Poulenc is really brilliant! My choir sang "Les Tisserands" in quarantine style. Write this in the search. You're going to love it for sure! Corale Novarmonia - Les Tisserands (F. Poulenc)
Translations: 1) I and Refrain - [Margoton went to the well with her jar. (I - The well was deep, she fell to the bottom.) Woe, woe, woe is me, cried Margoton] II - Three handsome lads passed by. III - What would you give us to pull you out, my beauty? IV - Pull me out first, then we’ll see, said she. V - When she was out, she began to sing. VI - That’s not what we want, my beauty. VII - We want to know if we may have your heart. VIII - My heart’s not for lovers to have, my lads. 2) The fair maid sat at the foot of the tower, crying, sighing and making moan. Her father asked her: "Daughter, what’s the matter? Do you want a husband, or do you want a lord?" "I don’t want a husband, I don’t want a lord, I want my true love who languishes in the tower". "Good Lord, my fair daughter, you can’t have him, for he is to be hanged tomorrow at dawn". "Father, if he is to be hanged, bury me beneath the spot, so the people will say, they were true lovers" 3) Refrain - [Grind the barley, grind the barley, grind the barley, grind it there.] My father’s married me off to a peasant who won’t give me a thing. But if he carries on that way, he’ll get a real thrashing 4) Refrain - [Click, clack, hear the clogs dance, let the shawms play fit to burst. Click, clack, hear the clogs dance, let the pipes ring out.] I - But how can we have a dance when there are no girls here? II - Let’s go and look for some girls, there’ll be plenty of them, for sure. III - Good day, master and mistress, would you let us have your fair daughter there? THE FATHER: Daughters were made to raise a family and keep house. V - But listen, to get married you need some boys. VI - You didn’t do anything different, good master and mistress. THE FATHER: Go to the devil, the lot of you, and good riddance. VIII - Ah! master and mistress, why not all embrace? 5) I - It was the prince’s little daughter who wished to marry. Refrain - [On the banks of the Loire, get married, fair maid, marry the bonny sailor.] II - She saw a boat draw near with forty young men aboard. III - The youngest of them began to serenade her. IV - ‘I’d like to know the song you’re singing.’ V - ‘If you come aboard I will teach it to you.’ VI- The fair maid lingered to listen to the song, but then she began to weep. VII - ‘Why do you weep, my sweet, when I’m singing to you?’ VIII - ‘My heart is full of tears because you have captured it.’ IX - ‘Don’t cry, my fair one, for I shall give it back to you.’ X - ‘You can’t give it back as easily as borrowed money 6) I - Pretty maid, if we were in the wood we could eat our fill of nuts. We could eat them to our heart’s content. Refrain - [Pretty maid, you have captured me with your beauty.] II - Pretty maid, if we were by the pond we could put little ducks in to swim. We could put them in to our heart’s content. III - Pretty maid, if we were by the oven we could eat little hot pies. We could eat them to our heart’s content. IV - Pretty maid, if we were in the garden we could sing all day. We could sing to our heart’s content. 7) I and Refrain - [Ah! kind sir in the vineyard] II - Have you seen my true love Marguerite pass by? III - I would give a hundred crowns to know where she is. IV - Sir, hand them over and come into our vineyard. V - The fair maid lies sleeping beneath a white plum tree. VI - I urged her three times but she would not say a word. VII - The fourth time she gave a sigh. VIII - Who do you sigh for, Marguerite my love? IX - I sigh for you and can’t deny it. X - The neighbours have seen us and they will tell all. XI - Let people talk, we’ll just laugh at them. XII - When they have told all, they’ll have nothing more to say 8) I - The weavers are worse than bishops. Every Monday they celebrate. Refrain - [And tip and tap and tip and tap, is it too coarse, is it too fine, up early, late to bed, keep the shuttle rolling and the good times will come around.] II - Every Monday they celebrate, Tuesday they recuperate, III - Tuesday they recuperate, Wednesday they change their cloth, IV - Wednesday they change their cloth, Thursday they go to see their mistress, V - Thursday they go to see their mistress, Friday they work all day, VI - Friday they work all day, Saturday the job’s not done, VII - Saturday the job's not done, Sunday, we want our money, master.
The last paragraph of this video's description (as it appears June 9, 2019) seems inaccurate. It states that "These are settings of traditional folk-rhymes; according to Poulenc’s biographer Henri Hell, the melodies are the composer’s own, although one or two (such as Margoton) have become so absorbed into French folklore that they have virtually turned into folk songs." The melody (not just the text) for "Margoton" predates Poulenc. Its score can be found, for example, in the collection "Chansons de France" (1883) illustrated by Boutet de Monvel, where the melody is identical to what we find here. ("Margoton" is apparently a 17th century song.) "La Belle si nous étions" also appears in this collection, and there too, the melody is the same. Most likely, all of the other songs in this set also use the pre-existing melodies, with only slight variations, if any, by Poulenc. (How he arranges these melodies, of course, is another matter.) With the possible exception of "Margoton," these songs have all remained obscure in the post-1945 era and neither they, nor Poulenc's arrangements of them are widely known. It would be nice to think that Poulenc's touch might have made its way somehow into French folk music. Since 1945, the French folk repertoire has certainly grown to incorporate new music (and no doubt, also, its older repertoire has been altered slightly), but it's not clear that Poulenc has a place in that particular history. Outside of the classical realm, the song by Poulenc that probably reached the widest audience in France was probably "Les Chemins de l'amour," which he wrote for and was sung by Yvonne Printemps, a star in her day. (ruclips.net/video/V0L5l0G0jd4/видео.html).
Thank you for clarifying matters. I always assumed these were traditional French folk songs, both words and melodies; by contrast, the songs in his ballet from the 1920s LES BICHES put new tunes to existing texts. Poulenc, not a "folklorist" by inclination (to put it mildly) seems to me to have put all his love for his country into these lovely arrangements, as he had a few years earlier into his ballet score LES ANIMAUX MODELES. And surely the end of WWII and the liberation of France was one of the reasons he accepted this commission.
Exceptionnel dans le registre de la chanson populaire française polyphonique, et parfaitement chanté. Quel régal !
I didnt think I could love Poulenc's music any more than I already did, but these are absolute pure genius!!
This will definitely be one of my favourites through my whole life! This incredible and inventive composition always helps me to feel optimistic!
Poulenc is really brilliant! My choir sang "Les Tisserands" in quarantine style. Write this in the search. You're going to love it for sure!
Corale Novarmonia - Les Tisserands (F. Poulenc)
It's wonderful! You are very talented! :)
Amazing 👏
Poulenc makes life worth living!
Translations:
1) I and Refrain - [Margoton went to the well with her jar. (I - The well was deep, she fell to the bottom.) Woe, woe, woe is me, cried Margoton]
II - Three handsome lads passed by.
III - What would you give us to pull you out, my beauty?
IV - Pull me out first, then we’ll see, said she.
V - When she was out, she began to sing.
VI - That’s not what we want, my beauty.
VII - We want to know if we may have your heart.
VIII - My heart’s not for lovers to have, my lads.
2) The fair maid sat at the foot of the tower, crying, sighing and making moan.
Her father asked her: "Daughter, what’s the matter? Do you want a husband, or do you want a lord?"
"I don’t want a husband, I don’t want a lord, I want my true love who languishes in the tower".
"Good Lord, my fair daughter, you can’t have him, for he is to be hanged tomorrow at dawn".
"Father, if he is to be hanged, bury me beneath the spot, so the people will say, they were true lovers"
3) Refrain - [Grind the barley, grind the barley, grind the barley, grind it there.]
My father’s married me off to a peasant who won’t give me a thing. But if he carries on that way, he’ll get a real thrashing
4) Refrain - [Click, clack, hear the clogs dance, let the shawms play fit to burst. Click, clack, hear the clogs dance, let the pipes ring out.]
I - But how can we have a dance when there are no girls here?
II - Let’s go and look for some girls, there’ll be plenty of them, for sure.
III - Good day, master and mistress, would you let us have your fair daughter there?
THE FATHER: Daughters were made to raise a family and keep house.
V - But listen, to get married you need some boys.
VI - You didn’t do anything different, good master and mistress.
THE FATHER: Go to the devil, the lot of you, and good riddance.
VIII - Ah! master and mistress, why not all embrace?
5) I - It was the prince’s little daughter who wished to marry.
Refrain - [On the banks of the Loire, get married, fair maid, marry the bonny sailor.]
II - She saw a boat draw near with forty young men aboard.
III - The youngest of them began to serenade her.
IV - ‘I’d like to know the song you’re singing.’
V - ‘If you come aboard I will teach it to you.’
VI- The fair maid lingered to listen to the song, but then she began to weep.
VII - ‘Why do you weep, my sweet, when I’m singing to you?’
VIII - ‘My heart is full of tears because you have captured it.’
IX - ‘Don’t cry, my fair one, for I shall give it back to you.’
X - ‘You can’t give it back as easily as borrowed money
6) I - Pretty maid, if we were in the wood we could eat our fill of nuts. We could eat them to our heart’s content.
Refrain - [Pretty maid, you have captured me with your beauty.]
II - Pretty maid, if we were by the pond we could put little ducks in to swim. We could put them in to our heart’s content.
III - Pretty maid, if we were by the oven we could eat little hot pies. We could eat them to our heart’s content.
IV - Pretty maid, if we were in the garden we could sing all day. We could sing to our heart’s content.
7) I and Refrain - [Ah! kind sir in the vineyard]
II - Have you seen my true love Marguerite pass by?
III - I would give a hundred crowns to know where she is.
IV - Sir, hand them over and come into our vineyard.
V - The fair maid lies sleeping beneath a white plum tree.
VI - I urged her three times but she would not say a word.
VII - The fourth time she gave a sigh.
VIII - Who do you sigh for, Marguerite my love?
IX - I sigh for you and can’t deny it.
X - The neighbours have seen us and they will tell all.
XI - Let people talk, we’ll just laugh at them.
XII - When they have told all, they’ll have nothing more to say
8) I - The weavers are worse than bishops. Every Monday they celebrate.
Refrain - [And tip and tap and tip and tap, is it too coarse, is it too fine, up early, late to bed, keep the shuttle rolling and the good times will come around.]
II - Every Monday they celebrate, Tuesday they recuperate,
III - Tuesday they recuperate, Wednesday they change their cloth,
IV - Wednesday they change their cloth, Thursday they go to see their mistress,
V - Thursday they go to see their mistress, Friday they work all day,
VI - Friday they work all day, Saturday the job’s not done,
VII - Saturday the job's not done, Sunday, we want our money, master.
I heard one of Poulenc’s songs on the radio today and was delighted to come across this lovely video and wonderful translation to English. Thank you!
Thank you so much for uploading this!!!
Magnifique!
C'est tellement beau...
Je vais chanter ça cette année!!!
I love song no.4!
magnifique, génie
superbe!
C'est toi qui est superbe mon bichou :)
haha baguette baguette
The last paragraph of this video's description (as it appears June 9, 2019) seems inaccurate. It states that "These are settings of traditional folk-rhymes; according to Poulenc’s biographer Henri Hell, the melodies are the composer’s own, although one or two (such as Margoton) have become so absorbed into French folklore that they have virtually turned into folk songs."
The melody (not just the text) for "Margoton" predates Poulenc. Its score can be found, for example, in the collection "Chansons de France" (1883) illustrated by Boutet de Monvel, where the melody is identical to what we find here. ("Margoton" is apparently a 17th century song.) "La Belle si nous étions" also appears in this collection, and there too, the melody is the same. Most likely, all of the other songs in this set also use the pre-existing melodies, with only slight variations, if any, by Poulenc. (How he arranges these melodies, of course, is another matter.)
With the possible exception of "Margoton," these songs have all remained obscure in the post-1945 era and neither they, nor Poulenc's arrangements of them are widely known. It would be nice to think that Poulenc's touch might have made its way somehow into French folk music. Since 1945, the French folk repertoire has certainly grown to incorporate new music (and no doubt, also, its older repertoire has been altered slightly), but it's not clear that Poulenc has a place in that particular history.
Outside of the classical realm, the song by Poulenc that probably reached the widest audience in France was probably "Les Chemins de l'amour," which he wrote for and was sung by Yvonne Printemps, a star in her day. (ruclips.net/video/V0L5l0G0jd4/видео.html).
Thank you for clarifying matters. I always assumed these were traditional French folk songs, both words and melodies; by contrast, the songs in his ballet from the 1920s LES BICHES put new tunes to existing texts. Poulenc, not a "folklorist" by inclination (to put it mildly) seems to me to have put all his love for his country into these lovely arrangements, as he had a few years earlier into his ballet score LES ANIMAUX MODELES. And surely the end of WWII and the liberation of France was one of the reasons he accepted this commission.
Margoton
Qui
Faites gaffe Théo a été trop intimidé
Bood of Zeus