Looking more deeply at De Falla's "Siete Canciones"

When I first learned and performed "Siete canciones populares españolas" by Manuel de Falla with the classical guitar, I did not closely consider the words. With my rusty knowledge of Spanish, I knew that the first song, "El paño moruno," had something to do with a cloth that had been stained and was now selling for less in a shop. I didn't know why one would sing about a stained cloth, unless it was a stained dress that made history, but I thought the rhythm was cool, so I focused on that. I also knew that "Asturiana" had something to do with crying (and oddly, also a crying pine tree), and "Nana" was some kind of lullaby. What I did not do was analyze the text, because I thought the words were nonsense, and the songs were more about flamenco dance rhythms. This negligence is inexcusable, however, since a singer should always write out the text of a piece and translate it, line by line and word by word, no matter how proficient she thinks she is in the particular language. One of my favorite singers, Barbara Bonney, has said that when she learns a new piece, she starts with the text. Now I know why.

I. El Paño Moruno (The Moorish cloth): a metaphor for loss of virtue. Or, a 19th-century Spanish local commercial jingle.

The fine cloth in the shop, a stain has fallen on it
For less price it sells now, because it has lost its value.


II. Seguidilla Muriciana: those in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. Also, get your mule and don't be so fake.

Whoever has a roof made of glass, shouldn't throw stones at his neighbor.
Let us be mule drivers; it could be that we may meet each other on the road.
For your inconstancy, I compare you to a coin (peseta) that runs from hand to hand
And becomes so worn and blurred that people start believing it to be false, and they will no longer take it.

III. Asturiana: sometimes you can get so depressed that you make even the trees cry.

To see whether it would console me, I drew near a green pine.
Seeing me weep, it wept.
And the pine, being green, seeing me weep, wept.

IV. Jota (a flamenco dance): good-bye, windows! good-bye, door!

They say we don't love each other,
Because they never see us talking.
But of your heart and mine, they have only to ask.
Now I bid you farewell, your house and your windows, too.
Even though your mother may not like it,
Farewell, little girl until tomorrow.

V. Nana ("nana" literally means lullaby)

Go to sleep, little child, sleep.
Sleep, my soul.
Go to sleep, little star of the morning.
Lulla-lullaby, lulla-lullaby,
Sleep, little star of the morning.

VI. Canción: jeepers, creepers, where'd you get those peepers?

For being traitors, your eyes, I'm going to bury them
You don't know what it costs, "del aire"
Child, the act of looking at them
"Madre a la orilla"
Child, the act of looking at them, "madre."
They say you don't love me, and you have loved me,
The winner goes away, "del aire,"
For the loser: "madre a la orilla"
For the loser: "madre."

ok, I still don't really understand this one. Those "madre" interjections are some kind of specific expressions in Spanish. Further research is required.

VII. Polo (not the horse game, but another flamenco dance): 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.
And he who gave me to understand it!
Ay!

This song cycle is so wonderful for its "Spanish-ness:" the pieces are earthy, passionate, hot, emotional, and sharply rhythmical. I do not claim to be a Flamenco singer, or even a mezzo-soprano (the songs are largely middle voice), but I think they work even in the voice of a Waspy soprano. As long as she goes to that Spanish place in her soul.

Did You Know?

Did you know that every woman should have a certain 10 essential items in her clothes closet? That is according to Tim Gunn, on Bravo's Guide to Style, which I watched for the first time last night. I am a little bit endeared to Gunn, who seems sincere in his pursuit to make people dress better. I thought I would watch the show to make fun of it (have you seen Michael MacDonald impersonate him on MadTV?), but I ended up taking actual notes. Lucky for me, because if you go to the site for more information, you will not easily find checklists and clear information, which is probably intentional for getting you to watch the show. Lucky for you, too, that I did the dirty work, because they were not straightforward even on the show about this precious information. So, here are the items, with my comments:

1. Little black dress (check! Except the little shiny doodad on the back of mine has broken, even though it is staying in place)

2. Classic dress pant (... jeans aren't dressy?)

3. Classic white shirt (check! It's about three years old, uncomfortably tight across the bust, and is starting to show little sweat stains... ew. Ok, uncheck.)

4. Day dress (check! I get compliments on it, but it is made of synthetic fabric and doesn't breathe well.)

5. Blazer (check! If we are counting funky, Asian-Turkish inspired casual blazers? Tim??)

6. Skirt (check! Got lots of those, including my favorite, straight one, with a little sexy slit on the side.)

7. Cashmere sweater (check! It's second-hand Calvin Klein, I believe, and it's a cardigan, but it's cashmere.)

8. Jeans (Check! Again, lots of those, but I still find it difficult to find the best pair.)

9. Trenchcoat (Check! It's a raincoat, technically, but I think it counts.)

10. Sweatsuit alternative (I am just not into sweatsuits. I simply cannot wear them without looking frumpy. I'll have to keep watching the show to see what they come up with here.)

How do you fare? I am not a big shopper myself, but I am inspired. I think I may even go to a bra fitter this week.

Words of Wisdom: Renee Fleming

I had the great fortune of catching a performance with Renee Fleming at the London Proms when I was in London for all of two nights this summer. Even from very far away, I could see and hear that she both looked and sounded gorgeous. In a flowing, sparkling green dress, she could have been dressed for the role of Rusalka the mermaid, and her warm, voluptuous soprano filled the Royal Albert Hall.

But I didn't come here to write about that performance.

I just heard her on NPR, speaking briefly with producer David Schulman, as part of the series "Musicians in their own words." I jotted down notes, and now I will share them with you, my lovelies.

In her words:

1. You must imagine the voice you want. (Meaning, you cannot really control your voice in the same way an instrumentalist controls their sound. The vocal chords are involuntary muscles.)

2. Walking as a form of exercise is very beneficial.

3. Singing jazz earlier helped me with phrasing in classical music: tension in a phrase, singing slightly off the beat, rubato.

4. Find composers that are a good fit. Don't force yourself into the wrong "clothes." A piece should feel like a "second skin," like it was written for you. Also, you must love the piece as well as the character.

5. In 1995, I sang in Othello 4 1/2 weeks after the birth of my second daughter. I just decided I could do it, and I am very proud of that.

You rock, Renee.

Lest We Forget

Sixty-five years after her death, the poems of young Jewish poet Selma Meerbaum-Eisinger live on both in text as well as music. Composer Gershon Kingsley recently set to music the words of the teenage girl from Romania who became imprisoned in a concentration camp.

Despite falling very ill and eventually perishing in this labor camp at the age of 18, she wrote and eventually left behind 52 original poems, many of which were intended for her boyfriend. After the war, a friend of hers rescued the poems and took them to Israel, where they were published.

Her words:

‘I want to live.
I want to laugh and lift loads
and want to fight and love and hate
…and want to be free and breathe and scream.
I don’t want to die. No!
No.
Life is red.
Life is mine.’

I have not heard the whole disc , "Voices from the Shadow," so I cannot review it here, but the snippets give the impression of a music that is personal, intimate, and haunting.

Addio, senza rancor

It's hard to believe that Luciano is gone. He was one of those artists I thought would just be around forever.

I hope he and Beverly Sills are singing duets in heaven.