DCCCLV. BARTÓK, Béla: 27 Two- and Three-part Choruses

DCCCLV. BARTÓK, Béla (1881-1945)

27 Two- and Three-part Choruses (1935)
1. Spring (2:11)
2. Only tell me (1:51)
3. Enchanting song (1:22)
4. To my homeland (2:02)
5. Candle song (0:43)
6. Choosing a girl (1:11)
7. Thieving bird (0:49)
8. Don't leave me (1:29)
9. The fickle girl (1:06)
10. Song of loneliness (1:22)
11. Breadbaking (2:03)
12. Hussar (1:42)
13. Loafer (0:38)
14. Lonely wanderer (1:48) [missing]
15. Mocking of girls (1:31)
16. Mocking of youth (1:02)
17. Michaelmas greeting (2:58)
18. The wooing of a girl (1:43)
19. Lament (1:53)
20. Song of the bird (1:29)
21. Stamping feet (1:17)
22. The sorrow of love (1:33)
23. Had I never seen you (2:22)
24. The song-bird's promise (1:18)
25. Pillow dance (2:54)
26. Canon (0:56)
27. Lover's farewell (2:40)
Györ Girls' Choir
Miklós Szabó, cond.

1. Spring

The swallow's a beautiful bird, and nicely it sings
In the morning when the dew falls off the branches
The little skylark rips the sky
With its wings
Sings marvellously and treads on sunbeams
With its feet

All animals rejoice
The little birds enliven
In the dawn full of pearly dew the little birds
Gather into groups
The flowers open up, the grasses are fragrant
In the meadows

The spring wind is a-blowing
The farmer gets up and starts to plough
He harnesses his oxen, tills his soil
With much luck
Keeps on his working and turning the harrows
Nice and quiet

His Majesty, the God blesses him
And sustains the farmer
It is He who turns his ploughs sickles
And all farmer's instruments
He disposes of life on Earth and bliss
Up to Heaven

2. Only tell me

If only you'd tell me, honey
Which road you are taking
I would plough that road
With a golden plough

I would sow that land
With pearls picked one by one
I would harrow it with my quick tears

3. Enchanting song

The herds are gathering, chingilingy langa
The cows are driven, chingilingy lang
Tiny-little calflets of ours, rings on their necks
Chingilingy langa, are crying in the street

Put the chain on the doorstep, chingilingy langa
So that they would come back by autumn, chingilingy lang
Foxes, bears, wolves, robbers and thieves
Chingilingy langa, keep away from them!

Let grass grow in front of them
Let no trouble strike them
Let every one get fat
So much money be bid for them
At the cattle-fair

4. To my homeland

God bless you, my native house
My native house, my father and mother
So that you keep remembering me
When I left that native house of mine
My famous little village, my pretty motherland
My heart was o'ertaken with real great sorrow

I wish you all peace and happiness
May the God save you from mishaps
May He keep sorrow away
May He keep my country secure!

5. Candle song

The candle is burning
Don't let it go out
If you want to see a flame
Hop on over here!

6. Choosing a girl

7. Thieving bird

Hey, you hawk, you hawk
Nine chickens are missing
The wings of five are torn
The legs of four are broken

Hey, you hawk, you hawk
Nine chickens are missing
Give back our chickens
Because we'll get a licking

Hey, you hawk, you hawk
Nine chickens are missing
If you don't give them back now
Stay away forever

8. Don't leave me

Don't leave me
Don't you leave me here
Because your leaving
Will make me very sad

How could I go on
With a sad soul
With a woeful heart
All on my own, without you?

As long as I live
I will never forget you
You must come back
And stay with me forever

9. The fickle girl

I have a ring, nice and round
My Johnny bought it yesterday
If he buys me one more
I will have two rings then

I have a scarf, nice and checkered
My Stephen bought it yesterday
If he buys another one
I will have two checkered scarves

I have a fur-coat, nice and warm
My bonny bought it yesterday
If he buys another one
I will have two fur-coats

10. Song of loneliness

My lodging's in the mountains
I've no one in the world
I can hear only the soft murmur
Of the river below

The summer river-water
Falls asleep in the winter
But this woeful heart of mine
Will never come to rest ...

11. Breadbaking

Three crows are reaping at the back of my garden
Crickets pick the sheaves, mosquitos bind them
Fleas are fidgeting, fleas are hopping
And they thrust the sheaves on to a cart
The cart goes to the mill
Three cats run it, three pied cats
One is sifting, the other riddling
The third cat cuts it, cuts the millstone
The grey donkey carries water in a mighty barrel
Nine of these barrels fill up one trough
Geese are making the dough and they put it in the oven
The bear is waiting for the loaf to bake
The hen's picking at the loaf, eating it
And the tiny ants pick up the crumbs

12. Hussar

This village is surrounded
But I am getting out if I can
Let all the rest stay inside
I could never care less

I ride my horse like a hussar should
I've got a thousand Pengős in my pocket
Don't you fear, my dear horse, I will keep you
I will feed you plenty o'hay and fodder

13. Loafer

Drink wine on Sunday
Don't work on Monday
Stay in bed on Tuesday
Get up on Wednesday

Dance on Thursday
Reckon on Friday
Ask on Saturday
What shall we do for work?

This is a good song, and a nice one too
It's the Loafers' song:
Let the others work
Let me enjoy myself

14. Lonely wanderer [video missing]

I'm wandering in the wild forest in the night
The woe of my heart is driving me here
I'm going to the wild forest alone
Not even God will have mercy on me

I used to have a house, it's burnt, pity
I used to have a vineyard, it's ruined, pity
I used to have a horse, it's stolen, pity
I used to have a lover, she's gone, this kills me!

Ever since my lover was taken from me
I have been living a sad life
I'm going in the wild forest alone
Not even God will have mercy on me

15. Mocking of girls

Lizzy Bálint is looking in the mirror
-- Mother, am I painted properly?
-- You are, Lizzy, the freckles won't show
You will be the first to be taken for a dance

As Lizzy holds her tiny golden mirror
The very middle of it gets broken
How should she paint her face now?
How should she paint her pale face now?

As Lizzy holds her tiny golden mirror
The very middle of it gets broken
How should she paint her face now?
How should she paint her lovely two cheeks?

The freckles will show
She'll be the last to be taken for a dance!

16. Mocking of youth

Hey, girls are dear
They cost a hundred Forints
Hey-ho, Hey-ho
A hundred Forints

But the boys are cheap
Three handful of wheat-dust
Not even wheat-dust
Only oats-dust

17. Michaelmas greeting

Rise, lutist
Tune your instrument
And start beautifully
Your gay song
For the sky has cleared up
All the grief is gone
On St. Michael's Day

And with these words
We have arrived here
To wish you all the best
We have arrived here;
With no bitterness
With much gay pleasure
Here is what we say:

God bless the lord
Of this house here
Help him in everything
Help his good intention
High up in heaven
Up in heaven-country
Forever, Amen

18. The wooing of a girl

-- What are you roaming
All around my house for?
-- I am roaming, I am roaming
Around your house because
You have, you have
A nice daughter to marry
-- I have not, I have not
A nice daughter to marry
-- Why hide it, why deny it:
I saw her on Sunday
Selling red apples
I bought some from her
I still have some left
I won't leave your door
Without a pair of rings
I won't leave your house
Without a girl to marry
-- Why hide it, why deny it
I've got to tell you:
I've got a daughter to marry:
She has pure golden hair
Her eyebrows are brown
Her cheeks are red
Her waist is slim
And, oh, she's got a red mouth
I'm giving her to you
I'm giving my daughter to you
I'm giving her to you

19. Lament

I have all reason to be in sorrow
For my heart to be very sad, oh ...

I wish I hadn't been born
I have lived in sorrow
I have lived my years in sorrow
I am living a life full of grief

All joys have deserted me
My star's no more a-shining
The morning-star's up
Yet, no more mornings for me

I have all reason to be in sorrow
For my heart to be very sad, oh ...

20. Song of the bird

-- Come in, come in, you lovely little bird!
I've had a golden cage made for you
The cage is made of gold, its door of silver
Its door's made of silver, its manger of diamond

-- I never live, I never live in a cage
I only live, I only live in the green forest
I only live in the green forest, fly on green branches
I eat fir-seeds, I drink pearl-dew

21. Stamping feet

Hey, boys come and dance
Here are the girls, bring them to heel!
Help them, turn them like a spool
Lift your jugs to their honour!
Hey, this is the life
This is the life!

Shake your spurs
Pound your shiny heel-piece
Move your arms and move your legs
Bow yourself and turn around
Hey, this is the life
This is the life!

He who's down in the dumps
Must be out of his mind;
Knock your heels together
That's the way to hop your baby!
This is the life, hey
This is the life!

22. The sorrow of love

It's easier to melt
Cliffs into soft mud

Than it is for two loving hearts
To part from each other

For when two sweethearts
Do each other leave
Then even sweet honey
Turns ever so bitter

23. Had I never seen you

I wish to God
I hadn't seen you
I wish I hadn't heard
Your name at all

I wish I hadn't heard
Your name at all:
I could have lived on
For many more years

My golden hair reaching the ground
Would have never gone tawny
My nice red two cheeks
Would have never gone yellow

My flower-blue eyes
I wouldn't have cried out
And my soft heart
Would never have been broken

24. The song-bird's promise

The bird is gone
The cage is empty
The bird has sent a message
He'll come back by spring

He'll come back by spring
When the roses blossom
If not by then
When the wheat is reaped

If not by then
When the plums are dried
If not even by then
He'll never come back

25. Pillow dance

There's an oak-beam
In a deserted mill
That's where an owl-woman
Is taking a walk

A white dove is walking
After her:
-- Why do you cry,
You owl-woman?

-- How could I not cry
You white dove
I have left at home
My little case with a lock

In it I have left
My pearly beadwear
Oh, my pearly headwear
Oh, my case with a lock!

There's an oak-beam
In a deserted mill
That's where a white dove
Is taking a walk

The owl-woman is walking
After him:
-- Why do you cry, you little
White dove?

-- How could I not cry,
You owl-woman
I have left at home
My rolling cradle

In the rolling cradle
My weeping child
Oh, my rolling cradle
Oh, my weeping child!

26. Canon

I'm dying for Csurgó
But not for its fortress
Not for its fortress
Only for one of its streets

But not for the whole street
Only for one house there
For the girl who grew up there
My slim, brown little dove there

27. Lover's farewell

God be with you, my rose, live in joy
Your heart should learn no sorrow
No sorrow should your heart learn
May the shade of grief not fall on you!

Let carnation and tulip grow in your garden
Let soft skylarks sing on your window-sill
Let soft skylarks sing on your window-sill
Let your goodness and your beauty reach the sky!

As many snowdrops there are in snow-storms
As many buds there are in the spring
As many wheat-grains there are at harvest:
So much good do I wish you, dear!

God be with you, my rose, live in joy

May the shade of grief not fall on you
This much do I wish you!