"Embraceable You" Thread?

Ando

Argh, three posts in one sitting... Someone throw something at me.

Agent: fado is a seriously cool music. Do you know any Italian or Spanish? My Italian is excellent, and I'm finding (duh) the Portuguese getting easier the more I read it. Cristina Branco's CD's often come with English translations. Her husband and guitarist, Custodio Castelo, is flat-out magnificent. Excellent composer and player. Don't get Branco's latest, "Ulysses." Get "Sensus" instead. You won't regret it.

Jack

Ando wrote:

I was in a library in rural Louisiana a few weeks ago and found some sheet music of songs by Noel Coward. Evidently, from a musical called "Bitter Sweet," there is a tune called "Zigeuner." It's a valse, copyrighted 1929. The lyrics go:

ZIGEUNER
Words and Music by Noel Coward

Once upon a time, many years ago
Lived a fair princess, hating to confess
Loneliness was torturing her so

Then a gypsy came, called to her by name
Woo'd her with a song, sensuous and strong
All the summer long her passion seemed to tremble like a living frame

*refrain*
Play to me beneath the summer moon
Zigeuner! Zigeuner! Zigeuner!
All I ask of life is just to listen to the songs that you sing
My spirit like a bird on the wing
Your melodies adoring, soaring
Call to me with some barbaric tune
Zigeuner! Zigeuner! Zigeuner!
Now you hold me in your power
Play to me for just an hour
Zigeuner!

Bid my weeping cease, melody that brings
Merciful release, promises of peace
Through the gentle throbbing of the strings

Music of the plain, music of the wild
Come to me again, hear me not in vain
Soothe a heart in pain, and let me to my happiness be reconciled

*refrain*

If anyone's interested (sorry I don't have the verse chords here) these are the chords my old fake book has for the refrain...

Eb |Bb7 Eb6 | B7 |Bb7 |
B7 |Bb7 |Eb |Eb6 |
Eb |Eb |Bb7 |Eb Adim|
Bb7 | Bb7 |Eb C#dim|Bb7 |

Eb |Bb7 Eb6 | B7 |Bb7 |
B7 |Bb7 |Eb |Eb6 |
Eb |Abm(maj7)| Eb |Ddim Db7 |
B7 |B7 |Eb |Eb |

I think there was a bit of a fad around then for gypsy-themed tunes; one of Bix records has a vocal version of 'Gipsy' credited to Malneck/Signorelli/Gilbert (sample: "Gipsy, you have no destination, Gipsy...throughout the land of Romany you caravan..."). To me most of these tunes remind me quite a bit of 'Shine': though the music often holds up, they're long on stereotype.

Best,
Jack.

Agent

Ando wrote:

Cristina Branco's CD's often come with English translations. Her husband and guitarist, Custodio Castelo, is flat-out magnificent. Excellent composer and player. Don't get Branco's latest, "Ulysses." Get "Sensus" instead. You won't regret it.

Thanks for the recommendations Ando! I shall point the right names in the right direction.