De la nit, el dia i el temps
Ara plou,
ara neva
Dalt del diri
La lluna
la pruna
Mireu
alla dalt
Sol solet
Trinco trinco
Last edited: 10/11/2015 15:27
The songs below are part of ‘Joan del Rui’
The Catalan collection
compiled, adapted, translated and illustrated by Dany Rosevear
To listen to music from these
songs click on O
Return to the ‘Singing games for children’ home page
Why a
separate Catalan collection?
My
intention in researching Catalan songs was to add just a small number to my
original Spanish collection. However it was obvious from the outset that this
region of Spain is a particularly rich source of wonderful music and rhythms
and before long I had assembled and translated a dedicated compilation of
singing games and dances.
Many
of these had been accessed on the internet in the form of videos. The dances
themselves should be self-evident from the directions given but I would urge
anyone who would like to introduce these songs in the Catalan language to
classes of children to illustrate the dances using these videos as a model to
copy on their whiteboards.
© Dany Rosevear 2008 All rights reserved
You
are free to copy, distribute, display and perform these works under the
following conditions:
·
you must give the original author credit
·
you may not use this work for commercial purposes
·
for any re-use or distribution, you must make clear to others the
licence terms of this work
·
any of these can be waived if you get permission from the copyright
holder
Your
fair use and other rights are no way affected by the above.
The
Catalan Collection
Catalan
pronunciation
Spoken
Catalan like Spanish is quite distinctive from spoken English. The more
distinctive sounds of letters in the words of the songs are provided to aid
pronunciation in the guide below. The letters not listed are pronounced approximately
as in English.
a stressed sounds like ah (father) as
in pa
a unstressed sounds like a (sugar) as
in porta
e open sounds like e (met) at the beginning or within a word as in nen
e closed sounds like e (they) at the beginning or within a word as in llet
i sounds like ee (feet) as
in nit
e sounds like ay at the end of a word as in leche
o sounds like oa (boat) as
in boca
u sounds like oo (boot) as
in una
b is silent after m as
in amb
c sounds like c (acid) before the letters i and e as
in cel
ç sounds like c (acid) as
in canço
g (before
e and i) and
j sounds like sh (vision) as in pàgina jeure
g sounds like h (hallo)
before the letters i
and e as in gente
h is always silent unless the word is of foreign origin
ll sounds like lli (million) as
in llapis
p is silent after m as
in llamp
v at the beginning of a word sounds like b as in vi
rr sounds like a Scottish r as
in carro
v sounds
like b as in vaca
s and z
sounds like z (zoo) as
in casa zero
u is silent after g
and q as
in gue qui
x at the beginning of a word or
after l, n, r sounds like sh as in xarop
There are many sites on line
that provide help with pronunciations
Catalan
punctuation
Written
Catalan like Spanish is distinctive from written English; fewer capitals are
used at the beginning of each line of verse, exclamation and question marks are
used both at the beginning and end of sentences. However, for familiarity I
have usually conformed to the English model when writing Catalan verse.
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Ara plou, ara neva O
Accompany this song with light to strong percussion sounds to imitate
the weather. The origin of the word ‘torín’ / ‘Turin’
possibly relates to shoes imported from Italy. Watch at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zc2MRgY2J-g&feature=related Stand in a circle and let hands make the movements of the weather.
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Dalt del diri
O Help the very youngest to learn how to keep the beat at increasing
speeds. Watch at: http://blocs.xtec.cat/femmusica/2009/04/29/dalt-del-diri-salvador-dali/
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La lluna la pruna O What has the moon got to do with plums? There are many theories; one suggests
that plums are a purple / brown colour similar to the darkness of the moon. Watch at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RN9ysqdqHkA
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Mireu allà dalt O If you look up at the stars and stare you can make out anything you
wish to see, just as you can in the clouds. First time round sing all words of the song with the actions below.
Next time hum (mmmmmh) the words of the first
phrase continuing actions as before. Each time the song is repeated replace
consequent phrases with humming and actions as below. Watch at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puo7ZRvFXso&feature=related
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Sol, solet O
Suggest different items of clothing to wear once children are familiar
with the song. Use the shimmer of tambourine bells to make the sound of the sun. Watch at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrhGpIPn37w&feature=related and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epfvYIZoIvY
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Trinco,
trinco O Two Catalan weather songs
that are often sung back to back. Legend has it that rain is caused by the
witches combing their long black hair. ‘Plou i fa sol’ is sung when it is rainy and sunny at the same
time. Watch at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVHHMGdBy7Y&feature=related
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