To Thread - Forum Home

The Mudcat Café TM
https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=101227
11 messages

Si Si Dolada(info please)

30 Apr 07 - 06:57 AM (#2039280)
Subject: Si Si Dolada (African song,info please)
From: greg stephens

There is an African song called "Si Si Dolada"(spelling may vary) currently sung by various a capella community choir type groups. It's a fine song, but nobody has been able to tell me where it comes from, what language it's in or what it means. Anybody got any background on this?


01 May 07 - 01:39 AM (#2040055)
Subject: RE: Si Si Dolada(info please)
From: greg stephens

Well, this one seems to be proving tricky. There are various other people who have searched for the answer to this question on the internet, but there doesn't seem to be a good answer floating around yet.


01 May 07 - 03:25 AM (#2040097)
Subject: RE: Si Si Dolada(info please)
From: Joe Offer

Greg, can you give us lyrics, directions to where to find sheet music, anything?
-Joe-


01 May 07 - 04:53 AM (#2040137)
Subject: RE: Si Si Dolada(info please)
From: 8_Pints

Sue says she got the words and music from Anna Tabush at a Folk Camp.

It is called 'Banaha' and is a round.

Bob vG


01 May 07 - 09:01 AM (#2040277)
Subject: RE: Si Si Dolada(info please)
From: Saro

I have the words and music of Si Si Si in a book called "How can I keep from Singing" (British Kodaly Academy) which gives it as Congolese. The word Banaha does occur in the song, but it shouldn't be confused with Ban-u-wa, which is in the same book, Ba-nu-wa is cited as Liberian and is a nine part round!

You can sing Si Si Si as a round, or as a two part harmony song or both!!
Best wishes
Saro.


01 May 07 - 10:23 AM (#2040329)
Subject: RE: Si Si Dolada(info please)
From: greg stephens

It has indeed appeared in many books formal and informal, and has apparently become a staple of the community choir circuit both sides of the Atlantic. But nobody seems to have found out just where it came from, what language it is in, and what it means.
Possibly an instruction to a man to put his banana in a lady's hat, according to one theory. That puts it, if true, in a very familar class of folksongs: the vegetable double-entendre.
    But I'm sure there's a story here, who was the first person who learnt it in Africa, and brought it back to their choir. And did they in fact remember it correctly?
Joe Offer:
It starts
Si si si si dolada(phonetically). That accesses a tantalsiing amount of theories via google, but not enough hard facts.


21 Nov 12 - 12:43 PM (#3439916)
Subject: RE: Si Si Dolada(info please)
From: GUEST,jessica algar

could some one post the lyrics as ive sang it at school today and realy liked the song but ive forgot the lyrics


21 Nov 12 - 01:36 PM (#3439947)
Subject: RE: Si Si Dolada(info please)
From: GUEST

SI SI BA NA HA BA NA HA LA KU SI NE DU BA NA HA


03 Mar 25 - 07:38 PM (#4218402)
Subject: RE: Si Si Dolada(info please)
From: GUEST,Jess

This song became known around the world when a Belgian priest named Father Guido Haazen tried to disseminate music from the Congo abroad with a choir he formed called Les Troubadours du Roi Baudouin. They toured Europe for six months in 1958 and even sang at the World's Fair in Brussels.

"Banaha" is often called "Banaha, Soldiers Song".


05 Mar 25 - 02:04 PM (#4218512)
Subject: RE: Si Si Dolada(info please)
From: Tattie Bogle

Well, only 18 years on, but this is the info and lyrics I have for it, having sung it in a community singing group some years ago.
The 3 sections each have different tunes, which all harmonise well with each other, so yes, sing it as a round.
If anyone wants the tune, I could transcribe it to standard notation.

BANAHA

Banaha, a Congolese folk song, translates to something a bit silly:
“At the foot of the pineapple tree, Yaku ladles banana into his aunt's red hat”


Sisi sisi dolada
Yaku sine ladu banaha
Sisi sisi dolada
Yaku sine ladu banaha

Banaha banaha
Yaku sine ladu banaha
Banaha banaha
Yaku sine ladu banaha

Ha banaha
Yaku sine ladu banaha
Ha banaha
Yaku sine ladu banaha


09 Mar 25 - 12:13 AM (#4218717)
Subject: RE: Si Si Dolada(info please)
From: Pappy Fiddle

Si Si Dolada sounds like something in pidgin Spanish. Spain's right across from Africa and there's been a lot of cross polination of the languages. Dolores is a woman's name, meaning sorrows. Dorada means gilded or gold colored, feminine.