Zúmbale al pandero
This Carol is from the Leon province in Spain. You can find info about the instruments in this song in the notes below.
Zúmbale al pandero
Beat on the Tambourine
Canción de Navidad
Christmas Carol
(Spanish)
(English)
Esta noche nace un niño
blanco rubio y colorado.
Y ha de ser el pastorcito,
para cuidar el ganado.
Estribillo
Zumba, zúmbale al pandero,
al pandero y al rabel.
Toca, toca la zambomba.
Dale, dale al almirez.
La Virgen se fue a lavar
los pañuelos a la fuente
y le dijo a San José
-Cuida el niño no despierte-.
(Estribillo)
Mas el niño ha despertado
y ha comenzado a llorar.
¡Válgame Dios y su madre!
¡Cuándo se querrá callar!
(Estribillo)
La Virgen es panadera
y San José carpintero
y el niño recoge astillas
para cocer el puchero
(Estribillo)
Tonight, a baby will be born,
White, fair and pink.
He will be the little shepherd
Who will take care of the flock.
(Chorus)
Beat, beat on the tambourine*,
On the tambourine* and the rebec*.
Play, play the friction drum*.
Beat, beat on the mortar*.
The Virgin went to wash
The swaddling cloths at the fountain,
And she said to Saint Joseph,
"Make sure the baby doesn't wake up."
(Chorus)
But the baby woke up
And he started to cry.
May God and his mother help me!
When will he want to quiet down!
(Chorus)
The Virgin is a baker
And Saint Joseph a carpenter
And the baby picks up wood chips
To cook the stew.
(Chorus)
Notes
*About the Instruments in this song:
-A "pandero" is a large and thick tambourine.
-A rebec is the ancestor of the violin.
-A friction drum is a rustic drum pierced in the middle of the skin with a rod inserted in it that you move up and down to produce a sound.
-An "almirez" was a mortar that was used to crush food but was sometimes also used as a percussion instrument.
Thanks!
Thanks!
Thanks!
Thanks and Acknowledgements
Thanks to Monique Palomares for the midi and the translation.
Image: Dancer and Tambourine, Edgar Degas, France, ca. 1897.
¡Muchas gracias!
