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31 May 11 - 09:42 PM (#3163433) Subject: Lyr Add: LOUIS CAMILLE (calypso) From: Q (Frank Staplin) Lyr. Add: Louis Camille Massie Patterson and Lionel Belasco Louis Camille, Où est-i Eligon passé? Louis Camille, Où est-i Eligon passé? Cas la monté, Cas la descend, Cas la tombé en dleau, Cas la monté, Cas la descend. Cas la tombé en dleau. Ou c'est tu mertrier,- Et ou croire ou sorti chappé? Ou c'est un mertrier En la fin ou ni pou payé, Ou c'est un mertrier- Et ou croire sorti chappé? Ou c'est un mertrier En fin- ou ni pou payé! Louis Camille, have you seen Eligon today? Louis Camille, have you seen Eligon today? When he called, he's nowhere near, And so his case is closed. When he is called, he's nowhere near, And so his case is closed. Where can the murd'rer be? Can it be that he's run away? Where can the murd'rer be? Can it be that he won't have to pay? Where can the murd'rer be? Can it be that he's run away? Where can the murd'rer be? And now- he won't have to pay! Sheet music, pp. 8-9, "Calypso Songs of the West Indies," Massie Patterson and Lionel Belasco, M. Baron Co. New York. "These songs, though emanating from various parts of the West Indies, are, nevertheless, familiar to the natives of Trinidad, Barbados, Martinique, Guadalupe, Santa Lucia, etc." From Foreward by M. Baron. English version by Olga Paul. Free transcription by Maurice Baron. Copyright 1943, M. Baron Co. |
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27 Jan 16 - 08:07 PM (#3768645) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Louis Camille (calypso) From: GUEST,Phil d'Conch Lis Camille, Calypso Calaloo, Rounder CD 1105, 1993, Cambridge, MA. USA, Track #5. Paseo reel, Babb and Williams, vocal with guitar and tambourine. Noncommercial recording made by Melville and Frances Herskovits, Toco, Trinidad, 1939. Indiana University Archives of Traditional Music, song no. 162, 67-141 ƒ, 12-21-58, side b-1 "Stickney and Donovan's Great American Circus visited the Caribbean after an engagement in 1889 in New York, stopping at Martinique before making its way to Trinidad. A member of the circus, balloonist and parachutist "Professor Colby," made several attempts to ascend and jump from the balloon, achieving a jump from five hundred feet on November 11, 1889. Lyrics commemorating the feat were printed in 1930, and a Martiniquean version of the song recorded in Paris in the 1930s. The version heard here varies somewhat from the well-known version recorded by Chiney Patrick Jones for Emery Cook in the 1950s. This version uses the tune and general idea of the lyrics of the balloon song but combines them with parts of a song about Louis Camille, who was tried in 1892 for the murder of John Eligon. Apparently the name "Eligon" has been corrupted into "Lingo," used here seemingly as as place name. This transcription was made by Ron Kephart and Willy Kephart." Lwis Kamil, Kamil monte pwe Lingo [Louis Camille, Camille went up near Lingo] Lwis Kamil, Kamil monte pwe Lingo (chorus) Balon monte, balon desann, balon tombe nan glo [Balloon went up, balloon came down, balloon fell into the water] Lwis Kamil, Kamil monte pwe Lingo Lwis Kamil, Kamil monte pwe Lingo Samdi apwe mindi, Kamil mete balon dewò [Saturday afternoon Camille put the balloon outside] Samdi apwe mindi, Kamil mete balon dewò Tout moun ka-di Kamil se yon mòdera [everyone says Camille is a murderer] Tout mon ka-di Kamil se yon move bèt [everyone says Camille is a bad beast] |
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31 Jan 16 - 12:34 AM (#3769516) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Louis Camille (calypso) From: GUEST,Phil d'Conch Satire, Protest, & Black Music — Oral History Case Studies from the Caribbean and the USA. "From the time of slavery, satire and topicality are common elements in reports of black music from the Americas. When need arose, they also served as a form of protest. In 1889, Stickney and Donovan's Circus toured the Caribbean and the exploits of an American balloonist named Colby were recorded in a contemporary song. This became a Martinique Biguine and a Trinidad Carnival piece, recalled well into the twentieth century. Identified as a trickster, in Trinidad Colby's exploits were used as a metaphor to criticise the way in which Louis Camille was acquitted for the murder of John Eligon in 1891. This song travelled through the islands and even in recent years elements were incorporated into a Chante Mas' sung in Dominica during the Carnival." [Cowley, John, Abstract, British Forum for Ethnomusicology, Brunel University, 2001 Annual Conference] |
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04 Apr 16 - 04:46 PM (#3783408) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Louis Camille (calypso) From: GUEST,Guest Does anyone know where I can find the words & music for the original "balloon song" that's mentioned here? TIA, David |
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12 Nov 16 - 06:29 PM (#3820210) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Louis Camille (calypso) From: GUEST,Phil d'Conch David: Colby (Martinique) variations on lyrics here... Can't help with the music. I've posted the older recordings on youtube a couple of times but they got taken down as fast as I put them up. Oh well. |
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26 Jan 19 - 06:17 PM (#3973618) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Louis Camille (calypso) From: GUEST,Phil d'Conch AU SPIRITUEL AUTEUR DE LA FANTASIE DE LOUIS CAMILLE, VIERGE ET MARTYR. “Louis Camille” met, comme “Vierge et Martyr”, Le comble à vos écrits de verve ébouriffante; Ironie et logique ont pour nous divertir A votre esprit prêté leur satire mordante. Vous avez exposé, dans ce honteux procès, Avec un vrai talent que tout le monde admire La partialité poussée à cet excès Qui nous a révoltés tout en nous faisant rire. Pauvre Eligon, qu'au ciel vous avez fait monter, Doit bien rire là haut de ce verdict étrange Qui fait que de sa mort un juge ait pu douter Et déclarer Camille innocent comme un ange! Triste justice humaine, encore un de tes tours! Quelquefois tu punis par erreur l'innocence, Mais quand tu viens prêter au crime ton concours Que veus tu que de toi le monde indigné pense? Ainsi d'un vieux galant, une chaste beauté A par ses doux regards bouleversé la tête; Les prevuves du forfait sont mises de côté, Seul ce qu'elle a juré porte un cachet honnête. Satiriste hardi, ne craignez vous, hélas! Quand vous les fustigez de si rude férule. Du juge et des jurés que vous n'épargnez pas, La rage d'être ainsi tournés en ridicule. 1892 Z Louis Camille, as Virgin and as Martyr, Has placed the laurel crown upon your brow, Ne'er has your wit appeared in colours smarter, Ne'er has your pen more brilliant been than now. The detail of a case which brings dishonour On justice, have been well set forth by you, You have described the feeling that pervaded Gorrie's cerebrum the proceedings through. Poor Eligon, from Heaven shyly peeping, Is laughing at Sir John's strange suming up, By which Dame Justice seems to have been nodding, Sparing the guilty from their bitter cup. Poor human justice, once again you show us Your fallibility, how prone you are to err, The guiltless suffer, while he whom we know is Culpable, gets away without a slur. Thus an old rake, whose lecherous eyes were taken By an alleged young maiden who came forth, Declared all other evidence mistaken, And but accepted hers as carrying worth. Bold Satirist, whose shafts are aye directed At cant and humbug, still I hope to see That common sense may yet return amongst us Beckoned again into our midst by thee. 1892 Z [Vertuell, Anthony de, Trinidad's French Verse 1850-1900, (Port of Spain: Instant Print, 1978, p.94-95] |
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26 Jan 19 - 06:23 PM (#3973620) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Louis Camille (calypso) From: GUEST,Phil d'Conch AU SPIRITUEL AUTUER DE LA FANTASIE DE LOUIS CAMILLE VIERGE ET MARTYR To the ingenious author of the Fantasy about Louis Camille, Virgin and Martyr. By Z.. A leaflet in good condition which must date from 1891 or 1892. It us unusual in that its own English translation is printed within it. When the newspapers after 1880 virtually stopped printing French poetry, the authors of poems or songs had recourse to printing them in leaflet form, apparently a less common practice in earlier years. The poem is directed to the author of a 'fantasie' possibly written in verse about a case presided over by Sir John Gorrie who had arrived as Chief Justice on 27th of January 1886. Sir John had a rather unusual idea of justice ad loved to quote Psalm 72, 'He shall defend the children of the poor'. His administration of justice caused such a furore (as can be evidenced from this poem) that eventually in 1892 a Judicial Enquiry Committee was set p and the Chief Justice was interdicted on the 20th June 1892. On the 3rd of July 1891 a man employed in the St. Clair Dairy was herding in the kine and his attention was drawn to a number of corbeaux hovering. He proceeded to the spot and discovered a very badly mutilated human body. It was identified by the clothes as that of a cocoa planter of Monserrat, a certain John Eligon. Later it was discovered that his skull was fractured as though by a blow, a Louis Camille, a native of Guadeloupe and a joiner, was implicated. In the Inquest which lasted for weeks and which was packed out and played up by the newspapers, it came out that Camille was also a butcher, an obeah man, and it was alleged, had seen Eligon's ghost on the day of his death! A crowbar was discovered near the spot, supposedly left there by Camille who had been digging for treasure! A charge of felony was laid against Camille. Inspector Brierly who handled the case was praised to the skies and it was suggested that he be made chief of a fully organised detective department. The trial was presided over by the Chief Justice and eagerly followed by all in Trinidad. When it came to the summing up, Gorrie cast doubt on the identification of the corpse as that of Eligon, and viewed with a suspicious eye all the evidence except that given by Camille's sweetheart's sister. After half-an-hour the jury came out with a verdict of not guilty. There was an uproar in the court; the prisoner now released went to pray at the Rosary Church, and 'that evening the was great rejoicing and high jinks in Charlotte Street'. Within a few weeks all over Trinidad even the little children were singing: (1) Jige Gorrie qui mettay Camille deshors Camille monté, Camille désann, Camille tombé an glo. (2) Jige Gorrie c'est Camille qui tué Eligon Camille monté, Camille désann Camille tombé an glo. (See note on song, 'Kamenn Maye Sanmdi '.) Within a year Judge Gorrie was removed from his post. [ibid. p.152-154] |