Beautiful Songs in Languages Other Than English

[JayFreddy]

Originally Posted by Memphis Hawk

Meet 48 year old Sujatha Mohan.



That's who is singing. I love Shreya Goshal's voice...

Actually, the singer in the "En Uyire" that I posted is K.S. Chithra (also 48). But thank you for introducing those other two ladies! I'm finding I really enjoy a lot of Indian music, both classical and pop, but it's more than just another world... It's a whole other galaxy!

Originally Posted by elihu

Some great music here-good idea for a thread, Jay.

Took the kids to see Madagascar 3 and got caught by surprise by a little snippet of this...



I have no idea what he's talking about, but wow.

Thanks! One of my other students actually brought me some Andre Bocelli this week, singing a duet with Laura Pausini...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3WOVnTz-Yo

Lots of chord changes and modulations. It took me nearly a whole hour just to transcribe the chords... But I got 'em!

Originally Posted by colorado

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZ4LC...eature=related

Sorry don't know how to embed.

Speaking of singing. This is the Bulgarian Women's Choir. Check out their first album. Incredible. They do these weird close harmonies that we don't really use in what we do so much.

Awesome! Thank you!

Originally Posted by telex76

My favorite is when that African tribe that speaks with the clicking sounds did a remake of the Beatles "We Can Work It Out".

Never heard that before... If you find it, please post it here!

Originally Posted by DeepSouth

...the thread title which should have really read "beautiful songs in languages other than English"...

My bad! Not trying to cause any strife, I was just thinking of music from other cultures, but I guess I should have specifically said, "songs". I changed the thread title, but please feel free to share any instrumental music from non-English speaking cultures too...

[JayFreddy]

Ps. Here's another one. This time in Korean:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmKKoOq3A4o



I transcribed this for a student a couple of years ago and actually posted my transcription process in the TDPRI tabs forum. It's fun to solo over in B Blues, here's a link to the other thread if anyone's interested...

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/tab-tips-...ml#post1859791

[mudshark]

[Sasz]

My favourite new album from last year was "Ecoute S'il Pleut" by a French band called Melissmell.


"Des Nouvelles Par Les Ondes"




"Aux Armes"

[JayFreddy]

Originally Posted by mudshark

All that other stuff is good too, but I'm from Texas, and this is AWESOME!

Freddy Fender playing a Peavey Generation S3 with Flaco and Willie... Thank you!

[colorado]

Originally Posted by DeepSouth

Obviously a singer. Singing is only a subset of music. Music doesn't need to be in any language - it transcends language. I think it's funny that people think talent contests are singing competitions. I know plenty of other musicians who feel the same way about singers and their "front man" mentality. Hardly surprising to find that point of view on a guitar site is it? I mean fancy finding some Guitarists who think their instrument is better or preferable to listen to than another instrument and I say that loosely (the human voice). Gees I wonder why they might think that - they have only devoted their lives to the promotion and development of guitar as a talent rather than singing.

So the comments were in response to the thread title which should have really read "beautiful songs in languages other than English" - because obviously instrumentals which are also music don't need to be in any language even if they originated in a non-english speaking country.

Actually, I'm a mediocre singer on my best days.

Saying singing isn't music though is like saying "Airplanes are not a form of transportation." It just isn't true. And that is different then saying, "I don't like flying." which may well be true. So I would believe you if you were to say you don't like singing. Saying singing isn't music is (I'm sorry) ridiculous.

There is a good case in anthropology that singing may have predated speech in humans. Singing IS music. We then figured out ways of making it WITHOUT singing (but still usually include singing).

I took th OP to want examples of songs in other languages where the melody (and instrumentaion) caried the song without needing to understand what the words mean.

But even instrumental music is not clearcut and universal. For instance, classical indian music (for example) divides an octave into 22 instead of 12. Which is why the music sometimes sounds "sour" or out of tune to westerners. A raga is not really a song but an improvisation on a theme or mood with a specific rhythmic pulse (anyone for 11?). Some indian musicians I've talked to think western music is really simplistic and crude (and out of tune since we play the same note for two or three different notes to their way of playing). And they don't care about harmony (which they think always sounds out of tune because of our even temprement for scales). So even instrumental music is not always universal and you have to "learn" to appreciate and understand it (kind of like a language).


Fun discussion.

BTW I absolutely DETEST American Idol.

[Sasz]

A couple more French singers (both sadly no longer with us), Jean Ferrat and Barbara



Barbara - "Dis, quand reviendras-tu?"




Jean Ferrat - "J'entends, J'entends" (from a poem by Louis Aragon)

[DeepSouth]

Originally Posted by colorado

Actually, I'm a mediocre singer on my best days.

Saying singing isn't music though is like saying "Airplanes are not a form of transportation." It just isn't true. And that is different then saying, "I don't like flying." which may well be true. So I would believe you if you were to say you don't like singing. Saying singing isn't music is (I'm sorry) ridiculous.

There is a good case in anthropology that singing may have predated speech in humans. Singing IS music. We then figured out ways of making it WITHOUT singing (but still usually include singing).

I took th OP to want examples of songs in other languages where the melody (and instrumentaion) caried the song without needing to understand what the words mean.

But even instrumental music is not clearcut and universal. For instance, classical indian music (for example) divides an octave into 22 instead of 12. Which is why the music sometimes sounds "sour" or out of tune to westerners. A raga is not really a song but an improvisation on a theme or mood with a specific rhythmic pulse (anyone for 11?). Some indian musicians I've talked to think western music is really simplistic and crude (and out of tune since we play the same note for two or three different notes to their way of playing). And they don't care about harmony (which they think always sounds out of tune because of our even temprement for scales). So even instrumental music is not always universal and you have to "learn" to appreciate and understand it (kind of like a language).


Fun discussion.

BTW I absolutely DETEST American Idol.

Absolutely nowhere did I say singing isn't music. Music however is more than just singing obviously. If you read my post I said singing is a subset of music. Please don't misquote me.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subset

[trev333]

We hear more and more indigenous singers using their native language in songs/music down in Oz....

it's refreshing to see the freedom of language spoken/sung.. that for a long time was frowned upon....

Geoffrey Gurrimal Yunupingu you may have heard of...

[sacizob]

"Volare" had to be the biggest hit in the U.S. in its day.

[Jeff_K]

I always thought some of Bob Dylan's songs would have been beautiful if they were sung in English.

[hekawi]

[63dot]

I always loved Judy Frankel who used to sing Ladino folk songs:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHQaq3p73Kk

Also this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLsg_...eature=related

[Memphis Hawk]

The ending credits to Michael Jackson's "Moonwalker" movie from 1988. Acapella Ladysmith on the set of Smooth Criminal. Second half is the english translation.

[urizen]

A LOT of fado (a genre native to Portugal) is melodically beautiful (to me), and its language (Portuguese) seem to complement the melodies' beauty.

[mercy]

Give the album _Quanta_ a listen...

[JayFreddy]

I'm learning about all kinds of good stuff here. Thank you!

Nice to see some South African music in this thread. My favorite South African group so far is the now legendary Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens. I actually got to meet them and hang with the band backstage when they toured the US in 1991, which is an interesting story for another thread...

I will say that I think Mahlathini (RIP) was a musical genius, which seems to be the consensus of all the musicians who worked with him or knew him.

Anyway, I love the busy guitar parts and the way the bass lines seem to create spontaneous counterpoint... It's impossible to listen to this stuff and sit still... Or be depressed!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ai8ud-sjaE


Audio is a little weak on this one, turn up the volume and listen to that killer guitar and the gorgeous voices!
http://youtu.be/EuoN0u4H3-o


http://youtu.be/kDxSw0Uro3A

[mudshark]

Rick Trevino:


Don Santiago Jimenez Sr. (Flaco's dad)

[mudshark]

Tony de la Rosa

[JayFreddy]

Imam Baildi - from Greece

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIpgX-HI0ho