cradle song
Brian is in a composition class this semester and he just wrote a song for me to sing. His first assignment was a violin piece, and this time he needed to write a piece for solo voice and piano.
The lyrics he used are an English translation of the words used in a popular Spanish cradle song that I've sung before. The original text is:
Duérmete, niño, duerme,
Duerme, mi alma,
Duérmete, lucerito
De la mañana.
Nanita, nana,
Nanita, nana,
Duérmete, lucerito
De la mañana
The translation Brian found and is using, in my opinion, is WRONG. It is something like:
Go to sleep, my child...
Go to sleep little light
In the morning
Nana, nursemaid
Go to sleep little light
In the morning.
I think the correct translation is more like:
Sleep, child, sleep,
Sleep, my soul,
Sleep, little light
of the morning
Nanita, nana,
Nanita, nana,
Sleep little light
of the morning
The difference? In the morning vs. Of the morning. It makes a big difference, musically, how the words should be phrased depending on what they mean.
Actually, when I sing deFalla's version I almost get the feeling that it should mean "UNTIL the morning" but I can't find anything to back this up, so I just pretend to myself that I'm asking my baby to sleep until the morning.
But seriosly, who tells a baby to sleep In the morning? I would plead with a baby at night to sleep Until the morning. I also might tell a baby that they are a "little light of the morning" but only when they go to sleep like a good baby.
Also, the use of the word "nursemaid" is like WHAT? A "nana" can be translated as a lullaby, therefore, a "nanita" could be a little lullaby. But it is most certainly not, in this song, a nursemaid.
I'll sing it just like Brian wrote it, however. We had our first and only rehearsal last night at RU with this Polish guy that Brian got to do the piano accompaniment. Definitely a music major, and definitely a bit weird. But he's alright, I like him.
We'll perform it next Wednesday morning.
The lyrics he used are an English translation of the words used in a popular Spanish cradle song that I've sung before. The original text is:
Duérmete, niño, duerme,
Duerme, mi alma,
Duérmete, lucerito
De la mañana.
Nanita, nana,
Nanita, nana,
Duérmete, lucerito
De la mañana
The translation Brian found and is using, in my opinion, is WRONG. It is something like:
Go to sleep, my child...
Go to sleep little light
In the morning
Nana, nursemaid
Go to sleep little light
In the morning.
I think the correct translation is more like:
Sleep, child, sleep,
Sleep, my soul,
Sleep, little light
of the morning
Nanita, nana,
Nanita, nana,
Sleep little light
of the morning
The difference? In the morning vs. Of the morning. It makes a big difference, musically, how the words should be phrased depending on what they mean.
Actually, when I sing deFalla's version I almost get the feeling that it should mean "UNTIL the morning" but I can't find anything to back this up, so I just pretend to myself that I'm asking my baby to sleep until the morning.
But seriosly, who tells a baby to sleep In the morning? I would plead with a baby at night to sleep Until the morning. I also might tell a baby that they are a "little light of the morning" but only when they go to sleep like a good baby.
Also, the use of the word "nursemaid" is like WHAT? A "nana" can be translated as a lullaby, therefore, a "nanita" could be a little lullaby. But it is most certainly not, in this song, a nursemaid.
I'll sing it just like Brian wrote it, however. We had our first and only rehearsal last night at RU with this Polish guy that Brian got to do the piano accompaniment. Definitely a music major, and definitely a bit weird. But he's alright, I like him.
We'll perform it next Wednesday morning.