[lbo-talk] Beautiful singers....

[joanna]

She was called the Romanian Edit Piaf and she deserved the title. She 
could sing from the standpoint of a male persona as well as female. Not 
too many singers could do that. The "commies" tried to stifle her for a 
while because she sang "backward" folk songs, but then they let up and 
she took off. She was immensly popular.

Here are some of my favorites:

Frica M-ie Ca Mor Ca Miine (I'm afraid I'm going to die)  -- lament
Miine toti recruti pleaca (Tomorrow all the recruits are leaving) -- a 
mother's prayer for her departing son
Cine iubeste si lasa (Who loves and leaves.....) -- A series of 
maledictions on those who love and leave...

I'd be more than happy to translate. The songs are hard to translate 
because they are a beautiful tapestry of curses, sayings, proverbs, and 
laments....interwoven with a narrative. They are as simple and deep as 
the greatest Greek lyrics and completely shook up my understanding of 
the phrase "classic."

I just found out that she was born on my son's birthday (not the year of 
course) and I'm totally jazzed.

Joanna

Colin Brace wrote:


> On 10/20/06, joanna <123hop at comcast.net> wrote:
>
>> Maria Tanase (Romania)
>
>
> Joann, I have never heard of this singer and I just downloaded a track
> called "Piatra, piatra".
>
> Wow. What a discovery. Great set of pipes.
>
> I am downloading some more mp3s. I will have to send you the titles
> for translation. ;)
>