CCLXXXIX. BARTÓK, Béla: From Olden Times

CCLXXXIX. BARTÓK, Béla (1881-1945)

From Olden Times (1937)
For 3-part male choir
1. Nincs boldogtalanabb (No-one's more unhappy than the peasant) (6:39)
2. Egy, kettó, három, négy (One, two, three, four) (2:40)
3. Nincsen szerencsésebb (No-one is happier than the peasant) (6:49)
Hungarian Army Male Chorus
Zoltán Vásárhelyi, cond.

No one's more unhappy than the peasant
For his misery is deeper than the ocean!
He has never quiet
And day and night
He has to be on the alert
No one's more unhappy than the peasant
For his misery is deeper than the ocean!

**

One, two, three, four
Where are you going to, mate?
I'm going for a pipe,
Come back, please do come,
I'll give you a handful of chestnuts,
Buy a blanket for it,
And cover Jutka with it.
In return Jutka will give wine.
I'll give wine to the coachman
Coachman gives me manure
I lay the manure on the ground
The lands gives me wheat
I give the wheat to the miller
The miller gives me flour,
I give the flour to my auntie
Auntie gives me a loaf of bread
I give the bread to my landlord,
In return he beats me with a stick.
And for chestnut what?
For chestnut? A blanket.
For blanket some good wine.
For some good wine manure.
For manure some wheat.
For wheat some flour.
For flour some loaves of bread.
For bread: a beat with a stick.
That's what I get for it ...

Still life is a good thing,

And despite all Life is great!

**

No one's more happy than the peasant,
Because his lot is happier than any profession
The peasant keeps the landlords and the priests,

He keeps the soldiers and the beggars as well,
No one's more happy than the peasant ...

...

The peasant makes all his things alone,
Also his tools, house and suits.
He knows music and songs by heart,
He does not need any rubbish from the town
There is no great master than a peasant
And no one has any nicer life than the one he has!

Bartók using a phonograph to record Slovak folk songs