Our daughter & I are currently reading a history book about Napoleon's
attempt(s) to invade Russia, and she'd like some "mood music" to go with it.

We have a recording of the "1812 Overture". What we're looking for is
Russian folk songs which have been translated into English.

I can read music, and I can listen to audio recordings on my computer.
The objective is to find something I can sing, but the only Russian song I know
is "Volga Boatmen". Specific titles or web addresses would be helpful.... :-)




--- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+
* Origin: Wits' End, Vancouver CANADA (1:153/716)

Hello Ardith,

Saturday June 25 2011, Ardith Hinton wrote to Anybody Interested:

I can read music, and I can listen to audio recordings on my computer. The objective is to find something I can sing, but the only Russian song I know is "Volga Boatmen". Specific titles or web
addresses would be helpful.... :-)

Here for example you can find several songs with their translation but I am not
sure one can sing the translation. They suppose the reader sings the original Russian text written using Latin characters. http://www.kaikracht.de/balalaika/english/songs/
And not all songs there are really Russian. For instance, "Evening bells" was translated from English, "Suliko" is a Georgian song and "Tum Balalaika" is in Jiddish, not in Russian.

Here is one more link:
http://www.mudcat.org/russiansongs/index.cfm

I do not think the quality of translation is good, sorry.

Michael

... dukelsky (at) aha (dot) ru
--- GoldED+/LNX 1.1.5-b20100314
* Origin: Moscow, Russia (2:5020/1042)

Hi, Michael! Many thanks for your prompt reply to Ardith Hinton:

Here for example you can find several songs with their
translation but I am not sure one can sing the translation.

It's quite a challenge at times to work from a translation without sacrificing the original intent of the words or the music, but I think I can
do well enough to satisfy our daughter in the privacy of our home... [grin].

They suppose the reader sings the original Russian text
written using Latin characters.

In this case, they've hit exactly the right level for what I need.
I listened to some songs while Nora was playing a game & made printed copies
of the ones to which she responded "That's pretty!" The next day I listened
to the latter again, with my printed copies in hand, while I figured out how
to make the English words fit the tune. Being able to use the same web site
to do both is wonderful... and I appreciate Kai Kracht's notes as well. :-)

http://www.kaikracht.de/balalaika/english/songs/
And not all songs there are really Russian. For instance,
"Evening bells" was translated from English, "Suliko" is
a Georgian song and "Tum Balalaika" is in Jiddish, not in
Russian.

Thanks for the warning. I recognized the tune for "Tum Balalaika"
as soon as I heard it... but this site identifies it as a Russian song which has been translated into Yiddish. Either way I will be singing the words in English. What Nora wants to know is how people in Russia feel, and how they express their feelings in music. I can relate to that. When you & I have a bit of time to spare, however, I'd also like to find out more about what the letter "j" signifies to my modem buddies on the other side of the pond. :-)

I do not think the quality of translation is good, sorry.

No apology needed. I'll know not to take these songs too seriously in my own attempts to decipher the Russian language... that is worth knowing. And I've had the same experience with French, which I understand better. The commonly accepted translations don't always agree with my perception.... ;-)




--- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+
* Origin: Wits' End, Vancouver CANADA (1:153/716)

Hi, Michael! Recently you wrote in a message to Ardith Hinton:

I was not sure of the correct spelling of the word
"Yiddish", but I was too lazy to look it up in a
dictionary. Thank you for the correction made in
such a soft style.

Ah... thankyou for the clarification! I was puzzled because I've seen Hebrew & Arabic words spelled in various ways, depending on how they've been transliterated into the Latin alphabet. I wondered if this was another variant spelling transliterated from Russian and/or Hebrew. I must confess, however, that I didn't check the word origin until after reading your reply.

Now I see that "Yiddish" apparently comes to English via a German word meaning "Jewish" and spelled with an initial "j". To my Anglophone ear the "j" in German & Swedish sounds like an initial or medial "y" in English. AFAIC it's not a big deal if you forget which is which in English sometimes. What matters to me is that you inspired me to look up the word origin & do a bit of review on my understanding of Russian letters. I enjoyed that. :-))




--- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+
* Origin: Wits' End, Vancouver CANADA (1:153/716)