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Lyr Req: Yekhali Tsigane (Gypsies are Travelling)

15 May 05 - 04:55 PM (#1485590)
Subject: Lyr Req: Yekhali Tsigane (Gypsies are Travelling)
From: chico

Looking for the Lyrics from Theodore Bikel's Russian Gypsy album. The song is YEKHALI TSIGANE. I cannot find the lyrics or any mention of the song at all.

Please help


15 May 05 - 07:48 PM (#1485689)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Yekhali Tsigane (Gypsies are Travelling)
From: masato sakurai

Not contained in his songbook Folksongs and Footnotes (Meridian Books, 1960).


17 May 05 - 10:28 PM (#1486971)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Yekhali Tsigane (Gypsies are Travelling)
From: Jim Dixon

allmusic lists an album by Theodore Bikel called "Songs of a Russian Gypsy" (Bainbridge CD #BCD-2506, 1992, reissue of a 1966 Elektra LP). It contains YEKHALI TSIGANE, and allmusic provides a 30-second sound sample, but I can't transcribe it. The description says, "the original packaging included fully translated lyrics." Apparently they're referring to the LP. I found only one other album that contains YEKHALI TSIGANE, and that's at a German website.

Assuming "Yekhali Tsigane" is a transliteration from Cyrillic, there may be other ways to spell it, but I'm not knowledgeable enough to guess what they might be. Google suggests "Yehali Tzigane" but searching for that doesn't find anything. Apparently "Tsigane" or "Tzigane" means "Gypsy." That's about the best I can do.


18 May 05 - 10:08 AM (#1487226)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Yekhali Tsigane (Gypsies are Travelli
From: GUEST,Joe Offer

Can't find it, either. "Zigeuner" in German means "gypsy," so "Tsigane" probably means the same.
-Joe Offer-


18 May 05 - 01:25 PM (#1487349)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Yekhali Tsigane (Gypsies are Travelling)
From: M.Ted

That Theodore Bikel album was probably the only album that I ever learned in its entirety--Every tune is a Russian Gypsy standard--unfortunately, though I played the songs(to death, while dressed like a gypsy) only my partner knew the lyrics(she could actually speak Russian)--she sang it as"Yevkhali Tsigane", and, if I remember, the song was a combination of Russian and Gypsy lyrics--

This does you no good, because I lost touch with her years ago--however minimal a help it may be, the song is generally known by your typical Balalaika/Domra bands, of which there are many scattered about the country--there is even a Balalaika/Domra Association of America Website that has the names and contact info for many of them Balalaika Orchestras and Folk Ensembles


18 May 05 - 01:29 PM (#1487353)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Yekhali Tsigane (Gypsies are Travelling)
From: Wolfgang

Tsigane is also one French (alt.: gitan) word for Gypsy. I got curious and looked up the etymology of this word which is a descriptive term in several European languages for gypsies. It is not sure but most seem to think it comes from Greek 'athiganos', 'untouchable' designing a person of low social standing.

Wolfgang


18 May 05 - 01:46 PM (#1487363)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Yekhali Tsigane (Gypsies are Travelli
From: Uncle_DaveO

Googling "yekhali tsigane", I found this:

Elektra Discography

Using "Tzigane" I got almost nothing.

Dave Oesterreich


18 May 05 - 02:06 PM (#1487375)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Yekhali Tsigane (Gypsies are Travelli
From: GUEST,Bob Coltman

"Yekhali" is Russian for "they are leaving / traveling out [of town]," generally understood as being by wheeled transport, not by foot.
"Tsigane" is Russian for "gypsies."

So, from po-Rooski to po-Angliiski, the phrase translates: "The gypsies are leaving [town or place for some other place]." Heavy atmosphere of departure, sadness perhaps.

Sadly my copy of Bikel's LP, bought 2nd hand, lacks its booklet, which transliterates the Russian words, if anyone can find a copy and then work backward through the Cyrillic.

Nor is my Russian isn't good enough to understand singing in that language, particularly Bikel's, which is notoriously ba-a-a-a-a-ad. All honor to Theo but he fudges a lot, and now and then lets gibberish take the place of any Russian he hasn't got, which seems to be a lot. At best it (like that of the notoriously inaccurate Ivan Rebroff) is broken Russian---that's not my conclusion but that of a friend who is a native Russian speaker.


18 May 05 - 03:21 PM (#1487447)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Yekhali Tsigane (Gypsies are Travelli
From: GUEST,Bob Coltman

Addenda to my note above:

To be fair to Bikel, he says in the liner notes, "The language of some of the songs is not Russian but Gypsy dialect."

Not sure what he means by this: the original Indo-Iranian Romany language? Some Russo-Hungarian or Russo-Romanian cross? Russian-Romany? Or more-or-less Russian with Romany loan words?

Bikel claims close acquaintance with Russian gypsies and their songs through his theater work with them. But I still seem to hear, in places, a kind of tongue-tied babble that does not remind me of such Romany as I've heard.

I admit I just don't know enough to be sure. This needs the verdict of a Russian speaker, preferably a Russian Gypsy speaker.

And oh my, if anyone could turn up a copy of that booklet and scan it into this thread! Armed with the transliteration, I think I could make a fair shot at translation. But would be glad to give way to someone more knowledgeable.

Bob


28 Nov 07 - 11:46 PM (#2204420)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Yekhali Tsigane (Gypsies are Travelling)
From: GUEST,Volgadon

In Bikel's defence, although his Russian is quite accented and he fudges, a lot of the gibberish is in this song already. The Nanananays are like whack-fold-dedday-ayes in Irish songs.