Ireland: Songs and Music
The inspiration for the composition of Irish Traditional Music and song was drawn from the surrounding landscape, the environment and the people known to the composer. Donegal is a particuarly strong representative of Irish Traditional Music, and much of the music and song relates to farming life, including sheep. Below is an example of the music.
The Gravel walks (to Granie): A rousing, popular reel. Granie is a remote, uninhabited glen in southwest County Donegal, where locals from the villages of Ardara, Kilcar and Glencolumcille used to summer their sheep. When they went to gather them in Autumn they would access Granie Glen by climbing up the gravel paths.
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You can listen to the audio of the tune above being played in a Traditional Irish Set here.
Here are two examples of songs from Norway, with literal English translations given below:
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Little boy lamb, my lamb Little boy lamb, my lamb, Even though you often walk heavily and with difficulty Up the smooth mountainside, You follow your bell beautifully.
Little boy lamb, my lamb, Take good care of your skin now, Mama wants it for the coat She is sewing for herself in the evenings.
Litte boy lamb, my lamb, Let your meat grow a lot; Do you not know, my dear, That mama wants you for the soup? |
Come here - shall we shear the sheep? Come here - shall we shear the sheep today? Shear it well; yes, shear it well. Then we shall knit socks for our father, Let us happily swing in our dance! Around, around, around, around, around, around The spinning wheel goes, and we get the yarn. Around, around, around, around, around, around Let us happily swing in our dance!
Come here - shall we card the wool today? Card it well; yes, card it well. Then we shall knit mittens for our mother. Let us happily swing in our dance! Around, around, around, around, around, around, etc.
Come here - shall we spin the yarn today? Spin it well, spin it well. Then we shall knit socks for our brother Let us happily swing in our dance! Around, around, around, around, around, around, etc.
Come here - shall we dye the yarn today? Dye it well, dye it well. Then we shall knit a jumper for Britt. Let us happily swing in our dance! Around, around, around, around, around, around, etc. (Britt would be a girl/sister.) |
And some Icelandic songs and texts, followed by more or less literal translations:
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Sigga litla systir mín Sigga litla systir mín situr úti' í götu. Er að mjólka ána sín í ofurlitla fötu. |
My Little Sister Sigga My little sister Sigga Is sitting out on the trail, Milking her own ewe Into a tiny little bucket. |
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Siggi var úti með ærnar í haga Siggi var úti með ærnar í haga allar hann hafði þær suður í mó. Smeykur um holtin var hann að vaga vissi hann að lágfóta dældirnar smó.
Gagg, gagg, gagg segir tófan á grjóti. Gagg, gagg, gagg segir tófan á grjóti. Gráleitum augunum trúi ég hún gjóti, aumingja Siggi hann þorir ekki h |
Siggi Was Out in the Pastures with the Ewes (Siggi would be a boy.) Siggi was out in the pastures with the ewes; He had all of them a little south of here, out in the rangeland. He had to work up the courage to go through the hills Since he knew a fox was slinking around in the low spots.
"Gagg, gagg, gagg" yelped the fox in the rocks. "Gagg, gagg, gagg" yelped the fox in the rocks. I expect it was inspecting him with its grey eyes. Poor Siggi - he did not dare go home. |
Íslenska
Norsk