Songs

Chanson de la mariée

by Maurice Ravel From 5 Mélodies populaires grecques (1904) 1904-1906

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Text & Translation

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Chanson de la mariée
French source: Michel-Dimitri Calvocoressi

Réveille-toi, réveille-toi, perdrix mignonne,
Ouvre au matin tes ailes.
Trois grains de beauté, mon cœur en est brûlé!
Vois le ruban d’or que je t’apporte,
Pour le nouer autour de tes cheveux.
Si tu veux, ma belle, viens nous marier!
Dans nos deux familles, tous sont alliés!

The bride's awakening
English translation © Richard Stokes

Wake up, wake up, pretty partridge,
Spread your wings to the morning,
Three beauty spots - and my heart's ablaze.
See the golden ribbon I bring you
To tie around your tresses.
If you wish, my beauty, let us marry!
In our two families all are related.

Translation © Richard Stokes, author of A French Song Companion (Oxford, 2000)

Chanson de la mariée
French source: Michel-Dimitri Calvocoressi

The bride's awakening
English source: Richard Stokes

Réveille-toi, réveille-toi, perdrix mignonne,
Wake up, wake up, pretty partridge,
Ouvre au matin tes ailes.
Spread your wings to the morning,
Trois grains de beauté, mon cœur en est brûlé!
Three beauty spots - and my heart's ablaze.
Vois le ruban d’or que je t’apporte,
See the golden ribbon I bring you
Pour le nouer autour de tes cheveux.
To tie around your tresses.
Si tu veux, ma belle, viens nous marier!
If you wish, my beauty, let us marry!
Dans nos deux familles, tous sont alliés!
In our two families all are related.

Composer

Maurice Ravel

Joseph Maurice Ravel was a French composer, pianist and conductor.  In the 1920s and 1930s he was internationally regarded as France's greatest living composer. He was one of the first composers to acknowledge the potential of recording in making…

Poet

Michel-Dimitri Calvocoressi

Michel-Dimitri Calvocoressi was a music writer and critic, and promoter of musicians such as Franz Liszt and Modest Mussorgsky.

Performances

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