Lyr ADD: Midsummer Song (from Singing Together)

Subject: Lyr Req: Midsummer Song (from Singing Together)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 01 Apr 13 - 01:26 AM

A guest named "Geraint" posted the following message Sunday:

Thread #35080   Message #3497014
Posted By: GUEST,Geraint
31-Mar-13 - 09:21 AM
Thread Name: 'Singing Together' 1958 UK
Subject: RE: 'Singing Together' 1958 UK


My fiance went to school in the '80s with a music teacher who played these songs on the piano and taught her students to sing along.

She must have carefully saved and preserved the Singing Together books.

There is one song in particular that my better half often sings to herself but we can't find the music, full lyrics or even title anywhere.

This is how she remembers it from the start:

"Take grasses and flowers on midsummer night and bind them into your hair
Laugh up at the man in the moon shining bright down over the pine filled air
Tonight you shall dance on the shores of the lake
With swimming and singing until the daybreak..."

Does anyone know the name of the song? Or have the music?

---

This message from Nigel Parsons makes me think that the song appeared in the Summer Term 1990 volume of Singing Together [but I didn't think Singing Together was published as recently as 1990]. Nigel, do you have this song and can you post it?

Anybody else?

Midsummer song (Take grasses and flowers on Midsummer night)
Music: Håkan Norlén; words Rune Lindström (translated freely)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Midsummer Song (from Singing Together)
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 01 Apr 13 - 05:31 AM

I taught this song from Singing Together in the eighties. It's about Ulrika and other Scandinavian maidens (either Norwegian or Swedish lassies) and their Midsummer revels. I think the title may be Ulrika Fair. The tune is very haunting. Sorry I don't have the music or the pamphlet.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Midsummer Song (from Singing Together)
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 02 Apr 13 - 04:47 AM

Words & ABC typed up and ready to submit. Unfortunately my ISP has been having problems at home, and I can't attach a memory stick at work.
I hope to be able to post this evening.

I'm just posting now to save anyone else from doing the typing as well!

Subject: Lyr/Tune Add: MIDSUMMER SONG (Lindström, Norlén)
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 02 Apr 13 - 09:18 AM

MIDSUMMER SONG
Music: Håkan Norlén
Words: Rune Lindström translated freely

Take grasses and flowers on Midsummer night and bind them into your hair.
Laugh up at the man in the moon shining white, down over the pine-filled air.
Tonight you shall dance on the shores of the lake, with springing and singing until the day break.
Tonight you shall dance with the will-o'-the-wisp, with Ull-stina, Kull-Linna fair.

From blue mountain ranges you take down the moon to give you a halo white,
While creatures around the mysterious lagoon watch silently for its light.
Now travel to Mosslinda's moss-covered moor where Ull-stina, Kull-Lina, Gull-Fina are.
Tonight you shall sleep on the shores of the lake sleeply softly on Midsummer Night.

X: 1
T: Midsummer Song
M: 3/4
L: 1/4
Z: NP 01/04/2013
K: G
B,|EE/F/G/A/|BB/A/G/F/|EEF|B,2B,|E(E/F/)G|^DEF|E(E/F/)G|C2E|^D(D/E/)F|B,2^D|(E3|E)zB,|E(E/F/)G|^DEF|E(E/F/)G|C2E|^D(D/E/)F|B,2^D|(E3|E)zB,|[K:E]G(G/A/)B|FAB|GBc|F2A|G(G/A/)(B/c/)|B(B/A/)(G/F/)|EEF|B,2B,|[K:G]E(E/F/)G|^DEF|E(E/F/)G|C2E|^D(D/E/)F|B,^DD|(E3|E)z||
w: |||| *Take grass-es * and flow-ers on Mid-sum-*mer night and bind them *in-to your hair._ Laugh up at *the man in the moon shin-*ing white, down ov-er *the pine-filled air._ To-night you *shall dance on the shores of the lake, with spring-ing *and *sing-ing *un-*til the day break. To-night you *shall dance with the will-o'-*the-wisp, with Ull-Sti-*na, Kull-Lin-na fair._



From Singing Together, Compiled & produced by Janet Wheeler for BBC School Radio, Summer Term
Music also from same source. Guitar chords are also given, but I'm at the extreme range of my ABC knowledge coping with the key changes :).
Words are a straight copy, so V1 shows "springing & singing" which does not quite match the recollections earlier in the thread. Also the final line of V2 shows "Sleeply softly". This should probably be "Sleep softly" to keep the line to 8 syllables. The two spellings of Kull-Linna/Kull-Lina doesn't exactly fill me with confidence either.

NP

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Midsummer Song (from Singing Together)
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 02 Apr 13 - 11:46 AM

Thank you for working up the tune, Nigel. That can't have been easy.

It's an interesting piece of music.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Midsummer Song (from Singing Together)
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 02 Apr 13 - 01:06 PM

Ah! Ullstina not Ulrika! The third line always caused problems as the tune is most odd there. It goes from spooky to jolly somehow. But I find myself humming it every Midsummer's Eve, it's so haunting.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Midsummer Song (from Singing Together)
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 02 Apr 13 - 04:37 PM

Yes, the 'spooky to joyful' & back is because (although I have noted it in G major) the main key is E minor, going to E major for the joyful bit.
My musical knowledge missed that until Eliza pointed out the sound!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Midsummer Song (from Singing Together)
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 02 Apr 13 - 05:45 PM

So Nigel, is it from Norway? Actually, the tune has a slight atmospheric similarity to the Danse Macabre! You've given me an 'earworm' now, as I've been humming the blessed thing all day!

Subject: Lyr Add: VISA VID MIDSOMMARTID (Swedish)
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 03 Apr 13 - 03:40 AM

Apparently Swedish.
I've done a little further searching & original lyrics, together with a different translation can be found Here
The page also includes a Midi & full description of the basis of the translation.

VISA VID MIDSOMMARTID

Du lindar av olvon en midsommarkrans och hänger den om ditt hår.
Du skrattar åt mångubbens benvita glans som högt över tallen står.
Inatt skall du dansa vid Svartrama tjärn i långdans, i språngdans på glödande järn.
Inatt är du bjuden av dimman till dans där Ull-Stina, Kull-Lina går.

Nu tager du månen från blåbergets kam att ge dig en glorias sken.
Och ynglet som avlats i gölarnas slam blir fålar på flygande ben.
Nu far du till Mosslinda, Mosslunda mor där Ull-Stina, Kull-Lina, Gullfina bor.
Inatt skall du somna vid Svartrama damm, där natten och mossan är len.


(Above lyrics copy/pasted from Lotta World - see link above)

Nigel

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Midsummer Song (from Singing Together)
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 03 Apr 13 - 03:43 AM

Can some kind mud-elf please change the thread title to:
Lyr Req ADD: Midsummer Song (from Singing Together)

Subject: RE: Lyr ADD: Midsummer Song (from Singing Together)
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 03 Apr 13 - 08:39 AM

Nigel, you are an absolute wonder! You must have more musical knowledge in your little toe than the rest of us put together. I love the Swedish version, it fits somehow with the theme of the song. Thank you so much!

Subject: RE: Lyr ADD: Midsummer Song (from Singing Together)
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 08 Jun 16 - 04:54 PM

A quick refresh (I was adding titles to the Singing Together lists) ready for Midsummer on 20th June (UK)

Cheers

Subject: RE: Lyr ADD: Midsummer Song (from Singing Together)
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 23 Jun 20 - 12:17 PM

Ready for June 24th (Northern Hemisphere)