Following the success of the first edition in 2020, for Christmas 2023 Ocarina is offering the new playlist World Lullabies (Coll. 2). A collection of seven lullabies in Hebrew, Arabic and other cultures – Italy, France, Germany, Ukraine, Russia, Palestine and Israel – in a journey that crosses Europe and reaches lands today marked by conflicts such as Ukraine and the Middle East.
From now until Christmas, the new “World Lullabies” playlist will be offered with every purchase of an Ocarina player (the playlist will be pre-loaded in Ocarina alongside other audio content).
This collection is a tribute to the richness and diversity of international musical traditions. The project, characterized by a strong inclusive and fraternal value, is based on the principle that the lullaby is a universal tool for sharing, existing in all civilizations, a bridge that crosses linguistic, cultural and territorial differences.
Every child, everywhere in the world, can discover the universal language of poetry through the magic of music.
This collection is a tribute to the richness and diversity of international musical traditions. The project, characterized by a strong inclusive and fraternal value, is based on the principle that the lullaby is a universal tool for sharing, existing in all civilizations, a bridge that crosses linguistic, cultural and territorial differences.
Every child, everywhere in the world, can discover the universal language of poetry through the magic of music.
The playlist includes lullabies from different parts of the world:
Stella Stellina (Italian): a timeless lullaby that every parent knows and every child has hummed. A primordial lullaby, linked to the mother’s voice that lulls and induces sleep. Stella stellina was written in the early 20th century by Verona-born Lina Schwarz, poet and children’s writer, translator of the works of philosopher and pedagogue Rudolf Steiner, and founder of the Steiner School in Milan.
Little Star Little Star
The night approaches
The flame flickers
The cow is in the stable
The cow and her calf
The sheep and the lamb
The hen and her chick
Each has her baby
Each has his mother
And they all go to sleep.
The night approaches
The flame flickers
The cow is in the stable
The cow and her calf
The sheep and the lamb
The hen and her chick
Each has her baby
Each has his mother
And they all go to sleep.
Fais Dodo (French): a well-known traditional French lullaby with soft, reassuring lyrics, ideal for soothing children and preparing them for sleep.
“Fais dodo Colas mon p’tit frère” is a famous children’s song dating from the 18th century. It is sung throughout France and Quebec. There are a few regional variations: nougat instead of chocolate, sometimes boats…
As well as being a lullaby, this nursery rhyme tells children that if they’re good, they’ll get a treat.
“Fais dodo Colas mon p’tit frère” is a famous children’s song dating from the 18th century. It is sung throughout France and Quebec. There are a few regional variations: nougat instead of chocolate, sometimes boats…
As well as being a lullaby, this nursery rhyme tells children that if they’re good, they’ll get a treat.
Guten Abend (German): the lullaby par excellence, is a composition for voice and piano by Johannes Brahms, written in 1868, part of the collection of five Lieder op. 49. The original text is of medieval origin.
Good evening, good night, covered with roses
adorned with cloves, go under the blanket
Tomorrow morning, God willing, you’ll be awake again.
adorned with cloves, go under the blanket
Tomorrow morning, God willing, you’ll be awake again.
Oy Khodyt Son Kolo Vikon (Ukraine): traditional melody used to lull children to sleep in Ukraine. “Oy Khodyt Son Kolo Vikon” (Dreams come through the window) is one of the oldest Ukrainian texts, first recorded in the 19th century. It is highly original and poetic, characterized by the dialogue between Sleep and Dream. The piece inspired Gershwin to write the melody for Summertime.
Dream comes through the window,
And Sleep through the fence.
Dream asks Sleep:
“Where should we rest tonight?”
Where the house is warm,
Where the baby is small,
we will go,
And rock the baby to sleep.
There we’ll sleep,
And sing the baby to sleep:
Sleep, sleep, my little hawk,
Sleep, sleep, my little dove.
And Sleep through the fence.
Dream asks Sleep:
“Where should we rest tonight?”
Where the house is warm,
Where the baby is small,
we will go,
And rock the baby to sleep.
There we’ll sleep,
And sing the baby to sleep:
Sleep, sleep, my little hawk,
Sleep, sleep, my little dove.
Zybayu pozybayu (Russian): traditional Russian melody of unknown peasant origin, excerpted below:
Zybayu, pozybayu, / Father has gone to fetch some fish, / Mother has gone to milk the cow, / Grandfather has to chop some wood.
Grandma has picked some red berries, / She’s going to cook them and prepare something to eat.
The old man has fallen asleep and so have you, / Yes, you’re falling asleep slowly.
Grandma has picked some red berries, / She’s going to cook them and prepare something to eat.
The old man has fallen asleep and so have you, / Yes, you’re falling asleep slowly.
Yalla Tnam Reema (Palestinian): famous lullaby from the Levantine region of the Middle East, popularized by Fairouz (a Lebanese singer who was the greatest exponent of Arab music in the 20th century), which tells the story of a mother who wants to put her little daughter named Rima to sleep.
Lyalkele (Yddish): lullaby in the language of the Ashkenazi Jews, an ancient Central European Jewish tradition dating back to the 11th century. The text is very simple, but the waltz-like melody transforms the song into something hypnotically fascinating.
Little doll, little doll, go to sleep
Your mother’s rocking you now
She’s singing you to sleep
Do it right, do it for me
the little birds are sleeping in their little nest
close your little eyes, little doll.
Your mother’s rocking you now
She’s singing you to sleep
Do it right, do it for me
the little birds are sleeping in their little nest
close your little eyes, little doll.
Lyalkele was interpreted for Ocarina by Olga Avigail Mieleszczuk, a multi-faceted artist who bears witness to the history of Ashkenazi Jewish musical traditions. Olga Avigail Mieleszczuk, a singer, accordionist and researcher of Eastern European folk music, was born in Warsaw and now lives in Jerusalem.
Olga has presented her art in prestigious international venues, including New York’s Lincoln Center, Washington’s Kennedy Center, Oslo’s Jewish Museum and many others.
