En cos i ànima
El ball
de la maniera
El ball
de Sant Cornelli
En Joan Petit
Peu polidor
Si tu et vol divertir
Som
els cavallers
Last updated: 01/02/2016 13:56
The songs below are part of ‘Joan del Rui’
The Catalan collection
compiled, adapted, translated and illustrated by Dany Rosevear
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games for children’ home
To listen to music from these
songs click on O
To watch the
author sing a song click on the title at:
© 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.
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.
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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Develop a sense of balance when moving to this comic dance. Learn to
move in opposite directions and to coordinate those movements with others. My translation of ‘maniera’ is a bit of a conceit
as I was unable to find suitable words that made sense! ‘Maniera’
translates from Italian as ‘mannerism’ and ‘la maniera’
appears to be connected with the ‘commedia dell'arte’ and exaggerated movements
see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mannerism. I would be very grateful for a better explanation or translation. Watch the simple dance at: http://blocs.xtec.cat/musiguicivervi/2014/02/02/el-ball-de-la-maniera-a-ciutadilla/
Dance either in a circle or lines
of eight to ten children. Skip as below in the first verse and then follow
the words and leap forwards and step back, skip in the opposite direction,
step back and leap forward. Second verse as below.
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El ball de Sant Corneli O Great hilarity will ensue as it becomes increasingly difficult to
return to a standing position and gain composure in time for the next verse! Watch at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=py4IAoVY0do
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Joan Petit is a character from the culture of the Occitan, a region that
includes Catalonia, southern France and parts of northern Italy He was a
farmer who led a revolt against the French king Louis XIV in 1643. He was
captured and was made to suffer on the torture wheel. The mocking song poked
fun at the resulting ‘dance’ parts of his body made! Not the first time has an innocent nursery song emerged from gory
historical beginnings. More about the grisly end of
Joan Petit can be found on Wickepedia. Watch at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnP6G6SqpLA&feature=related
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Peu polidor O Calm down with this gentle dance. Find more Catalan names for body
parts to extend this game. Watch at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVrzdEEqihc&feature=related
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Si tu et vols
divertir O This Catalan song, a version of Woody Guthrie’s ’If you’re happy and
you know it’, with its distinctive cha cha cha rhythm was written by Xesco
Boix who as a recording artist has collected and
ensured the popularity of many traditional Catalan children’s songs. Watch at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fNC461pCqg Spread out around the room.
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Som els
cavallers O Learn to distinguish between the left or right parts of the body. This song has a
strong beat and is often sung in Catalonia on the feast of St. George. ‘La fiambrera’
is the name for chorizo or cold meats. Watch at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgGd-sS5n64
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