain
 
Chante, rossignol, chante,
Toi qui as le cœur gai,
Tu as le cœur à rire,
Moi, je l’ai à pleurer.
Refrain
 
Tu as le cœur à rire,
Moi, je l’ai à pleurer,
J’ai perdu ma maîtresse,
Sans l’avoir mérité. 
Refrain
 
J’ai perdu ma maîtresse,
Sans l’avoir mérité,
Pour un bouquet de roses,
Que je lui refusai.
Refrain
 
 
Je voudrais que la rose
Fût encore au rosier,
Et que le rosier même
À la mer fût jeté.
Refrain
 

Marius Barbeau*

* Marius Barbeau
 

This song, a ballad, is about a young man who walks by a clear fountain. The water (eau[f]) is so beautiful that he bathes (se baigner) in it. He lets himself dry (sécher: dry up) under the leaves (feuilles[fp]) of an oak-tree (chêne[m]). On the highest (la plus haute) branch, a nightingale (un rossignol [m]) sings. He tells the nightingale to sing (chanter) because he has a happy heart (tu as le cœur gai). You feel like laughing (rire), but I feel like crying (pleurer). I lost my lady friend (ma maîtresse) without deserving to (sans l’avoir mérité). Because I refused (Je lui ai refusai) [to give] her a bouquet of roses (la rose[f]).

f: feminine, m: masculin, p: plural

* * *

(please click on title to hear music)
 
Folklore: À la claire fontaine, Université de Moncton, New Brunswick, Male Choir.[ii]

_________________________

[i] http://www.artcountrycanada.com/group-of-seven-casson.htm

[ii] Theodore C. Blegen, Songs of the Voyageurs (St. Paul, Minnesota: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 1998 [1966]).

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