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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 23
stranger
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OP
stranger
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 23 |
The hymnbook version of Psalm 42 goes "As pants the hart for cooling streams/When heated in the chase,/So longs my soul, O God, for Thee/And Thy refreshing grace." That dates from 1696, Tate & Brady were responsible. An earlier seventeenth century poet, George Sandys, published a version in 1638 that begins:
Lord, as the Hart imbost with heat
Brayes after the coole Rivolet,
So sighes my soule for thee;
My soule thirsts for the living God:
When shall I enter his abode
And there his beauties see? . . .
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613 |
I talked to our choir director last night. She loves the piece but doesn't want us to sing it in Latin. She hadn't been able, either, to find where anyone has substituted English. So today I began, trying not only to keep true to the meaning but true to the sound; that is, keeping the long drawn-out notes and not substituting several short syllables, which I think would ruin the whole impact. Y'all wish me luck, please; I've not tried anything like this before.
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 |
Musical translations are probably among the most difficult ones to achieve. To me, that's one of the strongest arguments for singing a piece in the original language.
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Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,210
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,210 |
I talked to our choir director last night. She loves the piece but doesn't want us to sing it in Latin. did she say why?
formerly known as etaoin...
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Joined: Mar 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613 |
I think mainly because she doesn't know how to pronounce it. But there's also the fact that our little church choir has only twice in the past forty years sung in other languages (Hospodi Pomilwi {sp?} and one short Kyrie), and thus the congregation also isn't used to it. Though I expect our Congolese would love it if we sang in French.
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Joined: Jun 2006
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2006
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Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,210
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,210 |
I think mainly because she doesn't know how to pronounce it. oh pooh, who gives a care? read up a bit on it and just do it. if it's wrong, so what? just claim that it's an accent. you have those down there, I think.  But there's also the fact that our little church choir has only twice in the past forty years sung in other languages (Hospodi Pomilwi {sp?} and one short Kyrie), and thus the congregation also isn't used to it. and that excuse is much worse than the other one. comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.
formerly known as etaoin...
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Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 876
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 876 |
We have sung in many languages, and our children's choir regularly sings in swahili and other african languages, as well as hebrew and latin. The congregation doesn't usually complain, but it helps that the full translation is always put in the bulletin. We have hymns in the hymnal in a bunch of different languages, too, all phonetically notated. But as etaoin says, it doesn't really matter if it's sung correctly; it's the meaning that counts. As a choir we are much more picky about the pronunciation, but fortunately have "experts" for most. I love latin because it's a similar pronunciation to spanish, and therefore easy for me. But make me sing in french and you might hear a little grousing... ;0)
PS Here's one from our anthem this week that I had to look up: overdight (yes, that's English...)
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