Sing Along with the Song Festival: Music for the tale of Spriditis

Take note – story published 6 years ago

In preparation for the 2018 Song and Dance Festival, a new Latvian Radio strand featuring traditional Latvian songs to fill the gaps within everyone's singing repertoire. LSM will publish the most popular songs along with their lyrics and a sense translation so guests to the country can sing along with Latvia at the time of its founding centenary. 

The first song is Imants Kalniņš' tune for the final song of the 1985 film Sprīdītis. Lyrics by Imants Ziedonis (1941) and Māra Zālīte (1952).

The film is based on the popular 1903 play The Tale of Sprīdītis by Anna Brigadere. It's about a young boy from a Latvian peasant family and his fantastic adventures in a nearby forest.

Fināla dziesma no k/f “Sprīdītis”
00:00 / 00:00
Lejuplādēt

Arrangement by Rihards Dubra (1964). Organ Jānis Pelše. Trumpet solo Edgars Šubrovskis. Percussion - Uģis Krūskops. Riga Dome School Choir conducted by Kristīne Circene; Riga Technical University Choir with Gints Ceplenieks as the conductor. 

Fināla dziesma no k/f “Sprīdītis”

Virs galvas mūžīgs Piena Ceļš
Un mūžīgs ceļš zem kājām.
Tas ved uz zemi laimīgo
Un izrādās – uz mājām,
Kur zaļa zāle, tumša nakts
Kur migla rokām maigām,
Kur laimesbērnus meklējot,
Ik dienas Laime staigā.

The Final Song from the film Sprīdītis

An everlasting Milky Way above you,
An everlasting way below your feet.
It takes you to the land of happiness,
And, turns out, it takes you home.
There the grass is green, the night is dark,
The fog has tender hands,
There, looking for the children of happiness,
Laime* roams each day.

* Laima or Laimes māte, Laime - A traditional deity. She is fate personified. Her name sounds like 'happiness' in Latvian.

Download the sheet music below.

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