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(Frequently Asked Questions)

What is Mama Lisa's World?

Mama Lisa's World is the internet's premier destination for children's songs from around the globe and for discussions of international culture. It features thousands of traditional songs from over a hundred countries and cultures and a major collection of English Mother Goose Rhymes. Mama Lisa's Blog focuses on global recipes and cuisine, holiday traditions, and lively conversations about childhood and customs around the world.

What was the guiding principle behind Mama Lisa's World?

The intent of this site is to give people a sense of the nursery rhymes and songs sung by or to children in cultures around the world. For example, "Yankee Doodle" is a little rhyme that all American children know and experience as a part of their childhood. Non-Americans can get a sense of a small part of the culture of the United States by reading or singing it.

How do you deal with the issue of translations?

We see the spirit of the rhyme as being more important than the literal meanings of the words. Obviously, no translation can do full justice to all the nuances and senses a rhyme or any other piece of art hits in its native language and culture. But we make do with what we can...

There are no rhymes from my country or culture. Why not?

Our ultimate goal is to post nursery rhymes and children's songs from every country and culture in existence! We know that's a tall order, but we can try. If your country/culture is not featured here and you'd like to contribute a children's song or rhyme, please write us

Do you accept contributions of new songs for countries or cultures already featured on the site?

Yes! We are glad to accept new material, even if we already have some songs from a country or culture. If you'd like to contribute, please write us

Are the comments presented with some of the songs and rhymes all from professionals who have studied them?

No. We're happy to accept interesting commentary from all sources. The materials presented on this site are very much part of popular, folk traditions. We do not believe any special knowledge is needed to contribute to our shared understanding of their places in all our lives and cultures.

Who is Mama Lisa?

Mama Lisa's real name is Lisa Yannucci. Lisa was inspired to start Mama Lisa's World in the late nineties when her young son first became interested in nursery rhymes. She recorded several Mother Goose songs onto a computer and programmed them to play when he clicked an image. He loved it and she became fascinated with the power of the internet to enrich the lives of children. She made the site public and has since used her background in languages and culture, and her talent as an illustrator, to oversee it's tremendous growth.

Does anyone else work on Mama Lisa's World?

The business and technical side of the site is managed by Lisa's husband, Jason Pomerantz, of Fiddle and Burn. Jason has worked in magazine, book and web publishing for nearly twenty years. He is also a writer, and his personal projects have included several websites and podcasts.

Our chief translator is Monique Palomares. Monique grew up at the crossroads of three cultures in the Occitan region of France. She is fluent in French, Spanish, English and Occitan and has a working knowledge of many other languages. Her years as a first grade teacher and her love of children and linguistics give her a unique insight into the power of music and song all over the world.

Some of the piano music seems pretty basic. Why not use more elaborate arrangements?

We purposely chose to present only the melody line for many of the songs. This was to give listeners who would like to learn them the simplest possible sources to begin with. If you would like to provide your own performance of a song, we're happy to post it.

How do I listen to the music on Mama Lisa's World?

There are two formats for the music on MLW. The first is midi, which pretty much all computers can play. Just press any button on the site that says midi format and you should be able to hear it. The main purpose of midi music is to let you hear the tune of the song.

The second format is MP3. If you see MP3 listed next to a song, that means that song has either a vocal or an instrumental recording that you can listen to.

 


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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank everyone who helped me with this site, especially the contributors without whom none of this would have been possible.
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A Note From Mama Lisa...

I always welcome new contributions of traditional kids songs, nursery rhymes and folk songs. Please CLICK HERE to email Mama Lisa if you are interested and write "New Song" as the subject of the email.

Also, if anyone would like to sing any of these songs in the original language, or play any of the tunes on an instrument, I would love to post a recording on Mama Lisa's World. You could send me an audio cassette or you could record it directly onto the computer and email it to me. Remember... you don't have to be a professional singer or musician to contribute!

 

 
 


If you enjoy this site, click below to visit...

Mama Lisa's Pages: A Guide to Mama Lisa's Sites

 

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MAMA LISA'S BLOG

Conversations about the languages and cultures of the world,
especially the traditions and songs of children.

Here are excerpts from the latest posts. Click to read more.

 

Tapent, tapent, petites mains – Clap, Clap, Little Hands – A French Pat-a-cake Song with a YouTube Video

Pat-a-cake songs can be found throughout the western world. They help teach children to use their hands… Tapent, tapent, petites mains Tourne, tourne, joli moulin, Nage, nage, gentil poisson Vole, vole papillon Clap, clap, little hands, Turn, turn, pretty mill, Swim, swim, nice fish, Fly, fly, butterfly! We'd love for you to share a Pat-a-cake song from your country in the comments below [...]

We Now Have 100 Languages on Mama Lisa's World!

This week we added two languages to Mama Lisa's World of International Songs, bringing us up to a hundred languages on the site! We added a song from West Sumatra in Indonesia where they speak Minangkabau. We also added a Frisian Lullaby in the West Frisian language. The Frisian language is the [...]

Can Anyone Help with a Czech or Slovak Kids Song?

Lewis Grimm wrote: Hi. My grandmother used to sing a children's song to me in Czech or Slovak. I believe it is about a little hunter. It went along the lines of (phonetically): Ya simali nissli vechek… Any ideas? If anyone can help Lewis, please let us know in the comments below. Thanks! Lisa Share on Facebook and other [...]

Does Anyone Know a Song with the Line, “The Ship Sailed for the White Cliffs of Dover”?

Dan wrote, I went to school in Chilton (England) when I was six (1972), in California now, and my class sang this song, but that is the only line I can recall, I even recall the melody… “And when the journey was all over / The ship sailed for the / White Cliffs of Dover.” Anybody? Was it [...]

Can Anyone Help with a Korean Kids Song?

Curtis wrote asking about a Korean kids song… Have you ever heard of a Korean song that school girls sing as they clap hands that goes like this: Pong dong pong dong dolel (stone) donjiora (throw)… Thanks, Curtis If anyone can help with this song, please email me or comment below. Thanks! Mama Lisa Share on Facebook and other services:

Frere Jacques – Brother John with an MP3 Recording in French and English

Here's a nice recording of Frère Jacques in both French and English by Ezwa. Here are the lyrics of the French and English versions of Frère Jacques. The version on the mp3 recording mixes these lyrics… Frère Jacques, Frère Jacques, Dormez-vous? Dormez-vous? Sonnez les matines. Sonnez les matines. Ding, ding, dong. Ding, ding, dong. Are you sleeping? Are you sleeping? Brother John, Brother John? Morning bells are ringing. Morning bells [...]

A Short Poem about the Life of a Child, based on a Persian Verse

This is a short, four lined poem that encompasses a child's life from birth till death. It seems sad, yet it's really a wish for a happy life full of people who care for the child… The Babe On parent knees, a naked new-born child, Weeping thou sat'st while all around thee smiled: So live, that, sinking to [...]

A German Bedbug Song called “Auf der Mauer, auf der Lauer”

RosaMaria asked me about a German song called Auf der Mauer, auf der Lauer on the Mama Lisa's World Facebook Group. I found the YouTube video below of the song. Below the video I posted the German lyrics, followed by an English translation I did… Auf der Mauer, auf der Lauer sitzt ‘ne kleine Wanze. Seht [...]

A Rain Rhyme that Involves Baking a Cake

Here's a rain rhyme from Northumberland that reminds us that rainy weather is a good opportunity to stay indoors and cook! Rain, rain, go away, And come again another day, When I brew and when I bake, I’ll give you a little cake. Stay dry! Mama Lisa PS You can tell it's raining where I am and that I'm considering baking something [...]

Dragon fly! – A Rhyme about a Dragonfly, Boys and Fish

  Dragon fly! Dragon fly! Dragon fly! dragon fly! fly about the brook, Sting all the bad boys who for the fish look; But let the good boys catch all they can, And then take them home to be fried [...]

 
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