און מיר זינגען זיך אַ ליד פֿון אַ לאַנד, אַ וועלט, אַ נײַע

[sovay]

So a couple of weeks ago gaudior invited me to a Yiddish sing being held this afternoon at the Somerville Community Growing Center and it turned out to be run by the Boston Workmen's Circle and I knew about half the songs in their packet and had a wonderful time even with the ones I didn't and the upshot is that I kind of accidentally auditioned into their community chorus. Which was not how I was expecting this afternoon to go, but I will very definitely take it. I felt I had a somewhat fragmentary answer when asked where I learned my Yiddish songs: my mother sang some as lullabies to me even though she did not herself know Yiddish and we had Theodore Bikel's records in the house when I was growing up and then I got to college and discovered the Klezmatics and last year skygiants threw Daniel Kahn & The Painted Bird at me and in the meantime I found and listened to a lot of different things on my own time and occasionally performed them professionally. I got Partisans of Vilna (1988) from selkie. It's a folk tradition. I interact with those. I have pointed out to Tiny Wittgenstein that they often come in fragments.

Afterward I had very nice dinner and conversation with Gaudior and walked home by way of Gracie's and a cone of cardamom and honey cornbread ice cream. I just got back to the internet.

Look at this kraken.

Comments

[phi]

This post delights me, especially the link to the kraken at the end.

[selkie]

We were just talking about how you ought to do a recording of Yiddish songs. I would particularly give an incisor to hear you sing Shtiler, but we'd have to do it in an open field surrounded by running water at high noon.

[skygiants]

Oh, I have been pondering getting involved with their community chorus! The cons are 'do I have time,' the pros are 'SING IN YIDDISH.'

[ranalore]

There is a universe in which that kraaken image is a profile pic on an internet dating site and it and I have just been matched. I wish I lived in that universe, but I am glad to have a glimpse of it through the photograph.

[rinue]

hey nice! Congratulations to them and you.

[umadoshi]

That sounds pretty damn awesome. ^_^

[genarti]

Oh, that sounds delightful! Huzzah and congratulations!

On the question of answering how one learned songs: yeah, it's so often fragmentary, isn't it? That's the folk tradition, as you say! Years ago at dance camp, when I was at that point the only twenty-something joining in with the people of my parents' generation singing Stan Rogers and rounds and Green Grow The Rushes and sea shanties at the end-of-session party. One of them asked where I had learned all these, and I could only stare at her and stammer something incoherent -- I don't know? I just learned them? They're just songs I know? My parents and my parents' records and the Fireside Book of Folk Songs and summer camp and filk circles and a good ear for joining in, that's where, but it's hard to cobble that together in the spur of the moment. One learns them as one does, however one does, and adds them to the store of songs that can spill out when something prompts them to come forth, that's all.

At any rate, I am very glad that you have an outlet for singing Yiddish songs on a regular basis, and letting that particular folk tradition stretch its wings in your life some more.

Also, that is a very excellent kraken.

[gwynnega]

That is entirely awesome.

You've just reminded me that I bought Partisans of Vilna when it came out, so I must still have it somewhere (though my copy may be on LP, and my turntable is not currently hooked up).

[hawkwing_lb]

Oh, that sounds like a really good afternoon!

[cmcmck]

The Klezmatics are heaps of fun! :o)

Forgive me for asking for a translation of your title.

My maternal Great Grandmother spoke Yiddish, but....... :o(

[larryhammer]

a huge octopus, annoyed by my presence, tried to take away my camera

As they do.

[teenybuffalo]

Oh, wonderful! I love it when we overlap outside interests. Singing socially in general, I mean. I have close to 0 knowledge of Yiddish songs but I want to go to the next one of these that they hold, and I want to hear you sing with them.