Hava Nagila / Harry Belafonte

Let's Cheer Up!

Hava Nagila is a Jewish folk song. Generally they sing this song (and dance) when their wedding days, so, it is kind of wedding celebrate song. Nagila Hava mean is  ' Lets Cheer Up' and the song put you’re a better mood.  Melody of song is so familiar to me because in Turkey (as a Muslim country which is generally doesn’t have good feeling about Jewish people) we play same melody when we get married in our wedding celebration ceremony.  So interesting ha ? I mean I believe lots of people who in live Turkey and dance with this song don’t know that they share a custom with Jewish people. I try to came this point people just hate other people without have any information about them. They don’t care about who they are, what they love etc. Governments, countries, or other authorities can do bad things to people, I agree with that but we can’t say that this government has mean political way so whole this people who live that country is mean. No, not this way, at least I don’t believe like that. So we try to figure out them culture, maybe history and see them just independent person without have any bias. At least I see people in this way. 

Nagila Hava Dance

Anyway lets gives some information about song. Ohm Ohm, The melody of Hava Nagila  was taken from a Romanian folk dance-song from Bucovina (a variant of Hora). It uses thePhrygian dominant scale, common in music of Romania. It is perhaps the first modern Israeli folk song in the Hebrew languagethat has become a staple of band performers at Jewish weddings and bar/bat mitzvah celebrations. It was composed in the 1920s in the British Mandate of Palestine, when Hebrew was being revived for the first time as a spoken language in almost 2,000 years (since the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE). For the first time, Jews were being encouraged to speak Hebrew as a common language, instead of Yiddish, Arabic, Ladino, or other regional Jewish languages.

Yep, and here is song's lyric

Transliteration	Hebrew text		English translation
Hava nagila	הבה נגילה		Let's rejoice
Hava nagila	הבה נגילה		Let's rejoice
Hava nagila ve-nismeḥa	הבה נגילה ונשמחה		Let's rejoice and be happy
	(repeat)
Hava neranenah	הבה נרננה		Let's sing
Hava neranenah	הבה נרננה		Let's sing
Hava neranenah ve-nismeḥa	הבה נרננה ונשמחה		Let's sing and be happy
	(repeat)
Uru, uru aḥim!	!עורו, עורו אחים		Awake, awake, my brothers!
Uru aḥim be-lev sameaḥ	עורו אחים בלב שמח		Awake my brothers with a happy heart
	(repeat line four times)
Uru aḥim, uru aḥim!	!עורו אחים, עורו אחים		Awake, my brothers, awake, my brothers!
Be-lev sameaḥ	בלב שמח		With a happy heart

Andrea Guerra / Tumbalalaika

Play Your Balalaika

        Such long time ı could not write anything for my lovely blog. I write lots of thing for my other project which is kind of business for me.Actually that's such shame for me, Because I like so much share my music on my blog but I could not find or create time to share something. But I check who visiting my blog. Yeah I saw several country name again ( although I did not shared anyting in recently time). For example today I had so much visitor from Russia when I saw 25 view just from Russia it makes me happy and curious.  And Guess what my today song came from Russia !

          To be honest, my today song decision is not about visitor from Russia, because I decide it before. How can I say I fall in love with this pretty song.  I can feel some pure energy from the song. Of course I don't understand any single word from the song ( except Tumbalalaika) but I feel something what impressed me, I dont know why.I will try to play this song on piano tomorrow. İt such easy to play with piano but so much funny. I can send the notes who looking for piano notes of Tumbalalaika ^^

İs this Russian  Or Not?

            Well, unfortunately, this song is not Russian, I said before the song came from Russia but situation is little bit complex.. Tumbalalaika is a Russian Jewish folk and love song in the Yiddish language. Yiddish Language ?? Yes you heard right. "Yiddish  (English: Judaeo-German) is the historical language of the Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with an extensive Germanic based vernacular fused with elements taken from Hebrew and Aramaic, as well as from Slavic languages and traces of Romance languages. Yiddish is written with a fully vocalized alphabet based on the Hebrew script." as Wikipedi say. ( Sorry, I am so much lazy today I just copy paste )

And finally I will shared song's Yidish, Engilish and Turkish Lyric. I hope you like Tumbalalaika as much as I liked

TUMBALALAIKA (Yidish) TUMBALALAIKA (Turkish) Tumbala, tumbala, tumbalalaika, Tumbala, tumbala, tumbalalaika, Tumbala, tumbala, tumbalalaika, Tumbala, tumbala, tumbalalaika tumbalalaika, shpiel balalaika Tumbalalaika, balalaika çal tumbalalaika Tumbalalaika Shteyt a bocher, shteyt un tracht, Küçük bir çocuk düşünüyor, bütün gece düşünüyor. Tracht un tracht a gantze nacht. Yanlış mı olur? diye soruyor, "Ya da belki doğru?" Vemen tsu nemen un nit far shemen, Aşkını ilan etmeli mi, o riske giriyor. Vemen tsu nemen un nit far shemen. Peki, o kabul edecek mi, yoksa ret mi edecek? Tumbala, tumbala, tumbalalaika, Tumbala, tumbala, tumbalalaika, Tumbala, tumbala, tumbalalaika Tumbala, tumbala, tumbalalaika Tumbalalaika, shpiel balalaika Tumbalalaika, balalaika çal Tumbalalaika Tumbalalaika Meydl, meydl. ch'vel bay dir fregen, Ey genç kız, güzel kız, söyle bana yine; Vos kan vaksn, vaksn on regn? Ne büyüyebilir, yağmur olmadan? Vos kon brenen un nit oyfhern? Ne yakabilir uzun yıllar boyunca? Vos kon benken, veynen on treren? Ne hasretlik çeker ve ağlar gözyaşı dökmeden? Tumbala, tumbala, tumbalalaika, Tumbala, tumbala, tumbalalaika, Tumbala, tumbala, tumbalalaika Tumbala, tumbala, tumbalalaika Tumbalalaika, shpiel balalaika Tumbalalaika, balalaika çal Tumbalalaika Tumbalalaika Narisher bocher, vos darfstu fregn? Küçük sersem çocuk, ne diye sorarsın yine? A shteyn ken vaksn, vaksn on regn. Taştır yağmur olmadan büyüyebilen. Libeh ken brenen un nit oyfhern. Aşktır yıllar boyunca yakabilen. A harts kon benkn, veynen on treren. Kalptir gözyaşı dökmeden ağlayıp özleyebilen. Tumbala, tumbala, tumbalalaika, Tumbala, tumbala, tumbalalaika, Tumbala, tumbala, tumbalalaika Tumbala, tumbala, tumbalalaika Tumbalalaika, shpiel balalaika Tumbalalaika, balalaika çal Tumbalalaika Tumbalalaika

TUMBALALAIKA ( English)

A young lad stands, and he thinks
Thinks and thinks the whole night through
Whom to take and not to shame
Whom to take and not to shame

((chorus))
Tumbala, Tumbala, Tumbalalaika
Tumbala, Tumbala, Tumbalalaika
Tumbalalaika, strum balalaika
Tumbalalaika, may we be happy

Girl, girl, I want to ask of you
What can grow, grow without rain?
What can burn and never end?
What can yearn, cry without tears?

((chorus))

Foolish lad, why do you have to ask?
A stone can grow, grow without rain
Love can burn and never end
A heart can yearn, cry without tears

((chorus))

What is higher than a house?
What is swifter than a mouse?
What is deeper than a well?
What is bitter, more bitter than gall?

((chorus))

A chimney is higher than a house
A cat is swifter than a mouse
The Torah is deeper than a well
Death is bitter, more bitter than gall

((chorus))

P.S : There is other versions of Tumbalalaike. This version use in a movie whic is name  Prendimi l'anima 

Lena Chamamyan / Lamma Bada Yatathana

Like An Old Arabian Fairy tale...

An ancient Andalusian song....singing by Lena Chamamyan. This songs really impressed me. I mean , as if it had been came from 1001 Night Fairy Tales.  There is such storng power, the song had. Before, I had already interest with arabic culture and songs but after I started take arabic course, my interest grew day by day. Actually my origin came from Egytp ( Dad, side not mom) maybe this interested thing can relative with my origin, I dont know... :)

Today I'm gonna focus on the song, not singer because I already talk abaout Lena Chamamyan in my one of old content. I'm searched someting about the song but sadly I could not find so much thing about the song . Lamma Bada Yatathana (لما بدا يتثنى) is and old Andalusian  song, like I said before. The song writer is  İbn Baya ( but this is not clear) and song have various cover, so much famous between Mediterranean Countries. As final information I found one of version what singing in Spanish,( my source said Spanish but I am not sure, because it sound like Greece) Hebraic and Arabic. And I want to share this version also,

Here he comes (muswashah) Lamma Bada - Bustan Abraham

And Finally here is the Lyric in Engilish;

When she started to walk with a swinging gait
aman aman aman aman
her beauty amazed me
aman aman aman aman

I have become prisoner of her eyes
aman aman aman aman
her stem folded as she bent
aman aman aman aman

O my promise, O my perplexity,
who can answer my complaint
about love and suffering
but the beautiful one?
aman aman aman aman
about love and suffering
but the beautiful one?
aman aman aman aman

Eliyahu Sills & Qadim Near East / Durme Durme

A lullaby in Ladino Language. I think it is so much sad to singing for a child. But I wish I could see a mother sing this song for own child. İt would be great. In my one of previous content, I was told about Language of Ladino. We can say for ladino ' Jewish Spanish.' Clearly, Ladino is not one of famous language in our time. İnsomuch that, Ladino is dying. Yes, unfortunately this true. Today, less or more 150.000 person can speak Ladino. However, most of these people are +65 years old. and unfortunately again, new generation don't prefer speak Ladino. This is worrying situation. But I Can't blame all these people who don't prefer to talk Ladino, because somehow I'm in same situation. Actually I have second mother language but I do not use this language in my daily life, I guess, I just use my second language when I talk with my grandma. But in a someway, this situation little bit dependent of conditions.

Ah yes, we were talking about Durme Durme

Durme Durme have various cover version. One of them is Eliyahu Sills and Qadim Near East. These persons have more than one great job. And one of them is exactly Durme Durme. They sing lots of perfect song in various languages; Turkish, Arabic, Armenian, Ladino...İf you want to read more about them I'll give a link in below. İf we back Durme Durme again, here you are, Song lyric in English;

Sleep

Sleep, sleep my beloved son
Sleep, sleep with no worries nor pain.
Close your beautiful eyes,
Sleep, sleep favorably.
Close your beautiful eyes,
Sleep, sleep favorably.

From your crib you'll leave,
And to school you'll go
And it's there my beloved son
That you'll learn to read.
And it's there my beloved son
That you'll learn to read.

Sleep, sleep my beloved son
Sleep, sleep with no worries nor pain.
Close your beautiful eyes,
Sleep, sleep favorably.
Close your beautiful eyes,
Sleep, sleep favorably.

From school you'll leave,
With a beautiful bride in hand,
And it's then my beloved son
That you'll have children of your own.
And it's then my beloved son
That you'll have children of your own.

Click for more information about Eliyahu Sills & Qadim Near East

Click for François Atlan version