Re: JEWISH-MUSIC digest 1495

[Jacob E Goodman <JEGCC...>]

Lori asks for more Yiddish Peysakh songs.  Here is one that we often sing:

                    IN DEM LAND FUN PIRAMIDN

                    In dem land fun piramidn
                    Geven a kenig, beyz un shlekht,
                    Zaynen dort geven di Yidn
                    Zayne diner, zayne knekht.
                    Zaynen dort geven di Yidn
                    Zayne diner, zayne knecht.

                    Shver hot zey geplogt der kenig,
                    Laydn hot dos folk gemuzt,
                    Vayl es hot farshtanen veynik,
                    Veynik mut farmogt in brust.
                    Vayl es hot farshtanen veynik,
                    Veynik mut farmogt in brust.

                    Pitzlekh kinder ayngemoyert,
                    Ven a tzigl hot gefelt,
                    Okh, vi lang es volt gedoyert
                    Ot di viste shklafnvelt.
                    Okh, vi lang es volt gedoyert
                    Ot di viste shklafnvelt.

                    Ven in land fun piramidn
                    Volt nit geven kayn shtarker held,
                    Vos hot gekemft far ale Yidn
                    Mit zayn khokhme, mit zayn shverd.
                    Vos hot gekemft far ale Yidn
                    Mit zayn khokhme, mit zayn shverd.

Here is the melody of each stanza, in a variant of a notation I invented about
50 years ago, which (I hope!) is largely self-explanatory.

                    (5)1|3- 2 1(7)|2 1
                    11|6- 4 56-|5
                    3-4|5 5 3-5|3-54
                    23-|4 6- 54|3
                    12|3- 3- 43-|215
                    (5)(7)|2 4 3-2|1

(Here, a parenthesized note is one octave down, the spacing indicates the
duration of each note, the minus signs are flats, and the bars are bar lines.)
Let me know if anything isn't clear.

Eli Goodman

P.S. We also usually sing the Partizanen Lid (zog nit keynmol...) at some
point, either after the Ritual of Remembrance or near the end of the seder.

---------------------- jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org ---------------------+