Lyr Req: Auprès de Ma Blonde

Subject: Auprès de ma blonde texts
From: Haruo
Date: 17 Oct 01 - 06:44 PM

I just posted two texts to the tune "Auprès de ma blonde" in La Lilandejo. One, Ĉe mia karulo, is a straightforward translation of the usual French text. But the other, En fojn-amaseto, I am familiar with only in Esperanto. I'm interested in knowing if it, too, is a translation, and if so, of what from what. I'm also interested in knowing what other texts are sung to this tune (be they independent texts or parodies or just major variants or localisations, e.g. replacing Saint-Denis and Paris) in English or other languages. Also, where the tune and original text (as in the DT, here) come from; the DT notes make it sound French-Canadien, but I had always thought it was from France herself.

Liland

Subject: Lyr Add: AUPRÈS DE MA BLONDE (English translation)
From: Haruo
Date: 17 Oct 01 - 06:57 PM

The second text, in rough-literalistic translation, runs

1. Homeless, coinless, free beneath heaven/sky x2
I wander on earth as I will and without aim/goal/purpose

Ref.:

In a little haystack, how well here!

In a little haystack, I sleep well.

2. During winter falls snow, in summer shines sun x2,
Happy as a king, I wander beneath the moon. Ref....

3. For me wind diminutive-of-blows, ripples riverlet, x2
For me mint exudes-odour, blushes diminutive-of-poppy. Ref....

4. Richer than a rich person, I do not fear theft, x2
A wanderer's treasure has value but for him/her. Ref....

(In case that helps anybody identify the original.)

Lilan

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Auprès de ma blonde texts
From: Haruo
Date: 18 Oct 01 - 04:51 PM

refresh

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Auprès de ma blonde texts
From: Wilfried Schaum
Date: 19 Oct 01 - 07:22 AM

Liland,

the song is originally from France. It was sung by by the French going into action at the battle of Malplaquet in 1709, where they were beaten by the Duke of Marlborough.
(Singing a special song was often used as a mark of identification in the fog of powder, where uniforms and flags couldn't be seen well, or to show a certain presence. So at Langemarck in Flanders, where the German volunteers sang the National Anthem - not for jingoism, but to show the own artillery that they were shelling the wrong troops.)

Wilfried

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Auprès de ma blonde texts
From:
Date: 19 Oct 01 - 08:10 AM

I think that there is a reworking of the song in the musical Rose Marie and that it goes by the title " I want to be with you"

The chorus is: -

I want to be with you, you're the one the one for me, I want to be with you, you're the one for me...tra-la.

I don't know about the verses.

michael

Subject: Lyr Add: AUPRÈS DE MA BLONDE
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 27 Apr 09 - 09:35 PM

There is a version of this in the DT.

The one below is from Chansons Populaires de l'Ain by Charles Guillon (Paris: E. Monnier, 1883), page 515 (where there is musical notation of the melody line only):


AUPRÈS DE MA BLONDE
Dicté par Rosalie Perret, à Ceyzérial (Ain)

1. Dernier, chez mon père, les lauriers sont fleuris.
Tous les oiseaux du monde y viennent faire leurs nids.

CHORUS: Auprès de ma blonde, qu'il fait bon, fait bon, fait bon,
Auprès de ma blonde, qu'il fait bon dormir!

2. La blanche tourterelle, la caille et la perdrix,
Et ma jolie colombe qui chante jour et nuit.

3. Elle chante pour ces filles qui n'ont pas de maris;
Ne chante pas pour moi, car j'en ai un joli!

4. Que donnerez-vous, la belle, nous irons le quéri?
Je donnerais Versailles, Paris et Saint-Denis.

5. Je donnerais Versailles, Paris et Saint-Denis,
Et la jolie fontaine qui coule jour et nuit.

6. Et la jolie fontaine qui coule jour et nuit,
L'église de notre village, et le curé-z-aussi!


[Note: the notation in the book did not indicate any repeats, but the custom nowadays seems to be to repeat the first line of each verse.

[You can hear recordings of AUPRÈS DE MA BLONDE at The Virtual Gramophone, by Eva Gauthier, 1918; and José (Mario Louis) Delaquerrière and the Band of the Grenadier Guards (Canada).]

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Auprès de Ma Blonde
From: Monique
Date: 28 Apr 09 - 03:12 AM

One of my books says that the tune already existed by the end of King Louis XIII's reign (he died in 1643). The verses were composed later. The author of the lyrics would be one André Joubert, a man from the isle of Noirmoutier taken as a hostage by the Dutch in 1674. The song was first seen in print in 1704. They add that "The Canadians, never having been at war against the Dutch, replace 'Hollandais' (Dutch) by 'Irlandais' (Irish)"
In: "Trésor des plus belles mélodies de tous les temps et de tous les pays", V. Delfolie, Editions EDSCO, Chambéry,1947 (there's one on sale on EBay.fr right now)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Auprès de Ma Blonde
From: GUEST,cardboard cutout
Date: 28 Apr 09 - 05:05 AM

You can also hear this song sung very fetchingly by Olivia Chaney, who appeared at Cecil Sharp House (London, England)St Georges Day gig, 23rd April 2009.

I can't do "blue clcky links" but it's all on MySpace

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Auprès de Ma Blonde
From: Penny S.
Date: 28 Apr 09 - 04:54 PM

My father taught me the version in the DT which he learnd in French classes in the army during the war.

He would repeat the first line, and the last line became the first line of the next verse.

The same pattern was used in the other song he taught me, En Passant par la Lorraine.

Penny

Subject: Lyric Add: Auprès de Ma Blonde
From: Genie
Date: 20 Jul 16 - 07:57 PM

AUPRÈS DE MA BLONDE
(as I learned it)

CHORUS:
Auprès de ma blonde, qu'il fait bon, fait bon, fait bon,
Auprès de ma blonde, qu'il fait bon dormir!

1. Au jardin de mon père, les lauriers sont fleuris. (x2)
Tous les oiseaux du monde s'en viennent y faire leurs nids.

2. La caille, la tourterelle et la jolie perdrix, (x2)
Et la blanche colombe qui chante jour et nuit.

3. Ils chante pour les filles qui n'ont pas de maris;
Ils ne chante pas pour moi, car j'en ai 't'un joli!

4. Il n'est point dans la danse, il est bien loin d'ici.
Dites nous donc, la belle, ou donc est ton mari.

5. Il est dans la Hollande, les Hollandais l'ont pris.
Que donnerais-vous, belle, pour avoir ton mari?

6. Je donnerais Versailles, Paris et Saint-Denis.
Les tours de Notre Dame et les Cloches de mon pays.

7. Et la jolie fontaine de mon jardin jolie,
Et la blanche colombe pour avoir mon mari.


Genie