Recharge In His Heart

A colleague has this Dilbert mug with the following inscription: "Away you demons of stupidity!" Well, so many struggles in our life involve in one form or the other--not just demons of stupidity--but the "daemon" himself. After this gruelling week of training, I remember a song entitled "Daemon Irrepit Calidus" by Gyorgy Orban. It's one of the songs I used to sing with the choir in which I was quite challenged with the pacing, exchange and overlapping lines among the different voices. Also, this song brought back wonderful memories of my first trip outside of the Philippines. It's nice to sometimes go back a relish the good times as a way of recharging oneself and prepare for another possible challenging week ahead. And it's my personal prayer as well as a command in the name of Jesus Christ--away with you "daemons."

Daemon Irrepit Callidus György Orbán
Daemon irrepit calidus,
Allicit cor honoribus.
Quid amabile Daemon dat
Cor jesu minus aestimat
Daemon point frauds inter cantus,
Saltus, Daemon!
Caro venaratur sensibus;
Sen sus adhaeret dapibus;
In aescatur, impinguatur dilatatur.
Cordis Aestum non explebunt, non arcebunt, Daemon! Daemon!


Translation:
The Demon sneaks expertly
Tempting the honorable heart:
He sets forth trickery amidst praise, song and dance.
However amiably the Demon acts,
It is still worth less than the heart of Jesus.
The Flesh is tempted by sensuality;
Gluttony clings to our senses;
It overgrows, it encroaches, it stretches.
However appealing the Flesh is,
It is still worth less than the heart of Jesus.
Though the Universe may confer
Thousands upon thousands of praises,
They neither fulfill nor put out the desire of the heart.
However appealing the whole Universe is,
It is still worth less than the heart of Jesus.

Madrigal Week: Chase Them Away!

Some madrigals feature stories of ordinary life. I remember one madrigal that was fun to sing especially when the second line of text comes in--Vechhie Letrose.

Composed by Adrian Wilaert (1450-1599), it's a short text that tells of a person getting rid of "spiteful old hags" in the neighborhood. Imagine yourself walking down the street and seeing all sorts of people along the way--office workers, students, vendors, street children, traffic police, or people simply going to markets and other establishments. We mind our own business until suddenly something or someone catches our attention--the graffiti along the walls, the beggars begging, pedestrians bumping you unintentionally or otherwise, and worse--snatchers! If you could get a chance to get even with them or even go after them, imagine yourself running after them with a baseball bat or a broom stick or even shouting at the top of your vice and say "spiteful old hags, you good for nothing!"

Of course it's just a fantasy. The song I'm about to feature talks about someone shooing away someone (or even something) that irritates him or makes him spiteful. Not to condone any negative forces here, but this song is a delight to sing because once the second line is sung, you could imaging the movement of the voices as though they were chasing someone. The rendition is quite fast indicating a running motion. So if you feel like shooing something away--maybe a negative force in your life--then just sing along and chase them away. Oh, and try to keep up! ;-)

VECCHIE LETROSE

Vecchie letrose, non valete niente                                 Spiteful old hags, you are good for nothing,
Se non a far l'aguaito per la chiazza.                             Only for lying in wait in the thicket.
Tira, tira, tir'alla mazza,                                                Beat, beat, beat with your canes,
Vecchie letrose, scannaros'e pazze!                              Spiteful old hags, murderous and mad!

Choral Singing Crosses Barriers

As I was looking for a Filipino folksong in YouTube, I couldn’t find a nice version of the song. (I’ll reveal this song in another blog.) Anyway, after searching long and hard for the song, I stumbled upon another folk song--a Latvian folksong.

And then it hit me...I remember this one quite well. This song symbolizes two firsts for me: my first trip abroad and my first... I’ll let the video explain to you the second. But for your reference, here are the lyrics and it’s translation. It’s a touching song...I hope the young man still gets to marry the maiden promised to her. ;-)

Put Vejini
                   
Put, vejini, dzen laivinu,           Blow wind, drive my boat,
Aizdzen mani Kurzeme.         Drive me to Kurzeme.
Kurzemniece man solija         A woman from Kurzeme promised me
Sav' meitinu malejin’.              Her daughter as a bride.
Solit sola, bet nedeva,            She promised, but didn’t fill the promise,
Teic man’ lielu dzerajin'.         Calling me a drunkard.
Teic man’ lielu dzerajinu,        She called me a drunkard
Kumelina skrejejin’.                And a horse racer.
Kuru krogu es izdzeru,          Where is the tavern in which I drank too much,
Kam noskreju kumelin'?        Whose horse did I run down?
Pats par savu naudu dzeru,   I drink for my own money,
Pats skrej' savu kumelin’       And ride my own horse.
Put vejini, dzen laivinu           Blow wind, drive my boat,
Aizdzen mani Kurzeme.       Drive me to Kurzeme.
(Translation cited from this resource.)

The one who bowed is none other than yours truly. :-D Incidentally, it is the most memorable solo performance I’ve ever done. I remember singing this song in Preveza, Greece. Ah, the memories of Greece are coming back...forever to be cherished.

The choir and I met other choirs mostly from Europe. There was a choir there from Latvia. We sang "Put Vejini" and luckily, they were quite appreciative of our singing. It just goes to show how universal choral singing can be. Choral singing can cross barriers in time and space. It also brings unity and friendship to people from different countries all over the world.