Iligai Saulem (Tra La La My Light)
This is a very well-known folksong from the historically nomadic Kazakhs of Central Asia. Although traditionally it would have been performed solo by a bard accompanying him/herself on the plucked two-stringed dombyra, the song has been arranged and orchestrated in a wide variety of ways since the early 20th century. Although the phrase iligai has no translation (roughly equivalent to “tra la la” in English), the word saule “my light” is also a Kazakh girl’s/woman’s name.
Kelmek yedim iligai
Kelip turmin ahau
Otka tuspei örkenup
Erip turmin ai
Iligai saulem
Iligai saulem
Iligai
Sertkye tursam men seni
Zhanym kurban ahau
Surum osu sertimdi
Berip turmin ai
Iligai saulem
Iligai saulem
Iligai
Iligai dep atimdi
Koydum tandap ahau
Angye kostum atumdi
Adaei tandap ai
Iligai saulem
Iligai saulem
Iligai
Analayin karagim
Karakazim ahau
Kara makpal zhibektey
Kara shashin ai
Iligai saulem
Iligai saulem
Iligai
Translation
I would like to go,
I’m on my way, ahau!
I prospered without falling into the fire
I’m melting, ay
Iligai, my light
Iligai, my light
Iligai
I have kept my vow to you
My soul is a victim, ahau!
This vow is my secret
That I am giving to you, ay
Iligai, my light
Iligai, my light
Iligai
Iligai is my name
I took it and chose it, ahau!
I added my name to this song
I chose it deliberately, ay
Iligai, my light
Iligai, my light
Iligai
My dear, look (at me)
My black-browed one, ahau!
Black and soft like silk
Your black hair, ay
Iligai, my light
Iligai, my light
Iligai
Ozhal Dastan | arranged by Chuen-Fung Wong
On Ikki Muqam (“The Twelve Muqams”) is one of several mode-based classical music traditions in Central Asia, and is considered the most prestigious of the Uyghur muqam traditions of Xinjiang (Western China). A full performance of on ikki muqam is presented as a suite encompassing over a dozen individual vocal and instrumental compositions, each defined by related melodic modes and rhythmic cycles. Very often, the lyrics of on ikki muqam songs are drawn from Sufi poetry. “Ozhal Dastan” is based on a composition from one of the twelve on ikki muqam repertoires, presented here in instrumental form.
Tyomnaya noch’ (Dark Night) | Nikita Bogoslovsky, lyrics by Vladimir Agatov
This is a popular song that was written for the 1943 film “Two Soldiers (Dva Boitsa),” a tribute to the millions of Soviet citizens who fought and died in World War II. The song expresses a soldier’s longing for his sweetheart amid the darkness and sounds of war in the steppes, and imagines her waiting for him in their family home. He is sure that he will return to her, because her love will keep him safe.
Tyomnaya noch’, tol’ko puli svistyat po stepi
Tol’ko veter gudit v provodakh, tusklo zvyozdi mertsayut
V tyomnuyu noch, ty lyubimaya znayu ne spish
I u detskoi krovatki taikom ty slezy utiraesh’.
Kak ya lyublyu glubinu tvoikh laskovikh glaz
Kak ya khochu k nim prizhat’sya teper’ gubami
Tyomnaya noch’ razdelyaet, lyubimaya, nas
I trevozhnaya chornaya step’ prolegla mezhdu nami
Veryu v tebya, v doroguyu podrugu moyu
Eta vera ot puli menya tyomnoi noch’yu khranila
Radostno mnye, ya spokoyen v smertel’nom boyu
Znayu, vstretish’ s lyubov’yu menya, shto b so mnoi ni sluchilos’
Smert’ ne strashna, s nei ne raz my vstrechilas’ v stepi
Vot i teper’ nado mnoyu ona kruzhitsya
Ty menya zhdyosh’, i u detskoi krovatki ne spish’
I poetomu, znayu, so mnoi nichevo ne sluchitsya
Translation
Dark night, only bullets whistle across the steppe
Only the wind hums in the wires, the stars flicker dimly
In the dark night, my love, I know you are not sleeping
And at the baby’s crib you secretly wipe away a tear.
How I love the depth of your tender eyes
How I wish I could press my lips to them now
The dark night separates us, my love
And the worrisome black steppe lies between us
I believe in you, my dear friend
This faith saved me from a bullet on a dark night
I am happy and peaceful in the deadly battle
I know you will meet me with love, no matter what happens to me
Death is not scary, we have met her many times in the steppe
Even now she’s circling above me
You will wait for me, and at the baby’s crib you won’t sleep
And therefore, I know, nothing will happen to me
Mongolian camel coaxing ritual song (traditional) | Wolf Totem (The HU)
These two songs normally would not ever be performed together; however, they effectively demonstrate two opposite ends of a spectrum of Mongolian sound and music. The camel coxing ritual is inscribed on the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding. Singing the word “Hosh” (hush) and accompanied by the horsehead fiddle morin-khuur, Mongolian camel herders encourage a female camel to accept a new-born calf or to adopt an orphan. The call and response between instruments in our arrangement reflects the imitative relationship between singer and morin-khuur in the original context. The Kazakh horsehair fiddle qyl-qobyz stands in for the morin-khuur in our version.
“Wolf Totem” is one of the biggest hits by Mongolian folk-metal band The HU, which describes their musical style as “hunnu-rock” (human rock). The band combines traditional Mongolian instruments and overtone singing with the growly timbres and driving rhythms of heavy metal. The lyrics, both chanted and sung, express the fierceness of the Mongol hordes of Genghis Khan.
Arslan urwas alaldan urldi.
Bars urwas bayildan urldi.
Zaan urwas zhanchildan urldi.
Khün urwas khüchilden urldi.
Translation
If lions come, we’ll fight to the end.
If tigers come, we’ll fight and battle.
If elephants come, we’ll fight in rage.
If humans come, we’ll fight and obliterate.
Sari Gelin (Golden Bride)
One of the best-known folksongs from Azerbaijan, “Sari Gelin” (like “Iligai Saulem”) exists in many versions and arrangements. The lyrics are full of love and longing, which suggest not only an earthly, romantic significance but perhaps also a spiritual longing for union with the Divine – a common theme in Sufi poetry.
Saçın ucun hörməzlər
Gülü sulu dərməzlər
Sarı gəlin.
Bu sevda nə sevdadır
Səni mənə verməzlər
Neynim aman, aman
Sarı gəlin.
Bu dərənin uzunu,
Çoban qaytar quzunu,
Ne ola bir gün görem,
Nazlı yarımın üzünü
Neynim aman, aman
Neynim aman, aman
Sarı gəlin.
Translation
The ends of your hair shouldn’t be braided,
The dewey flower shouldn’t be picked,
Golden bride.
What a love this is!
They will not let me be with you.
What should I do, aman, aman
Golden bride.
The length of this valley,
Shepherd, return the sheep, Quzunu. The sheep.
If only I could one day see
The face of my coy beloved
What should I do, aman, aman
What should I do, aman, aman
Golden bride.
Kaifuyem (We’re Feeling Good) | Arsen Petrosov
This popular song is a staple at weddings and other big celebrations throughout the former Soviet Union and beyond. Arsen Petrosov was born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan and quickly took up the family profession of composing and performing Russian-language popular music. He now lives and works in Los Angeles, CA. The 6/8 rhythm of “Kaifuyem!” points to dance music styles from the Caucasus region, where Petrosov’s ancestral roots are also located.
Kaifuyem
Sevodnya my stoboi kaifuyem
I ya opyat tebya tseluyu
I zabivayu obo vsyom
Kaifuyem
Tebye ya samsebe rivnuyu
Davnosta my stoboi kaifuyem
I sponimayem ni o chom
Tikha tikha, serdtse byotsa ot lyubvy
Ty rasslabsya, i v glaza mne posmotri
V etom vecher nam stoboyu po puti
Krasivoi takoi ne naiti
Znayu zavtra, ty zabudesh obo mne
A sevodnye my stoboyu kak vsnye
Ty ulibayeshsya, vsyo pachali pazadi
Krasivoi takoi ne naiti
Translation
We're feeling good
Today we're feeling good
And I kiss you again
And I forget about everything
We're feeling good
I'm even jealous of myself
We're just feeling good
Not thinking of anything
Quietly, quietly, the heart is beating out of love
Relax and look into my eyes
This evening we're going the same way
I won't find another beautiful girl like you!
I know tomorrow, you'll forget about me
But today it's as if we're in a dream
Smile, all the bad stuff is behind us
I won't find another beautiful girl like you!
