minstrel: Desperately seeking lyrics

[Jennifer Friedman]

Okay...this takes a lot of guts to admit, folks, being the Internet maven
that I (like to think I) am...but...

I cannot find lyrics to the Sephardic song, "Por Que Llorax", online. (Yes,
I tried "Porque Llorax" too.)  I'm writing a Sephardic-style song for an
upcoming Coronet/Investiture, and in trying to come up with a tune, "Por
Que Llorax" has been continually going through my head.  Finally I've
decided to give in and use that tune, but I need to know the
meter/rhyme/etc. of the original lyrics in order to write passable poetry
to go with it.  (Not to mention, I might like to sing it with the original
lyrics sometime too.)

Seeing as how I'm 125 miles from the nearest music library, and my local
public and academic libraries are astonishingly poorly stocked with Jewish
music (what? No! In Wisconsin?! Impossible!), I am at the mercy of my
fellow list members.  I can use both the original Ladino lyrics (similar to
Spanish) and/or any English translations anyone might have, but especially
the Ladino.

This song is included on several CDs, none of which I have, but someone might:

* Diaspora Sefardi -- Montserrat Figueras/Hesperion XXI, Jordi Savall, dir.
* Songs of the Sephardic Jews -- Pisne Sefarditu/Daniela Demuthova/Rudolf
Merinsky
* La Voix de L'Emotion -- Montserrat Figueras (oh for pete's sake!  This
one is on my Amazon Wish List!)
* Music from Christian and Jewish Spain (Disc 2) -- Hesperion XX, Jordi
Savall, dir. (Wow--listen to the Real Audio snippet of "Por Que Llorax" and
you'll see why I need to know more about this song)
* Far Away Lands: The Medieval Sephardic Heritage -- Suzanne
Hirschman/Florata Ensemble (this is listed as an Estampie and may be
instrumental only)

I'm also told it's on the Zamir Chorale's cassette, Sepharad 92 (not on the
playlist, but may be one of the "Seven Sephardic Romances" arranged by
Braun and Jacobson, #12 on the list).  

The one recording I have of this piece is of the Efroni Choir, a girls'
choir from Israel, on a cassette which did not come with lyrics (aaaaaaagh!).

Help, help, help...I would be eternally grateful.

Eliane

p.s.--I'll post to the list if I receive lyrics from someone, so others
won't need to go to the trouble.


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Lady Eliane Halevy, AoA, OC, OW, mka Jennifer Friedman
Shire of Rokeclif, Principality of Northshield, Middle Kingdom
http://www.gflower.org/
1920 Victory St. #10, La Crosse, WI, 54601
(608) 788-8781     jfriedmn at PressEnter.com
Shire of Rokeclif webpage: http://rokeclif.n3.net
Northshield Choir webpage: www.geocities.com/gillyflower/nscmidis.htm
Northshield Bardic College webpage: www.minstrel.com/ncb/