An English Echo of Russian Song

About the Book

60 (SIXTY) SINGING TRANSLATIONS OF RUSSIAN SONGS IN ENGLISH

Just as subtitles (in English) help audiences to understand foreign motion pictures, so do these singing translations help English speaking listeners understand Russian songs that are in this publication.


CONTENTS OF THE BOOK

Preface

Introduction

Dedications and Thanks

01 Do Not Scold Me So My Dearest
02 Midst Ball’s Noisy Clamour
03 Will I Forget?
04 Oh, Keep Mum
05 To Love You And Embrace
06 Don’t You Ask Me
07 Lips Pout
08 Two Farewells
09 Serenade
10 If I Meet You Somewhere
11 Reminder
12 For You Alone
13 Portrait
14 Forgive! Don’t Dwell On Days Of Downfall
15 What For Is Love? (Why Love, Why Suffer?)
16 Morning
17 Rendezvous: When Stars Pour Out Sparkling
18 All Alone I Set Out on the Highway
19 No City Sounds Are Heard
20 In Silent, Secret, Night’s Calm
21 No, Only One Who Knew
22 As Then, Again I’m Alone
23 Songs And Dances of Death—1 Lullaby
24 Songs And Dances of Death—2 Serenade
25 Songs And Dances of Death—3 Trepak (Russian Folk Dance)
26 Songs And Dances of Death—4 Fieldmarshal
27 The (Young) Pedlar’s Song Or Korobushka
28 Elegy: When You, My Heart
29 No, It’s Not You I Fervently Adore
30 Night Is Bright
31 O, If I Could Only In Words, Dear
32 Coachman’s Song
33 Misty Morning
34 But Nonetheless I Love You Still
35 Troika’s Dashing, Troika’s Flying
36 In That Fateful Hour
37 I Loved You So
38 Burn Bright, Burn Bright—My Star, My Star
39 Why, Oh Why?
40 Twelve Robbers
41 Here Now A Dashing Troika Flies By
42 Song Of The Viking Guest
43 Song Of The Indian Guest
44 Songs Of The Venetian Guest
45 Volkhova’s Lullaby
46 Nursery 5 At Bedtime
47 Sunless 1 Within Four Walls
48 Sunless 2 You Didn’t Recognise Me
49 Drive, Cabbie
50 Chrysanthemums
51 Just Go Just Go Away!
52 Dear Little Street
53 You Had Watered Your Steed
54 Not Regretting, Calling Back, Or Crying
55 Omens (I Went To You…)
56 Don’t Go Away
57 Stern Old Spouse (Gypsie Girl’s Song)
58 Night Is Still
59 It’s So Good Here
60 I’ll Forget All, I’ll Foresake All (for female voice)
60 I’ll Forget All, I’ll Foresake All (for male voice)

Discography

The aim of this work is to help English speakers discover the richness, beauty and pathos of Russian song through the singing of this “… English Echo of Russian Songs”.

This songbook may also be used in an educational and musical context, as it allows discovery, or rediscovery in some cases, of the Russian language. It is intended that these translations be sung (karaoke style) while playing and listening to the recording of the Russian song and at the same time singing the translated English words from this songbook.

Listening to Russian words while singing the English words is the educational interaction referred to in the paragraph above.

For teachers and students of both Russian and English languages, singing a Russian song in Russian and straight after in English would help to compare and contrast that song during discussion. A public performance of the same song sung in both Russian and English would help to preserve its original Russian sentiment and also interpret the song.

These singing translations are just as essential to audiences, as the English subtitles in Russian motion pictures are to cinema goers. Ivan Renatovich

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