Friday, November 11, 2011

Children's songs

01 Haj szén'alja, szén'alja.m4a
http://www.box.net/shared/sfs1hz9z4tpp8xd3045o
Hungarian Folk Music, sleeve design by Gyözö Varga,
presented by the Hungarian Academy of Science,
Budapest, 1964
Often a children's song or two are included in such albums that seek to give an overview of the musical traditions of a certain cultural or geographical group.  I have gathered quite a few but to say I'm collecting is an overstatement, they're simply included in some of the records I collect. My interest in these children's songs is fairly new. I'm attracted to the uncomplicated spontaneous nature of these songs. They're happy songs, playful songs, free from the burdens of the hardness and sadness of life, complex psychological identities, and sexual rejection. I was never interested in their songs, their aesthetic, or their play, but something changed. I think my interest started with teaching drawing and painting to children this summer, I had never done this before, and never thought I would like it, but I did.
—It has recently been discovered that some of the iconic ancient cave paintings have been done by small children. In the recently discovered Rouffignac  caves in the Dordogne, the most prolific artist was a five year old girl. Learning about this fact impacted my worldview and my attitude of how I view children.

The LP Hungarian Folk Music contains a really nice children’s song. it is called Haj szén'alja, szén'alja which translates to Ah, bundle of hay, bundle of hay. The LP Hungarian Folk Music (not to be confused with Bartok's better known Folk Music of Hungary) is so far the year's best thrift store find. The number 194 taped in the top left corner on the record indicates that it once belonged to a collection. I bought 20 records from that collection in one day, the numbers ranging between 185 and 232. All records are from Eastern Europe with a majority coming from Poland. I assume the collection once belonged to an immigrant from Poland. I really should revisit that thrift store to see if other numbers from the collection have been released.

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