Welcome to one of the most active flamenco sites on the Internet. Guests can read most posts but if you want to participate click here to register.
This site is dedicated to the memory of Paco de Lucía, Ron Mitchell, Guy Williams, Linda Elvira, Philip John Lee, Craig Eros, Ben Woods, David Serva and Tom Blackshear who went ahead of us.
We receive 12,200 visitors a month from 200 countries and 1.7 million page impressions a year. To advertise on this site please contact us.
RE: Song Names? What do they mean? (in reply to Bogdan1980)
Well I've been interested in translating some names too and see a few similarities in the names, I hope this helps and is accurate, but I don't speak very much Spanish and have nobody to help me translate these names either.
I know Callejon is "Alley" and Luna is "Moon". Callejon may have an alternate meaning I'm not aware of, and probably does =)
Mezquita means Mosque
Morente I think is the name of a player and is probably named that because the song was inspired by his playing.
Reino means Kingdom and I would assume Lillia is a family name.
Posts: 370
Joined: May 23 2007
From: Frederick, MD
RE: Song Names? What do they mean? (in reply to Bogdan1980)
Oh I just really like his stuff and I play Morente and now working on Tio Arango. Next is Callejon but it's quite long. There are a few extremely beautiful sections but others are like learning Baroque music where the note sequences are so similar that it's hard to remember.
I think it helps to play a piece better when you know what's behind it. For instance Barrios's La Cathedral (allegro) part is really complex and to play it with feelings it helps to know the story behind it and what Barrios put into the work in terms of emotions.
Posts: 126
Joined: Dec. 5 2005
From: la peninsula balkanika
RE: Song Names? What do they mean? (in reply to Bogdan1980)
quote:
Callejon de Luna Mezquita Morente Reino de Sillia(i have corrected this) Tio Arrango Morao
well lets see: Callejon de Luna - calle means street and callejon is like a big or large street, so for example, guitarra and guitarron (big one), or casa and cason(big house)..so it is opposite to casa and casita(which is small house) or for calle it would be callecita Mezquita http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mezquita (they will explain you better) Morente -Enrique Morente ,flamenco cantaor or flamenco singer Reino de Silia - really dont know Tio Arrango - there is a small cafe bar in Cordoba, with patio held by tio Arrango, old singer and buena gente, so flamencos go there, and Vicente is from Cordoba too as you probably know and is very friendly with this guy so hi names one of his compositions after him.. Morao - short from Moraito (he is thinking on Moraito Chico, also one of very appreciated flamenco guitarists)
Posts: 6447
Joined: Jul. 6 2003
From: England, living in Italy
RE: Song Names? What do they mean? (in reply to Guest)
quote:
Boabdil-Pepe Habichuela
Boabdil was the last Moorish ruler of Granada. Pepe Hab' is a Granadino. I think Boabdil gave el último suspiro del Moro. Quite a resonant story around here.
RE: Song Names? What do they mean? (in reply to Bogdan1980)
Yes it was a nickname of mohammed XI or XII who conquered granada. Adonda and Choruello seem to be villages in the region of Malaga. Remache is from remachar ( conjugar ) which is putting together or join things.
Posts: 6447
Joined: Jul. 6 2003
From: England, living in Italy
RE: Song Names? What do they mean? (in reply to Bogdan1980)
My poor 2 cents:
Celosa = a jealous girl, usually "tu nobia" Andaluza = a woman from Andalucía Solo Quiero Caminar = I just want to walk Ventanas al Alma = Windows to the soul (the eyes?) Mensaje = message
Posts: 2277
Joined: Apr. 17 2007
From: South East England
RE: Song Names? What do they mean? (in reply to Guest)
quote:
ORIGINAL: romerito
Since we were all students we got called chocho. Look it up...pretty funny to call your students that.
Not heard that one before so I did look it up in an online translation - always keen to increase my vocabulary of Spanish slang. I got a variety of suggestions from 'candy stick' to tw*t and the previous referred to 'c-word' (obviously I'm far too ladylike to actually mention it in full ). What would be your translation romerito?
Anyone got any other slang for me to learn? Preferably something I could actually use in public without causing a public order offence!
RE: Song Names? What do they mean? (in reply to Ailsa)
Chocho and picha are similar in that both refer to the sexual organs (picha or pisha is masculine). They are not necessarily flamenco but from the barrio. Educated people do not use them.
Another variant of picha is carrajo: a very strong insult is "Vete al carrajo, cabrón!": careful, it could get you into a fight. Cabrón is a male goat and in a macho society,making a cuckold of someone was a very serious matter, so cabrón remains a serious insult.
Other insulting words are borde, mamarracho and gilipollas, or to have malaje or mala leche or guasa.
"Hostia" has a very strong effect on older people since it refers to the Catholic host and can be seen as blasphemy. Hijo or hija de puta is very general: I once heard a mother in the street calling her little daughter "hija de la gran puta!":-).
Cago en la leche (de tu mare) or cago en la mare que te parió (usually shortened to cago en la ma´) sound heavy duty but are in everyday use.
However "de puta mare", meaning really excellent, is more or less acceptable.
Phrases such as these are to learn but not to use:-)
Posts: 2277
Joined: Apr. 17 2007
From: South East England
RE: Song Names? What do they mean? (in reply to Bogdan1980)
quote:
ORIGINAL: Bogdan1980
How ever this educational and benign thread turn into a discussion of spanish course words????
Well, I think that curse words in other languages are interesting because they tell you something about the culture and development of that language. Sexual slang is probably common to all languages, but there are other examples that are unique to each language. Don't you think that insulting someone by saying they have 'mala leche' says something about that culture?
Posts: 1827
Joined: Jul. 8 2003
From: Living in Granada, Andalucía
RE: Song Names? What do they mean? (in reply to Ailsa)
quote:
ORIGINAL: Ailsa
Well, I think that curse words in other languages are interesting because they tell you something about the culture and development of that language. Sexual slang is probably common to all languages, but there are other examples that are unique to each language. Don't you think that insulting someone by saying they have 'mala leche' says something about that culture?
I was on a bus going along Paseo de los Tristes which has a great view of the Alhambra. You can always tell the locals from thr tourists as the locals ignore the view while the tourists crane their necks to see and take photos. About 60 % of our visitors here are Spanish so Spanish tourists are common. Anyway I overheard an older Spanish man say to his wife " Qué maravilla coño". He meant it most sincerely. Nothing sexual at all.
I've been reading "Made in America" by Bill Bryson about the develoment of American English. It is absolutely fascinating. For example the indult 'nit wit' comes from the Dutch 'Ich niet wit' ( Sorry if the spelling is wrong) which means " I know nothing".
I know some great Spanish curse words but as Sean says they are not to be used.
RE: Song Names? What do they mean? (in reply to Guest)
quote:
(Romerito:) La Andonda was a famous female singer of Solea in the 19th century. Tomatito paid hommage to her by naming his Solea por Buleria??? "La Andonda."
Is that the same Andonda who knifed her husband? (I read it somewhere, so it must be true).
quote:
(Ailsa:) Anyone got any other slang for me to learn? Preferably something I could actually use in public without causing a public order offence!
Ailsa, I'd recommend a little book I got recently: Harrap's "Pardon My Spanish!", which seems to me a very useful reference text.
Actually a great deal of the contents are the kind of language that as Sean says, are for study only, not to use - but undoubtedly the kind of stuff that normal Spanish people say all the time in informal situations. And as it's been mentioned here and many other places, there are words in Spanish that are used much more casually and are considered less offensive than their English equivalents.
(This book is also bringing me up to date on some current English slang - some of it I could only understand with the help of the Spanish explanation! )
RE: Song Names? What do they mean? (in reply to Guest)
Spanish logic?!?
A colleague said never to call a female 'puta' but to use use 'hija de puta' as it's not as offensive. When I asked why he had a good long think and frown and explained - if she's a hija de puta...then it's not her fault.