Singing Mennonite: Low German Songs Among the Mennonites 9780887558863, 9780887551321, 9780887558955

Table of contents :
Cover
SINGING MENNONITE
Title
Copyright
CONTENTS
Preface
1. Introduction
Historical Background
The Low German Language
Singing Mennonite
Singing Intra-Mennonite
Singing Mennonite in Contemporary Society
2. Children's Songs
Lullabies
Traditional
Immigrant
Chants and Singing Games
Traditional
Other Children's Songs
Traditional
Immigrant
3. Religious Songs
Traditional
Immigrant
Contemporary
4. Street Songs
Traditional
Immigrant
5. Village Songs
Traditional
Immigrant
6. Ballads
Traditional
Immigrant
Contemporary
7. Love and Singing-Circle Game Songs
Traditional
Immigrant
8. Plautdietscha Owent Songs
Traditional
Contemporary
9. Reunion Songs
Contemporary
10. Heischraitje Songs
Contemporary
11. Conclusion
Appendix A
Map I: Mennonite Colonies in South Russia
Map II: Mennonite Settlements in Manitoba (1874 to 1876)
Map III: East-Reserve Mennonite Settlement
Map IV: West-Reserve Mennonite Settlement
Chart I: Mennonite Groups in Manitoba: Nineteenth Century
Appendix B
Example I: Ziffern Notation of "Singt am leeflijch"
Sources
Low German Pronunciation Guide
Bibliography
Discography
Index of Low German Songs

Citation preview

SINGING MENNONITE

einging roltnnnnitt LOW GERMAN SONGS AMONG THE MENNONITES DOREEN HELEN KLASSEN

The University of Manitoba Press

Singing Mennonite: Low German Songs among the Mennonites © University of Manitoba Press 1989 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database and retrieval system in Canada, without the prior written permission of the publisher, or, in the case of photocopying or any other reprographic copying, a licence from Access Copyright, www.accesscopyright.ca, 1-800-893-5777. University of Manitoba Press Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Treaty 1 Territory uofmpress.ca Design by Norman Schmidt Musical examples created using the Toccata Music Publishing System. Map I courtesy of Bill Schroeder. Maps II, III, and IV by Norman Schmidt. Permission has been granted by Marlene Epp, on behalf of the family, for the reproduction of the chart, “Mennonite Groups in Manitoba: Nineteenth Century” (Appendix A: Chart I); it originally appeared in Frank Epp’s Mennonites in Canada, 1786–1920: The History of a Seperate People (Toronto: Macmillan of Canada [1974]). Permission has been granted by the Mennonite Mirror to reproduce a portion of Jim Braun’s poem, “In Praise of Jahnt Sied Women,” which first appeared in vol. 8, no. 9 (1979). Permission has been granted by the folk group, Heischraitje en Willa Honich, to reproduce songs 113 to 143. Permission has been granted by the Mennonite World Conference, Carol Stream, Illinois, for reproducing a portion of “We are People of God’s Peace,” by Roh/Simons (translated by D. Augsburger); it originally appeared in the International Songbook. Cataloguing data available from Library and Archives Canada isbn 978-0-88755-886-3 (paper) isbn 978-0-88755-132-1 (bound) isbn 978-0-88755-895-5 (pdf) The University of Manitoba Press acknowledges the financial support for its publication program provided by the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund, the Canada Council for the Arts, the Manitoba Department of Sport, Culture, and Heritage, the Manitoba Arts Council, and the Manitoba Book Publishing Tax Credit.

CONTENTS

Preface 1. Introduction Historical Background The Low German Language Singing Mennonite Singing Intra-Mennonite Singing Mennonite in Contemporary Society

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3

2. Children's Songs Lullabies Traditional Immigrant Chants and Singing Games Traditional Other Children's Songs Traditional Immigrant

19

3. Religious Songs Traditional Immigrant Contemporary

91

Contents continued 4. Street Songs Traditional Immigrant

115

5. Village Songs Traditional Immigrant

139

6. Ballads Traditional Immigrant Contemporary

153

7. Love and Singing-Circle Game Songs Traditional Immigrant

173

8. Plautdietscha Owent Songs Traditional Contemporary

201

9. Reunion Songs Contemporary

225

10. Heischraitje Songs

243

Contemporary 11. Conclusion

301

Appendix A Map I: Mennonite Colonies in South Russia Map II: Mennonite Settlements in Manitoba (187 4 to 1876) Map III: East-Reserve Mennonite Settlement Map IV: West-Reserve Mennonite Settlement Chart I: Mennonite Groups in Manitoba: Nineteenth Century

303 304 305 306 307

Contents continued AppendixB Example I: Ziffern Notation of"Singt am leeflijch"

308

Sources

309

Low German Pronunciation Guide

322

Bibliography

323

Discography

328

Index of Low German Songs

329

PREFACE

At a July 1976 gathering of Winnipeg Mennonite musicians at the home of Ben Horch, several friends suggested that I collect Low German songs for my master's thesis in anthropology. George Wiebe, head of the Canadian Mennonite Bible College music department, and Helen Litz, director ofWinnipeg's Mennonite Children's Choir, were among those present, and I thank them for the suggestion. Like everyone else, I greeted their suggestion with uproarious laughter. Surely no one would sing in my Low German mother-tongue because High German and English were the languages of music. However, I visited my thesis advisor, Dr. Louise Sweet, a few days later with what I thought would be a simple task. I would write a thesis explaining why Mennonites had never sung more than a handful of nursery rhymes in the dialect they had spoken for more than half of their 450-year history. I thought I would have a problem writing a ninetypage thesis since I had never written even a thirty-page paper. Five years later, I had to hide 350 pages of my 550-page thesis in an appendix as an annotated collection of Low German songs, because the study was well beyond its 120-page limit. Because I was sceptical about finding any songs, I waited until November of1976 to arrange for my first interview. The first song I heard was "Allemal kann ich nicht lustig sein." Its references to tensions within the Mennonite hierarchy made me curious. I wondered what other songs of social comment I might find. I also wondered why some Mennonites were so vehement in their insistence that no Low German songs existed, or ifthey did, they certainly were of no consequence. Why did people have such strong feelings about these songs? Had I stumbled upon a well-hidden family secret? As I interviewed over one hundred Low German-speaking Mennonites in southern Manitoba, most of them in the summer of 197 8, I realized I was collecting a secular history of an ethno-religious group. I had already encountered the idea of music history as social history in the summer of 1970 through a film on Japanese music, which I saw at the Manichi Broadcasting Studios in Tokyo. This eventually led me to studies in ethnomusicology, but I really discovered this approach studying my own musical history. As a Kanadier child whose ancestors had immigrated to Canada from the Bergthal Colony (often regarded as the the home of the poorest of peasants), a daughter colony of the Chortitza

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SINGING MENNONITE

in the Ukraine, I had often felt culturally displaced among my peer group, who were Russlander from the Molotschna Colony. But I began to understand and value this experience while collecting Low German songs. As the oldest grandchild of both maternal and paternal grandparents, I was heir to the cultural milieu of the older generations, who gave me the oral family traditions with almost a religious duty to understand them and pass them on. This shared heritage included, for example, maps of Russian and southern Manitoba Mennonite settlements which my mother's cousin Bill Schroeder, a cartographer, researched. I also inherited a love ofliterature and interest in Mennonite history from my maternal great-grandfather, maternal grandmother and mother, who considered books in the home as necessary as food on the table. This influenced me to spend my childhood summers exploring the books in Grandma Hiebert's attic, and my graduate study years rummaging through people's Low German memories for song treasures. Interviewing people in my Low German mother-tongue, I found, was the best way of awakening memories of these songs. When I introduced myself as a person trying to re-learn the language I had spoken as a child, people were forgiving of my unusual grammatical structures and strange-sounding words. They were interested in music and in their own history. Often, they were pleased that their folk-knowledge would be written in a book housed in a university, so they willingly shared songs or proverbs and answered questions about their immigration history. Many of these interviews occurred around the kitchen table- possibly because I brought a tape-recorder with me, but also because Low German is the domestic language. A High German-speaking visitor might have been invited into the living room, but I received all the graciousness usually reserved for the most formal visitor. Mennonites who are aware of my interest in Low German songs still approach me, volunteeringinformation on all genres of Low German folklore. Many of these people have heard either the Jereeschte Tweeback, with whom I have sung twenty-two concerts, or one of my twenty-two presentations at Mennonite community and fund-raising events. Not only Mennonites, but also scholars at academic conferences, have expressed interest in the idiosyncracies of Low German song. Through the concerts and lectures, and also through this book, I can return to the Mennonites the songs they have so graciously given me. I have transcribed the songs, sometimes sung in unusual keys with irregular rhythms, as the singers sang them for me. And I have provided literal, rather than poetic, translations of the songs to make them accessible to the nonLow German reader. The suggestion to publish the songs in book form came from Kenneth Hughes, a member of my thesis committee. Victor Doerksen, a fellow member of the Manitoba Mennonite Historical Society board, recommended contacting University of Manitoba Press. I appreciate the confidence they expressed in my research. I came to the re-writing process with many memories of the book in its thesis stage: Grandpa Brown- who always managed to find yet another song for me; Uncle Ben Horchwho had so much faith in me, I was too embarrassed to tell him when I felt like giving up and becoming a waitress; Dr. Sweet (who claimed even her dogs and cats learned how to sing Low German)- whose probing forced me to think; my family, who just kept on loving me and praying for me; the typewriter which was rusted by the tears that pursued ill-crafted sentences; and the unusual spiders- a peace offering from the aggravated husband of my thesis typist who sacrificed many an hour of sleep. Re-writing the thesis meant revising the Low German spelling according to standards set at a 1982 Low German Orthography symposium in Winnipeg. Although I consulted publica-

SINGING MENNONITE

CHAPTER ONE

rilnt~ubuctiun IN THE PAST, many Mennonites assumed that because Low German, their everyday language, was not a written language, one could not sing in it. They thought people sang in written languages like High German, Russian and English, but not in Low German. They also thought Mennonites did not have a secular music tradition, so scholars generally studied their religious musical traditions. These ideas were still prevalent when I began this collection of songs in 1976 as part of a master's thesis in ethnomusicology. People often claimed they knew no Low German songs. However, I interviewed over one hundred Mennonites who still knew Low German, enjoyed music and had an interest in their heritage. Because I was able to interview them in my Low German mother-tongue, and to sing songs to refresh their memories, often they could recall Low German songs they had not sung in years. Grandparents in centres of high Mennonite population, like Altona, Winkler, Steinbach and Winnipeg, sang memory-laden versions of the songs with which they had encouraged and comforted their children, and now their grandchildren. These songs spoke of everyday life in down-to-earth language and contrasted with the idealism and poetic language of Mennonite religious music. A collection of approximately two hundred songs, of which a substantial proportion is included in this book, is very modest by comparison with some three to four thousand French-Canadian folk songs. But even a small collection of secular songs provides insights into the everyday lives of a people who are better known for their distinctive religious views. Why have southern Manitoba Mennonites, a people noted for their fine choral singing, claimed they do not recall singing in a language which has existed for more

4

SINGING MENNONITE

than half of their 450-year history, and which many of them have spoken all their lives? And why, in the 1970s, has there been at least a partial reversal of this cultural amnesia and, among some sectors of Mennonites, even a renaissance of Low German song? Why have some Mennonites denied they sing in Low German, while others have chosen to express their ethnicity publicly by means of both traditional and newly generated Low German songs? A look at Mennonite history can shed light on this apparent contradiction.

Historical Background The migration of thousands of Mennonites to Manitoba in the late nineteenth century was by no means their first relocation. These 'step-children of the Reformation' already had scattered across northern Europe and into Russia because of religious persecution, economic pressures and impending restriction of their religious beliefs. Mennonites have been viewed by outsiders as a homogeneous ethno-religious group, but their search patterns for finding new settlement areas reveal internal fragmentation between the progressives and conservatives. It was always the 'conservatives', as the Mennonites called them, or the 'faithful and uncompromising', as the German historian Schmiedehaus says, who led the way. The conservatives first moved to the steppes of the Ukraine, founding the Chortitza Colony (see Appendix A: Map I) when Frederick William II's 1789 edict, which curtailed their military exemption privileges, threatened the Mennonite conscience with respect to the separation of church and state in Prussia. It was also the conservatives who moved to Manitoba when the Russian government introduced a Russification program with nationalistic and militaristic overtones in the 1870s. Once again, it was the conservatives who took the initiative in moving to Mexico and Paraguay when the probability of assimilation into mainstream Canadian society, an implication of the 1916 Manitoba Schools Act, threatened what they considered their God-given responsibility to educate their own children. These responses were in keeping with the convictions of their sixteenth-century Anabaptist forefathers, who had distinguished themselves from other Protestant reformers by their emphasis on 'following Christ' as a way oflife, loving one's neighbour rather than using force to settle disputes, and using believer's baptism rather than infant baptism, resulting in a believer's church instead of a state church. While the 'progressives' subscribed in principle to the same ideology, they interpreted more liberally the belief in the separation of church and state. How-

Introduction

5

ever, generally they followed their more conservative brothers and sisters when the existing political situation became even less tolerable, or when the government allowed them to move. Having more formal education, more sophisticated agricultural skills and often more wealth than the conservatives, the progressives often reaped the benefits of their conservative predecessors' pioneering efforts. When they moved to the Ukraine after 1803, they founded the Molotschna Colony (see Appendix A: Map I) on land better suited to agriculture. When they emigrated to Manitoba in the 1920s, some settled in villages vacated by Mennonites moving south for religious reasons. Others settled in urban areas where, as in the Ukraine, they became leaders in the founding of Mennonite educational and social service institutions. Although known collectively as Mennonites, they developed terminology to reflect various types of internal fragmentation. Mennonites who migrated to Manitoba from the Ukraine in the 1870s were and are still known as Kanadier ('Canadians'). Those who migrated in the 1920s and post-World War II eras are called Russlander ('Russians') and Neueingewanderte ('newly immigrated'), respectively. The Kanadier who emigrated to Mexico and Paraguay in the 1920s and after 1948 have been labelled Auswanderer ('emigres') (see Appendix A: Map II). Post-1970 immigrants from the Soviet Union, many of whom have settled in Germany as well as throughout Canada, are known as U msiedler ('resettled ones'), but are not included in the present study. Manitoba Mennonites also refer to themselves and each other as originating on dit Sied ('this side') or jant Sied ('that side') of the Red River, considered the dividing line between two of the predominant areas ofManitoba Mennonite settlement. These areas, commonly known as East Reserve and West Reserve, are the lands on which the Manitoba government permitted the Mennonites to settle in the 1870s (see Appendix A: Maps III and IV). This geographical and cultural division was observed even in the commemoration of the centennial of Mennonite settlement in Manitoba. The East-Reserve Mennonites celebrated in 1974 and those in the West Reserve in 1975. In addition to these designations, Mennonites often refer to each other in terms of the many denominational groups which for one reason or another have left either the Old Colony Church, as the church founded by members of the Chortitza Colony was called, or the Grossekirche ('big church'), the official church of the Molotschna Colony. A number of new denominations resulted from religious revivals, both in the Ukraine as well as in Manitoba (see Appendix A: Chart I). In the past few decades, Mennonites, like many of Manitoba's other ethnic minority groups, have become increasingly more urbanized. For some Mennonites,

6

SINGING MENNONITE

this and other influences have provided the opportunity for voluntary assimilation into the larger society. For others, it has meant redefining Mennonite identity as internal change and external forces have reshaped them as a people who, although their history appears to be somewhat fragmented, have nevertheless developed an identity of their own.

The Low German Language Mennonites often consider the use ofLow German to be one of their ethnic distinctives. They are the only ethnic group in Manitoba to lay claim to Low German. Although they do share its use with descendants of other West Prussian peoples now living in northern Germany, this fact does not challenge their assumption that Low German is their own language. Historians and linguists tell us Mennonites learned Plautdietsch (lit. 'flat German'), a dialect of Nether Saxon Low German, during their sojourn in West Prussia, when Low German was already being replaced by High German in the literary sphere. The term 'Low German' represents this dialect in this study. The terms 'high' and 'low', with reference to the German language, have geographic connotations. High German is generally associated with the Alps, and southern and upper Germany. Low German and its related dialects are found in the lower areas of the north adjacent to the North and Baltic Seas. However, Mennonites often have assumed that the designations of'high' and 'low' refer to the status and literary history of the two languages. The pace oflanguage-change varied among early eighteenth-century Mennonites. The rural people adopted their Low German dialect considerably earlier than urban Mennonites, who maintained the Dutch language through business and academic contacts with Holland. By the time they moved to Russia in 1789, the rural people, who settled in the Chortitza Colony, spoke primarily Low German. Among the Mennonites who moved to the Molotschna Colony in the early nineteenth century, there was a definite preference for High German, the language of business, literature, education and, later, also the church. The Low German they spoke, usually to the children and servants, was substantially influenced by High German. Linguistic differences between the Chortitza and Molotschna Low German are still discernible in the speech of the Manitoba descendants of these colonies, although some standardization has occurred in the past several decades as a result of increased mobility and intermarriage among Mennonites of various immigration periods and denominational backgrounds. The careful reader will identify my Chortitza-influenced Kanadier Low German, although I have tried to represent speakers of both linguistic traditions.

Introduction

7

Some standardization in writing Low German, the language ofMennonite oral tradition, has occurred as a result of a seminar on Low German orthography held in Winnipeg in April1982. The orthographic system accepted by participants at this seminar has been adopted by writers in periodicals -such as the Mennonite Mirror, books -like A Sackful ofPlautdietsch and Volume Two ofthe Low German writings of Arnold Dyck, and reference works- such as an already revised Mennonite Low German dictionary, Kjenn jie noch Plautdietsch?, published in 1984. My linguistics training and Kanadier background have, however, influenced me to use an orthography more consistent with Daut Niehe Tastament, a Low German translation of the New Testament published in 1987. But even this standardization has done little to counter the long-standing myth of the cultural inferiority ofLow German to High German. High German, a written language, has been used more extensively by the formally educated, and even today, Low German is regarded as the unwritten language ofthe uneducated, the recent immigrant, small children, hired help and the nursery rhyme or bawdy song. This stereotype need not surprise us. Sociolinguists tell us that in a diglossic situation (in which two varieties of a language are spoken by the same speech community), speakers of the two languages think that "the high or prestige form of the language is somehow more beautiful, more logical, better able to express important thoughts, and the like" than the low or colloquial form of the language (Ferguson 1959, 330). Consequently, it is assumed that 'real' poetry is always expressed in the high form of the language. In fact, people may even deny any knowledge of the existence of poetry in the low language. These findings have implications for any study of Low German poetry or song. I interviewed some Mennonites, particularly those with a strong High German bias, who denied the existence, or were at least reluctant to admit any knowledge, of Low German song. Even among Mennonites who still speak Low German, the very idea of Low German song often seemed alien. The reluctance to admit the existence of song, and even the general decline in Low German usage among Mennonites in the past several decades, cannot be attributed solely to the diglossic situation. Other factors, such as the language used and attitudes expressed in public school education, the philosophy and practice of Mennonite radio stations, newspapers and periodicals, the voluntary Mennonite acceptance of the attitudes and language of the dominant society, and Canadian social policy, have all contributed to the gradual loss of the language. Despite the dwindling use of Low German in the early twentieth century, there has been a post-1970 renaissance. The Canadian historical consciousness

8

SINGING MENNONITE

spawned during centennial celebrations, and the federal hi- and multicultural policies bred in a post-World War II society of relative political stability, have helped to create an atmosphere in which it is not only acceptable, but even desirable, to express one's ethnicity. And Mennonites often choose to express their ethnicity with the Low German language which is viewed as being "at the heart ofPrussian-Russian Mennonite experience and culture in a way that High German never was and English will never be" (Reimer 1979b, 22), "capable of expressing the Mennonite 'soul' experience" (Toews 1979b, 157), and the only borrowed language to earn the honorific title, "speaking Mennonite" (Pokrant 1978, 4). And if speaking Low German is "speaking Mennonite," is singing Low German not 'singing Mennonite'?

Singing Mennonite Sociolinguists tell us that an in-group language can be a strong symbol of ethnicity, and that when "languages function as boundary maintenance devices, language conflicts also become the focus of class, status and power conflicts" (Jackson 1977, 63). The Low German language has often been a boundary line, not only between Mennonites and non-Mennonites, but even among Mennonites. It may seem obvious that the singing of Low German songs in Russian and southern Manitoba Mennonite village contexts expresses ethnicity because it includes those who speak the language and excludes those who do not. However, Low German songs convey Mennonite identity in less explicit but equally significant ways, such as through references to ethnic outsiders or through selective borrowing of musical materials from these outsiders. The comments about ethnic outsiders may come in the form of general warnings, such as the references to strangers in several lullabies brought from Russia and in contemporary songs like those sung at the Horndean village reunion in 1978. Voluntary social distance from other ethnic groups is also evident in the 'we/ they' comments in contemporary songs written by Heischraitje en Willa Honich (Locusts and Wild Honey) in the early 1970s. Extolling the virtues of the ethnic insider who lives in a village where everyone knows each other can imply by contrast that the ethnic outsider is morally inferior. In other songs, there are indirect references to the ethnic outsider, for example, the beggar who will surely steal Mennonite children who do not go to sleep without fussing (see "Schlop, Kjintje, schlop"). Although the ethnic identity of the beggar is not spelled out, the Mennonite child growing up in the Ukraine would have assumed the beggar to be a Ukrainian peasant or a gypsy, while the Mennonite child in southern Manitoba would have associated the term 'beggar' with the Metis who occasionally came begging at Mennonite homes.

Introduction

9

The lyrics of Low German songs also 'sing Mennonite' through explicit references to ethnic outsiders. These references are found primarily in Gausseleeda or 'street songs' of social comment and criticism, and are often alluded to in the Schlilsselbund songs which accompanied singing-circle games played by the youth of the community. In these lyrics, the ethnic outsider is seen in stereotypic terms, usually with negative connotations. Even Mennonite dogs have always known how to treat strangers. Spitz, a 'Mennonite dog' who lived in Russia several decades ago, knew that: A friend of the house may pass without further ado .... In the case of one of the more remote neighbors or a Jew, the poodle will growl, escort the visitor to the door, and maintain an attitude of reserve. However, should a Russian, or a gypsy, or a beggar of any nationality come through the street or yard gate .... He yelps for all he is worth, attacks the stranger's legs, grabs for his stick- he may not bite anywhere else- and creates such an uproar that it's heard in the house and all over the yard. . . . One quiets Spitz with a "Go lie down," but he knows that it isn't meant. (Dyck 1974, 50-52) The lyrics express Mennonite values in yet another way. There is a correspondence between Mennonite Low German songs and children's songs of other northEuropean Germanic people of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. And yet, we also observe the absence of certain materials commonly found in the Prussian Low German poetry of that period: "Maria" songs associated with the Catholic tradition, and epics celebrating the exploits of noblemen and war heroes (cf. Alpers 1924; Kern 1922). The absence of these elements from the Mennonite Low German repertoire indicates ethnic differentiation between the Mennonites and the surrounding societies who possessed these songs in a,bundance. This differentiation from the larger society also exists in the contemporary songs of Heischraitje en Willa Honich, a singing group whose name has become synonymous with the 1970s Low German renaissance in southern Manitoba. The Heischraitje sing about a society based on strict traditional and moral codes. Their critical view of this society stands in sharp contrast to contemporary popular song, in which gratification of the individual, often at the expense of traditional and communal values, is flaunted as a desirable way oflife. Melodies borrowed for Low German songs also 'sing Mennonite'. In his discussion of assimilated fine arts in the fourth world, anthropologist Nelson Graburn notes the "attempts of acculturated peoples to copy or use traditional arts of the dominant civilized peoples by whom they are being influenced" (Graburn 1969,

10

SINGING MENNONITE

465 ). A similar principle is at work in the choice of melodies- usually borrowed-for Low German songs. Mennonites have consistently borrowed melodies from cultures they respected and ignored the melodies of people they considered culturally inferior. For example, abundant melodies of High German origin are used for children's songs coming from Russia, and numerous Anglo-American folksong melodies are used for contemporary Low German songs. We also note the dearth of melodies of Ukrainian, French or Metis origin. These choices reveal how Mennonites rank themselves in relation to other ethnic groups. An apparent paradox emerges when we compare the way in which Low German songs express Mennonite identity lyrically, with the manner in which they convey ethnicity melodically. Texts speak ofgroups whom the Mennonites consider culturally inferior, while melodies are borrowed from societies considered culturally, and especially politically, more powerful. Ironically, this paradox represents two different ways of expressing the same idea: by criticizing or ridiculing societies beneath them, and emulating societies politically above them, Mennonites think they can attain status in the larger socio-political milieu. And, interestingly, this pursuit of political status is by a people who have historically separated state and church. The contexts in which Low German songs are sung also reveal some distinctively Mennonite aspects. While lullabies and children's songs were sung in contexts relatively similar to those of their non-Mennonite neighbours, songs of the community's youth were often sung in contexts which diverged widely from their neighbours'. Although singing-circle games similar to folk dances were used in some Mennonite communities, the occasions often differed from the livelier dance contexts of surrounding ethnic groups. Similarly, the contemporary Plautdietscha Owent, or 'Low German evening', format mirrors the traditional Sunday evening variety program presented in many Mennonite churches, which not only shows continuity of the Mennonite tradition, but also contrasts with the dance-hall atmosphere in which folksongs of the surrounding societies often were and are performed. Like the references to ethnic outsiders, the absence of certain common European folksong themes and the selective borrowing of melodies, the choice of contexts demonstrates that Low German songs have been a vehicle for inter-ethnic differentiation. However, they also convey Mennonite values by expressing ideals and tensions among Mennonites themselves. Mennonite ideals are expressed in various ways. We hear inferences, especially in those songs which recreate an idyllic past, about the type of behaviour expected of children and adults. We also can assume what the ideals of Mennonite

Introduction

11

society are from seeing which actions and attitudes are ridiculed as socially unacceptable ("Aus dee Scheepa," "Aus ekj jinkj met de Hoak opp'e Dal," "Et wear 'mol en Frieja," and "Marne en Pape fuaren"), which social norms are criticized by individuals who fail or choose not to abide by them ("Mien Foda sad een scheen Morjen"), and what types of socially unacceptable behaviour are flaunted through celebration in song ("Komma keijeijippiejippieja"). Most songs expressing these ideals in a positive manner centre around the family. The ideal in marriage is that a couple work together, rather than trying to dominate each other (e.g., "Een maunchjet Poa"). For the woman, the ideal role in traditional Mennonite society is being a wife, mother and accomplished cook ("Miene Marne ess mie goot''). For the man, the ideal is being a husband, father and good farmer ("Ballad of Peter Harms," "Hawiezhu Poppa," and "Unjrim Dakj"). Both parents contribute to raising the children, primarily in disciplining them, rewarding obedience and punishing disobedience. But their roles differ. Mother scolds and father administers corporal punishment ("Tiep Heenatjes"). Obedient children are seen as contributing to familial harmony - the ultimate goal of Mennonite family life. The re-creation of an idyllic past in the songs written for village reunions provides an insight into traditional communal goals. Knowing and socializing with one's neighbour are the epitome of social intimacy and communal harmony ("Mien Darp - Bloomenfelt"). Communal harmony is ensured through adherence to common moral traits such as honesty and a willingness to accept responsibility ("Dee N oba ess mie dolljeworden"). According to "The Ballad ofPeter Harms," sung at the Reinland reunion in 1975, the ideal person in the community is one who, even as a child, participates in all communal activities and, as an adult, marries and continues his or her contribution to the community through participation in a respectable profession. More common than the explicit expression of social ideals is the criticism of socially unacceptable behaviour. The Low German language reserves no moralistic vocabulary parallel to the High German religious terminology, derived from pietism and Luther's translation of the Bible, for discussing 'good behaviour' or for criticizing unacceptable behaviour. Instead, it uses different tones of voice scolding, ridicule or satire- and humour to maintain and regain communal harmony in Mennonite society. From these criticisms, we can extrapolate Mennonite ideals. No one is beyond the bounds of social criticism. In traditional songs coming from Russia, we hear criticism of village peasants who fail to uphold social mores("Aus dee Scheepa"), to exhibit desirable occupational skills, or to find a suitable mate ("En Lamtje haud

12

SINGING MENNONITE

en Kobbeltje"). The rich, too, are criticized- for their greed and dishonesty ("Aus ekj jinkj met de Hoak opp' e DtH"). In early twentieth-century Canadian Mennonite songs, parents are ridiculed for their ignorance of social decorum ("Marne en Pape fuaren"), servants for their crude table manners ("Ballad of the Kjnachts"), and neighbours and neighbouring villagers for their crude behaviour and inability to cope with a technological society ("Onns Noba Klosse haud ne Koa"). Obviously, this behaviour is the antithesis of the ideal. However, individuals who failed to live up to their communities' expectations also had recourse to Low German song, and frequently used humour to gain the sympathy of the community as they rationalized their behaviour. Low German song, for example, was used as a vehicle to justify anger with an irresponsible neighbour ("Dee Noba ess mie dolljeworden"), drinking- for medicinal purposes, of course ("Mien Foda sad een scheen Mo:rjen"), and resistance to the work ethic (ibid.). These songs express the expectations ofthe community. The 'celebration of disobedience' or 'rituals of rebellion', as anthropologist Victor Turner calls them, in other Low German songs provide insight into social taboos and, by implication, the ideals of the Mennonite people. The delight with which the poet recalls the events of promiscuous behaviour ("Sikj, Sakj, Hakj en Tee") and aimless or even reckless driving ("Komma keijeijippie jippie ja"), tells us that not only the behaviour, but even its public discussion were frowned upon by the community. The 'celebration of disobedience', like the criticism and elevation of panMennonite ideals, thus contributes to an understanding of Mennonite identity. This identity has as its ideal the creation and maintenance of communal unity and harmony, based on a traditional moral code. Singing Intra-Mennonite Lest the foregoing discussion of ideals expressed in Low German songs leaves the impression of a state of universal bliss among Mennonites, we need to balance the picture by looking at the ways in which Low German songs have served as a symbol ofintra-Mennonite differentiation. The songs demonstrate differences among Mennonites in at least five significant areas: their pattern and era of immigration, their parochial biases, intervillage differences, the East/West Reserve dichotomy, and tensions in the social hierarchy. Intra-Mennonite differences in the eras and patterns of immigration to Canada are revealed in several ways. The most obvious is differential knowledge of Low German songs. Although a number of songs are familiar to Mennonites of all

Introduction

13

immigration periods, some are known only by Kanadier, Auswanderer or RussHinder. For example, the tune a singer chose for "Susa Petruzha" allowed me to predict an individual's immigration era and what other Low German songs he or she might know. Those who knew substantially different songs from those known by other Mennonites had invariably taken a different immigration route to Canada. Further research would be needed to determine whether any songs are sung exclusively by the Neueingewanderte. Participation in contemporary Low German musical events differs on the basis of immigration background. The more recent immigrants are rarely involved in historic-commemorative events such as reunions, primarily because of their more recent history. However, at the Low German evenings of entertainment, which would be equally accessible to Low German-speaking Mennonites of all immigration periods, Kanadier are the distinctive leaders, and often the sole participants, of these events. This may be attributed to their place in the Mennonite social hierarchy. Although the Auswanderer are the vanguard of the Low German language, it is, in fact, the Kanadier- from whom the Auswanderer emergedwhose social mobility and values allow them to express their Low German heritage publicly. Differences in immigration period also become evident when we look at sources for the melodies of Low German songs. The RussHinder, by and large, used more tunes of a High German folksong background, and are noted particularly for using more traditionally religious tunes for children's songs, possibly in reaction to the curtailment of religious freedom in early twentieth-century Russia. Secondly, intra-Mennonite differences are expressed in terms of parochial biases, showing that "Mennonites know themselves more in terms of their particular denominational identities than in terms of a general Mennonite image" (Epp 1978, 290). Although denominational background is referred to explicitly in only one recently composed Heischraitje song("Aus ekj Jungtje wea"), singers of Low German songs find more subtle ways of indicating this difference. One of these is the expression of ideals which characterize certain parochial groups: only among Auswanderer would pride be mentioned as the unpardonable social 'sin' (see "Ekj jinkj e'mol em Woolt''). Also, SchlUsselbund songs are found mostly among Kirchliche, or General Conference Mennonites, while square-dance tunes are found among Mennonites of Old Colony or Sommerfelder Church background, indicating different forms of acceptable socializing among the young people of these groups. Other musical elements exemplify these differences as well. Slow chorale tunes are used for songs of social comment or criticism only among Mennonites

14

SINGING MENNONITE

who no longer use them in their church services. By contrast, the children in traditional or 'conservative' churches are the only Mennonite children who now sing any Low German religious or secular songs. This indicates both differential language and socio-cultural change in general between these and other Mennonites. Village rivalries, too, appear in traditional songs through village nicknames ("Aus ekj jinkj met de Hoak opp'e Dal"), symbolizing the spirit of competition among traditional villages. However, village distinctives can also be seen in the fact that certain songs, or certain versions of songs, were familiar only to immigrants coming from a particular village or region of Russia. And in Manitoba, villagers and former villagers embrace 'our reunion songs' with an almost possessive, uncritically nostalgic, attitude. Furthermore, Low German songs show East/West Reserve differences among Manitoba Mennonites. These are evident in dialectical differences, but also in the differing memberships of contemporary Low German singing groups. The popularity of these groups points to a desire to celebrate significant events in Mennonite history, and to a changing attitude toward the language. The use of Low German in public performance signals not only its renaissance, but also that it is becoming a museum piece among certain sectors of Mennonites. In their initial stages, the groups on the two reserves differed substantially from each other in their fluency in Low German. West-Reserve groups in the early 1970s were often composed ofRusslander collegiate students who no longer spoke the language and used this form of entertainment to criticize phenomena such as immigrant English and peasant ways. However, a more recently formed WestReserve singing group, the Aultneiw Kuta (Altona Estates), is still fluent in the language. They sing primarily High German folksongs along with a few Low German songs, composed by Jihaun Klosse (John Klassen), for their performances at the annual Sunflower Festival held in Altona every August. Dietscha Spos (German Fun), a singing group which resides in Winnipeg but considers the West-Reserve village ofReinland its home, is Manitoba's most recent addition to Low German singing groups. Although the members had sung together previously as the Ens Family Singers, they made their debut as a Low German singing group in the spring of 1986. That Low German is their mother-tongue is evident in the ease with which they master idiomatic expression in the language. The group Jereeschte Tweeback, by comparison, consists of Kanadier and Russlander of various Mennonite denominational backgrounds, whose families settled primarily in the West Reserve. For the seven musicians, most of whom no longer speak Low German, the opportunity to sing Low German songs is a time to

Introduction

15

relax from the pressures of other professional performances. Formed in 1981 as one of the entertainment features at the Mennonite Pavilion at Folklorama, Winnipeg's annual multicultural celebration, the group includes three husband-andwife teams and myself, commonly known as de Plautdietsche Klosche ('the Low German Ms. Klassen'). This group has helped to popularize many of the traditional songs found in this collection. East-Reserve performers, on the other hand, are still fluent in their Low German mother-tongue. The Pluma Moos Singers, a group of sisters and cousins, are noted for their parodies of folksongs like "Home on the Range" and "My Grandfather's Clock." The Heischraitje, a group ofKleinegemeinde Kanadier, are the most prolific writers among Low German singing groups. Frequent fund-raising concerts for community events and two long-play recordings have made their name representative of Low German song for many Mennonites. The Heischraitje use Low German songs to express social criticism, but also have begun to explore a range of feelings not traditionally thought to be expressable in that language: homesickness, the pain ofbroken relationships and the sense of loss experienced by the continually uprooted peasant immigrant. The contrasting attitudes and involvement among these groups once again reflect their differing positions in the Mennonite social hierarchy. Differential rank or status among Mennonites also is reflected by linguistic choices. The Molotschna dialect is heard in the songs of East-Reserve Mennonites and the Chortitza dialect among West-Reserve Kanadier. And, those Mennonites who consciously 'sing Mennonite' are separated from the elitists who refuse to have anything to do with a 'peasant' language. (The occupational background represented in the songs is always that of the peasant farmer, and never that of the successful estate owner, the professional or the businessman.) This critical attitude was evident particularly among Russlander, especially those of Molotschna Colony background, whom I interviewed. The status of Low German is evident in the linguistic register of most of these songs. Usually, they are written in street language, not in the more polished language of the Mennonite minister or village mayor. These songs do represent a level of social control, but not that exercised through official channels such as by religious or political leaders. Rather, they represent the influences the ordinary peasant or teen-aged idealist could exert in his or her community through social criticism or village gossip. Among contemporary groups, it is primarily Heischraitje en Willa Honich who serve as social critics, while other groups sing to entertain. But this role sets up a further tension. Calling themselves Heischraitje, or 'grasshoppers', insects which

16

SINGING MENNONITE

undermine the stability of an agrarian community, they have produced a recording called Sprie, meaning 'chaff', within a small, relatively closed, Mennonite community which has traditionally had the church as its social centre. According to the title song, those who work day and night solely for material gain have ideals which are merely chaff. By focussing on the work ethic, which is often associated with religious ideals, the Heischraitje, using Low German, the secular language, have set themselves up as secular critics of a relatively closed religious community. The Heischraitje themselves have a substantially different interpretation of their name. According to one account, they started their career by singing religious songs, choosing their name, Locusts and Wild Honey, from the Biblical story of John the Baptist, and translating it when they turned to Low German song. (Locusts and wild honey nourished John the Baptist in the desert.) However, they do see their singing and participation in Low German operettas with the Landmark Alumni Drama Group as an opportunity to critique a relatively closed community, although they generally state they sing simply for the joy of singing. Their function as social critics ofMennonite society, particularly ofKanadier Mennonite society, certainly contrasts with that of the predominantly RussUinder urban theatre group, Winnipeg Mennonite Theatre, which appears to be more oriented to the goals of artistic performance articulated by the larger non-Mennonite society. As one critic says, it is "an irony that this Low German theatre renaissance should be spontaneously generated in the once dour and disapproving environs of a Kleine Gemeinde community" (Reimer 1979a, 10). The difference between these two theatre groups is only one example of the "lack ofinternal consensus" (Epp 1978, 289) which seems to characterize Mennonites. As well, we have seen how the Low German songs have revealed other evidence of this factionalism through the expression of immigration, parochial, inter-village and East/West Reserve differences.

Singing Mennonite in Contemporary Society Contemporary Low German songs 'sing Mennonite' in a somewhat different way than do earlier songs, such as in a more self-conscious discussion of ethnic identity. While this may reveal the personal biases of the individuals writing these songs, it also reflects the changing socio-political climate in which these songs are sung. These contemporary songs are being written in a context of growing awareness of cultural pluralism and greater historical consciousness among Mennonites. Folklorists like Robert Klymasz, who have studied the expression of ethnicity in contemporary society, attribute the resurgence of ethnic expression to several factors: the freedom of third-generation immigrants from the delimiting aspects of

Introduction

17

ethnicity experienced by first- and second-generation immigrants; the need of individuals to react to the homogenizing influence of the mass media; and the presence of a dominant society which condones certain expressions of ethnicity and which, in fact, defines them as contributions to Canadian culture (Klymasz 1970b, 111-120). These contributions include not only the traditional folklore brought from the old country, and immigrant folklore composed by the early pioneers, but also contemporary folklore. Others, like artistic director John Hirsch, would also attribute this change to a new anti-colonial attitude in which Canadians are expressing an identity of their own (Kucherawy 1981, 24). Cultural pluralism is paramount among the factors Klymasz mentions, however. The individual belonging to an ethnic minority is allowed to "indulge in a fantasy of ethnic separateness and individuality without transgressing the limits and patterns prescribed and sanctioned by the surrounding dominant Englishspeaking culture" (Klymasz 1970b, 123). Another folklorist terms this phenomenon "romantic pluralism" because of the illusion of freedom it creates (Danielson 1972, 411). Mennonite writers, too, have seen this "fantasy of ethnic separateness" as a problem for a people whose "essence is not integration but separation" (Epp 1978, 291) from surrounding societies. The Heischraitje, in "Blinjull Lament," and Mennonite educator Victor Peters (1977, 14) point to politicians who, because of the Manitoba Schools Act, could use English as an effective agent of assimilation. Similarly, Mennonite historian Frank Epp (1978), in surveying the contemporary Canadian political scene, expresses his mistrust ofthe policy of multiculturalism because its support for the public expression of ethnic minority identity may be a subtle way of actually undermining that identity, leading unsuspecting Mennonites to applaud the fact that their "society, neither angrily fractured nor blandly homogeneous, may be one of the few societies in the world that can celebrate its cultural variety'' (Penner 1981a, 11). We could speak critically of those who have forgotten traditional Low German songs, or helped to commercialize the new tradition. But there are other aspects of the Low German renaissance we ought to remember. As the Heischraitje tell us in "Blinjull Lament," many Mennonites have voluntarily assimilated to the dominant society, sacrificing such values as their language. The fact that other Mennonites still sing in this language may be indicative of the extent to which they have resisted assimilation, favouring instead a policy of accommodation. And, the renaissance of Low German song, while part of a larger social process, may itself be a tool for the creation of a new ethnic consciousness and unity among Mennonites. According to Epp, "A wide variety of public events and celebrations,

18

SINGING MENNONITE

including the traditional song fests, the more recent dramatic presentations and art exhibitions, and all kinds of mass gatherings which have cut across many of the dividing lines, have contributed substantially to a new sense of Mennonite peoplehood" (Epp 1978, 219). Low German songs have been sung at these events, and have often attracted Manitoba Mennonites to mass gatherings such as the annual Mennonite Festival of Art and Music, or the Mennonite Pavilion at Folklorama. The resurgence of Low German song is also growing at the familial level. Some young mothers do sing Low German lullabies to their babies, and this is certainly in keeping with tradition. However, families also sing Low German songs at family gatherings -a phenomenon which is almost solely contemporary. The other distinctive feature of contemporary Low German songs is that, contrary to the generalizations of folklorists like Klymasz, who tell us the 'new world', or ethnic, folklore tends to be simpler than that of immigrant folklore (K.lymasz 1973, 136-137), contemporary Low German songs are more elaborate in terms of harmonization, instrumentation and vocal style than their old-world counterparts. This is understandable if we remember that these songs in the low language are now entering the arena of performance, a domain once reserved exclusively for the high language, and demanding a level of sophistication. Sanctions against using musical instruments have been removed in more conservative denominations, freeing groups like the Heischraitje to use instruments, although their jugband is substantially different from the pianos and organs used in their churches. The Low German renaissance may already have begun to decline, since many third- and fourth-generation immigrants say their children will not be taught Low German. The next generation may well learn to express their identity in a new language. But 'singing Mennonite' via Low German songs in the 1980s can never be considered as merely an idle act of entertainment. It is very much a political act in which individuals express their identity in the context of other ethnic groups and in the context of other Mennonites within the Mennonite social hierarchy.

CHAPTER TWO

MEN N 0 NIT E S brought most of their Low German children's songs to Canada from the southern Ukraine. Because many of these songs also appear in Prussian folksong collections dating back to the early nineteenth century, these songs may have been part of the Mennonite song tradition for several hundred years. Some songs appear in several versions, revealing the contrasting immigration histories of their singers. These older, more widely known songs are found at the beginning of each section of the book. More recently composed or translated songs, and those familiar to only a few individuals, are found at the end of each section. A few Low German children's songs are discussed in the chapter on religious songs, and some, which refer to marriage, are included with love and singing-circle game songs. Low German children's songs are typical of Germanic folklore. There are lullabies, chants and songs for older children. Through these songs, the Mennonite child was made aware of the ideals of his society, usually ofMennonite peasant society. LULLABIES Low German lullabies, or Wajenleeda, are in many ways similar to lullabies in other languages. By suggesting it is evening, promising a reward or threatening punishment, the singer tries to persuade the little child to sleep. As in other lullabies of Germanic origin, promises offood as a reward for good behaviour, as well as references to occupations like herding and shoemaking, place these songs within an agrarian peasant economy.

20

SINGING MENNONITE

In addition to common themes, Wiijenleeda also share many melodies and texts with High German lullabies. But here the similarity ends. Even when Mennonite parents knew both a High and a Low German version of a particular lullaby, they preferred the Low German rendering 'because it was just for the children'. This was the case even in those Russlander homes where the family spoke predominantly High German. Although collections oflullabies in both languages date back to the early nineteenth century, and Mennonites spoke Low German in Prussia before they learned High German, people always claimed that Low German lullabies were translations of their High German counterparts. This is not surprising if we remember that the 'real poetry' in two-language situations is always thought to exist in the 'high' or written form of the language. Some of the lullabies, such as "Kjemt dee Nacht met aare Stierntjes" ("Comes the Night with Its Stars"), and "Kulla felengst mien selwanet Montje" ("Sail on My Silvery Moon"), are translations of High German and English songs prepared by Mennonite parents and grandparents especially for their own families, again, because they regarded Low German as the language of the cradle. By contrast, several other lullabies, such as "Susa Petruzha" ("Shush, My Little One"), "Schockel, schockel, Scheija" ("Rock, Rock, Shush"), "Schlop, Kjintje, schlop" ("Sleep, Baby, Sleep") and "Hottemauntje" ("Gee Ho! Little Man"), are among the most widely known of all Low German songs, even among Mennonites who claimed they know no Low German. Mennonites of all immigration periods share much of theirWiijenleeda repertoire, but two of these groups can be distinguished from each other on the basis of the tune to which they sing "Susa Petruzha." Russlander use the tune of the children's Christmas song "Ihr Kinderlein kommet" ("0 Come Little Children"), although some staunchly deny it is a religious tune. By contrast, Kanadier, who came to Canada in the 1870s, use the folktune found in Humperdinck's folk opera Hansel and Gretel, written in 1893. By the choice of tune for this particular lullaby, I identified the historic stream of Mennonites to which the singer belonged, and thus could predict which other Low German repertoire the individual might know. In fact, any variation in the pattern could invariably be attributed to intermarriage between individuals of differing immigration periods. There appear to be two original Mennonite Wiijenleeda: "Wie, wie, wie, wie Wentje" (shushing terms), known only by Russlander and N eueingewanderte, and "Schockel, schockel, Scheija," perhaps the most widely known Low German lullaby. Neither ofthese has been found in any collection of north-European Low or High German songs. The content of these lullabies seems subservient to rhyming and rhythmic aspects. Yet, both lyricists use the promise of food to persuade the

21

Children's Songs

child to sleep, once again indicating these songs originate within a peasant economy, since wealthy people would hardly need to concern themselves with procuring food. Mothers are regarded as the traditional singers oflullabies, but in Mennonite homes either parent would sing to the children at night, depending on which one enjoyed singing or came from a home where there was much singing. A few young Kanadier mothers say they still sing Low German lullabies to their children, but they are definitely in the minority. Further research would need to be done to see how the Low German lullaby tradition is faring inAuswanderer or even U msiedler homes, since these are the groups which still speak the language.

Traditional

1

Susa Petruzha (Shush, My Little One)

Tunel

)l=132-144

,~~

l

J)

);

l

Jj -

Jants

Schus

v

-

Ji );

iJ -

l

b J1

]?

l

• ~

La

l

l

Jl } )l I -

haft

ta

l

go - nen Boa

•

l

l

hau

tjes

• ~

(

han

Jl I } l

kjeen

da,

ji

en

foot

}

den onn- se Jants- tjes

l

)1 kjee

l

aul

lengst

-

l J

Schoo,

ne

J

}

J1 l

Lees- tje

J1 I )

Stroo,

em

ru - schelt

tru - zha waut

sa Pe -

Su -

tP fh ]?

J

Jl

do a

-

too,

Jl

l

en

poa

l

I •· Schoo.

:_.;

De_

l

)1 De

:_.; Sest_

II

22

SINGING MENNONITE

Tune 2, Variant 1

)l

=126-138

~ r~

) ~ Jl l

tru

Jl Jl Jl Jl

;

l

rfi l

l

sent

]

Schus- ta l

Pe

l

l

bu

La

da, l

l

dee Jants- tjes

J

schelt em

stroo,

Dee

J

Jl

)? ]

,;~

ha- ben kjee- ne

--..

l

I Jl

nijch

v Ji J)

l

ben

-

-

l

]

Jl ]

Jl

l

ru

Jl I )

l l •~

haft

l

I

zha waut

en

l

-

-

-

Ji

ten

Jl Ji Jl ha

--..

l

-

Zhu- zha

Jants- tjes

~

l

Jl Jl ]

I

uck

Dee

r

l

do a

l

Schoo,

Jl Jl

Lees- tjes

l

-

v

too,

Donn

@ l J.

kjee

ne

-

I

Schoo.

Tune 2, Variant 2

j

= 76-80 l

l ll J. Zhu - zha

,~

J

Schus -

ru - schelt em

zha waut

Stroo,

Dee

Jl l

Jants - tjes

$'J

Pe - tru -

Jl

ta

l

Ji go-ne boaft,

haft

La

-

en

dee

]

l

da, kjeen

ha - be kjee - ne

I

J

Lees

l

Schoo, l

Ji Jl I -

tje

do a

-

r·

too,

Dee

~

Sest

23

Children's Songs

~

J

J1 ) ~ I

haud

onns kjlie-na (Pee

l

•

f

l

J1 h I •

- ta) aul

J lang

l l I J.

en

poa

Schoo.

Translation

Shush/Susie, my little one, what's rustling in the straw? The geese are going barefoot/outside They haven't any shoes. The shoemaker has leather, but no last for it, Or our little geese/Peter Would long since have had shoes.

"Susa Petruzha" is the most universally known Low German song. It has been and is still used to entertain and to sing children to sleep. The theme is typical of lullabies in that it presents a problem to the child (see Daiken 1959). Although the problem of the barefoot geese is not resolved, the child is reassured that it can sleep peacefully. The poor little geese have only a bed of straw, so the child may be comforted knowing she or he has a warm bed in a warm house. Or, the child may pity the geese and become distracted from his or her fussing about going to bed. When used to entertain small children, the song is frequently personalized by the addition of the child's name to the last line, for example, the reference to 'our little Peter'. As one would expect with a well-known folksong, there were numerous variants of this song. In fact, there were almost as many versions of the last line as there were singers, but the basic thought remained unchanged. Variants of the first line ranged from Susa Petruzha to Zhuzha Petruzha, revealing common dialectical differences between RussHinder and Kanadier in the rendering of the vowels and shushing terms. Other variations included Suse leewe Suse ('Susie, dear Susie') andEija Popeija ('poor old goose'), found in Humperdinck's folk opera Hansel and Gretel. Suse I Suzha was often translated literally as 'Susie', although the occasional rendition of the word asZhuzha could imply it was a shushing term frequently found in Prussian lullabies. The words recall a familiar sight in Mennonite agrarian society: geese walking in the straw. And yet, if the reference to the geese is figurative rather than literal, the song, like the British nursery rhyme, may have had its origin as a comment on a social problem. If one recalls that the mediaeval French Queen Bertha, mother of Charlemagne, was nicknamed 'Queen Goose-Foot' or 'Goose-Footed Bertha', one

24

SINGING MENNONITE

begins to wonder what correlation there might have been between the French and German folkloric traditions. The reference to geese going barefoot is already mentioned in sixteenthcentury Dutch folklore. In his painting The Blue Cloak, also known as The Nederlandish Proverbs, Pieter Bruegel the Elder illustrates the proverb, "Who knows why the geese go barefoot?" Thus, the lullaby may have come, at least in poetic form, with the Mennonites who left Holland in the sixteenth century. The musical examples provide two distinctively different melodies for this song. Tune 1 is found in Humperdinck's folk opera written in 1893. However, this melody is sung primarily among the Kanadier, whose forefathers immigrated to Canada some twenty years before the folk opera was written. Some Mennonites thought the tune originated in Hansel and Gretel. More likely, Humperdinck used a familiarfolktune for this rhyme, which was already appearing in various forms in German and Prussian folklore collections of the mid-nineteenth century (Firmenich 1846, 188; Frischbier 1867, 7). The present-day familiarity of this tune has a two-fold basis. The folk opera has been performed by several Manitoba Mennonite groups, and the song has also been used as a theme song for the "Children's Party" program on CFAM and CHSM, southern Manitoba radio stations in the heart of rural Mennonite settlement. The two variants of Tune 2 are based on a High German Christmas carol, "Ihr Kinderlein kommet" ("0 Come Little Children"). Variant 2, like Tune 1, uses a 6/8 metre to establish a slow, rocking rhythm, while Variant 1, the more commonly known and hence more characteristically Russlander tune, uses a 2/4 meter for the same purpose. However, both variants are based on the same tune. It seems that Neueingewanderte, like Russlander, often chose tunes of religious songs for Low German children's songs, but seemed to be unaware of this borrowing. They claimed, instead, that they were just singing the song to a familiar melody. There are two interpretations of this claim. Afamiliarfolktune could have been borrowed for both the religious song and the lullaby, but viewed as two different tunes because of its contrasting functions. It could also be a subconscious use of melodies with religious overtones in reaction to increasing curtailment of religious freedom among Mennonites in Russia in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and an attempt, at least symbolically, to retain their religious heritage.

25

Children's Songs

2

Schockel, schockel, Scheija (Rock, Rock, Shush)

Tunel

j

= 80-88

~

' '

l • l

l

b

I

jJ

~

Schoc- kel, schoc- kel,

J Ei

J ll l l

-

ja,

l l woa

w1e

Pink - sten

J groat.

-

schei

at

ja,

wit

ll l l Stoaw wie

Oo

-

stren

l l J

l

jJ I wie

l l l

J l

J1

doch

tet

I

Broot,

w1e

at

l l l

Stoaw wie

I) l l

dan

l

J1 l

J1

nijch dan

J

II

faa wie enn't Loch.

Tune2

Ji

Schoc-kel, schoc-kel,

I

J schei -

J

ja,

I

l l

~ ~

Oo - stren at

l

Jl

w1e

I

J Ei

J

ja,

II Stoaw wie nijch dan

woa wie groat.

SINGING MENNONITE

26 Tune 3, Variant 1

j = 76-84 -

Schoc- kel, schoc-kel,

J

:b

I

ja,

) Ji Jl I J l

Oo- stre

at

1

l

wie

Ei

ja'

II Pink- ste

at wie

wit - tet Broot,

Stoaw wie nijch dan woa ¥lie groot.

Tune 3, Variant 2

j

p

=76-84

}l. )

Jl :p I J J

Schoc - kel, schoc- kel,

schei - ja,

wit - tet Broot,

•

~

Jl I

Oo- stren at

I Pink-sten at wie

•l

I }.

].

wie

J J

• :b Jl I :b ~

l

Stoaw wie nijch dan

-

Ei

ja,

•

J! 1

woa wie groot.

Tune 3, Variant 3

Schoc-kel, schoc-kel,

schei

J

ja,

Oo - stren at wie

Ei

1 ja,

II

27

Children's Songs

Pink-sten at

wie

woa wie groot.

Stoaw wie nijch dan

wit - tet Broot,

J Stoaw wie doch dan

kom wie enn't Loch.

J~ l ). J~ I J J1 J. I J Jl Frat nijch mee-ja sien

Bot - ta Broot,

Ron ess doot.

de

Kic - ke-re-kie,

m~- Jll J Jl J I met

Reat nijch mee-ja

ee - nem Foot.

Tune 3, Variant 4

j

=84

~i ~ Ji Jl 1> I J Schoc-kel, schoc-kel,

Pink- ste

at

Wie

Stoaw wie doch dan

schei

J -

ja,

wit - tet Broot,

foa wie enn't Loch.

Il

j) J1 J1 I J

Oo- stre

l

at

l

wie

Stoaw wie nijch dan

Ei

J

ja,

woa wie groot.

Schoc-kel, schoc-kel schei

1 II ja.

28

SINGING MENNONITE

Translation Swing/rock, rock, shush, At Eastertime we eat eggs, At Pentecost we eat white bread, If we don't die, then we'll grow up. But if we die, we'll go into the hole. 1 Kickerekie, the rooster is dead, Eats no more his buttered bread, Stirs no more with a single foot. 2 1. This line is found in '1\me 1, and '1\me 3, Variants 3 and 4. 2. The last three lines of the translation are found only in '1\me 3, Variant 3.

"Schockel, schockel, Scheija" is one of the most commonly known Low German lullabies. Often learned from an older sibling or one's mother, it was sung by both adults and children to entertain smaller children. Although the song was recited instead of sung in some homes, most families sang it to one oftwo melodies: a teasing tune (Tune 1), used primarily by Kanadier, or a High German folksong melody (Tune 3), sung predominantly by Russlander. The teasing tune, folklorists tell us, is universal. Children around the world use it to tease their siblings or peers. The chant variant (Tune 2) was idiomatic, used by only one individual. Tune 3 was standardized to some extent, but also had many personal variants. While "Schockel, schockel, Scheija" was often used as a lullaby, the ambiguity of the term schockel, meaning either 'rock' or 'swing', suggests the song is equally appropriate as a play song. The references to swinging, Easter and Pentecost reminded some Mennonites of a traditional spring activity. In the past, swings big enough to seat several children were strung up between two tall trees, or even between two beams in a barn, as soon as the first signs of spring appeared. During the daytime, the children, and later at night, the youth of the village, played on these swings. The custom originated in southern Russia and continued in southern Manitoba villages. It is probable that, like other nursery rhymes, the poem originally consisted of four lines, since many people sang only the first four lines. The fifth line may have been added later as a teasing function, with the reference to going into the hole serving as a euphemism for death or going into the grave. At first glance, no thematic continuity appears between the first three and the last three lines in Tune 3, Variant 3. A second look suggests that not only has the rooster died a premature death, but he has probably died in the name of an Easter

29

Children's Songs

or Pentecost celebration. The juxtaposition of human and animal death seems incongruous, especially since the topic of death is treated so lightly, but since this is a nursery rhyme, content is probably subservient to the preservation of rhyme and rhythm. Although content is secondary, the child's cultural background is a significant factor in nursery rhymes. The preoccupation with food certainly places this song within an agrarian peasant economy. White bread at Pentecost may have been a delicacy for peasants who were accustomed to eating dark breads. Since some Mennonite denominations observe an annual baptismal ceremony at the time of Pentecost and the young initiates into the church are often dressed in white, the association of white with Pentecost may also have some religious significance. No equivalent or variant of "Schockel, schockel, Scheija" has been found in European folklore collections, so it may be an original Mennonite folksong.

3

Schlop, Kjintje, schlop (Sleep, Baby, Sleep)

Tunel

j

=76

ftiJ

l l l J.

Schlop,

Kjin- tje, schlop,

I Dien

•

•

J1 Jl Fo - da

l l I J. heed't de

Schop,

Die- ne

J Ma - me sched't en

Boom

l l I J Schlop,

Kjin - tje,

schlop.

Translation Sleep, baby (little child), sleep, Your father herds the sheep, Your mother shakes a little tree, There falls down a little dream, Sleep, baby, sleep.

tje, Doa

II

felt

e - rauf en

Droom - tje,

30

SINGING MENNONITE

Tune2

J =80

jl

~q J l l l J Schlop, Kjin- tje, schlop,

Ji ) l

schwoa- tet l

Jl

l

Ji

schlo - pe

en

p

wel,

l en

j Dan

Doa >

l

l

Jl Jl bu - ten

l ll J stoan de

Schop,

J

En

l

I

Ji wit - tet, l

Jl

l

Jl

En

wan daut

Kjin - tje nijch

>

) )I Jl

kjemt daut schwoa- te

l

en

bit

J.

I

'et.

Translation

Sleep, baby, sleep, Outside stand the sheep, A black one and a white one, And if the baby won't sleep, Then the black one will come and bite it.

In both its Low and High German versions, "Schlop, Kjintje, schlop" was most familiar to Russlander. Better known in High German, this lullaby had almost as many lyric variants as it had singers, although melodic differences were minimal. While a Kanadierversion which states "Dee Mutta essen Pommerlaunt, I Pommerlaunt ess aufjebrent," and is translated as 'Your mother is in Pommerland,/ Pommerland has burned,' could be taken literally, it is probably a figurative way of saying the sun is setting in the west, so it is time for the child to rest. These references to Pommerania, a northern province in nineteenth-century Germany, were found only among Kanadier. A variant from southern Manitoba reveals that some young schoolboys added colour to the lyrics by improvising the following parody: "Schlop, Kjintje, schlop, I Dien Foda ess en Schop, I Diene Mutta ess en Engelein, I En du bess en kjlient Bengelein, I Schlop, Kjintje, schlop." This is translated as: 'Sleep, baby, sleep, I Your

Children's Songs

31

father is a sheep, /Your mother is an angel, I And you are a little rascal, I Sleep, baby, sleep.' The ambiguity created by the mispronunciation of the word heed't ('is herding') as heet ('is called') may have generated this parody. And, no doubt, many a parent or older sibling has been tempted to sing Bengelein ('rascal') to a fussing child at bedtime. The Engel I Bengel pun is, in fact, frequently used in Low German. A misbehaving child would be told "Du bess en Engel met en 'B' doafda," translated as 'You are an angel with a 'b' in front ofit,' again implying the child was acting like a rascal. This parody, used for teasing purposes, seems tame by comparison with one found in Holstein by nineteenth-century German folklorist Firmenich. In that version, both parents and baby get a bad press report: mother is called a Meerekatt ('green monkey'), baby a Waterratt ('water rat') and father a sheep! Threatening children who refuse to fall asleep is apparently a universal phenomenon. In the lyrics for Tune 2, the black sheep, representing evil forces or the unknown, is used to threaten. In another version, the child is threatened by a beggar-woman with a long knife. Since beggars were a common sight in Russian and certain southern Manitoba towns and villages, this would have posed a realistic threat to a child. In some Mennonite homes, threatening misbehaving children with the prospect ofbeing sent along with beggars, pedlars or gypsies, even though done in a teasing manner, was used as social control. Mter all, even the little boys in the village knew that: ... gypsies steal whatever they can lay their hands on, including children. Every boy in the village knows that, because many of them, when standing around a gypsy camp in the meadow, at the end of the village in the evening, have heard children cry in the tents. Why were they kept in the tents, why weren't they allowed to wallow in the dust outside like others? Because they are white, stolen children, whom nobody is supposed to see, that's why. (Dyck 1974, 132-133)

32

SINGING MENNONITE

4

Wie, wie, wie, wie, Wentje (Hush, Hush, Hush, Hush, My Little One) Tunel

J=84

$& i J J J J I J J Wie, wie, wie, wie,

Wen - tje,

j Mor - je schlacht wie en

En -

tje,

II Seet fonn Soc- ka, fat fonn Bot- ta, Daut schmackt onn - se (Lies - tje) scheen.

Tune2

j

$i

=84

Jl. J1 Jl Jl I j Wie, wie, wie, wie, Wen

Seet form Tsoc- ka,

J

tje,

fat fonn Bot- ta,

2. Wie, wie, wie, wie, Wontje, Morje schlacht wie en Hontje ... 3. Wie, wie, wie, wie, Wientje, Morje schlacht wie en Schwientje ... 4. Wie, wie, wie, wie, Wantje, Morje schlacht wie en Hantje ...

Mor- je schlacht wie en En

Daut schmackt onn - se

-

J

tje,

(Lies - tje) scheen.

Translation 1. Hush, hush, hush, hush, little one, Tomorrow we'll kill a little duck, Sweet from sugar, fat from butter, That will taste good to our (little girl). 2 .... tomorrow we'll kill a rooster ... 3 .... tomorrow we'll slaughter a pig ... 4. . .. tomorrow we'll kill a hen ...

33

Children's Songs

"Wie, wie, wie, wie, Wenije" may simply be nonsense syllables used for rhythmic and rhyming purposes. Some variants, however, used zhu, zhu, zhu, zhu, Zhenije. These shushing terms are common in Prussian lullabies and among Russlander and Neueingewanderte, whose lullabies are more closely linked to Prussian folklore than those of the Kanadier, so the terms are translated here as shushing terms. In this lullaby, the child is persuaded to sleep through the promise of a reward on the morrow. The lullaby is personalized by the insertion of the child's name. The promise and personalization are ways of persuading the child that all is well with the world, so he or she can safely fall asleep, anticipating joyful experiences in the morning. This song was not familiar to Kanadier, although it was known by Hilda Matsuo, a Mennonite of German Lutheran background. She learned many of her Low German songs from Molotschna Kanadier belonging to the Evangelical Mennonite Conference, formerly known as the Kleinegemeinde, in Kleefeld. Her source for this song is not known, but the melody to which she sings it is a variant used by some Russlander. The song was also familiar to Neueingewanderte, who sang versions very similar to those sung by Russ lander.

5

Lietje Racka (Hard Labourer)

'ji t· ~~ t-· ~$· $I,. t r r~: 'j r t ,I r ~- r~ v J =72-80

Wess nijch schlo - pe

lie - tje

Rae -

ka, Moakst nijch fuats de Uach- tjes

J) l

~

~

too?

See

dee

Mond

steit aul

t

em

Him

~ ~~ ]).

~

- mel, En

~

v

dee

34

, $:

SINGING MENNONITE

Sonn

) I ~

r

~·

Ru.

Meed

,t

jeit uck

too

I

dach - tjes, En

j)

; t· I

sent

uck

•~ f vr ~

die - ne

f1i ).

dien' Stremp schlapt hie

dien' Schoo,

~ Wess

,

ta

Jlie-

nijch

I schlo- pe lie

-

tje

Rae - ka, Moakst nijch fuats

de Uach- tjes

too?

Translation

Won't you sleep, little hard labourer, Won't you close your eyes right now? See, the moon's already in the heavens, And the sun is going to rest. All your little limbs are tired, And your stockings sleep by your shoes, Won't you sleep, little hard labourer, Won't you close your eyes right now?

This arrangement of"Lietje Racka" by Esther Wiebe, a composer and composition instructor at Canadian Mennonite Bible College in Winnipeg, was written for a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation "Prairie Choirs" program in the mid-1960s, featuring Canadian ethnic music. It was sung by a college choral ensemble directed by Ms. Wiebe's husband, Dr. George Wiebe, head of the college's music department. Harmonization of a lullaby is unusual, since characteristically, lullabies are solos. However, harmonization is often added to Low German songs when they enter the domain of public performance. Ms. Wiebe first heard the song on the telephone in conversation with an older lady living in a Mennonite senior citizens' home in Winnipeg. Unfortunately, all attempts to find the original source have been futile. Several people thought it

35

Children's Songs

sounded like a Russian folksong, but no one could remember having heard or sung it at any time. Yet, one wonders why a song with such a potential for socializing the child into the work ethic is not more generally known among the Mennonites, who are noted for their adherence to the work ethic.

6

Kjemt dee Nacht met aare Stierntjes (Comes the Night with Its Stars)

J =84

f#lu

rr· -#

J IJ

J Kjemt

#

dee

l IJ

J. Heat

J Lajcht

Nacht

daut

Kjint

J Ij sikj

stel

J

J

Ij

Bat

dan

fromm,

2. Kome dan dee Enjel raufa, Sinjen am fa.l scheene Leeda, Aun dam Badtje leis onn sajcht, Woake see de gaunse Nacht.

J met

aa

re_

Stiern

J lfQ:fJIJ dan

j em

opp_

IJ Bad

too_

lea

tjes,

J re,

[}I J hin -

nen,

II

j en

schlapt

dan_

en.

Translation 1. When the night comes with its stars, The child ceases its studies, Quietly lies down in bed, Prays sincerely, and falls asleep. 2. Then the angels come down, Sing many lovely songs to him, At his bedside, gently and softly, Watch over him the whole night long.

36

SINGING MENNONITE

Like numerous other lullabies, this one was translated from High German into Low German, because it was being sung to little children. This translated version was known only in the immediate family of Mrs. Guenter, who sang it for me. During the interview, her five-year-old granddaughter sat in a straight-backed chair and rocked in rhythm to her grandmother's singing. The reference to the child's ceasing from his or her studies seems unusual for two reasons. First, one would expect a lullaby to be sung to a child who is still too young for formal studies, and secondly, the reference to studies places this song in a different social class from other lullabies, which generally reflect a peasant agrarian context. This, too, was one of the few Low German lullabies with religious connotations (the mention of angels and praying), even though the Mennonites are an ethnoreligious group. However, this is consistent with the assumption that High German, the language of the original version, is the acceptable vehicle for religious discussion.

7

Aus ekj jistern Owent (Yesterday Evening, When I)

J =69

fi=h# ~##2 J ;J J5 I J. L

ekj jis - tern 0 -

Aus

,,~~

1 Haud

Jl j l

J

IJ

ekj deep enn't Hoat -

2. Kaum en kjlienet Enjel, Haud soon goldnet Hoa, Een schnee wittet Kjleetje, U achtjes hal onn kloa. 3. Foot mie aun mien Hauntje Must ekj stoaw e'mol,

I

,1. went,

J. tje,

Ij

l fJ '--'

Jl I j l

Schleep opp wea - kem Floom,

I J Jl l

FJ J I J '-'

Ee - nen schee-nen

Jinkj met en dam Himmel, 0, do a wea't soo scheen. 4. Haft mie uck fesproake, Wan ekj stoaw e'mol, Saul ekj hie am wonen, En dam Himmels-tsol.

Droom.

II

37

Children's Songs Translation 1. Yesterday evening, While I was sleeping on soft straw, I had a beautiful dream, Deep in my heart. 2. There came a little angel, It had such golden hair, A snow-white dress, And bright, clear eyes.

3. (He) took me by the hand, I had to go with him, Went along into heaven, Oh! it was so wonderful there. 4. (He) has also promised me, That someday when I die, I shall live with him In the heavenly chambers.

When I asked to record this song, a Mrs. Buhler sang the High German version, assuming that a researcher with academic interests in music must surely want to hear the music of a written rather than an oral language. With a little encouragement, she agreed to sing this Low German version, which she had translated for her small children well before the family moved to Canada in 1925. Mrs. Buhler, a Russlander of Old Colony background, migrated to Canada from the village of Grigoryevka in the Ukraine. She showed an obvious preference for High German, although she had translated this lullaby into Low German. When I questioned her, she explained that this lullaby was only being sung to children. Being a poetically sensitive person, she wanted to "choose the right words to make it sound nice," so rehearsed the song before we recorded it. This contrasted sharply with many singers who felt that because it was being sung in the domestic language, the song could be sung 'any old way'.

8

Hazha, Popptje, zuzha (Shush, Dolly, Shush)

J= 72-76

•

l

J) Ha - zha, Popp - tje,

zu - zha, De

Pra - cha ess

em

Hu

-

J

se,

38

SINGING MENNONITE

Met dam groo-ten

la- da-nen

Sack, Wua hee au- le

2. Aule dee doa hiele, Sent diim Pracha siene, Oba dee doa schmocktjes sent, Daut sent aules miene.

Kjin-ja

nen stoppt.

Translation 1. Shush, dolly, shush, The beggar is in the house, With his great big leather sack, Into which he puts all children. 2. All the ones who cry, Belong to the beggar, But the ones who are well behaved, Those are all mine.

This lullaby demonstrates two means of persuading a child to fall asleep: through terms of endearment like "shush, dolly, shush," and by threats that crying children may suffer a fate such as being stuffed into a beggar's sack. These threats are not unlike those in one version of the lullaby "Schlop, Kjintje, schlop," and would have posed a realistic threat to Mennonite children of the past, who were accustomed to the sight of beggars making their way through Mennonite towns and villages in Russia and southern Manitoba. However, one Mennonite mother who sang this lullaby to her children reassured them by personalizing the song, singing "Oba onnse Mitstje dee ess schmock, I Dee woat Pracha nijch kjrieje," translated as 'But our Mary is good, I The beggar won't get her.'

9

Hawiezhu Poppa (Shush, Dolly)

J=72

'~

ll} l

J J J

Ha - wie - zhu

Pop - pa

waut

saul

l

Jl etj

l

Jl die

sin

je?

39

Children's Songs

Ap - pel

'

J.

J J

Fie

l

Jl J1 J1

7

'------' je,_

l

l

Dan woascht du

Ap - pel en Baa-tjes en

je.

brin -

Pa - pa die

en Baa - tjes woat

J J l I J. schlo

- pe

schwie

en

-

1

"1

II

je.

Translation Shush, little dolly, what shall I sing you? Apples and pears, father will bring you. Apples and pears and dried figs, Then you will sleep and be quiet.

The singer of this lullaby tries to quiet the child with the promise of a reward: a gift of fruit which Father will bring from market. Promises of apples and pears appear in other Prussian-German lullabies (Frischbier 1867, 5; Firmenich 1842, 162), but would have had special relevance for the Mennonites of southern Russia, who were known for their fine orchards. Both the shushing terms and the question-andanswer format place this lullaby in a Prussian tradition. The tune, similar to "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star," is frequently used in German folklore for questionand-answer type songs. (cf. Diekmann 1975, 134)

10

Hottemauntje (Gee Ho! Little Man)

j

=84

$1

Jl.

)l

J

Jl .Jll J rie

Hot - te-maun-tje

Fonn de Wie- de

no

-

de,

de Staut,

I

JJ

tP Jl l

Pa-pa foat

l

no

Bringt uck onn - se

I

J Wie

J

- de,

Kjin - ja waut.

SINGING MENNONITE

40

~

l

l

J)

J Ji I J l

Waut sull Pa- pa

brin

•· )11 J J J1 Je. En Au- pel onn h

-

(

. ?

l

Ji I

J

l

iJ

Kjrin - jel

en

;I~ En

J1 I J l J Au - pel

~

~ ~

en 'ne

l Ji J l

Pii - pa - kuak,

J) I l

J

l

l

J

En Poa Schoo met Rin

} Ji l

(Lies - tje) goat.

J

En Poa Schoo met Schnal - len,

] J) ) Ji I

Daut schmakt onn - se

Dan woat (Lies-tje)

ran

Dan woat (Lies-tje)

sprin

- nen.

J -

jen,

l J) I ] l J IJ JJ ..Ji l

En Poa Schoo met Baunt be

- sat,

Dan sit 'et

Translation Hottemauntje riding, Father is going for willows, From the willows to the town, Will bring our children something, What shall papa bring? An apple and a soft pretzel, An apple and a peppemut, Tastes good to our little (Elizabeth), A pair of shoes with buckles, Then our little (Elizabeth) will run. A pair of shoes with rings, Then our little (Elizabeth) will spring/jump, A pair of shoes decorated with ribbon, Then our little (Elizabeth) will look neat/attractive.

l

j)

onn- se

I}

- jen.

l J

(Lies - tje) nat.

II

Children's Songs

41

There were almost as many versions of the term Hottemauntje as there were singers of this popular song, but no one was able to provide a reliable translation. Suggestions ranged from 'Gee ho! little man' to 'Once upon a time' to a kneebouncer term, but the expression is typical ofPrussian children's songs (Frischbier 1867, 14-17). Some ofthe foods in the song may need further explanation. According to one Mennonite cookbook, Kjrinjel, soft pretzels still baked by many Mennonites, are made from a sweet, hard dough. After it rises, the dough is cut into small pieces and rolled until it measures about eight inches by one inch. The ends are joined to form a circle which is then plunged into boiling water until it rises. Then it is set on a pan and baked, producing a shiny, sweet pretzel-like bun (Rosenfeld 1962, 11). "Peppernuts, no doubt, not only received their name from their small size, shape and texture, but also from their nut-like, spicy flavor and from the fact that some are flavored with pepper, peppermint and molasses" (Dick 1958, 13). The Russlander rendition quoted here was the most complete version of this song, although there were many variants. In another Russlander version the father goes for willows to a place "Wua dee groota Wittboom IAkjeboom steit, I En dee Wach no Groosmajeit," translated as 'Where the huge poplar/oak stands, I And the road leads to grandmother's (place).' The reference to the oak tree came from a former inhabitant of the village of Chortitza in the Ukraine, with its legendary thousand-year-old oak. In some versions, Father went to see the miller, rather than going for willows, before he went to town. Sometimes, Father brought home apples, pears and dried figs, which Mennonite children ofbygone days regarded as a special delicacy. The version quoted here is the only one which included promises of shoes, but these promises do have a counterpart in an East-Frisian lullaby (Meier 1972, 206). Regardless of the version, the melody and the usage remained the same. The song was used to entertain Mennonite children at home in the Ukraine and in Canada.

SINGING MENNONITE

42

Immigrant

11

Dee oola Laumpaunstekja (The Old Lamplighter)

~

=84

$*~ J ]IF en - n'e Schluch-te_ _

Wan dauts Laump-aun-stekjs-tiet

I* $* $*

f Droom

pv J noch' mol wa

).

)1

see

dee

bringt

l

00

J'i ) l

f

l Ji

Jl

l

da

no

l

-

}.

I

J

- hus,

l l pI p

J'i

l

Jo

ekj

l

r:r

- le Laump noch em-ma bren-ne,_

r

p

mie uck gauns sure

J

l

Jl no

-

Go 'kj em

~

En

~ dee

II

hus.

Translation When it's lamp-lighting time in the valley, I go home once again in my dream, Yes, I still see the old lamp is still burning, And it also most certainly brings me home.

About fifty or sixty years ago, when his children were small, Mr. John J. Peters translated a number of songs into Low German for them. "Dee oola Laumpaunstekja" is one of these translations. He remembers singing to his children at dusk, before they went to bed. One child would sit on his lap, another at his feet, and another would stand on the rocker of his rocking chair as he rocked and sang to them.

Children's Songs

43

Mr. Peters finds it interesting that he used the Anglicism 'sure' in translating the song, but concludes he must have been interested in preserving the rhythmic flow of the lyrics.

12

Kulla felengst mien selwanet Montje (Sail on My Silvery Moon)

j

$~~ .P d .P J =88

d 1Jd .P J

J liP J .P J ;ti .P I J l

ob I

Kul- la fe-lengst mien sel- wa-net Mon-tje, Kul-la fe-lengst doa huach bo-wen, En 0

wiel ekj sinj

mien see- ja schee-net Leed- tje,

Jo - die- a - la - die -

II

o!

Translation Roll along my little silvery moon, Roll along there up high, And while I sing my very lovely little song, Yoh-dee-ah-ley-die-oh!

Mr.JohnJ.Peterstranslatedthissongmanydecades ago.Probably,hedidnotsing it with guitar as he does on the cassette recording he made for this collection, because he used to sing it to his children as he sat and rocked them before bed-time. CHANTS AND SINGING GAMES Folklorists tell us the use of chant for children's rhymes is universal. Like chants in other languages, Low German chants have a rhythmic pattern of four beats per line, and as a rule use the melodic interval of a falling minor third, often called the 'teasing tune'. Traditionally, some Low German chants and Speltjes or 'singing games' were used by children as they played, e.g. "Otboa Lankjnas" ("Stork Long-Nose") and

44

SINGING MENNONITE

"Seet en Maakstje" ("A Little Girl Sat"). Others, like "Tripje, trapje, trontje" ("Trip, Trap, Trap"), "Footje beschlone" ("Shoeing the Foot") and "Holt soage" ("Sawing Wood"), were chanted by parents, as knee-bouncers. Only one group game, "Runde, runde Roose," a version of "Ring-Around-a-Rosy," was identified in the Low German repertoire. There are, no doubt, many more games and chants, but since most ofthese were collected from adults, usually grandparents who had not used this repertoire in several decades, the findings were limited. Significantly, many of these chants were collected from Neueingewanderte and Kanadier men, and one Kanadier man in particular, whose family immigrated to Canada from the Molotschna Colony in the late 1800s, independently of the major Mennonite migrations. His chants were idiosyncratic in that he used the melodic interval of a falling perfect fourth. No chants, however, were found among Russlander. They said they had recited these poems in Low German, but had always sung them in High German. Using the teasing tune for these particular songs reinforces their function: to tease and entertain small children. These functions were once the prerogative of grandparents, aunts and uncles, or older siblings. Now, with the advent of smaller nuclear families, they often have been taken over by the public media. One would, however, expect to find Low German chants and games among Auswanderer children who still speak the language, but none were found among them. Too few children were available to interview, and many of them were very timid about sharing any songs with an unfamiliar adult. It was also difficult to watch these children unobtrusively while they played, when they would have sung their own songs. Instead, the children met their parents' expectations and sang religious songs, which were considered more appropriate for an interview by a total stranger. These expectations were symbolized in at least one interview by the fact that the children wore their 'Sunday best' on a Saturday morning! Traditional

13

Otboa Lankjnas (Stork Long-Nose) Spoken Otboa Lankjnas, Jinkj oppejreene Was, Haud roode Steeweltjes aun Jinkj steil a us en Adelmann.

Kaum dee Bock en schmeet am dol, Kaum dee Odla en holp am opp. Fluach hee huach enn'e Loft.

Children's Songs

.J

45

= 72-80

$: d J d J I J ll J

J J JIJ

Ot - boa, Ot- boa, Wan- ee- ja kjemst du wa

da?

Opp - joa,

JI opp - joa,

JI Wan de Rog-gen riep-pen, Wan de Pog- gen piep- pen, Wan de Daa-ren knoar-ren,

J II

Wan de Kjal- wa bloar - ren.

Translation Spoken Stork Long-Nose Went walking in the green pasture, Had red boots on, Looked like a nobleman. Came the ram and threw him down, Came the eagle and helped him up. So he flew high into the air.

Sung Stork, stork, When are you coming again? Next year, next year, When the rye is ripening, When the frogs are croaking/squeaking, When the doors are creaking, When the calves are howling.

In most Kanadier Mennonite homes where this folk poem was known, it was recited. The last part, that is, the dialogue, was sometimes chanted. But there may have been another melody for it. Frischbier includes an analogous poem in his Prussian folksong collection, one that probably was sung rather than chanted. The Prussian song has five stanzas, of which only the first two are similar to the Low German version. As in a fable, the story is told using animal characters. This poem is not as obviously moralistic as a fable, although the proverb "pride goeth before a fall" is demonstrated by the interaction between the stork and the ram. The stork's reply to the chanted question about his return indicates he will return in spring for his annual visit. In many Mennonite homes at the turn of the

SINGING MENNONITE

46

century, the annual return of the stork was a reality. Russian Mennonite households, for example, had an average of seven children each between the years of 1890 and 1910. This number decreased steadily during the revolution and the wars (Krahn 1972, 294). Although large families were common, open discussions about pregnancy or birth control were not. Instead, euphemisms like 'the coming of the stork' were used, particularly when speaking with children. The content and use of this chant indicate it probably was a children's chant. The emphasis in the content is on the rhythm and the rhyme, particularly in the chanted section. Tradition also supports this argument. According to Mennonite folklorist Elisabeth Peters' description of village life in Russia, children recited poems about the stork in spring while sitting on board fences in the village (Peters 1968, 19). Peters was the only RussHinder to refer to any poems about the stork, and the poem she quotes in her article is substantially different from this one. One version of the story's spoken part contains a humorous addition where, after the eagle helps the stork get up, he also takes him to the king's door. The king asks, "Ess doa waa?" ('Is there somebody?'), and the stork replies, "Jo,jo. Hia ess waa!" ('Yes, yes. Here is somebody!'). There is a pun on the word 'somebody'. The stork, who comes every year, is probably associated with the poorer people who consider that children are wealth. The king, of course, would identify with the rich, prestigious element of society. Because he brings the poor the potential for power, the stork feels like a nobleman. So, wearing his red boots as a symbol of nobility, he insists on telling the king that he is 'somebody' despite the apparent difference in status between the two. There also may be a correlation between being a nobleman and having a long nose.

14

Seet en Maakstje (A Little Girl Sat)

j

=84

t'ii

l

l

Jl

J1

Seet

en

l

l

J1

J1

J1

Maaks- tje

en

- n'e

l

j)

l

J Mea,

I

J

J

Sponn

Sied

Children's Songs

~j#

,~

47

J

J

soo

fien

l

jJ

,, J

Aus

Tiem,

l

l

Ji Ji a us 'n

J

I

Hoa,

J

J

Soo

groff

l

a us

J1 J'i J11 Ji Jl J1 Jl J1 Jl Ji J1 I l

de

I.

l

l

I.

l

I.

sa - wen J oa omm wea- re,

J IJ jomm,

mei,

J ronn,

l

I.

Wort see fien l

l

Ji Ji Jl l

l

J

J1 J'i I.

'n

Boa.

J

J

- floch

je I.

J1

l

te,

J1 J1 l

Aun komm,Trien komm, follj mie

J II no.

Translation A little girl sat inside a wall, Spinning silk as fine as hair, As coarse as a bear. When the seven years were over, It was finely braided. Tiem, jomm, mei, ronn, Ann come, Katherine come, follow me.

This chant might have been composed by children who valued rhythm above content. At least two Grimm Brothers' fairy tales may be represented in the story. The reference to spinning reminds one of "Rumpelstiltskin." The number seven is found both in "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," and in the idea of seven years, symbolic of completion, in the Biblical stories ofindividuals such as Jacob (Genesis 29) and Joseph (Genesis 41). The last line of the chant implies it accompanied a follow-the-leader kind of game. This Speltje ('game') was played by children ofKleinegemeinde background in the East Reserve several decades ago.

SINGING MENNONITE

48

15

Tripje, trapje, trontje (Trip, Trap, Trap)

J =80

'~

' ' '

J J Trip - je,

J Bon l

l

Jl Jl

tron l

l

tje, Dee

J J

I Jl Jl

tje,

Schwien-tjes go- nen

l

Schop-tjes l

trap - je,

Dee

)

go-nen

l

I

em

J Ho

:h :h J

J

l

Pead- tjes

J

I

em

wa,

-

Klo l

i

l

I Ji Jl

Jl

J

l l go- nen

enn't

J J wa,

Dee

J) l l l

Kjeaj- tjes go- nen

J enn't

l

Ji Jl j lang - e Grauss.

Dan kjemt onns dee

Bot- ta

fer 'm Fauss.

Translation Trip, trap, trop, The horses are in the track, The pigs are among the clover, The sheep are among the oats, The cows are in the long grass, Spoken Then the butter is suitable for us.

As a child, Rev. D.D. Klassen, who sang this song for me, learned many Low Ger-

man songs from his father, who would sing to amuse the children while they were waiting for supper. His father would also play with the children at bedtime, often taking them onto his knee and singing to entertain them. "Tripje, trapje, trontje" was one of these songs.

49

Children's Songs

The fact that the father had time to entertain the children while they waited for supper suggests that Mennonite homes like the Klassens' had a very traditional division of labour: Mother prepared the food while Father, who normally worked outside, especially if he was a farmer, played with the children when he was within the mother's working domain. A lyric version, recited rather than sung in many homes, appears in De goldene Shlut (Unger 1974, 24).

16

Footje beschlone (Shoeing the Foot)

j=72

$I

ll Foo - tje be-schlo- nen, l

J1 ;

l

Foo - tje be-schlo- nen,

l

l

J1 J1 Woo

fiil

Miel - tjes

spoken

l J I J J IJ t If )p )p]]I)P]J II

saul daut go- nen?

Een, twee,

dree,

Dan deit (Dow-tje) daut Foo-tje wee.

Translation Shoeing the (horse's) foot, shoeing the foot, How many miles shall it go? Spoken One, two, three, Then (David's) foot will hurt.

This is one of the many children's songs Rev. Klassen learned from his father. When his father sang "Footje beschlone," he would take a child onto his knee and sing while tapping the child's foot. To personalize the song, he would insert the child's name; e.g. David. More often, the mother or older sister, rather than the father, sang these songs. Rev. Klassen's Low German dialect shows some distinctly Chortitza Colony influences, such as the 'n' ending on present participles, rather than consistently

50

SINGING MENNONITE

reflecting the dialect of his father, whose family originated in the Molotschna Colony. The Chortitza linguistic influences may have come either from his mother or from other Kanadier.

17

Hollt soage (Sawing Wood) 'l\me 1

J = 76-84

$i

J JJ

Hollt

I Jl Jl

soa- gen,

L

L

Wo - ta droa-gen,

Brat- schnie-dasch komt

Koo too

su - pe

JJ J J J I

joa

a - ten.

-

Fia

J

wel wie Buts-kopp

schlo -

J

nen.

-

Wan se nijch wel spoken

I

J

Buts, 1

Translation Sawing wood, carrying water, Making fire, cooking noodles, Woodcutters, come eat. After you have eaten, Chase the cow for a drink. If she doesn't want to go, Then we'll knock our heads together. Bounce, bounce, bounce! 1 1. Parent and child knock their heads together on each "Buts."

L

L

moa-ken, Kjiel-tje

Wan jie han je

gen.

I Jl Jl

JJ

koa- ken,

JJ

ja

- ten, Dan

JJ

go - nen, Dan

j

j

Buts,

Buts!

I

51

Children's Songs Tune2

J =84

~i

j soa- ge,

Hollt

moa - ke,

Fia

Kjiel - tje koa - ke, Brat - schnie-dasch komt

j a

~

-

te,

Wan jie

ha

l l l J Ij

Wel

- le

dee

nijch

go

je - ja ~

~

-

-

ll l l J ll l

te, Joajcht dee Kji- kjel

opp daut Launt,

j J Il l J J I

ne, Dan

j

wei wie Buts- kopp schlo

j

II

- ne.

Translation Sawing wood, making fire, cooking noodles, Woodcutters, come eat. After you have eaten, Chase the chickens onto the land/field, If they don't want to go, Then we'll knock our heads together.

These two versions of"Holt soage," sung by a Kanadier and aNeueingewanderte, have retained a basic similarity, although the forefathers ofthe two singers parted ways approximately a century ago. The words have undergone minimal changes. Both tunes, although using different melodic intervals, retain a chant character with fairly similar rhythmic patterning (cf. Unger 1974, 28). Social use of the song has also remained unchanged. The song was sung by an adult or older sibling to a younger child, who was seated on the knees of the singer, facing him/her. During the chanting of the song, the child was rocked until the reference to Butskopp schlonen, when the two would bump their heads together.

52

SINGING MENNONITE

18

Backe, backe, Kuaken (Baking, Baking Cookies)

J =80

,~3 J dl J .Jll J. J Bac - ke; bac - ke,

Jl I l

Kua - ken, De

Ji

J

Bac- ka haft

} IJ je

J.

- roo - pen,

J1J ll J

ll J Waa wel goo - de

J

l

Kua - ken hac- ken, Dee mott ha - ben

}I

sa - wen Sa - chen,

IJ } J Ei - ja

,~ J }

en Schmollt, Bot-ta en Sollt, Malkj en Mal,

J. I J

J~j

Kua-kenjal. Schuw se en

l IJ dan

l

Jl

Jl l

Saf - fran moakt de

J I J l J. I J J. II

0- wen nen, Daut

se goa

woa - ren.

Translation Baking, 1 baking cookies, The baker has called out, Whoever wants to bake good cookies, Must have seven things: Eggs and lard, butter and salt, milk and flour, Saffron makes the cookies yellow. Shove them into the oven, So that they get done. 1. Clap child's hands together on first note of every measure.

"Backe, backe Kuaken" is a children's game my grandmother learned from her older sister. Taking a small child on one's knee and holding his or her hands, one would sing and clap with the child.

53

Children's Songs

The poem is commonly found in High German folklore collections (Diekmann 1975, 31; Frischbier 1867, 30). The melody in lines two and three ofthis version is similar to the song "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star," a tune often associated with question-and-answer songs. Question-and-answer songs were one way children were taught in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Another tune, the teasing tune, appears with these lyrics in the Erk and Boehme German folksong collection (Erk and Boehme 1893, 3:588). A Russlander man recalled singing this song in High German and reciting it in Low German, but only Grandma Hiebert, a Kanadier from the Bergthal Colony, a daughter colony of the Chortitza, sang it in Low German.

19

Backe, Kuaktjes, backe (Baking, Cookies, Baking)

j=84

$i) l:;p :;piJ ;:;pi) l:;p :;plj Bac- ke~ Kuak-tjes,

hac -

ke, Daut Mal - tje ess

Sack - tje, Daut

em

) j Ei

' '

-

tje

l l woa

l l woa

em

)

) I :J

wie am

)

wieam

dan

sea

$ I :J

be

je -

Korw - tje, Dee Kuc- kuk ess

ess

-

-

stor -

J I } } ) ) I :J Hin- ja

kjen?

J Il

gro - wen?

j) )

Hin - ja

onn - se

j

we. Wua

)

) A

;I :J

onn - sen Back - o

-

kjen. Wua

)

j

wen. Daut

spoken

'l;J?;:;pll l;:;pl} t_) I~ JL_)Il ]___)II Ni:is-tje ess met Ausch be-sto-wen. Schoaw auf, 2

schoaw auf,

schoaw auf.

SINGING MENNONITE

54 Translation

Baking, 1 cookies, baking. The flour is in the sack, The egg is in the basket, The cuckoo has died. Where will we look for him? Behind our oaks. Where will we bury him? Behind our outdoor oven. The nose has been powdered with ashes.

Spoken

Wipe/shove2 off, wipe off, wipe off. 1. A play song for children, generally sung with a small child on the singer's lap. The singer claps the child's hands as they sing. 2. Taking the child's hand, the singer pretends to wipe ashes from the child's nose.

Lyric variants of this chant appear in De goldene Shlut (Unger 1974, 26) and Frischbier's collection of German folksongs (Frischbier 1867, 30 ). Rev. Klassen adds a Mennonite touch to an otherwise typical children's game by referring to the Backowe, an outdoor clay oven used for baking in summertime.

20

Rea Jretje (Stir Porridge)

J Rea

Spohen

II Jre - tje,

koak

Jef dam waut, en dam waut, En dam waut, en dam waut, En dissem riet de Kopp auf, En schmiet 'em no de Daa.

Kol- tje,

Rea

J re - tje,

koak

Kol - tje.

55

Children's Songs Translation Stir porridge, cook coals. Stir porridge, cook coals. Spoken Give that one something, and that one something, And that one something, and that one something. And this one, tear off his head, And throw him to the door.

This is a finger game an adult or older sibling plays with a child. The adult guides the child's right index finger to make a circular motion in the palm of the child's left hand, as if stirring porridge, while chanting the first line. As the adult recites the next section, he points to each finger of the child's left hand, as though feeding it porridge. When he reaches the thumb, he pretends to tear it off and throw it away, possibly because it is not considered as attractive as the other fingers, or simply because it is a non-conformist. According to another explanation, the thumb is thrown away because it does not work, and anyone who does not work, does not deserve to eat. One can see how this rhyme can be used to enculturate the young child into the Mennonite value system.

21

Runde, runde Roose (Ring-Around-a-Rosy)

J =84

J

$~ l J Jl .Pi W Run- de, run- de Roo - se, Schee-ne

Au- pel - koo - se,

I alternate

l

1]]];1 Feil- che onn ''Ver-

I

ending

II p· l1 :P ; I:P ; 1 II giss-mein-nicht," Au- le

Kjin - ja

sat - te

sikj.

Au - le Kjin-ja

sat- te

sikj.

56

SINGING MENNONITE

Translation Ring around a rosy, Lovely apricots, Violets and forget-me-nots, All the children seat themselves.

This familiar German circle-game song was popular among N eueingewanderte children of the Chortitza Colony in Russia in the earlier part of this century. Older children sang it when choosing a leader for a new game. They would join hands and walk in a circle, singing this song. As they finished the last line, they would all fall down. The last one down would have to begin the next game. They would not have known that this song, which refers to the time of the bubonic plague in Europe in the 1300s, was anything more than a mere play-song. Younger Mennonite children, like other German-speaking children, sang this song as a game, rather than as a way of choosing a leader (Erk and Boehme 1893, 601). The use of the High German word Vergissmeinnicht for 'forget-me-nots' indicates that the Low German version is a translation. An alternative sung ending was rarely used because the children preferred the chant to this tune. OTHER CHILDREN'S SONGS

"Na, daut sent je bloos Kjinjaleeda" ('Well, those are just children's songs') was one of the most frequent responses when I introduced myself to Mennonites, particularly High German-speaking Mennonites, as a collector ofLow German songs. Yet, these children's songs appear to have social significance beyond their entertainment value. Among the older, more widely known songs brought from Russia are a number of animal tales, like "Schoptje jinkj enn't Wooltje" ("A Little Sheep Went into the Woods") or "Tiep Heenatjes" ("Little Chickens"), which warned children about punishment for disobedience. Similarly, in the Kanadier song "Ekj jinkj e'mol em Woolt'' ("I Once Went into the Woods"), the child is reminded that ludicrous behaviour will meet with ridicule, while, according to the Auswanderer version of this song, non-conformist behaviour is punished by social ostracism. In a society which values Demutigkeit or 'humility', pride is one of the gravest social wrongs and must be dealt with severely. How ironic that the descendants of the sixteenth-century radical non-conformists now value conformity!

Children's Songs

57

Several children's songs provide direct and indirect comment on traditional Mennonite family roles. Mother's place in the kitchen is implied by references to her domestic skills or to her singing to the children while she worked in the house or garden. Male roles, on the other hand, are referred to directly, for example, the referencetoFatherasafarmerin "UnjrimDakj"("UndertheRoof'). Fathersangto or with the children while riding to market in the wagon or waiting for supper. Father must have been at leisure to entertain the children at supper-time because the division of labour dictated that Mother would prepare the supper. Even the designation 'supper' speaks Mennonite. It distinguishes the class of Mennonites who sang Low German songs from other Mennonites and non-Mennonites who would have eaten a more formal meal, generally referred to as 'dinner', at night. Comments about Father as a farmer, or about domesticated animals such as sheep and chickens, help to place these songs within the context of an agrarian peasant society. And yet, a children's song about becoming a farmer was sung by only two grandmothers whose families had spent a longer period oftime in Prussia than most other Mennonites. The song is found often in collections of Prussian folksongs, and appears in two Mennonite versions: "Aus ekj 'mol en Bua wull Woare" ("Once upon a Time, When I Wanted to Become a Farmer"), sung by a lady of peasant stock, and "Aus ekj 'mol bie'm Buara wea" ("When I Visited a Farmer"), sung by an estate-owner's daughter. Again, these children's songs provide an index to rank and status among the Mennonite people. The entire extended family passed on the Low German song tradition. One grandfather talked about the songs he learned as a child from his aunts, who were known for their sense of humour and interest in folklore. They sang these songs while they worked as domestic help in his home in southern Manitoba in the early 1900s. However, it was from the mother's younger brother, or occasionally, also from the grandfather, that young girls learned humorous or even slightly 'naughty' songs. A surprising number of these Kjinjaleeda, or 'children's songs', were sung to High German religious tunes. For example, a RussHinder woman used the hymn tune "Wie sollt ich miissig bleiben?" ("How Can I Remain Idle?") and aNeueingewanderte woman used the tune of "Er lebt" ("He Lives") for the children's song "Tiep Heenatjes." Also, the tune to "Jesus liebt mich" ("Jesus Loves Me") was coupled with "Miene Marne ess mie goot" ("My Mother Loves Me"), while Russlander used the children's Christmas carol tune of "Ihr Kinderlein kommet" ("0 Come Little Children") for the lullaby "Susa Petruzha" ("Shush, My Little One"). The Russlander and Neueingewanderte who used these tunes did not regard them as religious, possibly because they were for children's songs.

58

SINGING MENNONITE

The emergence of hymn tunes for children's songs in early twentieth-century Russian Mennonite history may have been a subconscious reaction to threats to Mennonite religion and culture. These threats had been articulated first through intensified Russification after 1870, and later through socio-political upheavals caused by the Russian Revolution of 1917. Because "religious instruction, including the singing of hymns had been forbidden in school ... music in the church became more and more important after the revolution" (Berg 1979, 43). The elders of the church, concerned about their young people, envisaged music as a way of passing on the faith (ibid., 44). This concern may well have influenced adults' choice of melodies to sing to their children. There is another, equally plausible, explanation for this phenomenon. The hymn tunes of these particular children's songs are folk-like and would not be as overtly symbolic of the religious tradition as the chorale tunes. They could be used for children's songs without seeming sacrilegious. The folk -like character suggests melodies for children's songs and folk-like hymn tunes were borrowed from a common source, the German folksong tradition. However, the choice of these particular tunes would still be a political decision, showing Mennonite allegiance to the German, rather than the Russian or Ukrainian, cultural traditions. Bloos Kjinjaleeda? ('Mere children's songs?') The repeated references to familial and communal roles and expectations deny this simplistic label. Instead, these songs have provided an avenue for the socialization of Mennonite children to traditional Mennonite values.

Traditional

22

Schoptje jinkj enn't Wooltje (A Little Sheep Went into the Woods)

Kanadier version, Variant 1

rp ]l. ~ ]\ J = 76-84

Jll j

Schop-tjejinkj nom Wool - tje,

Stad sikj aun en Steen- tje,

0

wee deed daut

59

Children's Songs

'

J J IJ J Been - tje,

l J IJ J ; ;I J

Ji J1 I } •

l

Sad daut Schop-tje, "Baa, baa, baa!"

II

Sad daut Schop-tje, "Baa."

Translation A little sheep went into the woods, Hurt itself on a stone. Oh, how his leg did hurt. Said the little sheep, "Baa, baa, baa." Said the little sheep, "Baa." Kanadier version, Variant 2

j

= 72-80

~). }l)i Jll :l

J I~

'

J J Been

- tje,

J

}

J1 ;11

Stad sikj aun een Steen- tje, Woo wee deed am sien

Schop- tje jinkj enn't Wool- tje,

IJ

j) j)

}I

/":\

•

/":\ l

Jl J1

/":\

J I))

Sad daut Schop-tje, "Maa, maa, maa."

Translation A little sheep went into the woods, Hurt itself on a stone. How its leg did hurt. Said the little sheep, "Maa, maa, maa." Said the little sheep, "Maa."

l

•

Jl } ;11

J I

Sad daut Schop-tje, "Maa."

60

SINGING MENNONITE

Russlander/Molotschna version

J= 76-84

iP Jl.

Jinkj

)1

ib Jll ib Jl J ll·

een Schop-tje

en- n'e Woolt, Wull

)l )

l J~ ll ;)~ J

sikj ho-le

een Stecks-tje Hollt,

j Stad sikj aun een Steen

- tje Dan deed am

~ J.

J)JifiJJ J

Sad

daut Schop- tje, "Maa, maa, maa.

wee daut

Been - tje,

l

J II Maa, maa, maa, mien Been - tje."

Translation A little sheep went into the woods, Wanted to get itself a piece of wood, Hurt itself on a stone, And how its leg did hurt. Said the little sheep, "Maa, maa, maa. Maa, maa, maa, my little leg." Russlander/Chortitza (Grigoryevka) version

J. =80

~e $ IJ J J ib IJ. Daut Laum- tje jinkj enn't Wool - tje,

En

stad sikj aun en

Steen - tje, Woo

61

Children's Songs

$J

JJ liJ. Been

wee deed dan daut

1 -

lj )j.

tje, Donn sad daut Laum-tje, "Baa, baa, baa,

II

j Baa,

J

lj

baa," mien Laum - tje, "Baa."

Translation The little lamb went into the woods, And hurt itself on a stone, And how its leg did hurt. Then the little lamb said, "Baa, baa, baa, Baa, baa," my little lamb, "Baa." N eueingewanderteNollendam version

j

=84

$i

Et

~

Jj

l i'• I l

en

Schop-tje

)ll· j

jinkj

•

J1

~

Steen - tje,

Woo

enn

•

J1

J l

l

deed dan daut Been

Dan

sad mien Laum-tje, "Maa."

l

•

Ji

aun en

J5• i' I Jl• Jl• i'• i'• l

- tje, Dan sad mien Schop-tje,

II "Maa~

J

•

J1

dam Woolt, En stad sikj

I Ji Ji• Jl• Jl• I j wee

I

62

SINGING MENNONITE

Translation A little sheep went into the woods, And hurt itself on a stone. How its leg did hurt. Then my little sheep said, "Maa." Then my little lamb said, "Maa." N eueingewanderte/Chaco version

J. =72

p J

$~R J I J Et

jinkj en Schop- tje

J

l

Jll

F

Steen - tje Woo wee

"Maa,

*

p IJ maa, maa,

p j

enn

dam Woolt, En

PI r·

deed dan daut Been

*

:b I J. maa, maa."

J

stad

Jl l

I

sikj aun

een

l

j

j

- tje, Donn schreach daut Schop - tje,

*

II

Translation A little sheep went into the woods, And hurt itself on a stone. How its leg did hurt. Then the little sheep cried/screamed, "Maa, maa, maa, maa, maa." Additional verses(optional) 2.... stad sikj aun en Struckje, Woo wee deed dan daut Buckje 3.... Stockjei.Kopptje ... 4 .... Noageltje/Soageltje .. . 5 .... Schoweltje/Soageltje .. . 6.... Duatje/Uatje .. . 7.... Watje/Fratje .. .

PI

Translation 2 .... hurt itself on underbrush, How its stomach hurt 3 .... stick/bead .. . 4 .... nail/tail .. . 5 .... piece of broken glass/tail ... 6.... little door or gate/ear ... 7.... barrel/mouth ...

Children's Songs

63

This children's song was found among Mennonites of all immigration periods: Kanadier, Russlander ofboth Molotschna and Old Colony background, and Neueingewanderte immigrating to Canada through Paraguayan colonies in the Chaco and the East-Paraguay colony ofVollendam. Some of these immigrations were as much as seventy-five years apart, so the song must have been generally known to have survived in similar versions among all these immigrant groups. Melodies sung by Kanadier and Russlander used a similar German folksongidiom, while N eueingewanderte melodies differed. The N eueingewanderte/Chaco version, for example, uses the hymn tune "Es lebe Gott allein in mir'' ("God Alone Lives within Me"), found in the Russland Choralbuch of 1897. This choice of tune reflects the tendency of later immigrants to borrow hymn tunes for children's songs. The words are relatively similar in all versions of this story about a little sheep going into the woods, getting hurt and crying out in pain. Verses 2 and 3 were added to many versions, but other verses with rhyming pairs of words often were improvised by singers. This song was used both as a lullaby and to comfort children who had been injured while playing. This is in keeping with the traditional German use of this song "to quiet a child when it has hurt itself' (my trans. ofErk and Boehme 1893, 3:587). But the song may have had meaning beyond its ability to soothe the tired or crying child.lt may also be a way of warning a child about the dangers of exploring the unknown or the forbidden, reminding them of the natural consequences of socially unacceptable actions. The sheep, a domestic animal, gets hurt after it wanders into the woods, or unknown territory. Since lullabies are usually sung by women in the home, one would expect this one to be passed down through the women of the immediate family. However, one woman learned the song from her in-laws. And surprisingly, a number of men who were familiar with this song had learned it from their fathers. This is consistent with the fact that the role of singing to or with the children in the Mennonite family belongs to the parent who has an interest in music, rather than being assigned on the basis of gender alone.

SINGING MENNONITE

64

23

Tiep Heenatjes (Little Chickens) Tunel

j

= 76-84

~: J IJ

J

JlJ JIJ 1 J Jlj

Jie

Tiep Hee - na-tjes, tiep Ho - na-tjes, Waut doo jie opp onns Hoff?

-epie - kje au - le

~ J.

JJ J

Bloom- tjes auf, Daut

Ij

Ma- me woat junt schel

~

l

J1

J J IJ

Hee - na-tjes, tiep

Ho -

Translation Little chickens, little roosters, What are you doing on our yard? You are picking all our flowers. That seems really serious to us. Mother will scold you, Father will hit/spank you. Little chickens, little roosters, How will you feel then?

ess onns fal

too

groff.

J * I J )J J I J J J -

- le,

Jl j l

Pa

pa woat junt schlo -

ne.

JIJ J J JIJ J

na-tjes, Woo woatjunt daut dan

go

- ne?

Tiep

II

65

Children's Songs Tune 2: teasing tune

j

=92

$it

p I ~ p p p ~ p p pI ~ ~ D D F opp onns Hoff?

Tiep Hee- na- tjes, tiep Hee- na- tjes, Waut doo jie

$1 $1

p p p p p p v pIp p p pie - kje

au- le

Bloom-tjes

p p p p f Ma - me woat junt schel

r

- le,

auf, Daut

ess

onns

Ip p p p

fa.l

f

Pa-pa woat junt schlo l

J1

pI Jie

Ji j l

too

groff.

p p -

ne. Tiep

J

Hee- na- tjes, tiep Hee- na- tjes, Woo woat junt daut dan go

Translation Little chickens, little chickens, What are you doing on our yard? You are picking all our flowers. That seems really serious to us. Mother will scold you, Father will hit/spank you. Little chickens, little chickens, How will you feel then?

j

II ne?

SINGING MENNONITE

66 Tune3

j

=80

J

~: J I J J J J I J J J J I J J J J I J Tiep

Hee- na- tjes, tiep

Hee- na- tjes, Waut doo

jie opp dam Hoff?

~ J J J J I J J J. Jll J J J J I 1 pie - kje

aul dee Bloom-tjes auf,

Ma- me woatjunt schel -

le,

Jie

Dee

J Dee

groff.

moa- ke daut too

schlo

Pa- pa woatjunt

-

~J J 3 JIJ J 3 JIJ J J JIJ Hee- na- tje, tiep

Hee- na - tje, Woo woat et

die dan

go

Jie

J J ne.

Tiep

II

J -

I

ne?

Translation

see Tune 2 translation Tune4

j

=80

,~~b!;IJ J J JIJ J J JIJ J J Tiep Hee- na- tjes, tiep

$~bq

Hee- na- tjes, Waut doo

JIJ J I

jie opp onns Hoff?

J J J IJ J J JIJ J J J IJ

ple- kjen au - le

Bloom-tjes auf, En schmie-ten dee em

Stoff.

Jie

J Ma-

67

Children's Songs

J I J :bJ JIJ J rna -

tje woatjunt schel-len,

Pa - pa -

tje woat junt schlo-nen.

J

I

Tiep

II Hee- na- tjes, tiep

Hee - na- tjes,Woo woat junt daut dan

go - nen?

Translation Little chickens, little chickens, What are you doing on our yard? You are picking all the flowers, And throwing them into the dust. Mother will scold you, Father will hitJspank you. Little chickens, little chickens, How will you feel then?

This song is frequently part ofPrussian German folklore collections (e.g. Frischbier 1867, 20-21). Its familiarity among Mennonites could be due to its entertainment value as a children's song, but it also reinforces the traditional social order with respect to parents' behavioural expectations and disciplinary action for disobedience. The parents' roles are divided: Mother's disciplinary action is verbal, while Father administers corporal punishment for bad behaviour. Bad behaviour, according to this song, is the act of destroying someone else's property. There is no discussion of restoring the relationship with the person whose property has been damaged, possibly because children are involved. The assumption that this song is a teaching one is supported by the comments of several singers. After our discussion of this song, an older lady also told me a moralistic animal folktale or fable, designed to inspire good behaviour. A young mother recalled that in her childhood, she and her siblings would change the words to "Mame woat junt schlone, I Papa woat junt kjiele" ('mother will hit/spank you, I father will beat you up') to instil the fear of punishment and thus good behaviour into younger siblings when they played together out of the parents' earshot. This probably was a self-protective measure, since the older siblings were held accountable for the misdemeanours of younger siblings when the parents were not in the immediate vicinity.

68

SINGING MENNONITE

These lyrics contrast with a variant in which the chickens/children are told "Mother will pinch you, I father will spank you" (my trans., Firmenich 1854, 37). Tune 1 is one version of the most standard tune used for these words by Kanadier and Russlander. Tunes 1 and 2 both appear in the instrumental accompaniment to the children's games in Act I, Scene III ofThe Bridge (Wiebe and Brandt 1974), a Mennonite folk opera written for the Manitoba Mennonite centennial celebrations in 1974. Tunes 3 and 4 exhibit a characteristic common to Russlander and Neueingewanderte versions of children's songs. They are adaptations of familiar, folk-like, German hymn tunes. It is interesting that singers denied any similarity between the tune they used and the hymn tunes they represent. In any case, all tunes recorded here differ substantially from those in Erk's Deutscher Liederhort (1893, 3:592).

24

Sprunk en Bock (ARam Was Springing)

j

=96

~t )) ,p J Sprunk en

Bock,

J sprunk

en Bock,

En daut kjlie - ne Goad - tje,

Il l l Kaum dee Mut - ta drooss-lijch aun,

Sad

a

em - rna, "Maa, aa,

aa,

Translation A ram was springing, a ram was springing, In the little garden, The mother, she came angrily, And grabbed him by the beard. He kept saying, "Maa, aa, aa, Maa, aa, aa, maa."

Foot am

aun

I j) j) 1 Maa, aa, a a,

J

J

sien Boat bleated

tje,

l

J1

l

I"':'\ )

;>

zos

maa."

""

II

Children's Songs

69

During their early years in Russia, Mennonites concentrated on raising sheep. Even after the mid-nineteenth century, when conditions began to favour grain farming, Mennonites continued to raise sheep on a small scale. Thus, a ram invading Mother's garden was a likely occurrence. Mother's angry response is not surprising, and the ram's pleas ofinnocence are amusing. It is surprising, however, that the mother grabs the ram's beard. Is the ram, in fact, a billy goat? This song, like "Tiep Heenatjes," may have been used for didactic purposes, teaching obedience by ridiculing pretended innocence.

25

Aus ekj 'mol en Bua wull Woare (Once upon a Time, When I Wanted to Become a Farmer) Textl

l

)J) );) l

Aus

'

~# J)

,~

,~

L

ekj mol

•

l

~ J)

en Bua wull woa - re, Wull

•

~

J) l

Groot - knoss

heet

J J

J)

l

l

ekj uck

en Oss

- tje ha,

• •I • • • • l

l

J)

~ J)

~

J)

•J

de

Oss,

•J ~

Yies- brajcht, heet de Kjnajcht,

Jl Tiet

I

l

~

~ iJ

l

J!

~

Woo mien Oss - tje donn sull hee - te,

l

~

~ ••h

L

Au - le Lied- tjes wul- le wee - te,

J J

l iJ l J

}.

J

•J -

l

J!

~

fe- driew

J

Lang - hauls

heet

•

J! heet

•~ J

dautWiew,

•~

J

de Gauns,

70

SINGING MENNONITE

J

J)

Tip - pel - ton

heet

l

Jl

,~ J

l

de

l

l

J1 J1

Hon,

J) J. l

Ran - a - ran - a - ran,

Soo

II heet uck mie - ne Han.

Translation Once upon a time when I wanted to become a farmer, I also wanted to have a little ox. All the people (diminutive) wanted to know, What my little ox was supposed to be called. My ox was called big (animal) foot, My wife was called wasting-time, My male servant was called Giesbrecht, My goose was called long-throat, My rooster was called speckle-tone, Run-a-run-a-run, so was called my hen. Text2

J =92

$~ J

$ J ; ]l Jl J

Aus ekj mol bie'm Bua-ra

Au - le

'

J

Lied dee wul - le

Krie- de

wea,

J)

rei - de ron,

soo

l

l

$ J

I j)

}

J

J J

en

Hon

ha - ben,

l

Wull ekj uck

wee - te,

J

Ji j) J) l

IJ

Woo doch woll mien Hon sull

j)

l

}

l

)1

1

heet doch woll mien Hon.

hee- te,

II

Children's Songs 2. Aus ekj mol bie'm Bua-ra wea, Wull ekj uck ne Han ha-ben, Tip-pel-tan soo heet mien' Han, Krie-de rie-de ron, soo heet doch woll mienHon. 3 .... Kwac-kel-tan soo heet mien' Ent, Tip-peltan .. . 4 .... ne Gauns ... Langhauls 5 .... en Schwien ... jerje Wien 6. . .. ne Koo ... Plingtoo 7 .... en Peat ... Jelt weat 8. . .. en Kjint ... scheene Leen

71 Translation 1. Once when I was at the farmer's, I also wanted to have a rooster. All the people wanted to know, What my rooster was to be called. Kriede riede ron, so was called my rooster. 2 .... a chicken ... speckle-tone 3.... a duck ... quackle-tone 4. . .. a goose ... long throat 5 .... apig ... ?wine 6.... a cow ... ? 7. . .. a horse ... money worth 8 .... a child ... lovely Helen

Oddly enough, this song about a farmer was sung by only two people among a group noted for their agricultural interests and abilities. One explanation may be that the song is of Prussian origin (Frischbier 1867, 47), and the Mennonites have appropriated only a limited number of Prussian songs. The two individuals who sang this song are descendants of families who spent considerably more time in Prussia than did other Mennonites. Mrs. Horch, the daughter of a minister who came to Canada via the U.S.A., learned the song from her Polish grandmother, as she called her. Mrs. Thiessen, the daughter of a large estate owner in the Ukrainian province ofEkaterinoslav, had no contact with village children and learned all her songs from her mother. Mostofthese songs, Prussian in origin, were unfamiliar to other Mennonites. At first glance, the melodies of these versions seem to be fairly dissimilar. A closer look reveals a basic similarity between the first two and the last phrases of the two versions. This suggests these two versions are variants of the same basic tune. The lyrics also are similar enough to support this assumption. The only typically Mennonite aspect of the lyrics is the names. Giesbrecht is rarely found in the upper class and so represents the servant class, but Helen is a common Mennonite name. Apart from that, the song is typical of peasant farming. The farmer has only one of each animal, suggesting he probably does not have the wherewithal to run a bigger operation. The original version was obviously a cumulative song, although neither version of this song consistently bears this out. In Text 1, we apparently have the final verse of the song, so we do not hear the introduction of another animal in each verse. However, Verse 2 ofText 2 indicates that this is how the song was sung. The

72

SINGING MENNONITE

similarity of this song to "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" reinforces this assumption. The song is sung in a cumulative manner in contemporary performances. It was first popularized by the J ereeschte Tweeback at Winnipeg's Folklorama in the summer of 1981. The Heischraitje en Willa Honich recorded the song with barnyard sound-effects on their second album of Low German songs, entitled Sprie. Traditionally, the song was used to entertain children. Mrs. Horch writes that her Grandmother Harms used to sing this and other songs about animals and farming while she fed the chickens and pigs (Horch 1979, 146). There is, however, one significant difference in the two versions of this song. The poor man's daughter sings about wanting to be a farmer, while the estateowner's daughter talks about 'visiting' the peasant farmer. This difference between the rich and the poor is expressed more implicitly than in other German folklore. Firmenich, for example, found songs like"Als ick moal en riker Mann was" ("When I Was a Rich Man") (Firmenich 1842, 130), which probably expressed aspirations rather than realities, and "Eck wooren oorem Moan" ("I Was a Poor Man") (ibid.,1846, 814). The references to economic differences in Low German songs indicate this was a point of tension among the Mennonite people.

26

Unjrim Dakj (Under the Roof)

j

=84-92

'~b-~~:

)

l

J1

J1 •h

J

Unj - rim Dakj,

l

unj- rim Dakj, l

J1 J1 l

Op - pem Hoff,

J I ]l

l

j)

Haft

dee

J IJ

J1

op- pem Hoff,

l

Schleit dee

J)

J J

Spoa -linkj

Bua

"0 mien leef- stet Fo - da- tje, Daut Pead-tje haft en

-

jun

l J J dam Jun

J

-

ge,

J gen.

So- del- tje, Daut

73

Children's Songs

I J l )) l l ; J II Hon- tje haft en

roo - da Kaum,

Boolt woat Pee-ta- tje Brie - de - gaum."

Translation Under the roof, under the roof, The sparrow has young ones. On the yard, on the yard, The farmer hits/punishes the young one/boy. "Oh my dearest father, The horse has a saddle, The rooster has a red comb, Peter will soon be a bridegroom."

In this song, a young boy is trying to distract his father from punishing him. The poet sets the stage for the boy's attempt by contrasting the protective covering under which the sparrow shelters its young ones with the open yard which offers no shelter for the farmer's young one. The young boy's plea for leniency is made more poignant by the endearing terms with which he addresses his father, but also by his seemingly illogical argument. His references to various animals and Peter's impending marriage may seem at first to serve merely as a distraction. However, the young lad is pointing out that even the horse and rooster have a protective covering. And Peter, who may be his older brother, will not be under the father's roof or jurisdiction when he marries. Surely a caring father would be convinced by this argument. Rev. Klassen, a West-Reserve KanadierofMolotschna Colony background, was the only person who knew this song, which he had learned from his father. Since most other West-Reserve Kanadier were originally of Chortitza Colony background, it is not surprising that the late Mr. Klassen, whose family also migrated later in the nineteenth century than most other Kanadier, knew repertoire which differed from theirs. However, the Low German songs he sang also contrasted with those known by East-Reserve Kanadier ofMolotschna Colony background, who migrated to Canada several decades before his family.

SINGING MENNONITE

74

27

Dee nieja Raajenschorm (The New Umbrella)

J=96

~~~C:J

!":\ !":\

l

l

l

Ji Jl I J5 l

Frits ran schwind

~ji (jfj;)

no

Jl Jl j l

~~

l

Ekj

l

nijch

l l no

am

--.

t

__.,Jl

l

Jl

J

]

Daut

soo- nem schlajch-ten Wa

- da

J5

mie

- nem

Jl J1 l

l

bie

J

~

l

J5

Jl Ji I ]

l

saj am daut doch kloa aun,

Jl Jl

l

J5

............. Fa - da,

J1 l

J

l

l

En

II

ko - men kaun.

2. Raaj-nen deit daut soos ut Bet-ten, Daut dee Wajch mo jrod soo schwamt, En waa wudd daut Frits fer-bee-den Wan hee sikj dan Schorm met nemt? 3. "Domma Benjel," roopt dee Foda, "Domma Benjel, waut saul daut? Denkj bie soonem schlajchtet Wada, Woat dee nieja Schorm gauns naut."

Translation 1. Fred, run quickly to my cousin, And tell him very clearly, That in such miserable weather, I can't come to (visit) him. 2. It's raining, as out of tubs, So that the road actually swims, And who would forbid Fred To take along the umbrella? 3. "Stupid rascal," calls the father, "Stupid rascal, what is this? Realize that in such miserable weather, The new umbrella will get completely wet."

The late Rev. Klassen thoroughly enjoyed singing this song, learned in his childhood, to entertain people or relieve tension. He invariably sang the song when it rained. In July 1978, during the unveiling of a Mennonite historical monument,

75

Children's Songs

there was a temporary delay in the proceedings when it began to rain. Rev. Klassen immediately began singing this song, much to the delight of the audience. One cannot help but be amused at the irony of the father's sending the son with a message when it is raining too hard for the father to go out, or of the father's forbidding the son to use the umbrella because of the pouring rain. But what is the underlying message of the song? Is it the fact that a peasant society is under economic constraint and therefore has to guard and use new possessions carefully? Is it frugality, or does it refer to the Mennonite perception of humility, with the reluctance to use new material possessions because they may demonstrate pride? Most likely, this song was adopted from Prussian folklore by Rev. Klassen's family, because it is a humorous comment on Mennonite frugality.

28

Wie sent kjliene Schnetje (We Are Little Biscuits)

J =92

$~£

.,Q

11 ).

Wie sent kjlie

I ne Schne - tje,

)I J Sua - ra Schrnaunt en

Bot

J ta,

l

$

Marn'

haft onns

dan

0

we,

l

].

Haft

se

toop

Ess

een bess - je

Oa

-

beit,

J)

NerntJteckt onns wa -

J I ]. 0

l

)

I

je

I ].

$ Stoppt onns en

,~

l

J)

Jj

J

backt,

,~ je

J

I -

reat.

,~ I J

da

rut.

l I

- ba schrnackt onns

j goot.

II

SINGING MENNONITE

76 Translation We are little biscuits, Mother has baked us, Sour cream and butter, Together she has stirred. Puts us into the oven, Takes/jerks us out again. It's a little work, But tastes good to us.

This is a very playful song. It seems that the biscuits themselves are singing until the very last line, where we realize the children must be playing the role ofbiscuits, since they also eat them. Each singer of this song uses a slightly different list of ingredients. Sometimes it is flour and buttermilk, and at other times flour, milk and soda, but everyone agrees that although they involve a little work, they are really very tasty.

29

Mie Hungat (I'm Hungry)

J =92

$~6 LJll Mie

,~b

J

Grooss

J Jl

ji Jl l

Jl J1 I l

l

- rna ern

dee wel

J Kjal

Ij ha

J

la,

ess

l

do a

J IJ be,

)>I J. J schlac- kat de Buck,

IJ

J1 Jl I l

-

l

- gat, rnie

hun - gat, rnie pun

'~b 1 J J dee,

;;b I J

dee

J ee l

ji

l

j) Bie

Jl ne Kruck/Wruck. Waa

j. Jl I l

kjernt en

sajcht,

l Bie

77

Children's Songs

'&b J

Grooss

J1 ~

Ji I J l

- rna em

Kjal

l

J1

jJ

- la,

do a

l

I

J ess

I ee - ne

Kruck/Wruck.

Translation I'm hungry, I'm hungry, my stomach is flapping around, At grandmother's, in the basement, there is a crock/turnip, Whoever, whoever wants it, simply comes and says so, At grandmother's, in the basement, there is a crock/turnip.

Originally of German Lutheran origin, Hilda Matsuo and her Japanese husband are now members of a Mennonite church. She learned this and other Low German songs as a child living among Kanadier of Molotschna Colony background. Her neighbours were members of the Evangelical Mennonite Conference, formerly known as the Kleinegemeinde, at Kleefeld, near Steinbach in southeastern Manitoba. In many Mennonite homes, children recited the first line ofthis song when they were hungry. In other homes, they recited the entire poem. There is a certain irony in the version with the crock, or little brown jug. The surface reading is that whoever wants to imbibe simply comes and says so. Obviously, a child might ask for a cookie or other treat, but certainly not for the contents of the crock- possibly home-made wine. Neither would an adult in many of these homes speak openly about drinking. More likely, there would have been discreet comments about someone having to go into the basement. And one would hardly expect someone to ask for a 'turnip', so, since its Low German equivalent rhymes with crock, it may have been a euphemism. The irony rests in the apparent openness about a secretive act, not to mention the use ofa tune like "Ihr Kinderlein kommet" ("0 Come Little Children") for a song about something totally forbidden to children.

78

SINGING MENNONITE

30

Hupps Merjaltje (Jump/Dance Little Girl)

J. =72

$~J &

pj

Hupps Mer-jal - tje, hupps Mer-jal - tje,

Lot

de Popp - tjes daun -

IJ Ha - be roo - de

Jack - tjes aun,

Sen

r·

se,

J. woll fonn de

Fraun

-

II

se.

Translation

Jump/dance little girl, jump little girl, Let the little dolls dance. They are wearing jackets of red, Surely come from France.

The earliest transcription of this song, entitled "Zum Tanze der Puppe" ("For a Doll's Dancing"), is found in Erk and Boehme's Deutscher Liederhort (1893, 3:589). Their version, dated 1800, is a children's song encouraging the little girl to dance with her doll because she has met a good man, a man from Complisance. A parody of this song, found in an East-Frisian folklore collection, contains several references to political events in nineteenth-century Europe: "Hopp Merjantje, hopp merjantje! I Laat ju Puppkes danzen: I Frager har wi Pruszen in't Land: I Un nude kahle Franzen" (Meier 1972, 210). This is translated as: 'Jump little girl, jump little girl, I Let the little dolls dance, I Earlier we had Prussians in the land, I And now the bald Frenchmen.' This version originally was published by Meier in 1868 and pre-dates the Franco-Prussian War. Thus, the song belongs to an earlier historic era, probably referring to the Napoleonic invasion of Prussian-held territories. Specifically, it could refer to the Battle of Jena of 1806 in East Friesland, where Napoleon defeated the Prussian forces, holding the territory until1813. Mrs. Thiessen, who sang the song for me, thought it referred to theNapoleonic invasions ofEurope. Since the French army was identified by its red jackets, this is

Children's Songs

79

plausible. The reference to 'bald' Frenchmen in Meier's version may be literal or figurative. In any case, it is apparent that the French were not well liked. This song is a fine example of the changing use of nursery rhymes from political comment in the immediate context to entertainment, when removed from the political situation to which they refer. Mrs. Thiessen learned the song from her mother, who sang it while she rocked or bounced little children on her knee. So the Prussian dancing tune became an entertaining knee-bouncer when it entered a non-dancing Mennonite home.

Immigrant

31

Doa wear e'mol en Maun (There Once Was a Man) Tune: The Farmer in the Dell 1. Doa wear e'mol en Maun, Doa wear e'mol en Maun, Doa wea e'mol en Brommelsmaun, Doa wear e'mol en Maun. 2. Dee Maun dee haud ne Fru ... 3. Dee Fru haud en Kjint ... 4. Daut Kjint haud en Hunt .. . 5. Dee Hunt haud ne Kaut .. .

Translation 1. There once was a man, There once was a man, There once was a Brommelsman, There once was a man. 2. The man had a wife .. . 3. The wife had a child .. . 4. The child had a dog .. . 5. The dog had a cat .. .

"Doa wear e'mol en Maun" is a translation of "The Farmer in the Dell," sung by Mennonite children like Veleda Unger Goulden and her friends several decades ago in Manitoba's East Reserve. Mrs. Goulden's De goldene Shlut, a collection of Low German nursery rhymes, also contains a rhyme entitled "Een Miatje" or"A Fairy Tale," also beginning "Doa wia ee'mol een Maun" (Unger 1974, 50). That fairy tale differs from this story. In the fairy tale, a man had a cow, which had a calf, which had a colourful hat. The tale ends with a golden lock, a gold feather and the promise of another tale tomorrow. Although the details of this tale are different from those of "The Farmer in the Dell," its man-cow-calfsequence may have inspired some child or adult to translate "The Farmer in the Dell" into Low German. Of special interest in the Low German version is the seemingly untranslatable term Brommelsmaun. To bromme means to "hum, purr, vibrate, buzz" (Rempel

80

SINGING MENNONITE

1984, 21), and is a noise often associated with spinning tops. So the man may be, in contemporary colloquialism, 'slightly spinny'. However, since the mumming custom, traditionally practised by some of the rural or village Mennonites in the West Reserve, is called Brommtopp, and there is some similarity between the Brommtopp lyrics and the ones here, this may be an oblique reference to the mumming tradition, still implying the man is somewhat of a clown. TheNew Year's mumming tradition was frowned on in some Mennonite circles because of its similarity to the antics of irresponsible Hallowe'en pranksters. Commenting on it in a children's song is, therefore, a way of expressing a point of tension in a seemingly unthreatening manner.

32

Ekj jinkj e'mol em Woolt (I Once Went into the Woods) Text 1

J =84

$&"•!

;I l l:h ll J Ekj jinkj

e' mol

em Woolt,

~ I v· l jinkj e' mol

•~ I )1

Ekj jinkj

). )I j). ]

em Brom-mels-woolt, Ekj jinkj

2. Waut deedst du enn dam Woolt? 3. Ekj hold mie doa waut Hollt. 4. Waut deedst du met daut Hollt? 5. Ekj muak doamet Fea. 6. Waut deedst du met dee Ausch? 7. Ekj muak mie doamet Ltiag. 8. Waut deedst du met dee Ltiag? 9. Ekj wosch doamet mien Hamd. 10. Waut funkst du en daut Hamd? 11. Ekj funk doa eene Ltis. 12. Waut deedst du met dee Ltis? 13. Ekj ladad dee mie auf.

l :h l I J e'mol l

J)

e' mol

em Woolt,

•~ I

em

j.. Woolt.

14. Waut deedst du met daut Lada? 15. Ekj muak mie doafonn Schoo. 16. Waut deedst du met dee Schoo? 17. Ekj jinkj doamet no Kjoakj. 18. Waut saden donn dee Lied? 19. Dee saden ekj wea domm. 20. Nu haft daut Leet en Enj.

ll Ekj

II

81

Children's Songs 9. I washed my shirt with it. 10. What did you find in the shirt? 11. I found a louse there. 12. What did you do with the louse? 13. I 'leathered/lathered' it off. 14. What did you do with the leather? 15. I made myself shoes with it. 16. What did you do with the shoes? 17. I went to church with them. 18. What did the people say then? 19. They said that I was dumb. 20. Now the song has an end.

Translation 1. I went into the woods, I went into the woods, I went into the Brommels woods, I went into the woods. 2. What did you do in the woods? 3. I got myself some wood. 4. What did you do with the wood? 5. I made a fire with it. 6. What did you do with the ashes? 7. I made myself a lye solution with it. 8. What did you do with the lye solution? Text2

J =76

$~~, g:J> I Jl Jl Jl J

JIJ__...,J dam

Ekj jinkj e' mol enn

,~~,

l

............

~

Woolt.

'~"b

e'

mol

f

~ ~

Ekj jinkj

l l l jinkj

ll ~

j

Woolt. __

e'

mol enn

J

Jl I J..____.......,j

enn

dam

2. Waut wusst du enn dam Woolt? 3. Ekj wull mie jriep'n en Hos. 4. Waut wusst du met dam Hos? 5. Ekj wull dam ladre auf. 6. Waut wusst du met daut Ladda?

l

Ekj jinkj

e' mol enn

pI f

dam (

ji

dam Bloo - mes-woolt. Ekj

II

Woolt.

7. Ekj wull doa moake Schoo. 8. Waut wusst du met dee Schoo? 9. Ekj wull doamet too Kjoakj. 10. Waut sade de Lied donn? 11. Dee sade ekj wea stollt.

82

SINGING MENNONITE

Translation 1. I once went into the woods. 2. What did you want in the woods? 3. I wanted to catch myself a rabbit. 4. What did you do with the rabbit? 5. I wanted to skin it (leather it ofl).

6. What did you want to do with the leather? 7. I wanted to make shoes. 8. What did you want to do with the shoes? 9. I wanted to go to church with them. 10. What did the people say then? 11. They said that I was proud.

Text 1 is fairly common among Kanadier. The story of this nonsense song is told through a series of questions and answers. Most of the story is straightforward. Two comments, however, require clarification: how one gets soap-water from ashes and how one gets leather from a louse. Henry Ens described the ashes-to-soap-water process as: Eena nemt ne Wiedentjiep. Doa benne moakt eena en Nast fonn Stroo. Dan nemt eena Holtausch en moakt dee en daut Stroonast nenn. Dan plenjat eena hoadet Bormwota en dee Kjiep, on lat daut deijch latjen. Dan kjricht eena scheenet waakjet Wota tom wauschen. This is translated as: One takes a reed/willow basket and makes a nest of straw in it. Then one takes wood ashes and places them into this straw nest. One dribbles hard well-water into the basket and lets it drip through. Thus one gets soft water for washing. The louse-to-leather process has a rather different explanation, hinging on the ambiguous meaning of the word laddad. Literally meaning 'leathered', the Low German word can mean either 'lathered' as with soap, or 'leathered' as in skinning an animal, thereby producing leather for making shoes. It is not surprising that something as ludicrous as the literal reading, implying skinning a louse to produce leather, gets a "They said I was dumb" response. The last verse of the song was improvised by one person to demonstrate how easy it is to add another verse to a nonsense song. Text 2 appears to be the more sensible version. Since all the action is believable, one wonders why the people respond by saying he/she was proud. We must go beyond the actual lyric to find an answer for this apparent incongruity. Klippenstein's version has gone through several migrations: to Paraguay with the Auswanderer in the 1920s, then to Bolivia, back to Paraguay, and to Canada in

Children's Songs

83

the 1970s. The Mennonites who took this and other similar immigration routes considered Demutigkeit or 'humility' one of the highest Christian virtues. Wearing new shoes would make one susceptible to pride, a serious religious and social offence. The song, although apparently a nonsense song, would nevertheless reinforce both the necessity for a humble lifestyle and the importance of conformity to the norm. The primary-school-aged girl who sang this song learned it from her uncle. Frequently, little girls learned more colourful songs from male relatives, usually uncles and sometimes grandfathers, often on the mother's side of the family.

33

M'rieche haud en kjlienet Lawn (Mary Had a Little Lamb) Tune: Mary Had a Little Lamb 1. M'rieche haud en kjlienet Laum' Kjlienet Laum, kjlienet Laum, M'rieche haud en kjlienet Laum, Daut wea soo wit aus Schnee.

Translation 1. Mary had a little lamb, Little lamb, little lamb, Mary had a little lamb, It was as white as snow.

2. Aule waaj'n wua M'rieche jinkj ... Doajinkj dautLaumtje met.

2. Everywhere that Mary went ... The little lamb went with her.

3. Dautjinkj met ar no School een Dach ... Donn wea dee Leara doll.

3. It went with her to school one day ... Then the teacher was angry.

While reading water meters in Winkler in 1978-79 to help pay my way through university, I encountered a home in which only Low German was spoken. The family had recently immigrated from Mexico. The parents said their little daughters, who were too shy to sing for a stranger, often sang the first verse of this song while playing with their dolls and other toys. The other two verses were sung by Auswanderer children whose parents migrated to Canada from Mexico several decades ago. They had enjoyed translating the song as much as singing it. Translation of songs into Low German by children was found only among Auswanderer, probably because Low German is still their first language and so they have the language fluency required for translation.

SINGING MENNONITE

84

34

Miene Marne en Pape sent Plautd.ietsch (My Mother and Father Are Low German) Tune: For He's a J oily Good Fellow

Miene Marne en Pape sent Plautdietsch (3 times), Dan sie ekj Plautdietsch uck (3 times). Miene Marne en Pape sent Plautdietsch (3 times), Dansie ekj Plautdietsch uck.

Translation My mother and father are Low German (3 times), Then I am Low German too (3 times), My mother and father are Low German (3 times), Then I am Low German too.

These lyrics, familiar to Mennonites around Steinbach in the East Reserve, are reminiscent oftheir English counterpart, "My Mother and Father Are Irish." The lyrics suggest that Low German is not only a language, but also a symbol of the Mennonites as an ethnic group. For some Mennonites, then, language and ethnicity are virtually synonymous.

35

Miene Marne ess mie goot (My Mother Loves Me)

j

=92-100

cb 2

==p

'

~

J! l

ll·

~;1

Mie - ne Ma - me

ess

mie goat,

Jeft

J mie schee-net

A

ten,

I':\

l Jl. JIJ Schin-kje-fleesch en Bot - ta-broot,

Daut woa'k nie

fe - ja -

J

ten.

II

85

Children's Songs Translation

My mother loves me, Gives me good food, Ham and buttered bread, I'll never forget that!

When a high-school barbershop quartet, consisting of Johnny Friesen, Johnny Pauls, Alvin Pauls and George Sawatzky, sang this song in 1959 at the annual Sunflower Festival in Altona, a woman in the audience was overheard saying, "Oba horch emol! Dee sinje Dietsch! Noch fonn miene Mame!" ('Listen! They are singing German! Even from my mother!'). She may well have learned this song from her mother. Many Mennonites recalled having sung this song when they were children. One teenager said that as a child, he was expected to sing it to his grandmother whenever she was about to give him a gift or treat. Other children sang this song while they played. Schinkjefleesch en Bottabroot are favourite foods in many Mennonite homes, so the mother's gift to the child would be valued. The lyrics show Mother's traditional role in the home, since the child's primary image of Mother is as a homemaker. The original words of the song "Jesus Loves Me" inspired this version of "Mother Loves Me." Other similarly paired songs exist. Thematic correlation between new and original words in this and other songs suggests that original words can be a catalyst for the writing of new words in a similar vein.

36

Schnetje, Schnetje (Biscuits, Biscuits)

.J = 108

~ J J IJ Schne

-

tje,

Schne

J - tje,

l

JJ

p p

Schee- ne

see

l

J) I - te

J

Schne

J II tje,

86

SINGING MENNONITE

Met

~

en

)p

)p

]

Met

en

bess

I~ ]

)p

Schee- ne

Sie - rupp,_

bess - je

)p I j - je

)p )p I see - te

Met en

I

Malkj,

bess - je

] ] ] Sent

dee

toop

Soo- da_

)p I j je

- reat.

II

J

Schne - tje, Haft

Ma - me onns je - backt.

Translation Biscuits, biscuits, Lovely, sweet biscuits, Chanted With a little syrup, With a little soda, With a little milk, They are mixed. Lovely sweet biscuits, Mother has baked for us.

The tone of this nursery rhyme about a favourite food is very positive, suggesting material and emotional well-being in the home. Food is plentiful, and there is a loving relationship between mother and child. Dan Sawatzky, who sang this song for me in a telephone interview, was uncertain about whether or not the tune for this song was the one used for the religious chorus "Praise Him, Praise Him, All Ye Little Children." His reaction was atypical. Other singers made no correlation between their Low German nursery songs and the religious words sung to the same tune in another context. Ifthe melody is the one used for the religious song, then "Schnetje, Schnetje," like "Miene Marne ess mie goot," substitutes a Low German lyric about Mother's goodness for a lyric

87

Children's Songs

about God's goodness. Does this imply that Mother's love is more practical and tangible than God's love? A similar rhyme, recited rather than sung, appears in the Unger collection (Unger 1974, 37).

37

Eene kjleene Fiddel (A Little Fiddle)

j

=116

,~# % J1 J1 J1 Jl l

Ee - ne kjlee - ne

kjlee - ne

Ee - ne

,,

le

Au

Twee,

,,

j

j Fid -

spiild

Stecks

dree

Die

I

J

haud

ekj

J

J

ekj

m1e

o

tjes,

J

J

ha

be,

j jear'n.

j een, l

J

Jl

da

fee

-

J

J1

ja,

Donn

l

JJI J ekj onn sprunk

sunk l

ekj

J

J IJ

J Jl

I

del

Dach

J

J

mucht

del

J

J

J

J

I

J

J

J

-

Fid

l l l

,~ l ,~D

J J

l

l

l

l - del

l J

l

ji die

ekj

-

del domm

uck

J domm,

los

I

e - romm,

tijch l

ji

l

die - del

J1 l

die

l J

- del

I • domm domm,

88

~

SINGING MENNONITE

j I J J! J J) ) 4 del die - del domm, domm domm l

l

Die -

2. Eene kjleene Fiddel kjlingt soo leeflijch, Eene kjleene Fiddel kjlingt soo scheen, Nobasch Kjinja onn onns Spits, Kaumen aula aus dee Blits, Donn sung wie onn sprung wie uck losstijch eromm, Diedel diedel domm domm ...

j

j

domm

domm.

II

Translation 1. I'd like to have a little fiddle, I'd really like to have a little fiddle, Every day I'd play one, Two, three little pieces, or four, Then I'd sing and jump 'round merrily, Diddle diddle dumm dumm ... 2. A little fiddle sounds so lovely, A little fiddle sounds so beautiful, The neighbour's children and our Spitz, Would all come as lightning, Then I'd sing and jump 'round merrily, Diddle diddle dumm dumm ...

Mr. John G. Sawatzky is one of the musical Mennonite grandfathers who has translated a number of songs into Low German for his children and grandchildren. He used to sing these, as well as some of the more familiar Low German lullabies and children's songs, to his children while he bounced them on his knee. There were no children present when we recorded his songs, but he accompanied his singing with a slight rocking motion and tapped his feet on the floor, as though he was reminiscing about the times when he used to sing for his children and grandchildren. Mr. Sawatzky's life exemplifies the message of this song: that music is a happy, social activity. In the past few years he has found a new outlet for his musical abilities as a violinist in the local Senior Citizens' Orchestra. After our taping session, we rehearsed one of the pieces he was preparing to play with the orchestra at the Pioneer Days celebration, held annually in early August at the Mennonite Village Museum in Steinbach.

89

Children's Songs

38

Du kjliena Kjniepa (You Little Insect)

~

=96

$~ ~~~IJ 1 J lll J J. l l J IJ J J J I Du kjlie-na Kjnie-pa,

'~

].

wan ekj die

ll l l v v

hin - ja Been-tjes auf, Dan motts

J J Schin- kje,

l

#)

jrie - pa,

~v I du

Dan riet ekj die - ne kjlie - ne

J J. hin

l

v v

- kje,

opp

l IJ J J J I J

Aus ee - ne

kjlie - ne

Pie

- pa

-

Jl

ee - nen ~

II

miis.

Translation You little insect, ifl catch you, Then 111 tear off your little hind legs, Then you1l have to hobble on one thigh, Like a little squeaky mouse.

This Low German parody of"Dukleine Fliege" ("You Little Fly'') was performed one August at the annual Kleefeld Honey Festival. No details about the origins of the song or its performance were available.

CHAPTER THREE

THERE is no apparent consensus concerning the name of this category of songs. Among Kanadier, religious songs are called Jeistliche Leeda ('spiritual songs') or I(joakjeleeda ('church songs'), while some Russlander call them Kristliche Leeda or 'Christian songs'. Most Jeistliche Leeda are choruses and Christmas songs translated or paraphrased from English or High German. These songs have been found only among Auswanderer, usually members ofthe Chortitzer Church on the East Reserve, or the Old Colony Church on the West Reserve, who have returned to Canada from Latin America. Translated songs of this type are sung only by children at church and family Christmas celebrations, or in children's worship services such as Sunday School or Daily Vacation Bible School. Children of Old Colony Church background generally do not attend the regular worship services at church until they are about twelve years old, and are not fluent in High German, the language of the church. Instead, they know Low German, which they speak at home, and English, which they learn in school. For this reason ministers or Vorsiinger ('cantors') of these churches, or missionaries from other Mennonite denominational backgrounds, have translated short, folk-like, English religious songs called choruses into Low German. The music of the choruses is more accessible to the children than the chorales traditionally sung in the church. The Low German texts, the translators say, convey religious beliefs in language the children can easily understand, rather than in High German, which is considered a foreign or adult language. Its use in church is similar to the use of Latin in the Roman Catholic church. However, there are only a minimal number ofLow German religious songs even

92

SINGING MENNONITE

though the occasional Low German sermon is preached at the adult services in these churches. Once again, we see that the 'low' language is regarded as a children's language, incapable of communicating significant religious truth even to adults, and representative of hierarchical differences between adults and children. Another group of translated religious songs are the VeertienPlatdietsche Leeda (Fourteen Low German Songs). These songs were translated by Mennonites of Mennonite Brethren denominational background for radio broadcasts targetted at Low German-speaking Auswanderer in Latin America, and Kanadier and Auswanderer in southern Manitoba, southern Ontario and Saskatchewan. Musically and theologically, these songs, mostly gospel songs, contrast with the chorales sung in the churches of the radio audience. The contrast is intentional because of the evangelistic theological thrust of these radio broadcasts. People of various Mennonite church backgrounds expressed a wide range of attitudes toward these songs. Some appreciated them and wished there were more. Others were critical of the songs for a variety of reasons. One reason was that Low German, rather than High German, was being used for the domains of singing and religion. This bias became apparent in comments about the availability of many 'beautiful' High German hymns which should make it unnecessary to translate songs into Low German. Other people were critical of the literalism of the translations, and said a paraphrase would have been preferable to a translation because it would have allowed for more idiomatic Low German expressions. There are, however, two Jeistliche Leeda whose imagery and poetic register suggest they may have been composed in Low German: "Dee gooda Hoad" ("The Good Shepherd") and "Singt am leeflijch" ("Sing to Him Lovingly"). The first is a children's song which, although it uses no overtly religious terms, uses the Biblical image of a shepherd leading his flock. The second, a hymn of praise, is reminiscent of a Hebrew psalm of thanksgiving. It expresses the experiences of a people who have suffered together and now want to praise their God together. The song "Singt am leeflijch" was familiar to Kanadier, Russlander and Neueingewanderte. Some of the Kanadier had learned it from RussHinder at Sangerfests, the regional song-festival tradition Mennonites brought to Canada from Russia. Others recalled singing the song in post-World War II camps in Germany. TheNeueingewanderte, in particular, identified with this song as an expression of their own experiences. A number of Mennonites speculated as to why there is no body of Low German hymns. Some claimed they had never learned Low German hymns because they are not written down in books. This argument, however, carries little credence

Religious Songs

93

since we know that Hutterites (Martens 1968) and Doukhobors (Peacock 1970) have transmitted rich hymnic traditions orally for centuries. Mennonites themselves frequently talked about hearing their parents sing High German songs from memory. Children also often learned these songs through repeated hearings and not by means of a written text. It was simply the association of High German, the literary language, with books which made people assume they had learned those songs from books. Other Mennonites concluded that there are no Low German hymns because High German is the language of the church. Despite the lack of a substantial body of Low German hymnody, Mennonite religious ideals are mirrored in the so-called secular Low German songs. These songs may not appear to be teaching these ideals because they do so in everyday language rather than in a theological metalanguage. However, the Biblical concepts of obedience ("Schoptje jinkj enn't Wooltje" I" A Little Sheep Went into the Woods"), humility ("Ekj jinkj e'mol em Woolt" I "I Once Went into the Woods") and being cared for ("Wie, wie, wie, wie, Wentje" I "Hush, Hush, Hush, Hush, My Little One") are communicated through children's songs. The Anabaptist emphasis on a community ofbelievers, rather than the individualism of mystic traditions, is found in other songs. While it may be ironic that songs stemming from a radical nonconformist group criticize the non-conformist in the community, the intent of this criticism is the restoration of communal harmony. This is the case in songs like "Aus dee Scheepa" ("When the Shepherd"). There is an absence of Marienlieder ('Mary songs'), Heldenlieder ('hero songs') and Soldatenlieder ('soldier songs') in the Low German repertoire. These songs are common among other German-speaking peoples, but they represent ideas diametrically opposed to Mennonite beliefs. Furthermore, except for a few Christmas songs and the rare reference to Easter and Pentecost in children's songs, Low German songs contain no references to the religious calendrical year which would be observed in churches with a fixed liturgy. This differentiates Mennonite worship format not only from many Catholic, but also from liturgical Protestant, churches. Generally, Low German secular songs are sung in a variety concert context, reminiscent of the Sunday evening services traditionally held in many Mennonite churches. This again 'sings Mennonite' because it differentiates Mennonites from their neighbours who probably would dance to their traditional music. There are certainly other examples, but even these few demonstrate how Mennonite religious ideals have penetrated the supposed secular realm of Low German song.

SINGING MENNONITE

94

Traditional

39

Dee gooda Hoad (The Good Shepherd)

J =84

~Ylg Jll:l Et

wear

ee' mol

"'--"'

too Tie - de,_ Een ri - kja goo - da Road._ Dee

)J

r"J1 Jl J1 :h Jl :Jll Jl LP Jl IJ Jl JU

...___......,

haud opp sie - ne Wie-de,__ Dee Schop-tjes opp - je - woad._

Dee

}l I4:__)

WI

ha- be soo free-lijch je-sprun-ge,_ Onn kjeent haft Man-jel je - spaat._

Dee

I goo - da Road, dee goo - da Road, Dee haft

soo tru_

je - feat._

Translation Once upon a time, There was a rich, good shepherd. He had, in his pastures, Safely sheltered the sheep. They sprang so joyfully, And none felt any lack. The good shepherd, the good shepherd, He has led so faithfully.

Esther Horch, who sang this song forme, was the daughter ofa well-known American Mennonite pastor and evangelist of the Mennonite Brethren Church who

95

Religious Songs

spent many years working in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Her father, Rev. C. N. Hiebert, insisted they speak High German at home so the children could understand the church services held in High German at that time. However, Mrs. Horch says she "preferred Grandma Harms' Low German songs about animals to soothing harps," because "having been brought up not to value material luxuries, heaven with its streets of gold and pearly gates did not impress me" (Horch 1979, 26). "Dee gooda Road" is one of the Low German songs Mrs. Horch learned from her grandmother Harms. Although the song contains no explicitly religious terms, she always assumed that the "good shepherd" referred to Jesus' statements about being the Good Shepherd (John 10).

40

Singt am leeflijch (Sing to Him Lovingly)

l Kom wie

hia

l

J1

ll J J

l

J1

ll J.

l

J1

l

J11 j

]I

fon-doag too - jaa - jen, Bree-da, Ses - tern, groot en kjleen, Lot dan

Dank daut Hoat be - waa-jen, Preist dan Herrn, faa sie - nen Saa - jen.

froo,

l

J1

dee Fest - je - meen,

Singt Am leef- lijch, singt Am scheen,

Singt am

Singt am

II froo,

dee Fest - je - meen,

Singt Am leef- lijch, singt Am scheen.

96 2. Woofal Goots haft Heejedonen, Kaust du daut fejaten, woo? Kaust du siene Gnod festonen, Siene groote Leew ommgonen? Dee onns drajcht fonn J oa too J oa, Ess nijch werkjlijch wundaboa. Repeat last two lines of each verse 3. Denkj aun aul dee dunkle Tieden, Holp Hee onns doch emma see'a, Leet Hee jee auleen onns lieden, Na, Hee holp onns daajlijch stieden. Siene Haunt fonn Bowen haa, Feel wie saajend emmamee'a. 4. Bet fondoag jeefHee jelinjen, Fead onns tru aun siene Haunt, Waa wel Am dan Dank nijch brinjen? Lot onns aula freidijch sinjen. Froo fereent met Haunt en Haunt, Kjnept sikj daut Jemeenschaftsbaunt. 5. Kjeena saul dan Dank entholen, Aula stemt met Jubel en. Onns fesproaken Am betolen, Daut haft Hee soogoa befolen. Doaromm singt Am enn't J emeen, Singt am leeflijch, goot onn scheen.

SINGING MENNONITE Repeat last two lines of each verse 2. His great goodness never-ending, Let your hearts hold ever near, Grace, too great for understanding, His great love, our faith defending. Guides His children year to year, Whom He holds so wondrous dear. 3. Call to mind, when time brought mourning, Ne'er alone in all distress, Sorrow with His love informing, He would help us stand till morning. Heav'nly hand, our hand impress, Graciously our hope to bless. 4. With His truth above us winging, In His hand we all things dare, Who would not Him praise be bringing, One and all so gladly singing. Hand knots hand as joy we share In a fellowship so fair. 5. Loyalty is now demanded, Let all join our jubilee. Your pledge with your praise defended, This we know He has commanded. Altogether, sweetly free, Sing His praises, lovingly.

Translation 1. For the gifts of God amazing, Brothers, sisters, join your song, Deeply moved, your voices raising, Young and old, hymn God your praising. Lovingly your hearts respond, Praise Him sweetly with your song.

The origins of this song are obscure, but both Russlander and Neueingewanderte are credited with bringing the song from Russia. In Russia, it was sungatSiingerfests or'songfestivals'. People in the Chortitza village of Neuendorf remember hearing a visiting choir from the village of Gnadenfeld, under the direction of a Mr. Loewen, sing the song at a Siingerfest. A

Religious Songs

97

man from Neuendorf transcribed it so the people ofhis village could learn to sing it as well. The song was also frequently sung by Neueingewanderte in the German WW II camps in which they lived before coming to Canada. People in the camps gathered almost every evening for worship services where they sang this song as well as many others which they had learned in Russia. Some of the people wrote down the words and music of songs they remembered from Russia. They notated the music in ziffern or 'cipher notation' and wrote the words in gothic script. In fact, a Mr. Dyck gave me a copy of"Singt am leeflijch" notated in ziffern (see Appendix B: Example 1). Some Kanadier knew the song and said they had learned it in Canada from RussUinder. Other Kanadier thought they had heard it at one of the southern Manitoba Siingerfests conducted by K.H. Neufeld. Dr. Neufeld, a Russian-educated Mennonite musician, fostered an active musical climate in southern Manitoba and in other Canadian Mennonite communities through song festivals, competitive festivals and oratorio performances. One of the purposes of the song festivals was to introduce choir members and conductors of various choirs in a particular geographical area to new choral repertoire. That purpose certainly appears to have been accomplished with "Singt am leeflijch." The Kanadier who learned this song at these festivals sang it in their homes and at church. At church the song was sung at the less formal evening services called Jugendverein ('youth association') because most of the program for this church service was presented by the youth. The words of the song are as significant as the contexts in which it was sung. The tone is reminiscent of a Hebrew psalm of thanksgiving, or even of an early Anabaptist hymn. There is a sense of peoplehood: a people who have suffered together and now want to praise God together. There is also a strong sense of who God is and who His people ought to be. Although there is mention of dark times, there is no anger or hostility in response to these difficulties. Rather, the song reflects the attitude of Menno Simons, who wrote: We are people of God's peace in the new community, We are loving,living peace in the new humanity, We are daughters of His peace, We are sons who love His peace, Joined as one to covenant peace in the new community. (Hiebert 1978, 41).

SINGING MENNONITE

98

Immigrant

41

Mien Tus ess em Himmel (My Home Is in Heaven)

J =80

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Mien Tus ess

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em Him

IJ

- mel,

Woo

froo ekj doch sie. _ __

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Him - mel, Dee Pacht ess frie,__

(

J1

luat do a faa

IJ J J $ I /J mie. Mien Tus ess em

Wiels Je-sus haft daut Be - tolt fiia mie.

Translation

My home is in heaven, How happy I am. My home is in heaven, It's waiting for me. My home is in heaven, The rent is free, Since Jesus has Paid it for me.

Sung as mien Tus ('my home') in Bolivia and mien Hus ('my house') in Belize, this is one of several Low German choruses sung by children whose parents have been banned from Old Colony Churches in Latin America. Banning is usually practised for church members whose way oflife has become too modem for the ideals of the conservative community, or who have found more evangelical terminology to express their faith. The musical idiom and perhaps even the text of this song are

99

Religious Songs

regarded as too modern by the conservative segment of the community, so it is representative of the more evangelical wing of this group of Mennonites. The Anglicism frie, a literal translation of'free', indicates that the song is of comparatively recent vintage. The song discusses the future in Low German, the language of the here and now. The three little girls who sang the song for me thoroughly enjoyed singing it. Apparently, it was translated by Mennonite missionaries of another Mennonite denomination.

42

Ekj go noch hecha (I'm Going Even Higher)

J =80

$~ ~ Jl Jl J1 Jl ~ )11 ;p ~ ~ J. Ekj

go noch he - cha, noch

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I

J

Jl l

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) I

go noch he- cha fonn

I

A - wa

wua Je - sus ess

dee

Boa - jen, dee

em- rna met mie,

Woll - kjen fe - hie,

Doa ess kjeen Stoa-wen,kjee-ne

II Krank-heit ess doa,

Ekj go noch he - cha fonn

Translation I'm going higher, even higher than this, I'm going higher than this. Over the mountains, and far past the clouds

hia. _ _ __

Going where Jesus is always with me. There is no death, and no sickness is there, I'm going higher than this.

100

SINGING MENNONITE

Like the song "Mien Tus ess em Himmel," "Ekj go noch hecha" is an English chorus translated into Low German by Mennonite missionaries to Old Colony Mennonites in Latin America.

43

Mien leewa Gott (My Dear God)

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Translation God hears what I say, and He sees what I do, My dear God's writing all things down, down, down, down. And He hears what I say, and He sees what I do, My dear God's writing all things down.

The translation of this English Sunday School chorus may have had its origins in a Vacation Bible School in the village of Reinland in the West Reserve several decades ago. From there, according to Mary Ann Zacharias, a resident ofReinland

101

Religious Songs

who has taught in Belize, the song was passed along to Belize. According to the Klippensteins, who sang the song, it is also familiar to Mennonites living in Bolivia. Mennonites in Bolivia and Belize are descendants oftheAuswandererwho left Manitoba in the 1920s in reaction to the Manitoba Schools Act. In the song, the concept of God as an accountant or scorekeeper is expressed. One wonders why this song was chosen and what traditional belief it was meant to counter.

44

Wuaromm duare wan du bade kaust? (Why Worry When You Can Pray?)

J =100

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je-sajcht haft, Wua-romm dua - re, dua - re, dua- re, dua - re,

j Wandu ba-de

Translation Why worry, when you can pray? Believe, He says He'll Give you strength. Don't be such a Thomas,

II

kaust?

But believe that God has said Why worry, worry, worry, worry, When you can pray?

SINGING MENNONITE

102

The Klippenstein family, who had sung several other Low German choruses, were unable to recall this one, but they telephoned a relative in Niverville who sang it for me on the telephone. These relatives were also descendants of the Auswanderer who immigrated to Paraguay in the 1920s, but have since returned to Canada. Several of these families get together Saturday nights in Niverville for choir rehearsals where they sing High German religious songs, but converse in Low German.

45

Dee kluaka Maun en dee tier'chta Maun (The Wise Man and the Foolish Man)

j

=102-108

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103

Religious Songs

' '

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2. Dee tier'chta Maun bud sien Hus opp'en Saunt 1 (3 times), En dee Raa-jen dee kjeem e-rauf. 2

Refrain* Dee Raaj'n dee kjeem e-rau£2 En daut Wo-ta kjeem opp3 (3 times), En daut Hus opp'en Saunt februak. 5 3. Soo bu dien Hus 1 opp dan Ham Jesus Christ6 (3 times), En dee Saajen fonn Gott kjemt erauf. 2

I

J Hus

l l l l J l l Raaj'n dee kjeem e- rauf l

•

J1 J1

J J

opp 'en Steen

stunt

en

daut

I j. faust. 4

Refrain The rain came down and the water went up (3 times), And the house on the rock stood firm. 2. The foolish man built his house on the sand 1 (3 times), And the rain came down. 2

Refrain The rain came down2 and the water went up 3 (3 times), And the house on the sand broke into pieces.5

Refrain De Saaj'n dee kjemt erau£2 En dee Jebada gonen opp7 (3 times), Soo bu dien Hus 1 opp dan Harn. 6

3. So build your house 1 on the Lord Jesus Christ6 (3 times), And the blessings from God will come down. 2

Translation 1. The wise man built his house upon a rock (3 times), And the rain came down.

Refrain The blessing comes down2 as the prayers go up7 (3 times), So build your house on the Lord. 6

1. Place fist above fist, as though building a tower, while singing the preceding phrase. 2. Hands at eye level, palms facing outward, fingers wriggling as hands descend. 3. Hands at waist level with palms up, moving up to eye level. 4. Hold hands fist over fist on last word of phrase. 5. Loud clap on last word of phrase. 6. Point upward with index finger. 7. Hands folded, as for prayer, and moving upward. *Low German-speaking Mennonites readily identified the verse of a song as a "farsch", but only a few individuals called the refrain a "Kua". Others spoke of the section that is "wadaholt" or "repeated".

II

SINGING MENNONITE

104

Mr. Rempel, a Vorsiinger or 'cantor' in the Old Colony Church, first heard the English version of this song. He thought it would be a good song to teach to the children in his church, so he translated it into Low German. Wherever he has lived, whether in Mexico (1923-1956, 1969-1973), Stratton, Ontario (1956-1969, 19731975) or Manitoba (1975-present), he has taught it to children for their Sunday School service. According to Mr. Rempel, the song finds a ready participatory audience even among toddlers because they are captivated by the actions which accompany it.

46

Daut ess wada Wienacht (It Is Christmas Again)

J =116

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105

Religious Songs

$&bb

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2. Dee Hoats hie Betlahem dee bleewen doa Nacht, Opp'e Stap hie dee Schophaad en hilden doa Wacht, Dee Kloarheit dee Ham kaum en see engsten sikj see'a, Dan sad dee doa too aant, "Ferchtjunt nu nijch meeja. 3. Dee Enjel kjeem noda en too aant dan sad, "Wie brinjenjunt N orecht fonn Jlekj en fonn Freid, Junt ess nujeborren dee Heilaunt dee Welt, En Betlahem em Staul, doa lijcht nujun Held." Translation 1. It is Christmas again, we are happy now, Because Jesus has come for us and for you. He came to save us, His love was so great, He could not leave us in darkness and pain.

Je

le

- sche Lijcht.

j Mor

-

J IJ

jen

- launt,

J JI

- sus

be

F Reist

J

En

j

II

- kaunt.

Refrain Come all you and listen to the Christmas story, Come all and look at the heavenly light, Travel with the three wise men to the morning (eastern) land, And acquaint yourself anew with Jesus. 2. The shepherds of Bethlehem were spending the night, On the field by the sheep herd, and were keeping watch there, The glory of the Lord came, and they were so afraid, But then he said to them, "Do not be afraid." 3. The angel came nearer, and he said to them, "We bring you some news of happiness and joy. To you is born the Saviour of the world, In a stable in Bethlehem, there now lies your hero."

While he was a Vorsanger in the Old Colony Church in Mexico, Mr. Rempel learned this Christmas song from Kleinegemeinde people living nearby. Although the Kleinegemeinde, now known as the Evangelical Mennonite Conference, has sent

106

SINGING MENNONITE

missionaries to Mexico, about fifteen percent or seven hundred of its Manitoba members moved to Mexico in an attempt to maintain their traditional lifestyle, so Mr. Rempel may well have learned the song from some of these immigrants. He speculated that a school teacher had written the song for a school Christmas program. Students subsequently sang it at traditional family Christmas celebrations. On these occasions, children recited poems or sang for their grandparents before being given a small Christmas gift. Mr. Rempel himself sang it at a school Christmas program in the village of Schanzenfeld near Winkler, Manitoba. He performed it as afreiwilliges, or 'voluntary item'. Often, voluntary performances are welcomed at the end of a variety program, and audience members may prepare poems or songs for this part of the program. On the reel-to-reel tape on which I recorded this song, there is an irregular, dull thud in the background. The sound was produced by a visiting neighbour who tapped the kitchen table with his fingers as we recorded Mr. Rempel's singing. Unfortunately, the bees which the beekeeping neighbour brought with him cannot be heard humming the accompaniment. When we listened to the recording of the song, Mr. Rempel asked the neighbour to refrain from tapping, unless he did it in rhythm. Although Mr. Rempel comes from a church background in which no musical instruments are used, he has a keen sense of rhythm and often accompanied his singing with foot tapping. His sense of rhythm, however, was evident even without this percussive addition. I wondered about the origins of the song, so I published a brief article entitled "Daut es vada Vienacht" (Klassen 1979, 19). In response, the Mennonite Mirror received a letter in which the lyricist identified himself. He said: When I was teaching eight grades in Clover Plain School at McTavish, Manitoba in 1947, I was looking for interesting usable Christmas music. Not finding exactly what I wanted for my class, I decided to write my own. Rather than writing both words and music, I hummed several tunes, and picked "Flow Gently, SweetMton" as one that my students could easily learn. The first line of the song, Daut ess wara Weenacht, we fryi onns noo, quickly suggested itself and the others followed. To involve the audience who would be at the Christmas program, the chorus began withKoamt aula en horcht no de Weenachtsgeschicht. The song, when initially presented by the students on December 23, 1947, proved a great surprise and delight to the parents and friends of the school children, and was subsequently used in other schools where I taught.

Religious Songs

107

How did the song get to Mexico? I would much like to know. One theory I have on this is: many Manitoba Mennonites from the Evangelical Mennonite Church near Morris moved to Mexico in 1948. Perhaps one of my former students from Clover Plain may even have taught school in some Mennonite village in Mexico? It is entirely possible. To find out would be interesting. At any rate, I am more than glad that this small item from my pen, created under a busy rural teacher's stress, has been a blessing to others who love my mother tongue- Low German. Sincerely, Ben B. Dueck, Steinbach (Dueck 1980, 23)

47

Ekj wea soo jear'n en Betla.hem (I Wish I'd Been in Bethlehem)

J =112

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refrain

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fein.

108 2. Ekj head soojeam dee Enjelsang Waut dort fomm Himmel kaum, Een wundascheena Jubelklang, Dee heade see'a benaum. 3. Doch jleewde see daut Wunda woat Gauns kjintlijch too fetruat, Daut fing wie soo hie Gottes Wuat, En Saajen opp aant rut.

SINGING MENNONITE Refrain Jesus child, Christmas star, Cleanse our hearts, Then we can once again rejoice, At the lovely Christmas festival.

4. Lot onns nu uck bet Betlahem, De Hoade gone no, En bade aun daut heilje Kjint, Jaft aula froojunjo.

Translation 1. I wish I'd been in Bethlehem, That first Christmas night, Where Joseph and Maria, Watched o'er the Christchild.

2. I gladly heard the angel's song, Which from the heavens came, A sweet and joyous ringing sound, With beauty to me came. 3. And yet they thought the wonder could With childlike faith be trust, We find it so in God's own Word, A blessing on them rests. 4. Let us now go to Bethlehem, As did those shepherds then, All pray to that most holy child, A joyous true amen.

This Christmas song was translated/written by Cornelius Friesen, a Chortitzer minister. Children have sung it in Sunday School and at Christmas programs in Chortitzer churches in the East Reserve.

48

Fetal mie Jeschichte (Tell Me Stories)

Tune: Tell me the Story of Jesus 1. Fetal mie J eschichte fonn Jesus, Schriew jieda Wuat enn mien Hoat, Fetal mie daut scheenste fonn aulem, Waut dort siene Mutta bewoat. Fetal mie woo Enjel dort sunge Bie Bat'lem met himlische Wead, Eatjunen Gotten dam Himmel, En Friede helt emma opp Ead.

Refrain Fetal mie J eschichte fonn Jesus, Schriew jieda Wuat enn mien Hoat,

Fetal mie daut scheenste fonn aulem, Waut dort siene Mutta bewoat. 2. De Hoade hie Bat'lem dee jinje, Dan schwind no dam Staul enn'e Nacht, See funge Mariea en J ooseff, Dee hilde hie Jesus doa Wacht. See haude daut Kjint enjewekjelt, Hee lajch dort opp Hei en opp Stroo, De Hoade dee deede aunbade, Aa Heilaunt dee muak aant soo froo.

109

Religious Songs 3. See jinje en sade daut aundre, Daut groote, waut Gott onns jebrocht, Form Jesus, dam himlischen Heilaunt, Dee werkjlijch aun onns haudjedocht. Dan wei wie uck no am kome, En saje waut onns Hoat bedrekjt, Hee haft Leew en Rum faa eenjeedem, Dee kjintlijch to am sikj bloos schejkjt.

Translation 1. Tell me stories of Jesus, Write on my heart every word, Tell me the loveliest of all things, Which his mother is caring for there. Tell me how angels sang there At Bethlehem, with heavenly words, From your God who is dwelling in heaven, And always keeps peace on this earth. Refrain Tell me stories of Jesus,

Write on my heart every word, Tell me the loveliest of all things, Which his mother is caring for there. 2. The shepherds of Bethlehem went Quickly to the stable that night. They found Mary and Joseph Keeping watch over Jesus. They had wrapped the child Lying on hay and on straw, The shepherds, they prayed To the Saviour who made them joyous. 3. They went and told it to others The wonder that God had brought us, About Jesus, the heavenly Saviour, Who really had thought/cared about us. We also want to come to Him, And tell Him what burdens our hearts, He has love and room for everyone Who gives himself childlike to Him.

According to Mrs. Toews and Mrs. Harder, who sang this song for me, Cornelius Friesen, a Chortitzer minister, wrote the song. The text is a partial paraphrase of the gospel song "Tell Me the Story of Jesus." Because the writer has adapted the text to a Christmas theme, the song has been sung at Christmas programs in Sommerfelder and Chortitzer Mennonite churches in Manitoba's East Reserve. The lyrics of the first verse and refrain place more emphasis on the role of the mother Mary than is found in Protestant hymnody, but the evangelistic thrust in the third verse places the song in an evangelical tradition. Veertien Platdietsche Leeda Fourteen Low German Songs The songs in this book were published in the the mid-1960s for a Low German religious radio broadcast entitled "Licht vom Evangelium" ("Light from the Gospel"). The broadcast was begun by Rev. J. J. Neufeld in conjunction with the "Gospel Light Hour," now known as "Mennonite Brethren Communications," at the request of the Home Mission Committee of the Manitoba Mennonite Brethren Church Conference. The first weekly program was aired on September 20, 1959. By 1988, this single weekly program had grown to seven weekly fifteen-minute

110

SINGING MENNONITE

programs, aired at Swift Current and Shaunovan in Saskatchewan, Altona, Steinbach and Boissevain in Manitoba, Tillsonburg in Ontario and Filadelfia in Paraguay. Cassette tapes of radio programs are also distributed in Mexico and Bolivia. In the late seventies, each program consisted of two songs, or four minutes of music, in addition to an eight-minute Bible exposition and a six-to-ten-second prayer. Early in this venture, John Klassen, a musician and radio technician, pointed out the need for Low German songs, particularly for the theme and closing songs of the program. At his suggestion, Rev. Neufeld translated a dozen songs. One of the texts in the book is coupled with two melodies and another one, "SingtAhm Leevlig, Singt Ahm Scheen," was received from a listener. The songs were translated rather than composed for a very practical reason. There was no one able to compose Low German songs for the program. Songs for translation were chosen on the basis of content and familiarity. Since it was difficult to find songs about family or business relationships and other topics discussed on the program, gospel songs were used instead. Under a new director, Gerhard Friesen, only High German songs are used "because they sing in High German in the church." The gospel songs chosen for the book can be divided into two categories: evangelistic songs inviting the listener to put his faith in God, and songs to encourage those who are already believers. Among the evangelistic songs are titles like "De Himmel steit open" ("The Heavens Stand Open"), "Eck weet eenen Strom" ("I Know of a Stream"), "Horch den Heiland di enloden" ("Listen to the Saviour Inviting You"), "Jesus nemmt noch Suenda an" ("Jesus Still Receives Sinners"), and "Steit mien Nomen all dor" ("Is My Name Written There?"). The songs that encourage the believer vary in emphasis. "Eck weer mol wiet af von den Heiland" ("I Once Was Far Away from the Saviour'') is the testimony of someone who has come to faith. "Solang as Jesus levt" ("As Long as Jesus Lives") and "Bie die Jesus well eck blieven" ("I Want to Remain with You, Jesus") are affirmations of a believer who wants to continue trusting God. The last three songs, like the Negro spiritual, look forward to a heavenly home: "Jo all bold" ("Yes, Very Soon"), "0 seet doch wo so schwind" ("Oh See How Quickly'') and "Am Jordan's Eewa stoh eck hier'' ("Here I Stand on Jordan's Shore"). All songs are written in four-part harmony, arranged and edited by John C. Klassen, a member of the Gospel Light Hour Radio Quartet which sings the songs on radio and recording. The forward to the book indicates it was published in the seventh year of the program's existence, probably in 1966.

Religious Songs

111

While the songs were translated for the radio program, the songbook was published for another reason. In addition to the radio broadcasts, Rev. Neufeld has travelled extensively among Low German-speaking Mennonite people in Central America, southern California and southern Manitoba, holding evangelistic campaigns in these regions. The book was published primarily for these campaigns but was also made available to radio listeners. Demands for the book far exceeded expectations; it was soon sold out. Presently, the radio broadcasters photocopy this book, on which they hold the copyright, for those requesting it. Along with the book, they prepared a seven-inch, 33 1/3 rpm recording containing four Low German songs from the book. The record is also sold out. They considered making a twelve-inch long-play recording, since there were enough songs to fill it. Cassettes containing the songs are still available. A cassette on which Rev. Neufeld reads the Biblical books ofl and II Thessalonians in Low German contains two verses each of four of the songs: "Jo all bold," "Eck weet eenen Strom," "Steit mien Nomen all dor" and "0 seet doch wo so schwind." The quartet, accompanied by piano, sings only the first and last verses of these songs. In Mennonite churches where only selected verses of hymns are sung, the first and last verses are invariably chosen, usually along with the third verse. A cassette of Low German songs has also been released by Mennonite Brethren Communications. The cassette, #PD-1, contains thirteen of the songs from the book, plus "Ell're namt dochjune Kjinja," translated after the book was published. These cassettes have been sent to Mennonites in Mexico, Bolivia and the British Honduras, as well as throughout North America. One of the songs is also on another recording. "Jo all bold" was sung at a Mennonite Centennial Hymn Sing held in Winnipeg's Centennial Concert Hall in 1975 as a Mennonite Central Committee famine relieffund-raising event. The Domain Ladies Group who sang it are members of the church which Rev. Neufeld pastored at that time. Their rendition of the song was recorded on Gelobt Sei Gott, a longplay recording of the Hymn Sing. Next to children's songs and Heischraitje songs, Veertien Platdietsche Leeda were the songs most frequently mentioned in my search for Low German repertoire. Some people referred to them because they presumed a researcher would be interested only in published materials. Others alluded to them because they had grown to love these songs in their mother-tongue. In fact, one older gentleman, living in a senior citizens' home, has memorized a number of these songs and frequently sings them to encourage himself or others. Another type of comment came from those who could not understand why

112

SINGING MENNONITE

anyone would want to sing in Low German when there were already beautiful songs in High German. Again, the implication was that the domestic language is incapable of sensitive poetic expression. Those with more favourable attitudes to Low German wondered why there is not a larger body of hymnody in Low German.

Contemporary

49

Ell're namt dochjune Kjinja (Parents, Please Do Take Your Children) Tune: Sitting at the Feet of Jesus 1. Du bess opp dan Wajch nom Himmel, Wuar sent diene Kjinja nu? Wuaromm nemst du dee nijch met die, Dortend no dee eewje Ru?

2. Ell're, sajcht dochjune Kjinja, Woo see kjenne seelijch woar', Halpt an baden omm Ferjawunk, Daut nijch utjujeitferlom.

Refrain Ell're bringt dochjune Kjinja, Dee de Harr ju aunfetrut, No dam Heilaunt, Frint aun Sinda, Dee dor kjeenem stat erut.

Translation 1. You are on the way to heaven, Where are your children now? Why don't you take them with you, There to the eternal rest? 2. Parents, you must tell your children How they happy/blessed can become. Help them pray for forgiveness, That no part of you is lost.

Refrain Parents, why not bring your children, Whom the Lord has entrusted you, To the Saviour, friend of sinners, Who will not exclude anyone.

Rev. Neufeld translated this song from High German for a Low German religious radio program on the topic of family responsibility. A male quartet arrangement was written by John Klassen, a member of the quartet which regularly sings on Neufeld's program. According to the lyrics, parents are responsible for a child's decision to accept or reject the faith. As in other songs sung on this program, the emphasis is on relating to God personally, and conversion is seen as a pivotal point in this relationship. This pietistic emphasis, found particularly among the Mennonite Brethren, contrasts with the traditional Anabaptist emphasis on discipleship and following Jesus as a daily growing experience.

Religious Songs

113

50

Wan dee Heilaunt (When the Saviour) Tune: Jewels 1. Wan dee Heilaunt, wan dee Heilaunt, Aus Kjeenijch erschient. Onn dee siene aus erloste, Em Himmel fereent.

Refrain 0 dan woare see jlensen Aus dee Stierntjes soo scheen, En dan Heilaunt siene Kroone, Aus Adelsteen. 2. Doaromm groote, en uck kjliene, JaftJesus dautHoat. Hee moakt seelijch, Hee moakt harrlijch, Hee feat Himmelwoat.

Translation 1. When the Saviour, when the Saviour, Appears as the King. And takes His own redeemed ones, To heaven as one (all equal). Refrain 0 they will shine and sparkle As beautifully as the stars, In the Saviour's crown As precious stones. 2. So big people, and also little ones, Give Jesus your heart. He makes (you) holy, He makes (you) noble, He takes (you) heavenward.

When he heard I was coming to interview him, Mr. Sawatzky translated this song from High German because he thought it would make my interview with him worthwhile. His graciousness was typical of the many people who shared freely whatever Low German folklore they knew. All the other Low German songs which Mr. Sawatzky sang were lullabies or children's songs. Often this hymn is categorized as a children's song. The implication remains that Low German is a language in which one sings to children.

CHAPTER FOUR

G A US S E LEE D A or 'street songs', sometimes called Putseleeda ('nonsense songs'), probably inherited their name from their relationship with Gausseschlinjels, the teen-aged 'village street rascals'. According to oral tradition, it was a welldeservedlabel. A grandfather, reminiscing about the origin of Gausseleeda, said that since they didn't have motorcycles in those days, the village boys would get together evenings on the streets and make up songs. According to the Reinland reunion song "Legend of the Gausseschlinjels," the meeting place in that village was Pete Yurchuck's general store. Participation in that group ofGausseschlinjels was one of the rites of passage for village youths, and composing bawdy songs, it appears, was an essential aspect of this rite. With their use of satire, ridicule of socially unacceptable behaviour and colourful language, Gausseleeda obviously gave cause for the often-repeated generalization that Low German songs are crude, and even that the Low German language itself is crude. But this generalization about singing in the 'low' language is very predictable regardless of whether or not it has any validity. It may be because of the songs' reputation that people rarely admitted they themselves knew any Gausseleeda. Instead, they talked about them as songs sung "by some of the naughty boys in our village." Mennonites brought some of their Gausseleeda repertoire from the Ukraine in the 1870s and 1920s. Other songs stem from early twentieth-century Manitoba Mennonite experience, although "Du bess mien Sonneschien," a contemporary paraphrase of"YouAre My Sunshine" by the Heischraitje en Willa Honich, demonstrates continuity of the tradition.

116

SINGING MENNONITE

Canadian Gausseleeda have been composed primarily by Kanadier, but Gausseleeda brought from the Ukraine are familiar to Mennonites of all immigration periods. The immgration period to which a Mennonite belongs can actually be predicted from the lyrics chosen for the most common street song. By their familiarity with the "Aus dee Jud" ("When the Jew") lyrics, Kanadier differentiated themselves from Russlander and Neueingewanderte who used the same melody for "Aus dee Scheepa" ("When the Shepherd"). Both of these lyrics, however, express social criticism. This particular song was familiar even to Russlander of Molotschna Colony background who claimed they knew virtually no other Low German songs. The melody of these two songs and of"En Lamtje haud en Kobbeltje" ("AMr. Lemke Had a Little Mare"), another Gausseleet, reveals an interesting pattern with respect to borrowed melodies for Low German songs. A striking predominance ofborrowed High German folksong melodies contrasts with the virtual nonexistence of Ukrainian melodies for Low German songs that originated during the Mennonite sojourn in the Ukraine. Ukrainians identified this tune as "Oipied heijem, heijem" ("Near the Grove"), while Mennonites regarded it as a variant of the High German folktune "Fuchs du hast die Ganz gestohlen" ("Fox You Have Stolen the Goose"). If the tune were ofHigh German origin, the similarity of topics in these songs and the use of music from an alien culture would be significant. If, however, the tune were Ukrainian, its use for social criticism would expose the critical attitude many Mennonites had to their peasant neighbours, whom they considered culturally inferior. The dearth of Ukrainian melodies for Low German songs has a two-fold explanation. Low German songs are more prevalent among Kanadier and Auswanderer than among Mennonites of any other immigration period. These people had only minimal contact with either Ukrainians or Russians before they moved to Canada in the 1970s, so had little opportunity to learn their tunes. Even in the Low German songs sung among the Russlander, who remained in Russia another fifty years and were educated in both Russian and High German, there are virtually no Russian folktunes, despite the fact that Russian folksongs were accepted by the younger generations ofMennonites, particularly those with secondary education. It is, however, unlikely that these educated young people would sing Low German songs because their formal education would isolate them from the peasant aspects of Mennonite life, including the Low German language. And, even among those Mennonites who did sing Low German songs, the proportionately small number of Russian/Ukrainian tunes and their use for songs of ridicule, in contrast to the numerous High German folk melodies accompanying

117

Street Songs

children's songs and lullabies, illustrates Mennonite attitudes to these two ethnic groups. "Fierendartijch Sanitaaren" ("Thirty-Four Medical Corps"), in which inefficient workers are mocked with lyrics sung to a Russian tune, bears this out. In this way, Low German songs reflect the observations of historians: From the very beginning of settlement in Russia, the Mennonite cultural, intellectual orientation was westward- first to the Prussian homeland, and in the second half of the nineteenth century to German culture collectively. There seems to have been an almost instinctive understanding that Germaness was basic to Mennonite survival in an alien culture .... The second assumption supposed that in a social, economic and cultural sense, the surrounding Slavic world was inferior to the Mennonite-German heritage and could add little or nothing to it. (Toews 1979, 24-25) This attitude is obvious in the choices Mennonies have made even for the tunes of Low German songs. I say 'even' because many Mennonites told me, "You can use any old melody for a Low German song." Obviously, one cannot use "any old melody." Instead, High German tunes associated with "cultural advancement" were used with the children in the home, but Russian tunes representative of"cultural debasement" (Epp 1974, 178) were used for teasing songs or Gausseleeda sung on the streets. There are probably many more Gausseleeda or even fragments of them in the subconscious minds of the now grown-up Gausseschlinjels than are contained here. In fact, I sometimes suspected that people conveniently 'forgot' songs they were embarrassed to recall.

Traditional

51

Lamtje baud en Kobbeltje (A Mr. Lemke Had a Little Mare)

j

= 104-116

~ : ill 1/v Jl fp fp fw J l II: ;p If P oh p Jl J l =II En Lam-tje

haud en

Kob-bel- tje,

Daut wea nochjunk fonn Joa -

re,

118

SINGING MENNONITE

Dan

sad hee too sie-ne Mur- ra - tje,

2. Dan leid hee daut no de jreene Was, Doa deed am daut fehinkje, Dan hinkjt am daut enn Growe nen, Doa deed am daut fedrinkje. 3. Danjinkj hee no dan Meista doa, En wull am fal fetalle, Hee sull amjawe twee en dree, En feeja en fiefMejalle/Jesalle. 4. De Mejalle sade see haude nijch Tiet, See hauden noch fal too doone, Daut weaje doch soon drocka Dach, Woo wudd sikj daut feloone. 5. Lamtje wea sien Kobbeltje loos, Hee durw sikj doa'm nijch moake, Daut Lada wea too de Preestje goot, Daut Fleesch kaun hee sikj dreije/koake. 6. De Kopp wea too de Fiddel goot, De Tane too de Schruwe, De Soagel wea too de Fiddel Boagen, En de Knossen kjenne sikj selwst begnoagen. 7. Oppe Waak aun Donnedach, Dan foa wie no Austrekauntje, Wie foare noch hie Hoadash aun, Spatsearen en bat metAuntje.

Doa_

kun-ne se noch lang met foa- re.

Translation 1. A Mr. Lemke had a little mare Which was still young of years. He said to his mother They could still drive with it for a long time. 2. Then he led it into a green pasture And there it began to limp. It limped into the ditch, And there it drowned. 3. Then he went to the master there And wanted to tell him much. He should give him two and three And four and five young girls/companions. 4. The young girls said they had no time, They still had much to do. It certainly was such a busy day, It just wouldn't be worthwhile. 5. Lemke was rid of his little mare, He needn't bother about it any more. The leather was good for moccasins, And he could cook/dry the meat. 6. The head was good for a fiddle, The teeth for screws, The tail for the fiddle bow, And the bones, he could chew on. 7. Next week, on Thursday, We're going to Astrakhan. We11 stop at Harder's place, And visit a little with Annie.

Street Songs

119

This song was sung by Kanadier, Russlander and Neueingewanderte, but was most familiar to Kanadier. Several allusions place it in the Kanadier tradition. The name Lemke was common in the Bergthal Colony, a daughter colony of the Old or Chortitza Colony. Ships' passenger lists show that numerous families by the name ofLemke migrated to Canada in the 1870s. The name of the Bergthal Colony has historically been synonymous with poor, simple, peasant folk like the author and her ancestors, who were part of the Kanadier migrations. The Kanadier aspect of this song is seen in certain word choices and consequently in some of the humour; for example, the word Knossen ('animal bones') instead of Knoakes ('bones'), the polite term used for human and even animal bones. Such vocabulary choices are more typical ofKanadier ofChortitza Colony background than of Mennonites of other immigration periods. Its bawdy language sets this song into the street-song category. Only one older lady sang this song. Like other women who knew colourful songs, she learned it from an uncle known for his sense of humour. Most versions of this song agree on the basic story-line.Ayoungman, possibly a bachelor living with his mother, owns a mare which he presumes is dependable. As they begin their ride with it, however, the horse begins to limp, and dies. The mishap occurs either on a long bridge, under a bridge or in a ditch, depending on the version. Sometimes, the young man also has an unsuccessful courting attempt. All accounts end with a colourful description ofthe disposal of the mare's remains. Does this song have a meaning? Is it simply a nonsense song, or does it make a significant comment? The ballad contains two stories: the story of Lemke's horse which goes lame and dies, and the story of Lemke's rejection by the daughters of an estate owner. Lemke is a born loser: he is a poor farmer, and he is unable to find a wife. The daughters of the estate owner explain they can't marry Lemke because 'they are too busy'. That reminds us of the Fritz Senn poem in which we are told that the village herd blows his horn more loudly:" ... hie de Aunwohnakohte I Wiels doa de Uare Iangsam a gohne," translated as: ' ... by the shacks at the edge oftown I Because the clocks go more slowly there,' suggesting that the poor are poor because they are lazy. The theme of marriage as an opportunity for upward social mobility appears in several other Low German songs as well. (Klassen 1981a, 17)

120

SINGING MENNONITE

And then there is the disposal of the horse's remains. Is this a comment on Mennonite frugality? Because ofits association with the Bergthal Colony, the song is probably a criticism of the incompetent farmer who has to resort to becoming a craftsman to support himself and his family. And did you notice that the craftsman makes a fiddle? Does the individual who is unable to function effectively in a respected profession become a musician? A friend tells the following story which illustrates a typical Mennonite attitude to music as a profession: ... on a train ... I heard a young couple in the same coach speaking Low German, so we concluded they must be Mennonite and decided to introduce ourselves to them. The young man said he was a farmer in southern Manitoba and then asked my husband what he did. He told him he was a musician. The man replied, "That's nice, but what do you do for a living?" "Music," said my husband. The farmer looked baffled and replied, "Yes, yes, but how do you earn your bread and butter?" Fifty years ago, practically everything done by Mennonites in Canada had to be measured in terms of a livelihood, and sometimes, I think, this attitude still prevails .... (Horch 1979, 11) Alternate versions of this song are sung by Kanadier under forty years of age, to whom both the name Lemke and the idea of a horse as a status symbol are unfamiliar. An Auswanderer factory worker, recently returned from Paraguay, substituted the word Schusta ('shoemaker') for the name Lemke, and a real-estate agent sang"Jungtje haud en Hieschatje" ("A Little Boy Had a Pony"), while a young mother sang "Haunstje haud en Hieschatje" ("Johnny Had a Pony"). In other words, once the song is removed from its Russian context, where the horse was a domestic servant and a good horse was a status symbol (cf. Dyck 1974, 186-194), the horse becomes a mere recreational vehicle for children. The song loses its courting incident, and the story of the bachelor riding with his mother becomes the story of a little boy riding his hobby-horse. This song then becomes a case study for Low German songs as barometers of cultural change.

Street Songs

121

52

Aus dee Jud (When the Jew) Text1

J=104-116

~~

J) J Jl ] l

Aus dee Jud em

Aus

a

l l

Bo- rem foil,

II=

ll

l

Jl Jl

Donn frei- de

donn e - ru - ta kaum, Donn wort

2. Sad dee Taunte too aaren Maun, "Waut ess dam Judjeworde? Woo steit dee Nas en sien Jesecht? Daut ess je gauns fedorwe."

l

a

l

p Ji

J

41})

sikj dee Heis -

Ber- ga - meis

=II

ta,__

J

II

- ta.

Translation 1. When the Jew fell into the well, The magpies rejoiced. And when he came out, He became the mayor. 2. Said the lady to her husband, "What has happened to the Jew? How is his nose placed on his face? It is completely spoiled!"

Text2

J=88

~~ J Aus dee Jud em Wo - ta

Ji j l

foil, Donn frei- de sikj

)Jjj})

de Hee - na.

Aus hee dan eascht ru - ta kaum, Donn wea sien Buck foil Stee - na.

Foll

=II

122

'

SINGING MENNONITE

J Stee

Jl Jl j l

-

l

na, foll

Stee

na, Donn wea sien Buck foll Stee -

J na.

II

Translation When the Jew fell into the water, The chickens rejoiced. And when he first came out, Then his stomach was full of stones. Full of stones, full of stones, Then his stomach was full of stones.

Many of the Jewish people in southern Russia or Manitoba were merchants or pedlars. The pedlars were welcomed into many Mennonite homes, both for their wares and for the news they brought of relatives living in distant villages. But the term 'Jew' had other connotations for many Mennonites. The Low German term for bartering was literally known as 'Jewing', and to call someone a Jew was synonymous with calling him or her manipulative or even dishonest. The derogatory remark about the Jew's nose in Verse 2 ofText 1 indicates that this song refers to a Jew rather than a 'Mennonite Jew'. The rejoicing of the kingbirds, the rulers of the skies, attests that a competitor has been eliminated. The song may also be a comment on the means by which people rise to positions of power, like that of the mayor. Variants of these lyrics are found in collections of High German folklore. Firmenich cites two versions (Firmenich 1842, 1:265 and 1854, 3:447), while Frischbier includes one variant: "Ist ein Jud' in's Wasser gefallen, I Hab ihn horen plumpsen,/ Warich nicht dazu gesprungen,/ Warder Jud ertrunken" (Frischbier 1867, 43 ). This is translated as: 'A Jew has fallen into the water; I I have heard him fall (heavily, with a splash, as when falling into water), I Ifi had not jumped to his rescue, I He would have drowned!' While the rescuer may be sympathetic to the Jew, his sympathy is expressed somewhat tongue-in-cheek. The existence of this folklore demonstrates the extent of anti-Semitism in German and even Mennonite society at that time. There is a story of a little boy whose older siblings taught him Text 2 ofthe song. He was instructed to substitute the wordNoasch ('ass') for Buck, and to perform the song for his mother. Needless to say, the boy was rewarded for his performance by corporal punishment, not for the anti-Semitic comments, but for the use of a crude term.

123

Street Songs

There were varying reactions to this song. Some people found it highly amusing, some were surprised that I would find a song like this, and others were embarrassed by it. One prominent member of a Mennonite community noted for its inequalities vehemently protested the singing of songs like this, saying, "It's not right to discriminate." With the exception of a Russlander woman who had heard the song from her Kanadier in-laws, this song was familiar only to Kanadier of Chortitza Colony background. The source of the melody for this song, as well as "En Lamtje haud en Kobbel tj e" and "Aus dee Scheepa," the RussHinder counterpart, is enigmatic. Mennonites identify it as "Fuchs du hast die Ganz gestohlen" ("Fox You Have Stolen the Goose"), while Ukrainians associate it with the Ukrainian folktune "Oipied Heijem, Heijem" ("In the Grove"). Probably, the tune is of High German derivation. It was already well known among Kanadier leaving the Ukraine in the 1870s, at a time when the Mennonite orientation was still essentially Germanic, and before the Mennonites had had extensive exposure to either Russian or Ukrainian culture. If it could be proven to be a Ukrainian tune, the fact that it is used only for songs ofsocial criticism would reflect negatively on how the Mennonites viewed the Ukrainians. By strange coincidence, I first heard both versions of this song in restaurants, one in the Mennonite Village Museum restaurant in Steinbach, and the other at a McDonald's restaurant in Winnipeg. This simply reveals that I frequent restaurants when my research and writing schedule gets busier!

53

Aus dee Scheepa (When the Shepherd)

j

=104-116

$!

JJJ}lJl]Jd Aus dee Schee-pa mal - kje jinkj,

"Ach du jeen woo raa- jent daut,

L

II= jJ

p p Jl J

Kjikjt a

J

L

no

-

de Woll

Haud ekj eascht je - moll

-

=II

kje,

1

kje."

=II

124 2. Aus a donnjemollkje haud, SuacMutscht a sikj opp'm Dume, "Ach du Welt, woo scheen schmackt daut, Aus dee Tsucka Plume."

SINGING MENNONITE Translation 1. When the shepherd/dunderhead went milking, He looked at the clouds. "Oh my goodness! How it's raining! Wish I had already milked!" 2. When he finished the milking, He sucked his thumb. "Oh my goodness! How good it tastes! Just like sugar plums!"

This song was consistently sung by Russlander, and not by Kanadier, who knew only the "Aus dee Jud" counterpart. Therefore, knowledge of"Aus dee Scheepa" became a means of identifying Russlander and of predicting which other songs they were likely to know. All versions of the song used the melody usually associated with the High German folksong "Fuchs du hast die Ganz gestohlen." Even people who did not know the words frequently commented on the familiarity of the melody. But there were minor variations in the lyrics, usually with respect to the exclamations. These ranged from "Oh my goodness!" to "Waut leewen Tiet!" (lit. 'For the love of time!') and "Oi, joi, joi." All of these are common Low German expressions of surprise or frustration. The High German expression ''Ach du Zeit!" ('Oh you time!') comes from a Molotschna version of the song, not surprising since that colony had a stronger High German orientation than the Chortitza Colony. A major discrepancy in the lyrics centred around the identity of the individual doing the milking. According to some singers, it was Peeta (Peter) or a Bua ('peasant farmer'), while others thought it was a Scheepa, translated variously as a 'dunderhead' or a 'shepherd', which paved the way for substantially different interpretations. Most of those singing Scheepa were of Chortitza background, while those singing Peeta were divided equally between Chortitza and Molotschna Colony backgrounds. A single individual, coming from the Molotschna Colony, sangBua. So what are the implications of who does the milking? Milking was a woman's, not a man's, job among Mennonites in Russia. In fact, if the women of a particular household could not do the milking on any day, they would ask a neighbouring woman, rather than a man even of their own household, to do it. No self-respecting Mennonite man would be caught milking. Obviously, bothPeeta and the Bua would be breaking a social norm by milking.

Street Songs

125

But if the one who is doing the milking is a Scheepa, we encounter another range of implications. If Scheepa is translated as a 'dunderhead', we simply have the case of a fool who has broken the rules of social behaviour. But if Scheepa is translated as 'sheep herd', we have totally ludicrous behaviour, since sheep were not milked by Mennonites in Russia. Regardless of which man did the milking, it is unacceptable, if not ludicrous social behaviour, symbolized by thumb-sucking. Although there is self-satisfaction in the thumb-sucking incident, it denotes infantile behaviour and is actually a tongue-in-cheek way of belittling the individual who has over-stepped the bounds of social decorum. The ridicule of adult social misdemeanours through Low German song is paralleled in British nursery rhymes. It would be far-fetched to assume a generic affinity from the references to plums in both "Aus dee Scheepa" and "Little Jack Horner." But both do highlight socially unacceptable behaviour. While rhymes like this were used by children simply for entertainment, they also had an indirect teaching function and served as a means of social control.

54

Eene Piep, eene Jakj (A Pipe, a Jacket)

j

::112

~~ )1 }I J Ee- ne Piep,

ee- ne

Jakj,

ee - ne

hol - le

Pos - ta - nack,

II Du - je,

du - je,

la - la - la,

Translation A pipe, a jacket, a hollow parsnip. Strum, strum, la-la-la, Strum, strum, la-la-la.

Du - je,

du - je,

la - la - la.

126

SINGING MENNONITE

According to Elisabeth Peters, the Russian servant girls in Grigoryevka, her home in Russia, used to sit on the village fences and sing Russian folksongs, accompanying themselves with accordians or harmonicas. The second part of "Eene Piep, eene Jakj" is taken from one of these folksongs. Mennonite young people borrowed the tune and improvised their own words for it. They may have liked the lilting tune, but may also have used it to tease the Russian servants. A parody of this song substitutes dulja, an obscene Russian term, for the Low German duje. Like other bawdy Low German songs, it seems to have been sung by some of the village boys.

55

Fierendartijch Sanitaaren (Thirty-Four Medical Corps)

j

=108

'~ J) Jli j J ) JliJ

j ]l

Jll j J JJij lll

Fier-en - dar- tijch San- i - taa - ren fua - re Russ-launt op-pen- dol.

'

F

r

Jl ll j l

schwoa- fe - wund-te

J

Kjrie - ja,

2. Onnjedonnre de Kanone, Lode see behutsam en. Maunche schwoa fewundte Kjrieja, Dee em Kjrich jefolle sen.

Jl Jl I J. l

l

l

..

Ji

Fea-de

JI j

Fon- ne Schlajcht nom Hos -pi -

II

tol.

Translation 1. Thirty-four medical corps Drove throughout Russia Bringing badly wounded soldiers From the battle to the hospital. 2. While the canons were thundering They carefully loaded Many a badly wounded soldier Who had fallen in the battle.

One Sunday afternoon, after leading a senior citizens' group at Winnipeg's First Mennonite Church in some Low German singing, I was invited to the apartment of

Street Songs

127

a Mrs. Patkau, who said she knew a Low German song about Mennonite alternative service in the Ukraine in World War I. She sang the two verses printed here, and said they could also be sung to the Russian tune "Stenka Razin." The song appeared to be an historical ballad, so I was interested to hear that Mr. Wiens, an eighty-eight-year-old neighbour, knew another few verses. Mrs. Patkau, an Umsiedler who came to Canada from Russia in 1968, said that as a seven-year-old girl in the village ofEinlage, she had gone to Zaparozhe to see the Sanitarzug ('medical corps train') when it stopped for repairs and maintenance. Mr. Wiens added that this song comes from the boys who worked on that train. When Mr. Wiens began recalling his memories of the song, it changed from an historical ballad to a Gausseleet. The third verse told the story of the fellow who had to empty the chamberpot! Unfortunately, that verse has been lost. Other verses were used to tease men like Opptajka Brun ('pharmacist Braun'), Obraum Moates (Abram Martens) and Schnurboat Dikj ('moustache Dick') for their inefficiency in carrying out their responsibilities. The tune of the mournful ballad "Stenka Razin" seems appropriate for adding pathos to the razzing.

Immigrant

56

Onns Noba Klosse haud ne Koa (Our Neighbour Klassen Had a Car)

.J. =92-108 l

~ Onns

$& EfJ vous?_

No

ba

lv

Onns

J.-.....__....-J l Par

Ji

lez

I

~

J1 I J1 J1 Jl l

~

Klos

l

l

'-.__..../

se

-

IJ

r l

No

ba

4 vous?- -

J

./

koft sikj ne

J

j

IJ

l

Ji

~

Koa,

Par

lez

r l I 1£} l J

J Klos

-

se

koft sikj

~) ~ I J Onns

No

~

ne

~ ba

Koa,

J Klos

l

J1

~ -

se

128

SINGING MENNONITE

Dee_

koft sikj ne Koa,

lats

pIJ Hin -

ky din -

ky

~

par

~

- ten Do

J lez

.p IJ la

~

l J

leet_ a

do a,

I~J vous? _ _ __

2. Onns/mien Noba Klosse haud ne Koa ... Dee haud soon schrajkeljetjefoa ...

12. Dee driveshaft wea en hydro pole .. . Dee Reife weare fonne Gumschoosol .. .

3. Klosses Juljes haud ne Koa ... Dee fua doamet hia en doa ...

13. Dee clutch dee wea fonn Hosenfal .. . De gas pedal wea fonne Bananaschal .. .

4. Daut Stearaut wea fomm Boggeraut ... De Aust dee wea fonne Bottafaut ...

14. Dee clutch dee sengd am emma ut ... Jinkj am en bat soos met de Brut ...

5. Daut Stearaut wea fonn Meskoaraut .. . Daut crankcase wea fomm Bottafaut .. .

15. Dee Jeaschwenjel wea en weeden Stock ... De Set dee wea fonn Frujes (Marne ar) Rock ...

6. Daut Stea wea fonn Ribuseschal, Daut bruak gauns twei met sienjepral ... 7. Daut Schmaa em crankcase wea soo dikj ... Daut haud soon sura Komst jerikj ...

16. Dee Bramse weare fonn Bananaschal ... Dee Hinja-aust dee wea gauns dral ... 17. De brakes dee wearen ne oole Schoo ... Daut body wea ne doodje Koo ...

8. De kab dee wea fonn Kjikjel/Heena Staul ... Dee Daa-hendel wea fomm gumna Baul ...

18. De Feakausten wea ne Schwaweldoos .. . Wan hee fua, daut stunk nijch no ne Roos .. .

9. Dee Akselerata wea ne oole Schoo ... Daut body wea ne doodje Koo ...

19. De Silinda wea ne blajchne Doos ... De gascap wea ne pinkne Roos ...

10. DeeAkselerata weafonne Gumschoosol ... Daut Blosdinkj (Dee piston) wea fonne Eijaschol ...

20. De Radieata wea en radna Sack ... Daut Windschield wea noch gauns bebackt ...

11. Dee choke wea fonne Briggenoajl .. . De Krenkj dee wea foone Bolle Soagel .. .

21. De headlights wearen fonn Heenafeet ... De tail-lights wearen ne roode Beet ...

II

Street Songs

129

22. De A:rjull wea fonn Hackeldrot ... Dee horcht bloos tiet en eent Knacksoat ...

32. De Diewel kaum fomm Boom herauf .. . Tom seenen waut Oomtje Klosse schauft .. .

23. Daut upholstery wea fonn Kunehut ... Wiels GMC haud dautjebut ...

33. De Faareifwea met Mest betjlest ... Doa waaj'n haud de police am meist arrest ...

24. Daut upholstery wea ne oole Barscht ... Daut chrome daut wea ne Tweeback's Kjarscht ... 25. Daut frame wea fonn Knoakes jemoakt ... De bumper wea fonn Borscht jekoakt ... 26. Daut Fensta wea fonn stiewet Papea .. . Daut transmission haud uck bloos een Jea .. .

Sung very slowly 27. Daut J ea daut wea soo e'jestalt ... Sung very quickly Klosse wea meist em Tsekjreet nejepralt ... 28. Dee gears dee weare fonn roodetHolt .. . Daut knoad en knosstad met aulajewault .. . 29. De Daare wearen fonn roodet Holt .. . Em gas tank wea daut Jreeweschmolt .. .

34. De Fenstre weare met Schiet bebackt ... Doa haude de Kjinja noppjekackt ... 35. De Fenstre weare gauns toojebackt ... De Kjikjel haude doa noppjekackt ... 36. De Fenstre weare met Schiet bebackt ... Doa haude de Faajel noppjetjlackt ... 37. Onns Noba Klosse fua no Staudt .. . Dee hauden doa kjeen gumnet Raut .. . 38. Hee wist nijch waut daut Dinkj noch fraut ... Soo jeefhee daut enjalet Kraut ... 39. Warmen ess de easchte Staut ... Doa schmungen de Hung en de Kauten sikj saut ...

30. De Reifen wearen fonn Kosenlada .. . Dee spinden doch noch hann uck wada .. .

40. Osler ess de naachste Staut ... (twice) Doa broden se Eija enn'e Lajchakomm, En readen dee met 'en Koofoot omm ...

31. Wan se dee nijch brucken deeden ... Dan muss Juljes tires leeden ...

41. Onns Noba Klosse fua no Staudt .. . Onns Leet daut ess uck bloos mo daut .. .

Translation 1. Our neighbour Klassen bought a car, He left his last dollar there.

4. The steering wheel was a buggy wheel, The axle was from a butter churn.

2. Our neighbour Klassen had a car, It had such an atrocious way of driving. 3. Julius Klassen had a car, With it he drove here and there.

5. The steering wheel was a wheelbarrow wheel, The crankcase was from a butter churn. 6. The steering wheel was from a watermelon rind, It completely broke with his fast, reckless driving.

130

SINGING MENNONITE

7. The oil in the crankcase was so thick, It had a sour cabbage odour.

22. The aerial was from barbed wire, It just always listened to sunflower seeds.

8.The cab was from a chicken/hen barn, The door handle was from a rubber ball.

23. The upholstery was a turkey skin, Because GMC had built it.

9. The accelerator was an old shoe, The body was a dead cow.

24. The upholstery was an old brush, The chrome, it was the crust of a bun.

10. The accelerator was a rubber shoe sole, The horn/piston was an egg-weighing scale.

25. The frame was made of bones, The bumper was cooked from borscht.

11. The choke was from a bridge. The crank was a hull's tail.

26. The window was made of stiff paper, The transmission had only one gear.

12. The driveshaft was a hydro pole, The tires were from rubber boots.

27. The gear was adjusted so that Klassen almost careened into the privy.

13. The clutch was ofrabbitfur, The gas pedal was a banana peel.

28. The gears were of red wood That creaked and crackled with all its might.

14. The clutch always broke (with a pinging noise), Sort of as things went with his bride.

29. The doors were of red wood, In the gas tank was the crackling lard.

15. The gear-shift was a willow stick, The seat was from a woman's/mother's skirt. 16. The brakes were from banana peel, The rear axle was completely mixed-up. 17. The brakes were an old shoe, The body was a dead cow. 18. The motor (firebox) was a matchbox, When he drove, it didn't stink like a rose. 19. The cylinder was a metal box, The gas cap was a pink rose. 20. The radiator was a gunny sack, The windshield was completely stuck closed. 21. The headlights were chicken feet, The tail-lights were a red beet.

30. The tires were of goat's leather, They still spun here and there. 31. When they didn't use it, Julius had to mend tires. 32. The devil came down from the tree, To see what Mr. Klassen was doing. 33. The front tire was covered with manure, So the police had almost arrested him. 34. The windows were stuck full of excrement, The children had excreted on them. 35. The windows were completely stuck closed, The chickens had excreted onto them.

131

Street Songs 36. The windows were stuck full of excrement, The birds had dribbled onto them.

39. Warman is the first town, There the dogs and cats neck to their satisfaction.

37. Our neighbour Klassen drove to town, They had no rubber tires there.

40. Osler is the next town, There they fry eggs in the strainer, And stir them with a cow's foot.

38. He didn't know what else the thing devoured, So he gave it some yellow weeds.

41. Our neighbour Klassen went to town, And our song is simply about that.

"Onns Nob a Klosse haud ne Koa" borrows the tune of one of the most popular songs to emerge from World War I, "Mlle. from Armentieres." The tune has a history of being linked with salty lyrics, and this Low German version certainly follows the tradition. The forty-one verses here are an amalgam from some ten different sources, primarily ofKanadier background, containing even the so-called unprintable verses. It is interesting that Mennonites, who claim to be pacifists, use a tune associated with World War I. Mennonites may have heard the tune from their neighbours or via the public school system, but its liberal use may indicate the extent to which some Mennonites had relaxed their pacifist ideals by the early twentieth century. Several factors place this song in the Kanadiertradition. Foremost is its familiarity among them. Apart from the lullabies "Susa Petruzha" and "Schockel, schockel, Scheija," no other song is as well known among Kanadier. Secondly, the name Klassen is a prominent Kanadier name. And thirdly, the earthy humour is characteristically Chortitza Colony Kanadier, in contrast with the 'refined' sense of humour found among strongly pro-High German Mennonites. Like the ethnic joke, this song satirizes the immigrant's inability to cope with his new environment. The immigrant or peasant farmer is ridiculed because he uses the garbage, such as turkey skin and watermelon rind, from his agrarian background to reconstruct his car, the product of a mechanized society. Rather than being praised for his pioneering resourcefulness, the farmer is ridiculed for his simple-mindedness and extreme frugality. This general theme is present in all verses, but several singers lent their own distinctive personality to the verses they sang: Peter Goertzen (verses 3, 31,39 and 40), theHeischraitje( verses6, 12, 14, 16,22, 23, 28and33)andEdPenner( verses 26 and 27). The Goertzen lyrics were brought to Manitoba by Old Colony Mennonites, originally Kanadier, who have lived successively in Manitoba, Saskatchewan,

132

SINGING MENNONITE

Mexico, the Peace River district ofAlberta, and again in Manitoba. It seems that in Saskatchewan, neighbour Klassen acquired the name ofJulius. In Saskatchewan, too, the song began to comment on crude behaviour in various towns and villages, possibly a continuation of the inter-village rivalry expressed through the use of village nicknames. The comments about Osler in Verse 40 are excerpted from a longer poem entitled "Horndien ess uck ne Staut" ("Horndean Is Also a Town"), which seems to have had broader applicability than just to its namesake. The Heischraitje verses were collected and composed by the group for an evening of entertainment in Landmark in the spring of 1975. Several terms in these verses reveal their recent composition: hydropole, Arjull, Knacksot, GMC, and the police. Some of these are simply Anglicisms, but the term Knacksot requires further comment. When the Mennonite-initiated radio station, CFAM, first began broadcasting from Altona in the late 1950s, the acronym was introduced to the public as "your Canadian farm and music station." Those young people who preferred contemporary popular music to the classical, religious and older popular music presented by the station soon dubbed it as "your can't find any music station." Soon someone added a Low German slogan: Knacksot {rate aule Mennoniete ('all Mennonites devour sunflower seeds'). As a result, the expression Knacksot horche ('listening to sunflower seeds') became popular. The practice ofeating sunflower seeds in public, especially of spitting the seeds onto the floor, had by this time been classified by the community as uncouth behaviour, so the reference to listening to Knacksot had negative connotations. The Heischraitje have added their distinctive character to this piece in yet another way. When they recorded it on their second album, Ditt Sied -Jant Sied in 1983, they added various farmyard sound-effects. Another singer, Ed Penner, who contributed most of the KIER verses, added drama to his performance by varying the tempo of various lines ofVerse 27. No doubt, there are still numerous other verses for this song, but the ones here certainly represent the character of traditional Gausseleeda.

133

Street Songs

57

Dee Roosefeldsche/Bloomenuatsche Junges (The Boys ofRosenfeld/Blumenort) Tune 1, Text 1

~ =108

$tii: i. v I U ee_

l

) l

l

J'i-..__.,J'i

-...___;;

Roo-se - feld- sche Jun-ges

~

~

dee-

I

J

J)l J fv :.___..;

sent

soo_ kluak, Dee-

$~Vt} VVitlJ J Jll ~ J?_:ll sUi-len Ad-maun Sie-mes dee Worscht u-tumm Ruak, Das tun_ sie zu! ver-

$~J gnu

J JIl

gen, Das

tun-

l~

p

~

J IJ

sie zum ver -

2. J'haun Wieben Doft dee stunt aune Waunt, Dejefroarne Worscht enn'e rajchte Haunt, Er wollt sie eben verschlingen, Er wollt sie eben verschlingen. 3. Donn kaum dee oole Taunte Siemesche, Hee jleewd daut wea Siemes Leentje, Er nahm sie in seine Arme, Er nahm sie in seine Arme.

Translation 1. The young boys of Rosenfeld are so clever, They steal Ed Siemens' sausage from the smokehouse. They do it with pleasure, They do it with pleasure.

J J

::...__; gnu

II

gen.

4. Er driickte sie, er kusste sie, Sagt sie, "Waut west du domma Jung fonn mie?" Er lies sie eiland fallen, Er lies sie eiland fallen.

2. John Wiebe's David stood by the wall, The frozen sausage in his right hand. He was about to devour it, He was about to devour it.

134

SINGING MENNONITE

3. Then came the old Mrs. Siemens, He though it was Siemens' Lena. He took her in his arms, He took her in his arms.

4. He hugged her, he kissed her, She said, "What do you want with me, stupid boy?" He hastily let her fall, He hastily let her fall.

Tune 2, Text 2

j

=116

~~:JI Dee

Bloo-men - uat-sche Jun- ges dee_

~til J1 J~ "---"' l

sta - len

J~

J1

J!....__.,Ji

00 -

le

Sie - mes de-

"--"

l

doo-ne dee met fe - jni.i.

-

En heift dee Jung met 'em Stock opp 'em Kopp, Daut deed see met fejnajen, Daut deed see met fejnajen.

f

sent_

I f

J

Worscht

soo

J1 J1 l

ut

l

domm, Dee

J J

'e Tromm,Daut

jen, Daut doo-ne dee met fe - jna

2. Donn kjemt dee oole Taunte Siemesche

rut,

J J J

J:J!fr I~

jen.

Translation 1. The boys of Blumenfeld are so stupid, They steal old Siemens' sausage out of the culvert/barrel. They do it with great pleasure, They do it with great pleasure. 2. Then the old Mrs. Siemens comes out, And hits the boy on the head with a stick. She does it with great pleasure, She does it with great pleasure.

135

Street Songs

Regardless of whether the song came from the East or West Reserve, or even originally from Alberta, its singer believed it referred to the boys in a local Blumenort or Rosenfeld. The song must describe fairly typical village boys' behaviour. In both versions, the boy steals a sausage. In the first, he attempts to steal the affections of a woman as well. He fails at both attempts. The similarities between the two texts may be more significant than the surface differences. The theme is basically the same: the wrong-doer will get his just reward, either at his own hand or at someone else's, possibly with a stick attached to it! Humour arises from the boy's ridiculous situation as a result of his misdemeanour(s). The parallel descriptions of the boy's, and then the woman's, pleasure in Version 2 certainly contribute humour. The singers of the song themselves performed it with great pleasure. The first version is a macaronic song, with a mixture ofHigh and Low German. The local details are described in Low German, while the more universal aspects of the story are told in High German. Possibly, the song was translated from High German, although I could find no comparable High German version.

58

Komma keijeijippiejippieja (Komma Kei Yei Yippie Yippie Yea)

~

=116

t! b ®~ q

J IJ Hee

fua_

j '---"

rom-m'e Akj_ daut a

j.

meist omm-dakjt,

Hee

f)IJ J J haud sikj soo je-stat daut a haulf fe - rakjt, Kom-ma kei

jei

II

lll f f ja,

jip-pie ja,

Kom-ma

kei

jei

jip-pie jip-pie

jip -pie jip -pie

ja.

136 2. Donn fuar a en bat wieda, bet enn'e Staut, Doa wearen dee Waaj soo schentlijch glaut, Kommakei ... 3. Donnjlipst dee Schrug, en fluach am han, Enn bruak en twei dee Feebastang, Kommakei ...

Translation 1. He drove 'round the comer so he almost tipped, He'd hurt himself so badly that he almost died (lit. 'stretched out') Kommakei ...

SINGING MENNONITE 2. Then he drove a little farther, into the town, The roads there were so horribly slippery, Kommakei ... 3. Then his (old) horse slipped and fell down with a thud, And broke into pieces the hitching rod, Kommakei ...

The opening of the American West after the Civil War gave rise to a new genre of folksongs: the cowboy song. These ballads, based on lumberjack songs of the East, usually described trail-blazing exploits or the loneliness ofthe prairies. Constantly accumulating new verses, these songs spread rapidly throughout the West. The most popular, "The Old Chisholm Trail," is reported to have had as many as sixtynine verses. Apparently, "It was a dull day on the drive when one of the cowboys did not make a new verse to 'Old Chisholm Trail"' (Lomax 194 7, 193 ). The chorus of "Komma kei ..."borrows somewhat from the words and the tune of "The Old Chisholm Trail." The Low German version follows in the tradition of improvising new verses for ballads like this. The three verses here were composed by hired farm hands in southern Manitoba in the 1930s or 1940s. Making up songs was a favourite pastime of many hired hands who got together during time off on Saturday evenings or Sunday afternoons. Sometimes the songs were sung unaccompanied, but usually they were accompanied by the sound of the harmonica and/or guitar. The Low German version has been adapted to fit the rural agrarian context. In the English version, the cowboy rides his horse. In the Low German version, the hired hand rides a one-horse wagon, indicated by the term Feebastang, a twopronged hitching apparatus placed on either side of a single horse pulling a wagon. Dr. Jack Thiessen defines Feebastang as "a forked tree used to pull a cutter in summer and a buggy in summer." He suggests that this term, a derivative of the Swedish Fehmerstang or Fimmelstang, may have been incorporated into Low German during the time when Mennonites in Russia purchased cutters from the Swedes (Thiessen 1967, 114).

137

Street Songs

Humour in the song arises from two sources: the situation and the colourful language. Through his reckless driving, the man almost kills himself and in the end, causes his horse to fall, breaking the hitching post of his wagon. Of course, he blames the slippery roads! The basic story could have either a tragic or a humorous reading, but the language transforms it into a humorous text. The expression haul{ ferakjt, literally 'half stretched out', is an uncouth term used only to describe an animal's death. It would be considered particularly crude when used in reference to human death. The term Schrugg, either meaning a work horse, or a crass term for a useless horse, would certainly not be used by the more educated elite. Instead, the language is consistently that of the landless peasant worker, and so would come from a Kanadier hired hand.

59

Onns Noba ess dam Kota ferajkt (Our Neighbour's Tomcat Has Died)

j Onns

' £i£2 ' l

No - ba

tJ)

j I

hoo -len,_

gnoa-

ess_ dam

p p

Ko- ta

r r

Dee Knoa-kes dee

J gen,

j I Be

Q

- gnoa -

fe -

kaust

J __.,~

rakjt, Dam Soa- gel

12 Ji I t ~ l

./

die

be

I j. gen.

-

gnoa

II

-

wull a

nijch

J ) gen,

Be

I

138

SINGING MENNONITE

Translation Our neighbour's tomcat has died (lit. stretched out), He didn't want to keep the tail, The bones you can gnaw over, Gnaw over.

Gausseschlinjels in Winkler sang this song in the late 1950s. Although the comments about gnawing the bones are similar to those found in the Russian Gausseleet "En Lamtje haud en Kobbeltje" (Verse 5), there is no known connection between the two songs. They may simply be characteristic of a universal tendency to use animal terminology for certain types of verbal humour. The melody is that of a familiar German chorale, "The Grace of God Be with You," frequently sung in High German as the closing hymn in certain Mennonite churches, and no doubt heard on a weekly basis by the originators of this Low German version. The choice ofsinging style was definitely intentional. It mimicked the tradition of a cantor outlining the song. In some Mennonite churches, this was practised on a regular basis; in others, only when there were insufficient hymnbooks for a larger gathering. Also, the almost dirge-like manner in which the young men sang theKota song, or 'tomcat song' as they called it, imitated the slow, rather unrhythmic singing often heard in these churches. Young people particularly were critical of this style of singing. The song was known by several local Gausseschlinjels, some of whom were ministers' sons intent on asserting their identities as individuals rather than as their fathers' sons. Needless to say, this song, with its colourful language, melodramatic text and satirical style of singing, was performed primarily within earshot of 'select' audiences.

CHAPTER FIVE

~iUngt eung~ MEN N 0 NIT E S have historically been associated with a variety of occupations, such as business, education and farming, but the most persistent image in Low German songs is ofthe Mennonite as farmer, and usually as peasant farmer, rather than as estate owner. This was already evident in children's songs such as" Aus ekj 'mol en Bua wull Woare" ("Once upon a Time, When I Wanted to Become a Farmer"). It indicates not only the long-standing Mennonite agrarian tradition, but also the association of Low German with a peasant livelihood. The songs vary, however, in the way they relate to this background. Some songs express attitudes toward work. "Aule leewe Mo:rjen" ("Every Dear Morning") voices a reaction against the work ethic, but according to a Low German parody of the popular 1950s song "Tell Me Why, Baby, Why," farm work can be a cure for broken hearts. Another song, "Bie'm draschen" ("While Threshing"), accompanied communal labour, while songs like "Aus ekjjinkj met de Hoak opp'e Dal" ("When I Went with My Rake to the Threshing Grounds") used an agrarian backdrop for the discussion of social issues like village rivalries, tensions between rich and poor, or males and females in Mennonite society. The latter song, familiar only to Russlander and N eueingewanderte, is the only one in which the wealthy are blamed for others' lack of prosperity, although there have always been poor and wealthy farmers, as well as landless people, among the Mennonites. By comparison, other German folklore of the nineteenth century has considerably more references to the rich/poor dichotomy. As one peasant near Innsbruck, Austria expressed it: "Oh how I have to torture myself, I . .. the one who is rich/ Can live with more grace/ease" (Firmenich 1842,245, my trans.). The relative dearth of references to this tension in traditional Low German

140

SINGING MENNONITE

song can be explained in several ways. First, political means, such as the Commission of the Landless in the Molotschna Colony in 1863, were available for the resolution of conflicts. Second, there was less difference between the rich and the poor in the Chortitza Colony, where most Low German songs originated. And third, other folkloric means, such as folktales, proverbs or jokes, may have been used to express these tensions. Because a number of the rich/poor comments occur in discussions on marriage, which would involve the transfer of wealth, it would be interesting to study the social pressures Mennonites might have used to influence their youth to marry within certain confines. Several Kanadier ballads refer to varying degrees of prosperity. According to "Relieftiet" ("Relief-Time"), one's prosperity is not only at the mercy of vicissitudes like economic depressions, but also of parental frugality. But perhaps one's poverty could be blamed on the sun, which is so hot that one cannot work, or on unsympathetic neighbours ("Mien Foda sad een scheen Mo:rjen"/"My Father Said One Fine Morning")! Other songs refer to the hired help. Their crude table manners may be ridiculed by the estate-owner's children as in the "Ballad of the Kjnachts," or they may belittle each other's efficiency ("Bie'm draschen"/"While Threshing"). Certain terms in these songs make them an historical record of past technology. A comment about taking one's rake and going to the Diil or 'threshing place' refers to the threshing practices among Mennonites in nineteenth-century Russia, since this method of harvesting was discontinued by the Kanadier shortly after they arrived in Canada. By comparison, terms like engine Maun ('engine man'), an Anglicism, and Kausten Maun ('machine, lit. box man') in "Bie'm draschen" indicate the practice of threshing communally with steam engines in southern Manitoba, a practice I observed as late as the early 1950s. The machine man loaded and oiled the threshing machine, while the engine man maintained an adequate water supply. Other terms, like Feebastang ('a forked tree' used as hitching apparatus on a one-horse wagon), Diestel ('tongue of a two-horse wagon') and 'hayrack', found in several ballads, place these songs into a pre-automation era. Many similar songs may have been improvised on the spot and forgotten, but the songs which remain provide a significant insight into Mennonite society: attitudes toward work, various means of dealing with salient tensions and details about the technology ofthe past.

141

Village Songs

Traditional

60

Aus ekj jinkj met de Hoak opp'e Diil (When I Went with My Rake to the Threshing Grounds) Text 1

J=96

*#g jl~ ~

IJ

ekj_ jinkj met_ de

A us

Hoak op - p'e Dal,

Trie - ja, die - ja,

J) l

l

J

-.._,

domm,_

*ti

J Trie

fua - ren Scheen-hor

J1

J

J1

ja,

die

- ja,

l

-

Doa l

Il

~

J

-

sche Maa - kjes no de Mal,

II

domm. -

2. Dee eene haud ne dikje Hakj ... Daut wea dee Meista form Bobbatsback ... 3. Dee backt dan Bobbat too huach en too runt ... En nemt dan noch tian Kapietje faa't Punt ...

4. En waa daut baste backen kaun ... Dee kjrijcht Hauns Jaunsens' Fritzen tom Maun ...

Translation 1. I went with my rake to the threshing grounds, Trieya, dieya, dumm,

Girls from Schonhorst were driving to the mill, Trieya, dieya, dumm. 2. The one had a crooked heel ... That was the master ofbaking Bobbat ... 3. She baked the Bobbat too high and too round ... And still charged ten kopecks per pound ... 4. And whoever bakes best ... Will get John Janzen's Fred as a husband ...

SINGING MENNONITE

142 Text2

J. =80

$~bb~ 211:JI Jl Jl Jl Jl Jl Jll Jl $~b~~ II: Jl I P

=II

Aus ekj ee - mol jinkj met dee Hoak op-p'e Dal,_ jie - jo! _ __

1":\

Donn jing- en

*~~b~ ~ rie,

,~ •~ J

fol - la - ra,

dree Maa-kjes

J ll fol - la

-

~ .._..,J •·

4. Jie Maakjes,jie habenjun Jelt aus Mest ... Jie kunnen am uck jawen too Aajd onn too Pluach ...

5. Daut ekj kunn plajen en aajden hinjaraun ... Dan wensch ekj junt Gooden too musch en toomon ...

Bul- tje

too

Moakt,

Fol-Ia-

=II

ro.

2. Dee hinjaschte wea met dee groote Hacken ... Daut wea dee Meista form Bultje backen ... 3. Jie backen dee Bultje too kjlien onn too runt ... Onn namen noch dree Kapieck Selwa faat Punt ...

met de

Translation 1. As I was going with my rake to the threshing grounds,ja-hoo! Three girls went to market, with loaves of bread, Fa-la-rie, fa-la-ra, fa-la-ro! 2. The last one had thick heels ... She was the master ofbaking bread ... 3. You bake the loaves too small and too round ... And still take three kopecks silver per pound ...

4. You girls have your money like manure ... You could give to him/me for a harrow and a plow ...

5. So that I could plow, and harrow behind ... Then I wish you good luck for (untranslatable idiom) ...

143

Village Songs Text3

l

J1

,. Jl Ji Jl Aus

l

'j

ekj

jinkj met

I Jl Jl Jl

J

Hoak aw - re

Dal,

l

dee

l

l

Donn

ll

l

l

kau- me Scheen-hors-ta

Jl J1 J1 l

J J

l

l

chei- ra - sa

Me

jal - le

J )I J1 J1 l

- sa,

(

met Mal, l

J1

p

J1 I l

~

Donnkau-me Scheen-hors- ta

2. Dee easchte wea een schmocket Bilt, Dee Rock soo tooraten, dee Uagen soo wilt ...

Jo - chei,

Jo-chei, jo-

l l l J II

Me - jal - le

met Mal.

3. Dee tweede wea een bunta Steilits, Form bowen bet unjen met Bobbat bejilpst ...

Translation 1. As I was going with my rake to the threshing grounds, There came girls from Schoenhorst, with flour ...

4. De dredde haud ne kromme Hack, Daut wea dee Meista form Bobbatsback ...

2. The first one was a pretty picture, Her skirt so torn, and her eyes so wild ...

5. Dee backt dan Bobbat soo scheen en soo runt, En naum mo tian Kapietje faa't Punt ...

3. The second one was a colourful sight, Spattered with bobbat from head to toe ...

6. En waa daut baste backe kaun, Dee kjricht Frauns Jaunses Schmauntkopp tomMaun ...

4. The third one had a crooked heel, That was the master ofBobbat baking ... 5. The Bobbat she baked was so luscious and round, And she only took ten kopecks per pound ... 6. And whoever bakes best, Gets Frank Janzen's 'creamhead' as a husband ...

144

SINGING MENNONITE

The women who knew this song had sung it as village girls, either while raking straw at threshing time, or riding to and from the fields on hay racks. In all three sets oflyrics, the story begins near aDal or 'threshing ground', a place where a pair of horses pulled a threshing stone in a circle over cut, dried grain. AB the straw fell beside the grinding stone, men or girls raked it aside. This threshing method was used among Mennonites in Russia and also in Manitoba in the early twentieth century. In each text, several young girls are in various stages of baking bread or Bobbat. This traditional Mennonite dish is a sweet stuffing for fowl and contains apples and/or raisins. It may be baked either inside the bird or in a cake pan. It is interesting that girls customarily sang this song, since most songs expressing village tensions were sung by the boys. Village tensions are symbolized in this song through village ajkenome. The Low German word ajkenome is etymologically similar to nekename or ekename, the Middle English equivalent of nickname, literally meaning an 'also name'. Village nicknames were a distinctive aspect of Mennonite folklore in Russia and expressed local allegiance or village rivalry. Inspiration for these nicknames varied from aspects of village landscape to favourite foods to corruption of the actual village name (Wiens 1970, 177-180). Inhabitants of Schonhorst were known as Bobbatskjarschta met Fiasteena, or 'Bobbat crusts with flintstones'. According to one legend, inhabitants of Schonhorst ate so much Bobbat that when one pressed a villager's stomach, the flintstones (indicating the toughness of the Bobbat) would rub together, sending flames of fire shooting out of the villager's ears. The geographical and historical distribution of the three versions ofthe song are also relevant to the interpretation of the texts. Texts 1 and 3 are separated historically by some twenty-five years, brought to Canada by the Russlander and Neueingewanderte, respectively. They both originate in the Ukrainian province of Ekaterinoslav, now known as Dnepropetrovsk, where the village of Schonhorst was located. Text 2, from the province of Kharkov, omits all references to Schonhorst, both its actual name as well as its village nickname. The local references to Schonhorst and expression ofvillage rivalry implied by the nickname were apparently irrelevant when sung in another context. And yet, the song was sung because it also expressed other tensions among Mennonites. Only Text 3 comments on all three girls, although all texts refer to the girl with the deformed foot who is noted, or perhaps ridiculed, for her domestic skills. Depending on whether the quality of the bread or Bob bat is up to standard, she charges too much/little for it. According to Texts 1 and 3, the reward for domestic skills is a husband, probably a 'creamhead', as Frank Janzen's white-blond-haired

145

Village Songs

sons were called. Text 1 suggests the girl is a loser, while Text 3 implies domestic skills may compensate for physical deformities. Behind this literal reading of the story is another level of social comment. The deformed foot is a euphemism for dishonesty, since we are told this girl bakes the Bob bat too high and too round, or in other words, so full of air that her customers are cheated. And according to Text 2, she is not only dishonest. She is also miserly, because she refuses to give 'him', referring to either her father or suitor, money for a new harrow and plow.

Immigrant

61

Daut foarmre (Farming)

J =104-116

Daut foarm-re

opp_ en_ fea-del Launt, Daut jeit dam Foar - rna_ goot,

, I

~&b~

Doch wan hee buat refrain

jl. J51

'&bb

l

•

J) ~ l

~

&9· Hock,__

Hock aun

Weit_

daut

J

Jlp· )ll J lat mie

p· i sit

pu- re Saunt Dan jeit hee doa- hie

opp_

je

I -

scheit,

).

* II

doot.

)

Joascht en

daut schmock

J

j

I

,~ I t

En dan

)!. )

__,

haft__

p·

Maun kjee

~ -

ne

I

146

SINGING MENNONITE

JJ J I J Noot,

En daut foarm- re jeit soo

2. Aul maunchen Foarma troff daut Loos, Daut hee felote deed, En wea nijch froo too siene Moos, En wort doaderch soo bleed. 3. Doch aule Waje ess nijch soo, Daut Maun nijch buare deit, Dam Foarma drekjt uck nijch de Schoo, Met Lost hee plajcht en seit.

Translation 1. Farming on a section land, The farmer likes so well, But if he farms on poor sand, Then he will die thereby.

II

goot.

Refrain Stook on stook, that looks so good, Oats and wheat, that's only proper, And then one will have no need, And farming will be so enjoyable. 2. To many a farmer has fallen the lot, That he would leave (the farm), And wasn't happy about his soup, And through it became so shy. 3. But it's not like that everywhere, That one does not prosper, The farmer's shoe does not pressure him, With hope he plows and seeds.

After a Jereeschte Tweeback concert in Steinbach in January 1986, George Bergman told me his family used to sing a Low German song about farming. He says the Depression of the 1930s encouraged creativity in their family. His father whittled horses and made dolls for the children, but his father's brother John wrote a song about farming. Many songs written during the Depression focus on the difficulties ofthat time. Bergman lived at Poplar Point, a poor farming area, but his lyrics concentrate on the joys offarming. Bergman's hope and optimism are also evident in his choice of tune. He couples his text with the tune of a gospel song in which agricultural imagery describes the brevity of life and the joys of sowing good seed.

147

Village Songs

62

Aule leewe Morjen (Every Dear Morning)

j

$~

=88

Jj. )l Jj Jl l

Au

'

}.

J

J IJ J

- le lee- we Mor - jen,

• ~

l

Wull nijch fa.l

l

J1 be

-

Saut ekj

Jl l

.J~ .J~

j

opp 'et enj Schien,

J

J I J J Jl ) J

sor

jen,

l

II

Jeef noch bloos de Schwien.

Translation Every lovely morning, I sat at the end of the shed, Didn't want to do many chores, Only fed the pigs.

For the writer of this song, the Mennonite work ethic is certainly subservient to personal feelings. The tone ofthe poem, especially in the comments about sitting on the shed, presumably on its roof, indicate the poem is written by a young boy, or by a tired, disillusioned, perhaps even lazy, hired hand. Mr. Brown, the singer of this song, learned many other comic songs from an uncle with a lively sense of humour. The song itself was 'discovered' one day while I was shopping in Gladstone's Department Store, a store formerly owned by a Jewish merchant in the then predominantly Mennonite community of Winkler. Mr. Brown approached me and asked, "Have you ever heard this song before?" Without giving me time to answer, he sang the song, which I hastily notated on the brown paper bag I was holding. This incident is probably typical for folklore collectors.

SINGING MENNONITE

148

63

Bie'm draschen (While Threshing)

.J =92

$~" :Jl :Jl IJl Jl

l

Jl

J1 Ji f l

PI p v

Jl ) l

J

Hen-rikj ess dan Kaus-sten-maun, Fonn dan Kaus-sten weet hee nuscht, 0 daut

$~" J woat

I':'\

Jl Jl l

l

l -..J)

em-ma trua- ja

l

Ji

l I

met dan

2. Peeta ess dee en-gine-maun, Fonn dee en-gine weet hee nuscht, 0 daut woat emma truaja met dan Maun.

CJ.

II

Maun.

Translation 1. Henry is the machine-man, Of the machine he knows nothing, Oh, it gets continually more pitiful with that man! 2. Peter is the engine-man, Of the engine he knows nothing, Oh, it gets continually more pitiful with that man!

This song dates back to at least the 1940s when the Mennonites threshed grain communally with steam engines. Specific tasks were assigned to those who could perform them well. The machine man's task was to keep the machine operating smoothly by oiling it and by controlling the loading of the threshing machine so it would not be halted by overloading. The engine man had to maintain an adequate water supply for the steam engine. Both jobs were viewed as responsible positions. And, as so often happens when there is communal sharing of tasks, there was always much good-natured teasing. "Bie'm draschen" was one way of teasing or ridiculing fellow workers. Ike Froese, who sang this song for me, says other verses were improvised as 'the need arose'. To add to the humour, the song was generally sung in a slow, melodramatic fashion.

149

Village Songs

64

Ballad of the 1\jnachts (Ballad ofthe Servants)

J =96

l J ee - nem wea

Dee

~

J

l

J>

Joop

$¥

dit,

J

be - lakjt,

$ J ) sei

dit,

sei

dee

--..

J>

Joop

IJ

}

Daut haud

I J. daut,

be - lakjt, Dee

J

amdoch

;~I woll

ee

J J J

dit,

sei dit,

;))

je-schmakjt, Sei

goot

J I J }J Sei

- nemwea dee

J1 I j...__....,J l

sei

II

daut. -

Translation The one had spilled on his jacket, The one had spilled on his jacket, He must have thought it tasted good, Say this, say this, say that, Say this, say this, say that.

Mrs. Epp remembers hearing this song in her youth in the 1930s. Her thirteen- or fourteen-year-old rural neighbours sang it to satirize their hired help, citing such things as their uncouth table manners. Apparently, there were more verses for this song, but Mrs. Epp could recall only one. The last two lines are similar to lyrics ofPrussian folksongs, but it is not known whether or not this song is modelled on another one.

SINGING MENNONITE

150

65

Mien Foda wea en Formaschrnaun (My Father Was a Farmer)

Textl

J = 112-120

$~ JiJ J l ;PIJ J J :hi J ;. l J J I J J I Mien Fo - da wea en

'

For-masch-maun, En mie stakjt daut uck em

J F r· v I r J

nam ekj mie

de

j.

l IJ J

Mest-schef-fel, En

].

Bloot, Dan

l JIJ

--------

jaw de Schwien en bat Schroot.

) ]. Ne

fat - te

Han, _ _

en moa - gra

Hon ...

Translation My father was a farmer-man, And it's also in my blood, So I take the manure shovel, And feed the pigs a little meal.

Refrain A fat hen, a skinny rooster ...

Text2 Tune: The Happy Wanderer

Translation My father was a businessman, And sold the mosquito his blood. He gave it to him free without cost, And still killed him thereby.

Mien Foda wea en Haundelsmaun, Fekoft de migj daut Bloot. Hee gauf am daut gauns frie ommsonst, En schluach am danoch doot.

Refrain Fatte Han, moagra Hon, En de Kluck, Ka-ka-ka-ka-ka-ka-ka-ka Fatte Han, moagra Hon, En schluach am danoch doot.

Refrain A fat hen, a skinny rooster, And the laying hen, cluck ... A fat hen, a skinny rooster, And still killed him thereby.

}.

Village Songs

151

Laughter, poetry and song are characteristic of family gatherings among the enkjelde Ensen, as they call themselves, of the village ofReinland. The spelling of their name with a single 'n' contrasts with most Mennonite Enns families who spell their name with a double 'n'. The alternative meaningofenkjelde, which is 'simple', also gives cause for much humour in this fun-loving family. Werner, one of the younger members of the family, apparently wrote this description of the joys of farm life. Humour arises from such obvious inconsistencies as using the manure shovel to dish up dinner for the pigs, and the juxtaposition of the fat hen and skinny rooster. There is additional humour for anyone knowing "The Happy Wanderer'' and hearing the Low German chorus, rather than the traditionally yodelled chorus of"Val-de-rie, val-de-ra .... " There is a parody of this parody version! Sometimes various members of the Ens family substitute the words en mie stakjt de migj em Bloat ('the mosquito bites me', lit. 'sticks me in my blood') for the second line. In this instance, the figurative 'gets into my blood' is taken literally. The refrain of the song remains incomplete. Various endings may have been improvised, although they have probably been lost in the laughter that greets each performance. Like other family jokes, it needs no ending. It communicates as it stands. Yet another version, one entitled "Mien Foda wea en Haundelsmaun," provides insight into the ethics of some Mennonite businessmen.

66

Klosses ess de Koo jestorwe (Klassen's Cow Has Died)

J =100

$2

'

j). .J~ I j. Klos- ses

j

}.

ess

•~ I J

] de

J1 l I F j ] l I j. Koo je - stor- we, Nie- felds ess l

] J? l

ll F j

doot. Koff-mauns' Boll ess derchje

-

}.

kro- pe, En

~ nu

'r·

ess

de

A- sel

l J1 J~ I J II

daut A-lend groot.

152 2. Goode Tiede se jewasen, Daut haft Pau onns oft jesajcht. En wanjie mie daut nijchjleewe, Dan sajcht Pau, go fracht mo Mau.

SINGING MENNONITE Translation 1. Klassen's cow has died, Neufeld's donkey is dead, Koffman's bull has crawled through (the fence), And now there is great sorrow. 2. Good times are now past, Pa has often told us that. And if you don't believe me, Then says Pa, go ask your Ma.

This song found its way into this collection on a small scrap of paper with no information about its origins. Because the words Herbert and Rollkuchen also appear on the paper, the song may have migrated from Saskatchewan. The song is virtually the only Low German song which borrows a familiar gospel tune. The lyricist may have heard "I Will Sing the Wondrous Story'' sung so mournfully that he decided to write a lament about the concerns of the Mennonite peasant farmer. The name Koffman indicates the presence of either Swiss Mennonites or Jews. From Pa's comment to go ask Ma, one can infer that Pa likes to tell stories, but Ma has a more literal understanding of truth than he.

CHAPTER SIX

L 0 W GERMAN BALLADS, or narrative songs, cover a wide range of topics, ranging from the hardships of the Depression, to the Auswanderer migration to Mexico, to praise songs for teachers and hockey heroes. But despite their differing stories, the ballads have common elements. Each ballad is a form of social comment, usually humorous. Unacceptable socializing behaviour, such as going visiting on a hayrack instead of in a buggy, for example, is ridiculed through an almost endless repetition oflyrics in "Marne en Pape fuaren" (''Mother and Father Drove"). Some ballads, such as the praise song for the Mitchell hockey team, will notremain in active repertoire because they refer to specific historic events of limited interest. Other ballads, like "Dee Noba ess mie doll jeworden" ("The Neighbour Has Become Angry with Me"), discuss universal themes such as impatience with an irresponsible neighbour, and therefore may survive for a longer time. Ballads are sung almost exclusively by Kanadier of both reserves, and have been passed down through several generations and survived numerous migrations. Some came from Prussia and Russia. Another ballad, ''Relieftiet" ("ReliefTime"), originated in Saskatchewan, travelled to the Peace River District in northernAlberta, and from there migrated to Manitoba within a period of thirty years. Like the Biblical story of Job, this ballad describes the loss of possessions during hard times and increased prosperity when the situation improves. Ironically, the young man's eventual prosperity is enriched by gifts from his 'old man'. But presumably, he is a miserly old man since his gifts consist of an old cow, instead of the expected work horse, and an old tractor. More often, a joke, rather than a ballad, is the vehicle for criticizing perceived Mennonite frugality. Folklorist Robert Klymasz, who has studied Canadian Ukrainian folklore,

154

SINGING MENNONITE

points out that the ethnic joke, often expressed in English because ofthe "Impotency of the Mother Tongue in the New World" (Klymasz 1970, 71), is popular because it is "compact and epigramatic in nature, a product of an urbanized society whose tight work schedule allows little or no time for the flexible elaboration of detail which characterizes a traditional story-telling session in a peasant culture" (ibid., 73). The joke and the traditional folktale also appear to be the means for the expression of clergy-laity tensions among Mennonites. Because "the Mennonite elder of 1850, with some exceptions was a man ofthe establishment" (Toews 1979a, 5) in Russia, and excommunication was a common practice in church discipline until the mid-twentieth century in Manitoba Mennonite churches, one could expect to hear some dissenting voices, but there are no ballads which represent this tension. The ballad "De Bua en de Pradja/Pop" ("The Peasant and the Pope"), which researcher Kenneth Peacock asserts is a typically Mennonite Low German song (Peacock 1966, 53), was not widely known among Mennonites I interviewed. Instead, it appears to be a variant of a traditional Prussian folksong. Why do we not hear these dissenting voices in Low German song? Some of these tensions in the Russian colonies may have been eased by migration or the formation of splinter church groups. Also, because those excommunicated in southern Russia faced social and economic ostracism, and those excommunicated in southern Manitoba had the option ofjoining other churches, singing Low German songs was either risky or unnecessary. Thirdly, as already suggested, criticism of the clergy may have taken another form, such as the joke or folktale. And lastly, Low German, the domestic language, is used in song primarily to criticize domestic and social relationships, rather than ecclesiastical tensions. There is one curious anomaly among these ballads: "Om Banjamien" ("Mr. Benjamin"), a praise song written in honour of a well-respected teacher of the Molotschna Colony. It seems strange for a song on an educational topic coming from the Molotschna Colony to be written in Low German, the everyday language, usually associated with the Chortitza Colony. Could some of the praise for Mr. Benjamin's rigid discipline or narrowly defined curriculum be meant tongue-incheek? Mennonites appear to have no native term for these songs which I have loosely termed ballads, but the songs do provide insight into the workings of Mennonite society.

155

Ballads Traditional

67

De Bua en de Pradja/Pop (The Peasant and the Pope)

~

=92

$~2 J I Jl Jl ~ En

Bua dee koakt sikj Heazh-jrets - brie,

$ti ~ @P

Jl ) I Jl l

l

Heazh-jrets - brie, En

'ti

l :hili J

J'l

~ ~ ~ ~ I

l

l

Jl

naum en

r

diet, tsei - dat, tsei - do,

~ Tsei

2. En aus de Bua dan saut en fraut, Donn kloppad enn de Koma waut. 3. De Fru, dee sad, "Daut deed de Wint, Dee klaupad met dam Schlatelrinkj."

En

refrain

~ I

A - sels

v v v II ~

- knoss doa - bie.

pp) I -

Bua dee koakt sijch

1":\

Jl I j l

diet, tsei - dat, tsei

Tsei-

II

- do.

Translation 1. A peasant farmer cooked some millet porridge, And added a donkey's leg.

4. En aus dee Bua enn'e Koma kaum, Donn stunt de Pop en glotst am aun.

Refrain Tsei-diet, tsei-dat, tsei-do, Tsei-diet, tsei-dat, tsei-do.

5. "Pop, Pop, waut west enn mienem Hus, Ekj krup j'uck nijch enn dien Kalus."

2. And as the peasant sat and devoured it, He heard a rattling in the pantry.

6. Donnjreep de Bua dan Bassem stock, En hold dam Pop eent awrem Kopp.

It clattered with the key ring."

7. De Pop, deejinkj awre Hakj en Stap, Nu seet wo heejekjlinjat haft!

4. And when the peasant entered the pantry, The preacher/pope stood glaring at him.

3. The wife, she said, "The wind did it,

156 5. "Pope, pope, what do you want in my house? I don't crawl into your den."

SINGING MENNONITE 7. The pope, he went over gate/hedge and field, Now see how he has rung!

6. Then the peasant grabbed the broomstick, And whacked the preacher over the head.

Kenneth Peacock, a folklorist at theNational Museum in Ottawa, summarizes this song as an "anti-clerical allegory with a domestic setting" (1966, 49). He interprets this song as an attempt by the Roman church, represented by the Pope, to persuade dissenting Mennonites to return to the fold. He concludes, "This is typically a Mennonite song in the 'Low German' dialect. No other culture could have produced it" (ibid.). But another culture has in fact produced it. The refrain Tsei-diet, tsei-dat, tseido is characteristic ofPrussian Low German songs (see Alpers 1924, 194; Frischbier 1877, 53). Other Prussian songs, such as "De Bu'r oen e Kerch" ("The Peasant/ Farmer and the Church"), indicate tension between peasantry and clergy, probably the Catholic clergy (Frischbier 1877, 36-38). And finally, a saltier Prussian Low German version of the song Peacock collected appears under the title of"De Bicht verhoere" (Frischbier 1877, 30-32). Here the Pope arrives at the peasant's house early in the morning while the peasant is working on his fields, supposedly to teach catechism to the wife. He entices her into the folds of his garment, but not into the fold of the church. There is no thought of healing religious schism here! Unlike the lyrics of other immigrant Low German songs, such as "En Lamtje haud en Kobbeltje" and "Aus ekj jinkj met de Hoak opp'e Dal," which adapted to new environments when they migrated, this song remained similar to earlier historical and geographical versions. When I first found this song, I thought it was known only by Andrew Hamm and his sister of Neubergthal, near Altona, who sang it for Peacock in 1963. They learned it in Prussia prior to coming to Canada in 1890. In 1983, an American Kanadier man told me, however, that he had learned this song from southern Manitoba Russlander farm workers in the 1920s or 30s.

Ballads

157

68

Om Banjamien (Mr. Benjamin) '1\me: Mien Hut der hat drei Ecken 1. Om Banjamien ess mien Leara, En faljelowda Maun, En ekj sie sien Fe'eara, De wiels ekj goanuscht kaun.

2. Hee deed en Baselleare, En trigj kaum hee befriet, Doch soo aus fale saje, Haft hee nijch rikj jefriet. 3. Hee ess en strenja Leara, Bruckt kjeenen aundrLl Schuts, Klunjt goot opp miene Uiwa, Doch bloos too mienem Nuts. 4. Latst foot hee mie aum Kroage, "Jung, du bess domm aus Blott, Fuats latst daut domme Froage, En jleewst mau bloos aun Gott." 5. Nu essje hee fal kjlakja, Aus ekj en mien Jeschlajcht, Aus aul dee sindje Bakja, Ekj jleew mau waut hee sajcht.

Translation 1. Mr. Benjamin is my teacher, A very honoured man, And I am the one who honours him, Because I know almost nothing. 2. He studied in Basel, And returned from there married, But, as many say, He hasn't married into money. 3. He is a very strict teacher, Who needs no other reputation, He is very firm/stern with me (lit. 'steps on my liver'), But just for my own good, 4. Once he took hold of my collar, "Son, you are dumb as mud, Stop your foolish questioning, And simply trust in God." 5. Because he is much cleverer than I, In my kind/situation, Than all the sinful books, I just trust what he says.

"Om Banjamien" is a tribute to Kornelius Benjamin Unruh (1849-1910), a Mennonite educator and scholar affectionately known by his students as Om Banjamien. He was noted for his facility in French and Russian. As an educator, he made his contributions to the Mennonite community as a textbook author, administrator and, of course, teacher. His textbooks include three books for religious instruction and a German grammar text for Mennonite elementary schools in Russia. The text ofthe song probably refers to the thirty-two years he spent as principal and teacher at the OhrloffZentralschule in the Molotschna Colony (Krahn 1959b, 785). The song was published posthumously in Nachrichten-Blatt des Concordia

158

SINGING MENNONITE

Vereins (1929, 2[2]: 10), a Concordia Hospital bulletin produced by Canadian immigrants from the Molotschna who founded the hospital in Winnipeg. The songwriter seems concerned that Unruh has not married a rich wife. Historically, socio-economic status has been an important factor in mate-selection among Mennonites. One can cite several examples: wealthy Mennonites in Prussia who maintained ties with Holland for business and marital reasons; Mennonites in Russia who discouraged or even forbade marriage between their children and the Ukrainian/Russian servants; or Mennonites in southern Manitoba who argued against intermarriage with other ethnic groups or even certain Mennonite families because they did not show evidence of a strong work-ethic orientation. A philosophy of education is implied in the song. The reference to the sinful modern books suggests that the Bible, the Gesangbuch or 'hymnal' and the catechism book, all of which Unruh favoured in his teaching, are the only books one need study to be well educated. And yet, Unruh himself had a much broader education. Are these comments, like those about the humble student, somewhat tonguein-cheek? Is it really a praise song? Apparently Mr. Unruh knew about the song and approved of it, and those who talked about the song regarded it as a compliment to him. It is, however, unusual for a student to write a Low German song about a teacher of High German in a colony noted for its High German preference. Immigrant

69

Fedreide Welt (Upside-Down World)

J =72

$h f ~ ll ib $# l ,p ,p ;I l ,p Jl ..

J1

;~I

l J5 .

.

..

Jl J1

Il

Jl ib Jl I; JjcJJ I ..

..

..

1. Bie

Hie - bats en dan Hee - na- staul,Doa lad de Han en Klii - te, 2. En de Koo dee saut em Krau-je-nast, Met aa - re jun - ge Kos - e, Se

p IP P Jl .PI J l =II ~ ~ I

En- n'e Schien en en- n'e Staul, En au- le - waa - je fea- den doa aa Ju- bel- fast, En fun- ge aun to

bii bos -

te. e.

3. En de

159

Ballads

p p A - sel trock sikj Schlor-re aun, Kaum aw -ret Hus je - floa

ge,

l wan daut nijch de Woar- heit ess, Soo

Translation 1. At Hiebert's in the chicken-bam, A chicken laid a clump of dirt, In the lean-to and in the bam, And everywhere outside.

ess daut bloos je - loa

En

II

ge.

3. And the donkey donned some pantaloons, Came flying over the house-top, If this should not be the truth, It is simply a lie.

2. And the cow sat in the crow's nest, With her young goats, They celebrated their anniversary/jubilee, And started to buzz.

Peacock collected this song from the late Andrew Hamm of the village of Neubergthal near Altona, in the summer of 1963. He regards the song as "a compensation for the strict moral code their [Mennonite] official culture imposes" on them (Peacock 1966, 49 ). However, nonsense songs of this type occur among many ethnic or religious groups, and also in Prussian folklore (see Frischbier 1867, 14). The origins ofthe song are uncertain. In a tape-recorded interview, Hamm tells Peacock that the melody is very old, but the lyrics were composed by local villagers. Since Hamm composed another song he attributes to oral tradition, he probably composed this one as well. Several villagers told me they had learned the song from Mr. Hamm. In fact, it is still in the community's active repertoire. Some young village girls, dressed in farm attire, performed it at a variety concert held at the annual village picnic in June 1978. Villagers of all ages participated in the program, yet only the younger folk sang in Low German.

SINGING MENNONITE

160

70

Relieftiet (Relief-Time)

J =100

$&bq I ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ll

l

l

J1 Jl

Daut ess noch goa-nijch see - ja lang, Donn wea wie schrakj-lijch oam, Dee

$&bb

l

J1 Bren

l

J1

l

J1

l

J1

J1

- ninj wort onns

au

~ b"""'!!lf~ "'m 8 & b J> Dee

l

I ,p Ji Jl l

l

sent nu

l

l

J1

au - la

-

J J I J $ J3 J3 J. la,

.Ji

Daut

l

J1

dikj en

Hus daut we a

nijch woam.

Ji J I $ $ J J1 J II l

fat,

l

En

los-tijch op - p'e Been.

2. Wie worden aula alendijch, Fonn Schmagus en fonn Broot, Dan Sierupp waut wie kjrajen, Dee wea nijch meeja root.

6. Wie han ne maussen Schruggen, En enn'e dartijch Schwien, Deejeit 'et uck fal bata, Aus onnse King en Queen.

3. Dee Schruggen worden alendijch, Dee Saajen worden den, Dee kjrajen dan noch Foakjel, Dee wullen bloos trigj nen.

7. Ekj deed mie noch befriejen, Dee oola leet'et too, Hee gaufmie en oolen Rumlie, En eene oole Koo.

4. Dan wull'ck mie noch befriejen, Dee oola sad, "Oh shit! Waut wess du dan met aul dee kids?" Daut wist ekj selwst uck nijch.

8 .... Dee sent nu aula dikj en fat, En lostijch opp'e Been.

5. D't Relieftiet ess nu iiwa, Onnsjeit 'et wada goot, Dan Sierupp waut wie kjrieje, Dee ess nu wada root.

I

Translation 1. It isn't very long Since we were frightfully poor, The fuel ran out, The house it wasn't warm.

Ballads

161

2. We all got very sickly, From gravy and from bread, The syrup which we got then, It wasn't very red.

6. We have a lot of work horses, And over thirty pigs, They're certainly much happier, Than our King and Queen.

3. The horses became sickly, The sows became thin, Then we got little piglets, They just wanted to go back in.

7. I also got married, The old man gave his consent, He gave me an old Rumley, And one old cow.

4. Then I still wanted to get married, But the old man said, "Oh shit! What do you want with all the kids?" I didn't know myself.

8 .... They're all fat and chubby, And joyfully run around.

5. The depression/relief-time is now over, Things are going well for us again, The syrup which we now get, Once again is red.

PeterGoertzen,thesingerofthissong,comesfromafamilywhichhaslivedinManitoba,Saskatchewan, Mexico and the Peace River District of Alberta. Frequent longdistance moves are typical ofAuswanderer although Goertzen's family still lives in Alberta's Peace River District. Peter, the curator of Steinbach's Mennonite Village Museum, currently resides in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Several words and expressions place this ballad within the Kanadier/Auswanderer tradition. Large families, minimal formal education, and simple, earthy language and values characterize this group ofMennonites. Calling a horse a Schrugg or 'nag' instead of a Peat or simply a 'horse', or calling one's father 'the old man' are typical, as is defining marriage as essentially an economic union, although this thinking is also found among other groups of Mennonites. The craftsmanship of the lyrics is revealed through well-balanced parallels between the discussion of problems during the Depression, and the solutions in the post-Depression era: compare Verse 2 with Verse 5, Verse 3 with 6, and Verse 4 with 7 and 8. This poetic sensitivity to balance is significant in a poem which some Mennonites would consider 'crude' because of the shady language. Although this family's life seemingly improved after the Depression, there is a note ofirony in Verse 7. The father's consent to the son's marriage is reluctant: he gives him an old Rumley, one of the earliest gasoline tractors, and an old cow. A daughter would have expected to receive a cow from her parents when she married, but a son could certainly expect to receive a good horse, probably a work horse. So

162

SINGING MENNONITE

in the case of the 'old man', the simple lifestyle values would be more appropriately labelled as miserly. This song was still being sung by Mennonites in the Peace River District in the 1950s. In 1987, the Heischraitje incorporated these lyrics into their song "Mien Foda we a en Foarma."

71

Marne en Pape fuaren (Mother and Father Drove)

Tune: For He's a Jolly Good Fellow

1. Marne en Pape fuaren opp'm Heirekj (3 times), En ekj fua danoch met (3 times), Marne en Pape fuaren opp'm Heirktj (3times), En ekj fua danoch met.

2. Marne en Pape fuaren opp'm Heirekj ... En Haunstje dee bleefTus. ·

Translation 1. Mother and father went riding/visiting on the hayrack, And I went along. 2. Mother and father went riding/visiting on the hayrack, And Johnny stayed at home.

A farmer driving with a hayrack during the week would have been a common sight, although usually the farmer's children or hired hands, rather than his wife, would be riding with him. According to the singer of this song, this farmer and his wife are supposedly going visiting on a Sunday afternoon and that is quite another matter. It was socially unacceptable to use a work wagon for social purposes. Using the hayrack to go visiting indicates either poor planning or ignorance of social decorum, so the song then ridicules socially inappropriate behaviour within the community. There is no obvious reason why one child accompanies his parents while the other stays home. Perhaps this song was also used to tease children about having to stay home if they didn't behave. Probably dating back to the pre-1950s era, this song was sung among Auswanderer of Sommerfelder Church background, in the Peace River District ofAlberta, before it migrated to Manitoba. They used the song to tease siblings and to ridicule the lifestyle of their parents.

163

Ballads

72

Dee Noba ess mie dolljeworden (The Neighbour Has Become Angry with Me)

J =126

$2 4 Dee

$j

J 4 uJ No - ba

ess

JI j

nijch

mien

112

jet

le

je - wor - den,

Hee

liet

fonn

I J J JI J

Ekj

mie

lied

am

j

112

bloos

JIJ

En weet fomm lie

Sor - te,

IJ J J I

j

14 1 J II: 1

Biel,

J IJ au

doll_

mie

J I j.

nie

J 1 J IJ

je

J

goa

J J J I tJJ J I J J J I J J

I

kjeen

!"':\

I Tsiel,

Dee

aun- dra

Dach_

lied

mie

fuats

Translation The neighbour has become angry with me, I wouldn't lend him my new hatchet. He borrows all kinds of things from me, His borrowing has no end. The other day he borrowed my wagon, And immediately broke the tongue (of a two-horse wagon).

m1en

Woa - ge,

11 r.-----,1 ru::------,1

4 I J :II 1 I

JIJ J En bruakj

hee_

dan

Dies

tel.

twei.

twei.

164

SINGING MENNONITE

The words of this song are taken from a longer unpublished poem by Henry D. Friesen, a former teacher in southern Manitoba. Friesen, whose family moved to Canada just prior to World War I, taught in the Altona/Gretna vicinity before moving to Saskatoon, where he become involved in a religious tract organization. His poetry has been deposited in the Centre for Mennonite Brethren Studies, the archive of the Mennonite Brethren in Canada, by his nephew Dan Rempel. In contrast to his religious High German poetry, Friesen's Low German poetry deals with practical matters of everyday life. These Low German poems may have been written during the Depression. Even the beginning of the original poem summarizes the main idea of the entire poem: the tension between the irresponsible and indiscriminate borrower, and the person from whom he borrows. This song was familiar to only a few Kanadier who grew up near Plum Coulee in southern Manitoba. Yet everyone who heard the song, it seemed, had had similar experiences or memories of irresponsible neighbours. Some people commented on the additional pressure such irresponsibility placed on a community during tough times like the Depression years. Possibly the most interesting comment on the song was made by whoever wedded, or perhaps welded, the text and its hymn tune. The melody of the hymn, called "Erbarmung'' or "Mercy," was first published in J. G. Schicht's Allgemeines Choral Buch in 1819, while the religious words were already published by the author in his Geistliches Lieder-Kastle in in 1767. The words of an English translation by Sister Frieda Kaufman begin "What mercy and divine compassion has God in Christ revealed to me!" Is it mere chance that Low German lyrics about an exasperating neighbour are mated with a tune associated with God's inexhaustible mercy and compassion? Although the song may appear to be a secular song, it asks a serious theological question, the one Peter asks Jesus in Matthew 18:21: "How many times do I have to forgive someone who has wronged me?" Many Mennonite listeners laugh at the disparity between this belief and actual practice.

165

Ballads

73

Mien Foda sad een scheen Morjen (My Father Said One Fine Morning)

J. =60-69

I r I J· jJi ;.ll Ji

' R

Mien

Fo

- da sad een scheen Mor-jen,_

'&£9 Pil ' kje-nen,

J· ~- l

goo

l

J1

- me woat'et nijch

Soo- ne

dom

l

Jl I J)

de woascht du

l

nijch kjrie

2. Ne goode hab ekjjekjraajen, En nu sie ekj toofrad, Ekj mucht d't leefste nijch schaufen, Dee Sonn dee febrent mie dan Riggen. 3. Ekj woa aa daut uck noch sajen, Ekj drinkj en bat Beeja uck Wien, Ekj drinkj oba nijch daut mie darschat, Ekj drinkj daut a us Meditsien. 4. Onnse Kjinja go'n boafoot en hungrijch, Onnsjeit 'et soo feemasijch oam, Ekj mucht d't leefste nijch schaufen, Dee Sonn dee febrent mie dan Riggen. Dee Sonn dee schient mie too woam.

Translation 1. My father said one fine morning, "You'll never be able to marry.

"Be - frie-jen woascht du die nijch

J

-

ja

- wen, __

...___, En 'ne

J II

~

jen."_ _

Such a stupid one (woman) doesn't exist, And a good one, you won't be able to get." 2. I have gotten a good one, And I am satisfied. I'd rather not work, The sun bums my back. 3. I also will tell her, I drink a little beer and wine, But I don't drink because I'm thirsty, I drink it as medicine. 4. Our children are barefoot and hungry, We are so dreadfully poor (poor as cattle), I'd rather not work, The sun, it bums my back. The sun shines too warmly for me.

166

SINGING MENNONITE

The father's observations reflect traditional Mennonite communal expectations: that a man be hard-working, temperate and a good provider for his family. The young man rationalizes his refusal to accept these norms. Even though he does not subscribe to the work ethic, he has found a good wife. And, after all, how can he be expected to work ifthe sun disables him? He explains his drinking as being for medicinal purposes. This seems to be a common Mennonite rationalization. In fact, one of the euphemisms for drinking was to call beer or wine by the name of some cure-all herbal medicine, like Alpenkreuter. At a pig-killing, men would talk about Spakjmiiten, literally 'measuring the bacon', after all the work was done. In a final attempt to get the sympathy and understanding of the community, he points to his barefoot, hungry children. Surely the community's compassion for his helpless children ought to override their censure of his supposed inability to work. The song's humour is derived partly from the melodramatic tone of the poetry, but also from the fact that many Mennonites know real-life analogues to this rationalizing alcoholic. In fact, people often gave me the name of the individual in their town or village who fit this description. No doubt, this song would be equally applicable beyond the Mennonite community. The song also holds the unique distinction of being the only Low German song ever performed with puppets at a junior high school Hallowe'en social in Plum Coulee! Edward Penner, singer of the song, says it is also frequently sung at their family gatherings. The J ereeschte Tweeback have popularized the song since 1981 through their performances.

Contemporary

74

Oh du Iieber Augustine (Oh, You Dear Augustine) Tune: Oh du Iieber Augustine 1. Oh du Iieber Augustine, Augustine, Augustine, Oh du Iieber Augustine, We're all back again. We've seen lots of action, To our satisfaction, Oh ihr Iiebe Leute, It's been quite a year.

2. Oh du Iieber Augustine, Augustine, Augustine, Oh du Iieber Augustine, What a thrill it has been. Nick Peetasch dee sade dan, "Waut deist du doa Lyonal?" Festeit goanijch too scheete, Daut jeft wada nuscht.

167

Ballads 3 .... (repeat first four lines of verse 2) De Bear ess fal too groot, Ess foaken em Stijch, Hee steit goan'ch opp de skates, Lijcht foakna opp'em less. 4 ....

De Jakie de defense man, Hee ess goanijch schis, Dan kjikjt hee sikj romm, Schet Jreentol eent nen.

5 .... Dee kjliena Braunt, Daut sajcht nuscht aum size, De elbows sent gauns jestekjt, Hee ess en poa derch.

And fuare lengd dam less, And Paul scheet daut nen.

Translation

1. Oh you dear Augustine, Augustine, Augustine, Oh you dear Augustine, we're all back again. We've seen lots of action, to our satisfaction, Oh, you dear people, it's been quite a year. 2. Oh you dear Augustine, Augustine, Augustine, Oh you dear Augustine, what a thrill it has been. Nick Peters they then said, "What are you doing there Lyonal ?" Doesn't know how to shoot, nothing's happening again.

6 .... Daut penalty box, Doa steit hee soo foaken, Daut jleicht hee doa soo, Daut ess je sien Tus.

3. (repeat first two lines of verse 2) The bear is much too big, is often in the way, He never stands on his skates, oftener lies on the ice.

7 .... They said that Bing was sick, He sure did fool them, He scored a hat-trick, In Landmark that night.

That Jakie, the defenseman, he never gets scared, He just looks around, and pours one into Grunthal.

8. Jules the captain, They sure picked at him, De Friejes Junges, Dee jeewe nijch opp, Dee kjlienaAlvin, Dee poakad dan Marvin, De Marvin wort soo doll, And schupst an doa fuat. 9. Vic and Ben, Dee muste fal name, Dee schoote dee Puck, Soo foake doa rut. Dan neeme dee Ernie En Schitj dee puck,

4 ....

5.... That little Brandt, size doesn't say anything, His elbows are well built, he's worn through one pair. 6.... The penalty box, he stands there so often, He likes it so much, for it is his home. 7....

They said that Bing was sick, He sure did fool them, He scored a hat-trick, In Landmark that night.

SINGING MENNONITE

168 8. Jules the captain, they sure picked at him, The Friesen boys, they never give up, The little Alvin, he irritated Marvin, Marvin got angry, and pushed him away.

9. Vic and Ben had to take a lot, So often they shot the puck out ofthere. Then Ernie and Shick, they took the puck, And sailed/drove along the ice, and Paul shot it in.

This song, praising the Mitchell hockey team for winning the championship, was composed by several female fans. The women sang it at a banquet for the champions at Lee's Village Inn in Steinbach in March 1978. The song may not have been sung since that time, but is typical of Low German songs written for specific celebrations.

75

Lot mie junt fetalle (Let Me Tell You)

j

=116

,~!

1

L

L

I~

1

Lot mie junt fe - tal - le fonn en

Maun

named

dee_ haud'et nijch soo goot, l

Foot,

Een scheen'n Dach donn l

~

Ji Ji ~ font

,~

de pub-likj

J J

School, _ __

fr J 4 r· II

trakjt no Mex -

i - koo._

Hee_ nemt de

Fru_

en__

169

Ballads 2. Nu wont hee enn'et kjlienet jrieset Hus, En sienJesecht ess seeja, seeja krus, Hee haft nuscht fal meeja aus eascht, Bott de Nuade-Mennoniete habe Koare met dreeJiers.

Translation 1. Let me tell you of a man named Voth, Poor Mennonite, he 'didn't have it good', One fine day, the public school phones him, He takes his wife, and moves to Mexico.

3. Donn heat hee daut en Manitoba wea, Een Wellem Faa dee strakjt aulem faa. Nu ropt hee de Fru en Kjinja toop, En kome nuade, met ne groote Schoop.

2. Now he lives in a little dirty house, And his face is very, very furrowed, He doesn't really have more than before, But the northern Mennonites have cars with three gears.

4. Dee publikj School ess seeja awa foil, Wie weete nijch waut dee Mexikauna well, Hee weet nuscht fonn waut hee saulleare, Waajleefst betolt daut, bott onnse goode Rejierung.

3. Now he hears that in Manitoba there was A certain William Fehr (welfare) who finances everyone, Now he gathers his wife and children together, And they come north with a great big scoop. 4. The public school is very overcrowded, We don't know what the Mexican wants, He knows nothing of what he shall learn, And who do you think will pay it, but our good government!

This ballad was composed by seventeen-year-old Don Voth while he was working on his grandfather's farm and thinking about the glimpses into Mennonite history he had received from his grandfather. Don is an organist and guitarist who enjoys improvising. He borrowed the theme song of the "Beverly Hillbillies" television program because he thought the melody would suit the story of simple Mennonite folk. With the help of his family, he soon completed the song. The song's story deals with the 1920s migration of conservative Mennonites from Manitoba to Mexico, in protest ofthe Manitoba Schools Act which would introduce English as the language of instruction into public schools. This, they claimed, contradicted the freedom of education they were promised when they moved to Canada in the 1870s. The move to Mexico meant more pioneer agricultural work. These Auswanderer became established but a severe drought in Mexico in the early 1950s forced several hundred back to Manitoba. While the basic facts of the song are accurate, it contains some curious anomalies. The name Voth was Prussian Mennonite, found mostly in the Molotschna

170

SINGING MENNONITE

Colony in Russia. Since the emigres to Mexico were descendants of the Chortitza Colony, it is unlikely that the name would appear among them. And the public school would hardly have telephoned conservative Mennonite homes in the 1920s, where the telephone was viewed as a worldly invention. More significant, however, are the inconsistencies between belief and practice of the emigres. While the move to Mexico was a response to government encroachment on freedom of education, the move back to Canada was motivated by the promise of financial assistance, such as welfare and public schooleduca tion, by the very government they had earlier resisted. In this song, this inconsistency does not appear to be a problem for these people. Instead, they are hoping to be on par with their North American brothers and sisters who drive cars with three gears. This implies aNorthAmerican Mennonite attitude of cultural superiority. The lyricist is critical of the Mexican Mennonites for selling out their values, but not of North American Mennonites who were not ready to move to uphold their religious traditions. The view of the Mexican Mennonite as a drain on educational and economic resources further illustrates this attitude. A humorous note is sounded in Verse 3. The Low German term for welfare, Welfaa, is borrowed from the English. However, to the Low German speaker, unfamiliar with English, the word sounds like the name of Will Fehr. Consequently, these Mennonites have developed a legend about a kindly gentleman named William Fehr, who is willing to assist anyone with financial difficulties with a monthly cheque. One need simply apply for these funds. The legend is repeated with relish, since it is well known that some people misuse the system, and not because they have misunderstood the Low German term for welfare.

76

Jasch en Leensch (Jake and Lena)

J=80 l

Jl Jasch en Leensch dee jin-jen nopp, Dee

jin - jen

opp

l

l =II

dan Boach,_ Dee

Ballads

171 l

Jl J1 Jl J l

(

II

l

Leensch dee klaut-tad pie- nijch nopp En

2. Jasch proowd dee oole bosijch no, Hee wea gauns ute pust, Oba Leensch dee pord eendrachtijch no, "Daut Wotafaltonns Tus." 3. Dee oama Jasch dee spood sikj soo

Am jlipst daut lome Been,

Hee fluach dan han en plumpst erauf, En soo deed siene Leen.

4. Sad Jasch, "0 wee, mien oama Stiern, Ekj feel mie soo bedutst. Ekj wull daut Wota holenjearn, Daut haft onns nuschtjenutst." 5. Dit Leet daut schiensoo haft kjeen Enj, Oba ekj hea nu opp!

Jasch stee-weld aa

no.

Translation 1. Jake and Lena were going up, Were going up the hill. Lena quickly climbed up, And Jake stumbled after her. 2. Jake followed the old lady so quickly He was completely out of breath. But Lena kept urging him on, "We need the water at home." 3. Poor Jake he hurried so That his lame leg slipped. He flew down and down (the hill) And also did his Lena. 4. Said Jake, "Ohpain, my poor forehead, I feel so very confused. I really did want to get the water, But now it has been useless." 5. The song seemingly has no end, But now I'm stopping!

In the spring of 1985, the Steinbach Bible College music department held a social in Winnipeg at Rudy Schellenberg's home. Each faculty member was asked to perform the nursery rhyme"Jack and Jill" in a particular musical idiom such as Wagnerian opera or French impressionism. De Plautdietsche Klosche decided to balance the musical picture by performing a Low German version. She introduced her rendition with the following comments: The song "Jasch en Leensch" is in many ways similar to other Mennonite Gausseleeda or street songs. It uses the Ukrainian folktune "Oipied heijem, heijem", commonly used for Plautdietsche Leeda of social criticism, and is written in ballad style with repetition ofline 2, as well as lines 3 and 4. The

172

SINGING MENNONITE

Gausseschlinjels who composed these songs would join the balladeer in these repetitions. It is, however, unusual for the Gausseschlinjels to sing about a married couple since they generally criticized their peer group. This break with tradition shows the seriousness of domestic strife in this particular home: it was so well known that the whole community sang about it. The song is part of the Mennonite Plautdietsche Leeda tradition in yet another way. The names in this song, which the British have erroneously translated as Jack and Jill, are common Mennonite names. Jasch or Jacob is the second most common name among Mennonites in Prussia from 1695-1795, and shows the Mennonite preference for Biblical names. Helena, the third most common female name in Russia between 1860 and 1875, and not a Biblical name, shows the secularization which occurred among Mennonites during this time of economic expansion. Because of the popularity of these names in the Molotschna village ofAlexanderwohl, historians have assumed the song originated there and was brought to Kansas in the 1870s by these people. They believe it came to Manitoba in the 1890s with Mennonites moving to escape anti-German, antipacifist prejudice, and then migrated to Manitoba's East Reserve through intermarriage in the early 1950s. There is one problem with this explanation. Alexanderwohl is located on the steppes with no appreciable hill in sight. The reference to climbing the hill, altered from a Dutch version where the couple climbed the dike, refers either to the Russian mountain range called Komaneinenmagilia, or to the Schoenfeldsche Boag, the hill on which the Bergthal Colony village of Schoenfeld was located. Further research needs to be done to understand why a young couple climbed a hill in search of water, when Mennonites ordinarily went down to the river to fetch water.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Sutte nnb etnging- tti..cle QJnme eun!)S M 0 S T P E 0 P L E think the language oflove is the language ofliterature and poetry. Because Low German, the domestic language, is associated with oral tradition, it is often regarded as incapable of expressing sensitive thoughts and emotions. Few Low German songs refer to love. And if they do, it is generally in a humorous vein, often as a verse added to a more serious High German love song. The most widely known Low German love song is composed of several Low German verses added to a High German Schliisselbund Leet. These singing-circle games, usually sung by Kirchliche or 'General Conference' Russ lander youth, were an integral part of Saturday and Sunday evening, or wedding reception entertainment, both in Russia and in southern Manitoba in the earlier part of this century. As well as entertainment, they provided socially sanctioned courting opportunities for the youth. There have been some attempts to revive the tradition at weddings in the past decade, but the games are not generally known by today's youth. Schliisselbund Leeda (lit. 'ring of keys songs') may have derived their name from the rattling of keys, which signalled choosing partners in these games. The choice of partners in this socially accepted context encouraged many a romance in a society which frowned on open and free relationships. Most of these games were sung in High German. In fact, the song "Waut sent mie daut faa Nuschte?" (" Oh Dear, What Can the Matter Be?''), sung by both Chortitza and Molotschna Russlander, may be the only totally Low German Schliisselbund Leet extant in memory. Low German verses, however, were frequently added to the High German songs, usually with the intent of teasing an individual or a couple. The High German verses spoke of the joys of youth and love in sentimental terms, while the Low German verses reminded the listener of a more pragmatic approach to reality.

174

SINGING MENNONITE

Schliisselbund Leeda, however, were not sung universally even among Russlander. In fact, more pietistic Mennonites, such as the Mennonite Brethren, frowned on these songs and games because of their similarity to dancing, which was forbidden in their own churches. They were at times critical of their Kirchliche neighbours who had the audacity not only to participate in, but even to enjoy, such frivolity. By comparison, in speaking of Kanadier of Old Colony Church background, Mennonite historian Melvin Gingerich tells us that, "In some very conservative Mennonite groups in America, where young people customarily joined the church at about the age of marriage or in their later teens, strict prohibitions as to amusements were not imposed before baptism" (Gingerich 1959, 112). These young people often gathered for square dances or games like "Bingo," "Last Couple Out" and "In and Out the Window." Folk or square dancing was popular at much the same occasions as the playing of Schliisselbund games among the Kirchliche Russlander, but the dances of these Kanadier Mennonites were often held in the hayloft of a barn rather than in a house. The music ofthese songs tended to be livelier and the words more colourful than their Schliisselbund counterparts. Often their dance tunes were accompanied by accordion, guitar, violins and mouth organ. When they joined the church and got married, these young people usually sold their musical instruments. It was a rite of passage to adulthood, so symbols of youth were left behind. Presumably, they would now be concerned with domestic affairs, with minimal time for the social activities of youth. One ofthe more common genres of contemporary Low German love songs is the lament. "Tell Me Why, Baby, Why," "Acht Mejalles" ("Eight Girls") and "Du bess mien Sonneschien" (''You Are My Sunshine") are all contemporary Kanadier laments. None of these songs contain the pathos which characterizes traditional English laments like "Barbara Allen." Instead, singers of Low German laments use humour to camouflage their grief. This again reflects the perceived inability of the language to convey refined thought. The humour in Low German love songs is invariably directed at flirtation, permissive behaviour and exogamy - courting and/or marrying outside of the prescribed group ofMennonites. The prescribed group excludes not only non-Mennonites, but also certain undesirable Mennonites. For example, in the street song "En Lamtje haud en Kobbeltje" ("A Mr. Lemke Had a Little Mare"), the estate-owner's daughters refuse to marry a poor farmer. Economic considerations were also cited in the Russlander ballad "Om Banjamien" ("Mr. Benjamin"), since we are told "he did not marry rich." According to a Russlander love song, "Et wear 'mol en Frieja" ("There Once Was a Suitor"), one does not marry below one's social standing unless

Love and Singing-Circle Game Songs

175

one is desperate. The problem with courting or marryingRussche Mejalle ('Russian girls') in the Schluesselbund song"Allemal kann ich nicht lustig sein" ("I Can't Be Happy at All") is not that the girls have alien religious or cultural values, but that mere servant girls might acquire wealth. The socio-economic emphasis certain Mennonites place on determining eligible marriage partners is obvious in these songs, which come predominantly from Russla.nder. The criticism of flirtation or even promiscuity, on the other hand, is a reminder that Mennonites have traditionally valued commitment and fidelity in relationships. In contrast to these songs, which affirm traditional values, several refer to permissive relationships. "Daut festeade Randewu" ("The Disturbed Rendezvous"), "Daut du mien Leefsta bess" ("That You Are My Dearest One") and "Marie, Marei, Maruschkaka" ("Marie, Marei, My Dearest Marie") all refer to night visits. Usually, Mennonite singers of these songs omitted the verses referring to the night visits, or were unaware they were repeating anything other than a simple fun song. Although these particular songs were relatively unknown among Mennonites, several oblique comments and several bawdy verses of"Onns Noba Klosse haud ne Koa" ("Our Neighbour Klassen Had a Car") suggest that village boys and hired hands were often quite familiar with songs about permissive and even promiscuous behaviour and relationships. Several more recently composed love songs refer to specific individuals and events. The late Andrew Hamm tells how he was initially rejected but later accepted by the girl he married, in the song "Onnse goode oole Tiet" ("Our Good Old Time"). The suitor's friends tell his story in "Toopjefrie" ("Marriage"), a wedding song written by the Heischraitje for one of their members. Another wedding song, "Een maunchjet Poa" ("Many a Couple"), parodies the hymn "Ich und mein Haus" ("I and My Household"), sung at weddings in Kirchliche Mennonite churches until the mid-twentieth century. This is only one of many borrowed melodies in which the listener's memory of the original words makes the discrepancy between the two versions of the song more amusing. Among the love songs still in active repertoire are traditional songs like"Ailemal kann ich nicht lustig sein" and "Et wear 'mol en Frieja," and contemporary songs like"Acht Mejalles" and "Du bess mien Sonneschien." These have been sung to entertain at engagement parties, wedding receptions, Folklorama and various other fund-raising events in Winnipeg and southern Manitoba Mennonite communities. That the old tradition of improvising songs for specific occasions is not dead was illustrated by a spontaneous silver wedding anniversary celebration held in the Miami International Airport. The celebration began promptly at 12:01 one

176

SINGING MENNONITE

morning in July 1979. The couple was honoured with two lengthy Low German ballads, one of which was sung in the traditional 'lined-out' fashion, and the other, a tear-jerking rendition of "Een maunchjet Poa." The choice of language was probably influenced by the fact that the celebration was planned by a choral tour group enroute to the Low German-speaking Mennonite colonies in Paraguay. Yes, Low German love songs are still in the active repertoire!

Traditional

77

Allemal kann ich nicht Iustig sein (I Can't Be Happy at All)

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177

Love and Singing-Circle Game Songs 2. Und wenn mir mein Schatzel nicht lieben will, lieben will, Lieben mir andre zwei drei, Dann setz ich mein Hudel auflinke Ohr, linkeOhr, Gehe mein Schatzel vorbei. 3. Doa unja dee Brigj doa lijcht Howastroo, Howastroo, En oppe Brigj doa lijcht Hei, Und wenn dann mein Schatzel voriiber geht, 'riiber geht, Bricht mir mein Herzel schon zwei.

4. Du bruckstje die goanijch soo prautsijch han, prautsijch han, Kjikjtje doch kjeena no die, En wan du wess gone no Russe/aundre Mejallen, Dan bruckst du nijch kome no mie. 5. Ekj go je doch goanijch no Russe Mejallen, Ekj komje doch goanijch no die, En wan du mie wada wess goot sennen, goot sennen, Kom ekj uck wada no die.

Translation

1. I can't be happy at all, I have no money at all, And my sweetheart doesn't love me at all, It simply can't be at all.

2. And if my sweetheart doesn't want to love me, Then two or three others love me, Then I cock my hat over my left ear, And walk right past my sweetheart. 3. Under the bridge there lies oat straw, And on the bridge there lies hay, And when my sweetheart goes over it, My heart breaks in two. 4. You don't have to act so snobbish, Nobody is looking (romantically) at you, And if you want to go out with Russian/other girls, You needn't bother coming to me. 5. I'm certainly not going to Russian girls, I'm also not coming to you, And if you want to love me again, I'll come to you again.

This song appears in Erk and Boehme's Deutscher Liederhort (1893) under the title "Der lustige Soldat" ("The Happy Soldier"). Their version comes from Swabia, but they indicate there are others: one from Prussia and another with a crude text from northern Germany. Three verses of "Der lustige Sold at" often appear in German folksong collections, but the Low German version uses only the first of these. Verses 1, 2 and 4 were most often used by both Kanadier and RussHinder. A few people said they sang Verse 4 alone as a song. Verses 3 and 5 were sung by only two women, both of them Neueingewanderte, who learned the song in the village ofNeuendorfin the Chortitza Colony in the Ukraine. Mennonites sang"Allemal kann ich nicht lustig sein" in its High German form in singing-circle or Schliisselbund games. These High German verses describe the vicissitudes of romantic relationships. A young man, hurt by his sweetheart's

178

SINGING MENNONITE

rejection, proudly states he will ignore her. Mter all, he still has the attention of several other young girls. Her reply in Verse 4 is stated in Low German. This in itself is significant. By using the domestic language, she implies that she is holding to the traditional values which he appears to be flaunting. According to the Kanadier and one RussUinder version, she refuses his advances because he is spending time with aundre or 'other girls'. Another Russlanderversion implies that he has been spending time with theRusse or 'Russians', as the Ukrainian or Jewish servant girls were called. Since some Mennonites considered these servants culturally inferior, Mennonite girls having this mindset would be outraged at being ignored in favour of servant girls. While the term aundre meant simply 'other' for some singers, others commented that the song had been used in southern Manitoba to encourage endogamy for either theological or economic reasons. When the Jereeschte Tweeback sang the song at Folklorama's Mennonite Pavilion in the summer of 1981, there were some indignant comments about the use of the wordRusse, primarily because it publicly aired the ethnocentrism which Mennonites like to think does not exist in their midst. Since that time, the song has been popularized by the Heischraitje in public performance and on their second albumDitt Sied -Jant Sied, released in 1982.

78

Waut sent mie daut faa Nuschte? (Oh Dear, What Can the Matter Be?)

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Love and Singing-Circle Game Songs 2. Doa hinjajanne Ake, Festuakj see sikj faa mie, See docht ekj wudd ar sakje, Onn ekj jinkj ar febie.

179 Translation 1. Oh dear, what can the matter be? Where is my John staying so long? He's shaking fruit trees again, And I'm getting scared and afraid. 2. There behind those oaks, She hid herself from me, She thought that I would seek her, But I went right past her.

This song is the only totally Low German Schlasselbund Leet found to date. Even Mennonites with a preference for High German accepted this fact without question. Its familiar High German folktune may have helped the song to gain this type of acceptance. Familiar to Russliinder from both the Old Colony and the Molotschna, this song tells the story of a young girl concerned about her lover's whereabouts. He has climbed a Kruschtje tree and is shaking it to make the sour, pear-like fruit fall. In another version, however, instead of shaking the fruit, he is stealing it, giving his girlfriend just cause for anxiety. Mennonite boys often helped themselves to the neighbour's fruit, almost as a rite of passage. They particularly took watermelons because the neighbour's watermelons always tasted better than their own. Low German variants of songs like this were often used to tease those whose appetite for the neighbour's fruit was stronger than their taste for honesty and working for the fruit of their own labours. The second verse contains a teasing description ofthe hide-and -seek game. The teasing character of this Schlasselbund Leet is emphasized in an arrangement written by composer Esther Wiebe for a CBC "Prairie Choirs" radio program in the 1960s. The first verse is sung by a female trio and the second by a male quartet, heightening the dialogue between the two lovers.

180

SINGING MENNONITE

79

Jreenet Grauss (Green Grass)

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Translation Green grass, green grass, Underneath my little feet, I have lost my dearest one And will have to find her. Search out here, search out there, Search in every comer, This one in the red dress here, She does make my heart so hot.

In Erk and Boehme's folksong collection, this song appears as a children's circle game ( 1893, 3:608 ). One child stood in the centre while the others walked around in a circle and sang the song. When they stopped singing, the centre child chose a

181

Love and Singing-Circle Game Songs

partner from the circle. Erk and Boehme note that about a hundred years earlier the game was played by teenagers. The song is more commonly sung as "Gruenes Gras" in its High German form. Like other Schliisselbund Leeda, it acquired Low German verses when used to tease. The singer, Mr. Vogt, also recalled a verse about another girl which ended with the words, "Dise hia emjreenem Rock, I Daut es soo en Tsiegenbock." This is translated as, 'This one here in the green skirt, I She is such a ram.' According to Mr. Vogt, teen-aged fellows sang these verses softly, but within earshot of the girls they felt ought to hear them.

80

Scheen es dee Jugent (How Lovely Is Youth)

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182

SINGING MENNONITE

Translation How lovely is youth at Peter Wiebe's And Tina Kroeker's, on the path to the well! So I say once again, youth is a lovely time, Youth is a lovely time, it comes no more.

In its High German version, entitled "Schon ist die Jugend," this song was sung by both Russlander and Neuengewanderte for singing-circle games. This Low German parody was invented one evening in the early twentieth century in Neuendorf in the Chortitza Colony. Like other Low German Schlilsselbund songs, it was invented to tease some ofthe young people. Not all families in Russian Mennonite villages like Neuendorf had their own wells. Since Tina's family did not, she had to get water from Wiebe's well. Getting water from a neighbour's well provided an opportunity for young couples to socialize in an otherwise conservative community. The song mentions two people by name. The ladies who sang the song for me said that these two represented others who were taking advantage of opportunities to draw water from neighbouring wells.

81

Et wear 'mol en Frieja (There Once Was a Suitor)

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183

4. En dam sull ekj namen .. . Ekj musstje mie schamen .. .

3. The shoes, without soles ... The pants were stolen ...

5. En wear ajekomen .. . Ekj haud amjenomen .. .

4. The hat without a bottom ... The moon shone in there ...

Translation

5. And I ought to take him ... I was so ashamed ...

1. There once was a suitor, oh yes, There once was a suitor, a completely new one, Oh yes, yes, yes.

6. And if he had come .. . I would have taken him .. .

2. His jacket was yellow .. . For the young girls to play .. .

This Prussian Low German folksong (cf. Frischbier 1877, 16) was brought to Canada by Mennonite war refugees after World War II. People in German refugee camps often sang to pass the time. The six verses here were pieced together by these Neueingewanderte Mennonites. Possibly they added the last verse, which does not appear in Prussian collections. Frank Neufeld ofNorth Kildonan has performed this song with a male quartet at a Verlobung or 'engagement party' and in 1978 as guest conductor of the Mennonite Male Voice Choir. Neufeld taught the song to the choir primarily by rote, since most Mennonite singers have traditionally been able to improvise parts in four-part harmony, while pianist Alice Funk improvised an accompaniment. A third performance came about as a surprise. The Neufeld family had been asked to perform at a fund-raising event for SPIKE, a home for the mentally handicapped. When the chairperson announced that they were to sing two songs, rather than only one as they had expected, they decided to sing the Fr{eja or 'suitor' song. Since that time, the song has become part of the Jereeschte Tweeback program, and is sung by the women of the group. However, the song certainly pre-dates Mennonite use. A variant in an earlier Frischbier collection suggests the song may have a fairly long history. In this High German version we are told that: "Doktor Martin Luther I Hat Hosen ohne Futter (Rock) I Schuh (Steewel) ohne Sohlenl Die Struempf(West) hater gestohlen." This is translated as: 'Doctor Martin Luther, I Had trousers without a lining (jacket), Shoes (boots) without soles, /The socks (vest) he had stolen.' No doubt the song used several names other than Luther's. Eventually, the song became removed from its political context so singers simply used the term

184

SINGING MENNONITE

'suitor'. Like British nursery rhymes, the song becomes a children's ditty when the political comment is no longer pertinent.

82

Peetatje en Leenatje (Peter and Helena)

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Translation Peter and Helena were walking over the bridge. Peter fell in, and Helena ran away. "Helena, Helena, help me out, And you'll be my dearest bride. Helena, Helena, help me out, And you 'II be my dearest bride."

This is a Mennonite adaptation of a familiar German folksong. The names Peetatje en Leenatje have been substituted for Hansel and Gretel, which are found in some Mennonite versions (Mennonitische Volkswarte 1935, 1:66), and are common in

185

Love and Singing-Circle Game Songs

High German and even Prussian Low German versions. The name-change is understandable, since church records show that from 1695-1799 in Prussia, and 1860-75 in Russia, Peetatje or Peter was the most popular male name, while Leenatje was the second most popular female name among Mennonites in Russia from 1869-75 (Krahn 1973, 3:810). The Mennonite adaptation of this song thus occurred in Russia well before the Russlander brought the song to Canada. As in other children's songs, the singer promises the listener a reward for 'good behaviour'! It is interesting that a woman should have to consider marriage as a reward for helping a man. The Biblical pattern of Adam's needing a helper is replicated in this song.

83

Haunstje set em Schorsteen (Johnny/Hansel Sits in the Chimney)

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Translation 1. Johnny/Hansel sits in the chimney, Patching his shoes, There comes a little girl, Who watches him so amicably. 2. "Johnny will you marry, Then please do marry me. Then I'll give you a dollar, A dollar I'll give you."

186

SINGING MENNONITE

The little boy's peasant background is evident from the fact that he is mending his shoes. A well-to-do boy would simply buy new shoes. The girl offers him a dollar to marry her, reinforcing the view of marriage as an economic transaction. Whether she is of a higher class and able to relieve him of his peasant lot through marriage is not certain, but it seems that he may gain, at least financially. We are, however, not told why the girl would have to bribe him to marry her. Mennonites often express concerns about the financial aspects of a marriage liaison. This entertaining children's song illustrates those concerns.

84

Daut festeade Randewu (The Disturbed Rendezvous)

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I would like to tell you some news, You are my bride."

Translation 1. Johnny/Hansel stands before Margaret/Gretel's door, "Gretel, please come out.

2. Gretel says, "It won't work like this. The old lady is keeping watch ... "

The names Hansel and Gretel are frequently found in European collections of Low German folksongs about courting. The two verses sung by Mrs. Thiessen are a transliteration of the beginning of a Prussian Low German song. The seven-verse song, entitled "Dat gestoerde Rangdewu" (Frischbier 1877, 14) or "The Disturbed Rendezvous," tells the story of Hansel, who wants to 'make' Gretel 'his bride'.

187

Love and Singing-Circle Game Songs

Gretel senses that something will go amiss, but Hansel climbs up the ladder into Gretel's room. Sure enough, they are discovered by the old lady who tells Hansel the devil will get him. Hansel is terrified at the prospect and makes a hasty retreat, losing his pants which he was carrying in his hand. The songwriter ends with the comment, "that looked very ridiculous" (ibid., my trans.). Mrs. Thiessen, who learned part of this song from her mother, knew several Prussian Low German songs not known to other Mennonites. She had grown up on a large estate with little opportunity to socialize with the village young people, who knew other songs.

Immigrant

85

Een maunchjet Poa (Many a Couple)

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188 2. Dee Briegaum denkt bloos aun dee Tiet, "Jo, heat wan wie eascht sen befriet, Dee Fru dee woat m.ie he are." See oba haft en aundren Sen, See kloppat am en bat unga de Kjen, "Du woascht die noch fefeare. Wan ekj, die schekj, One Schupse, Woascht du hupse, Aules hole, Waut ekj m.ie en Leew befole." 3. Doch ess daut nijch de rajchta Wajch, Dan essjun Leew soo schlaup a us Blajch, Dan woajiejuntnoch steete. Dan woajie en dee Eehestaunt, Nijch schaftijch waundre Haunt en Haunt, Daut sull jie uck aul weete. Wan hee, en see, Sikj beid welle, One schelle, Too een aundra schekje, Dan sull an daut em Lawe jlekje.

'Jranslation 1. Many a couple gets married. One thinks only of the lovely bride, And leaves the bridegroom standing. We know that she loves him, Else she'd not have gone with him, For such a long time before.

SINGING MENNONITE They two, in peace, Want to journey together, Each with the other, Never worrying, And borrowing all their money. 2. The bridegroom just thinks about the time, "Yes, once we are finally married, The wife will certainly listen to me." She, though, is of a different opinion. She raps him a little under his chin, "You will be surprised. When I, send you, Without pushes, You will jump, Getting everything Which I 'in love' command." 3. But that is certainly not the right way. Then your love is as flimsy as tin, Then you will hurt yourselves. Then you will not journey happily Hand in hand in your marriage. You should already know that. Ifhe, and she, Without scolding, Both want to Adjust to each other, Then they should be happy/prosperous in life.

"Een maunchjet Poa" was first sung to me on the afternoon of July 16, 1979 aboard aNorthwest Orient flight from Chicago to Miami, Florida. Shortly after midnight, it was sung again, this time in Miami International Airport, at a silver wedding anniversary celebration for a couple in our Paraguay choir tour group. It was preceded by a spoken introduction: "Dit Leet woat too de wool-bekaunte Melodie, 'Kranke Heena stoawa nie', jesuge "('This song is sung to the well-known melody, "Sick Hens Never Die").' The singer impersonated a little old Mennonite lady. She wore a kerchief, walked stoop-shouldered and sang with a shaky voice, frequently scooping up to reach the high notes. The nasal, gliding style and the absolute seriousness with

Love and Singing-Circle Game Songs

189

which she sang added to the humour of the dramatic presentation. She also used tone-painting oflyrics, such as pausing on the word lang or 'long', to accentuate the inordinate length of the courtship. The song appears to be a parody of a High German wedding hymn entitled "Ich und Mein Haus" ("I and My House"), sung at General Conference wedding ceremonies until the mid-twentieth century. The hymn describes the ideal of Christian marriage: a relationship in which two individuals live in harmony through mutual submission to God and each other. The Low German version, by comparison, was sung at the reception in the church basement after the ceremony. In contrast to its High German counterpart, this interpretation reveals the realities of domestic tensions, with husband and wife scheming to dominate each other. They are, however, chastised and reminded that their relationship will be happy only if it is based on the principle of unselfish giving. The moralistic third verse is unusual in a Low German song of social comment, but may suggest the song's more conservative writer or context. The song was brought to Manitoba by the singer's aunt, a descendant of the Molotschna Colony who migrated to the central United States in the 1870s, but moved to Canada in the early part of the twentieth century in response to antiGerman, anti-pacifist pressures in the United States. It is still sung at the occasional wedding reception and by De Jereeschte Tweeback.

86

Onnse goode oole Tiet (Our Good Old Time)

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190

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SINGING MENNONITE

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Translation In our good old time/days, in our good old time, When I was visiting Margaret, so far (away), I ?, and I asked, and I courted. I thought our love had long matured (was ripe), But I got an angry rejection (the basket), But Margaret didn't really know herself because As you can see, we've been married a long time.

Although "Onnse goode oole Tiet" borrows a fairly recent folksong melody, the lyrics tell a typically Mennonite story: a traditional Mennonite courting pattern. A young man would begin visiting a young lady, usually with the intention of marriage. Mter some time, he would propose and she could accept or reject his offer. The idiom 'giving him the basket' represented rejection. Some Mennonite girls would actually tie an empty wicker basket to a rejected suitor's buggy. Andrew Hamm, who first sang this song for Kenneth Peacock, a Canadian folklorist, is described as "one of the liveliest and most witty informants I have met anywhere" (Peacock 1966, 49). Villagers in Hamm's native Neubergthal agree. They say Hamm was noted for his sense of humour and keen interest in folklore. His taped rendition of this song certainly demonstrates his reputation as a dramatic storyteller. Hamm himself probably composed the words of this song. A barely distinguishable aside to his sister followed by lively laughter on Peacock's tape suggests this, although Peacock does not mention it in the mimeographed report accompanying the cassette. In any event, Hamm says the song was composed inNeubergthal in the 1930s and that he first sang it then. One suspects he may have sung the song to tease his wife.

191

Love and Singing-Circle Game Songs

87

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Translation 1. Long girls with short skirts, Which don't quite cover the world.

Refrain Zick zack mother, Zick zack father, Zick zack heel and toe, Mother's stomach aches so much. 2. Our children are feeling sad, Mother has fallen into the well.

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SINGING MENNONITE refrain

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du, dan wel wie fluck.

Translation Let us crawl into the cellar, Let us drink all the wine. Refrain If you want to, I will too, If you want to, let's go quickly.

Both sets oflyrics to this square-dance tune were found among Mennonites originally of an Old Colony Church background. Having less formal education, and an earthier sense of humour, their lyrics tended to be saltier than the High Germaninfluenced Russlander Schlilsselbund songs. Text 1 has only two of many improvised verses. The relationship between girls with short skirts and mother's stomach-ache is clarified by the meaning of the word Buckweedoag or 'stomach-ache'. The literal meaning is 'days ofpain'. Some people suggested it is a euphemism for menstruation or perhaps even pregnancy, and the girls are being given a sound warning about the possible consequences of wearing skirts that are too short. 'Falling into the well' may be another euphemism. Mennonites in southern Manitoba also used the second lyric for square dances. Since drinking was not generally acceptable, euphemisms were used in conversation. They are not used in this lyric, but secrecy is intimated by the idea of crawling or sneaking into the cellar to avoid detection. This is evident in a variant presented on a Low German program hosted by Victor Peters on radio station CFAM in 195 7: "Rei, hei, de Wota tank, /De oola foat no Winnipeg. /Wei wie noch em Kjala krupen/ Wel wie aul dan Wien utsupen." This is translated as: 'Hey, ho, the water tank,/ The old man's gone to Winnipeg. I Let us crawl into the cellar, I Let us drink up all the wine.' Both these lyrics typify socializing among some young people of Old Colony Church background before the middle of the century. The freedom to discuss certain topics in song, in a matter-of-fact manner, places these songs in this denominational grouping. Young people of other Mennonite church backgrounds might have been more reticent.

193

Love and Singing-Circle Game Songs

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SINGING MENNONITE Translation 1. You act very sophisticated And you think you're looking good, With such high heels, And a wide coat. 2. Yesterday I heard say You'd gone out with Dave, Today you11 stay home, And I'm expected to come. 3. It just won't happen again. Today !11 stay home! And Dave can Visit with you. 4. I think we'll say farewell, · Since things aren't going well anymore, I'd much rather stay at home, And feed the horses some meal.

Sung by Peter Goertzen ofWinnipeg, this song was originally brought to his previous home in Alberta's Peace River District by visiting relatives from Osler, Saskatchewan. As a parody of a popular song by the same name, "Tell Me Why, Baby, Why'' was sung by young people only during the summer of 1956, when its English counterpart was popular. The theme of the cheating or two-timing lover is a familiar one in folk and country music, but the young man's threat to turn his energies to agricultural pursuits, such as feeding the horses, is unique. This is a comment on the social gap he feels between his way oflife and the sophisticated manners his girl has learned in the city. The comment may be a positive affirmation of his simple agrarian way oflife, or it may reflect his insecurity with alternative lifestyles. "Tell Me Why, Baby, Why" was not generally familiar to Manitoba audiences until the fall of 1985. The Jereeschte Tweeback, preparing for a fund-raising community concert in Mountain Lake, Minnesota that summer, decided to expand their repertoire, so added a dramatized form of the song. The English chorus, sung in blues harmony, never fails to get a hearty chuckle from its listeners.

Love and Singing-Circle Game Songs

195

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196 2. En wan Marie nijch daunse well, Danjeft daut scheewe Been. Dan trakj wie aa en Schlopkjleet aun, Dan ess daut nijch too seen'n. 3. Wan mien' Marie nijch daunse well, Dan weet ekj waut ekj doo, Dan stopp ekj aa em Howasack, En bing dam howe too. 4. Wan see mie dan noch prachre deit, "Ach, leewa Maun moak op!" Dan bing ekj dam noch fausta too, En sat mie howe nopp.

SINGING MENNONITE Translation 1. If here's a pot ofbeans, And there's a pot ofbroth, Then !11 make broth and bean soup And dance with my Marie. 2. And if Marie doesn't want to dance Then there'll be crooked legs. We'll dress in a nightgown then So that it can not be seen. 3. If my Marie doesn't want to dance Then I know what I will do. I'll put her into an oat sack And tie it closed on top. 4. And if she tries to beg me, "Oh dear man, open it!" I'll tie it much more tightly closed, And seat myself on it.

Hearing this lively little song on a Bielefelder Kinderchor recording, a young elementary school teacher in the village of Kleefeld decided to translate it from Dutch to Low German. The teacher, Ernest Dueck, felt that since he was teaching in a Low German-speaking community, the translation would be an interesting addition to the evening variety program at the annual school picnic. However, when Dueck's grade five or six class sang the song, there was little audience response. Perhaps poor acoustics made it difficult for the audience to understand the words. The idea of singing in Low German even in the 1960s may have been too novel an idea. Or did they disapprove of the lyrics? Singing about dancing in a community which disapproved of it might raise some eyebrows. The children, including Jereeschte Tweeback member Rudy Schellenberg, enjoyed the lively, tuneful folksong. The children, like the school teacher, presumed they were singing about a little girl who was being teased by a father or big brother. However, the lyrics may refer to a relationship between a man and a young woman. The references to dancing might represent a sensuous relationship, perhaps with some form of coercion or even abuse of the woman. This is similar to mediaeval goliard poetry like that used in Carl Orff's "Carmina Burana," which is written in a dialect similar to Low German.

197

Love and Singing-Circle Game Songs

A High German parody of the third verse appears in Arnold Dyck's Low German drama De boasje Hiebat en'e Soadeltiet (The Industrious Hiebert at Seeding-Time) (Dyck 1952, 13). In this short drama, a lazy farmer blames external circumstances for his procrastination at seeding-time. His wife has been busy delivering his messages to the hired man, getting his boots, chasing the calf out of the garden and preparing his lunch. Just as he is finally about to go to work, he begins to sing: "Und wenn mein Weib nicht folgen will, I So weiss ich, was ich tu: I Ich steck sie in den Habersack I Und bind ihn oben zu." This is translated as: 'And if my wife won't follow, I I know what I will do. I I'll put her in an oat sack, I And tie it closed on top.' The irony is obvious. Significantly, the man sings High German in a Low German drama, again supporting the assumption that one does not sing in Low German. And the lyrics do mention a form of coercion, giving credence to the earlier inference that the song was about that type of relationship.

90

Daut du mien Leefsta bess (That You Are My Dearest One)

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2. Komm du omm meeda N acht, Komm du Klock een, Foda schlapt, Mutta schlapt, Ekj schlop auleen.

4. Kjemt dan dee M01jestund, Kreit dee ool' Ron, Leefsta mien', Leefsta mien', Dan motst du gon'.

3. Klopp aun dee Koma Daa, Fot aun dee Kjlinkj, Foda meent, Mutta meent, Daut deit de Wint.

5. Sajch aun dan Gank entlang, Leis opp dee KJlinkj, Foda meent, Mutta meent, Daut deit dee Wint.

198 Translation 1. That you are my dearest one, That you already know. Come at night, come at night, Tell me my dearest. 2. Come in the middle of the night, Come at one o'clock. Father's asleep, mother's asleep, I sleep alone.

SINGING MENNONITE 4. Comes then the morning hour, The old rooster crows, Dearest mine, dearest mine, Then you must go. 5. Carefully 'long the hallway, Take hold of the latch, Father thinks, mother thinks, That is the wind.

3. Knock on the pantry door, Take hold of the latch, Father thinks, mother thinks, That is the wind.

This song is part of numerous German folksong collections (see: Firmenich 1854, 150; Meyer [1877]1928, 43-44; Ardell1928, 6-7; and Schneider 1958, 40). According to Schneider, it comes from Schleswig-Holstein, Germany's northernmost province. The Low German dialect in his version differs from that spoken by Mennonites whose home in eighteenth-century northern Germany, then called Prussia, lay further east. Dialectical differences, however, are not the only reason for assuming this song was not part of the Russian Mennonite tradition. Because it was sung exclusively by fourth-generation Canadian Mennonites who were part of the folk music movement in the 1960s, it may have been learned from a book of folksongs. The singer herselflearned it from a Russlander friend at Canadian Mennonite Bible College in Winnipeg. A young woman sang this song for me, but night-visit songs were ordinarily part of men's, rather than women's, Low German repertoire. Although hired men of Mennonite background in southern Manitoba sang bawdy Low German songs about 'their women', these songs usually did not become public. Ifa woman knew a 'naughty' song, she generally learned it from a male relative a generation older. One young woman, originally from Saskatchewan, learned the words of a nightvisit song from her grandfather. She recalls the lyrics: "0 miene Marie I Fondoag schlop ekj met die, I En wan et dan en Kjlienetjeft, /Dan ess daut fonn die en mie. I 0 miene Marie." This is translated as: 'Oh my Marie, /Today I'll sleep with you, I And if it gives a little one I Then it's from you and me. I Oh my Marie.' The name Marie was the most popular female name among Mennonites in late

Love and Singing-Circle Game Songs

199

nineteenth-centuryRussia (Krahn 1973, 810). ItisnotfoundinLowGermansongs of non-Mennonite origin, so this song may be an original Mennonite poem/song or a Mennonite adaptation. As a rule, people said they were not 'able to remember' songs of this type, and Mennonite women would not have traditionally sung about this type of relationship. That they now are singing songs which have always been considered men's songs indicates the extent to which Mennonites have been influenced by a permissive society.

CHAPTER EIGHT

~lttutbiet~c~tt tjtuent

eun~ SOUTHERN MANITOBA MENNONITES havemadesporadicattempts to perform Low German songs since the early 1950s, but it was not until the mid1960s that this practice became acceptable. This was the result of a changing Canadian socio-political climate. One of the initial changes was the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism policy of 1963. Although it was superceded in 1971 by the federal Multiculturalism policy, it already set the stage for renewed ethnic consciousness. The Commission's recommendations for fair employment practices, universal ethnic accessibility to public office and educational opportunities in ethnic minority languages created an environment which fostered the expression of ethnic uniqueness. Funding of minority-group projects by agencies such as the Folk. Arts Council increased as Canada neared its 1967 centennial celebrations. The National Film Board, the CBC and the National Museum ofMan were encouraged to concentrate more on ethnic minorities. Highlighting the folklore of cultural minorities was envisaged as a means of developing a Canadian identity and, through it, national unity. This changing social policy made a distinctive impact on Mennonite self-perception and freedom for self-expression. "During the War and for a time later, German immigrants were reluctant to build up large and visible ethnic associations" (O'Bryan 1976, 9)because of public sentiment and governmental legislation against the 'enemy language'. With the lessening of this bias, it became acceptable for Mennonites to use both High and Low German publicly, admitting Germanic influences on their history.

202

SINGING MENNONITE

Because English had become their lingua franca and Low German was like a museum piece for third- and fourth-generation Mennonite immigrants, Low German became not only acceptable, but desirable for the expression of ethnic identity. In a context of renewed emphasis on ethnicity and heritage, a new phenomenon emerged in communities with large Kanadier populations. Local newspaper headlines announced "900 attend Threshermen's Low German Concert," "Students present Low German dramas" and "Low German play brings warm response." Mennonites called the event a Plautdietscha Owent, or 'Low German evening', and I have called the songs associated with these events Plautdietscha Owent Leeda, or 'Low German-Evening Songs'. Initially, songs were fillers in these programs of skits, dramas and readings, but with the advent of the Heischraitje, they became an integral part of the program. The lyrics encompass a range of topics, but the songs are bound together by a common purpose: to entertain and to raise funds. The entertainment objective is usually accomplished through humorous lyrics or dramatizations, and the fundraising objective by drawing huge crowds. Audience composition at these events varies, although it consists primarily of middle-aged Kanadier and Auswanderer of all ages. Because the Jereeschte Tweeback have several professional singers and locally known musicians, they performed to sell-out crowds ofKanadier and RussHinder in Steinbach and Winnipeg in early 1987. By comparison, Dietscha Spos, originally from southern Manitoba but not as well known to their audience, drew a large Auswanderer audience to their June 1987 concert in Winkler. The first ofthese Low German concerts occurred around 1957, but interested listeners can still attend several concerts annually. At most concerts, audiences will hear new repertoire written, translated or paraphrased for that concert. And concert and studio cassette recordings, which have emerged since the early 1980s, provide opportunity for continued listening to Plautdietscha Owent songs.

203

Plautdietscha Owent Songs

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Paraphrase I translation 1. In the twilight's solemn darkling Memory turns to days of yore, And the yearning spirit ponders Our homes lost forevermore. 2. Those loved steppes of southern Russia With the Dnieper sparkling clear, Youth was sweet, old age so gentle In my homeland ever dear.

Text2 1. En dan Paraguaaschen Chaco Wiet entfernt fonn Boajch en Stroom, Wua ekj junk en groot jeworden, Ess mien leefstet Heimatlaunt.

2. Wua sent dee fegone Joare? Wua's de goode oole Tiet? Bloos em J eist kaun ekj ereakje Waut mie lijcht soo goot aum Lieb.

204 Translation 1. In the Paraguayan Chaco, Far from mountain or from stream, Where I spent my youth and later years, That's my dearest homeland.

SINGING MENNONITE 2. Where are the years gone by? Where are the good old days? Just in memory I can reach back, To what lies so close to me.

I first heard this song in the Mennonite colonies of Paraguay and Brazil in the summer of 1979. Since then, it has acquired two English verses and become the Schlussleet or 'closing song' for the Jereeschte Tweeback, who introduced it to Canadian audiences in 1981 at Folklorama's Mennonite Pavilion. Throughout their history, Mennonites have expressed homesickness for lost homelands in poetry. Many of these poems are borrowed from German romantic literature and express the sentiments of Mennonites who, like poet Klaus Klaussen, describe themselves as "Heimatlos" or 'Homeless' (Friesen n.d.,154). The first two verses of this song convey a nostalgic longing for the lost homeland in the southern Ukraine. Manitoba Mennonites have, however, benefitted from Canadian immigration policies which favoured agriculturalists, and after more than a century in this country, certainly view it as a place of "peace, hope and plenty." The song has also been adapted to express the sentiments ofMennonites living in the Paraguayan Chaco. Rather than thinking back to a former geographical place, the writer of these lyrics mourns the passing of youth. The tune of"Stenka Razin," borrowed for this song, is familiar to RussHinder from their sojourn in Russia, as well as through the singing of musicians like I van Rebroff. The tune was originally used for a lament about a Cossack who throws his Persian princess lover overboard ship to keep peace with his sailors. It seems equally appropriate for mourning a lost homeland or passing youth.

205

Plautdietscha Owent Songs Contemporary

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SINGING MENNONITE

Translation Gone are the days, when my heart was young and gay, Gone are the friends, from the cotton fields away, Gone from the earth, to a better Iandi know, I hear the gentle voices calling, "Old Black Joe." I'm coming, I'm coming, for my head is bending low, I hear the gentle voices calling, "Old Black Joe."

Originally sung at a community Low German evening in Steinbach in the summer of 1964, "Oola schwoata Joossef' has been sung at a variety of community events: Hanover Teachers' Association social, car-dealer opening, Chamber of Commerce banquet, German Society meeting, Gretna Mennonite Collegiate Institute fundraising event, and even at coffee time in church basements after religious events. The song was translated by a local church quartet of Steinbach administrators. Although the Low German version remains true to the English text, there is humour in the translation. The change from the monosyllabic "Old Black Joe" to the hi-syllabic "Oola schwoata Joossef' creates an awkward rhythm in otherwise smoothly flowing poetry. Low German-speaking audiences expect this since they believe that Low German does not lend itself to lyrical poetic expression. Further humour arises from the quartet's performance manner. They often perform in barbershop-quartet garb, and add to the entertainment by singing melodramatically. When singing in places like Gretna, onjant Sied- the other side of the Red River - quartet members emphasize their dialectical differences from those Mennonites by adding and emphasizing the 'n' ending to roope(n). Although the socalled rivalry between East- and West-Reserve Mennonites is by this time goodnatured, the citing of cultural differences between these groups of Mennonites is still greeted with laughter. Increased interaction between the reserves has helped to break down unfounded suspicions about people fromjant Sied, as people from both sides called those living on the other side ofthe river. The people on dit Sied, or 'this side', had always assumed they were culturally superior to people onjant Sied. Yet, the memory of this rivalry is not dead. In a somewhat cynical poem, a young man says:

Plautdietscha Owent Songs

207

She was a Mennonite ... She was refreshingly elegant ... But she was a bit of a snob about Jahnt Sied So being the backwoods bearded bush boy I essentially am, I told her that I looked forward to seeing Winkler, and ifi liked it, I thought I might bring it over to Dit Sied and use it for fertilizer. (Braun 1979, 20)

93

Acht Mejalles (Eight Girls) Tune: On Top of Old Smokey 1. Wie sent acht Mejalles, Onnsjeit daut soo schlajcht, Wie han kjeene Manna, Daut ess doch nijch rajcht.

6. Onns sit et doch aula, Soo gauns grulijch schmock, En bunte Kjleeda, Met dam lanjen Rock.

2. Wie festone too koake, Plauts, Kjliekje en Borscht, En wanjie daut nijchjleiche, Dan Formaworscht.

7. Wie sentje gauns niemoodsch, Soppe bruck wie aul nijch, Obajleichjie daut ooltmoodsch, Dan doo wie uck daut.

3. N eije kje wie uck aula, Dee Neimaschien ruzht, Mauns Bekse en Kjleeda, Daut ess je soo nuscht.

8. Wie sent emma gauns frintlijch, En jleiche fal Sposs, Oba Jelt bruck wie weinijch, Wiels wie sent aul bat oolt.

4. Oole Mensche dee saje, Forma moak wie aul nijch, Wie sent gauns fedorwe, Obajleeft daut mau nijch.

9. Daut's meist tom fesoage, Daut kjeena onns wei, Wiels koasch se wie aula, Tom opprieme jun Prel.

5. Wie kjenne besmje, Eija nam wie ut, Fee foodre en malkje, Utmeste wan daut mott.

10. Wanjie onns noch nijch welle, Dan faltjunt ne Brei, Waut hajie too kloage, Oda mott wie junt kroage.

SINGING MENNONITE

208 Translation 1. We're eight single maidens, Unhappy are we, For we have no husbands, And that isn't right.

6. We certainly all look, So exceptionally fine, In colourful dresses, With their floor-length skirts.

2. We know how to cook well, Square noodles and soup, And if you don't like those, Then fanner's sausage.

7. We're certainly modern, We've quit wearing braids, But if you'd prefer us old-fashioned We'd also do that.

3. We also all sew well, The sewing machine hums, Men's trousers and dresses, That's nothing to us.

8. We're always so friendly And enjoy lots offun But use little money Because we're already a bit old.

4. Old people they say that, We're too old to fann, We are totally spoiled, But just don't believe that.

9. One could get discouraged, That no one wants us, Because we're all healthy, To clean up your junk.

5. We can do fann chores, And gather the eggs, Feed cattle and milk them, Shovel manure if need be.

10. If you still don't want us, Then you need some spectacles, Why do you complain, Or must we beg you?

This song was composed in the early 1970s by a group of female clerks working in Steinbach's Five to a Dollar Store, and was first performed at a Talent Night during the Hanover Fair. The women, dressed in old-time costume, won first prize for their rendition of"Acht Mejalles." In 1974, the song was part of a program at Steinbach's Mennonite Village Museum. Ed Krahn, curator of the museum at that time, writes: Not having a Low German program ready, I called for any Freiwilliges (voluntary selections). A Low German song was presented. Then I called for two singers. Two men volunteered: Henry Fast ofHeadingly, and Jake Peters of Morris. These two men had never met before. A guitar was obtained for them and with the help of the audience, they sang the following song. (Krahn 1974, 1.) The publication of the words of"Acht Mejalles" in this newspaper account may

Plautdietscha Owent Songs

209

explain why it soon became the most frequently performed and cited Low German song. In 1978, for example, it was performed at such varied functions as a Low German fund-raising evening sponsored by the Ladies Auxiliary of the Stanley Agricultural Fair in Winkler, the Horndean Reunion, the Shannon Festival at Lowe Farm, and at a singles' retreat at Red Rock Bible Camp. Audiences are consistently amused by the song and respond to both the lyrics and the manner of performance. The song is a lament of eight domestically skilled spinsters. Neither their traditionally valued domestic abilities nor, as they say, their winsome but modest personalities have won them the just reward for these virtues: a husband. The irony and humour of this song is two-fold. No self-respecting woman with these virtues would publicly bemoan her singleness. Yet the greater irony may be that in this day of educational and professional opportunity for women, there still are women who would compose a song which suggests that a woman should be valued essentially for her domestic skills. The performance manner emphasizes that a woman ought not to express publicly a desire for marriage. When single women perform this song, they are invariably costumed to hide their identity. At one fund-raising program, for example, the performers dressed as a group of 'typical old maids' of the 1940s or 1950s, some looking skinny and frumpy and others quite buxom and matronly. The lyrics of"Acht Mejalles" are always sung by women. Yet women often sing this secular lament in a religious vocal idiom traditionally led by men. The women choose one of two options in this idiom. Either the song is sung in a typically slow, nasal, slurring vocal idiom, or a female Vorsiinger lines out the song for the women as they sing in that style. This blending ofthe sacred and secular spheres of music is interesting. It may be an indirect comment on the lack of opportunities for female, particularly single female, self-expression within certain Mennonite churches. Mejallen Grupp Songs Girls' Group Songs A short newspaper article in February 1973 announced that "De Junges en Mejalles von dee Hoch School raknen opp eene Reis noam Wasten to foaren .... On Jeld to vadeenen, stallen dee twee plautdietsche Jespracke opp, dee noch neenig eha vajedracht'' ('The boys and girls of the high school intend to go on a trip to the west. . . . In order to earn money, they are presenting two Low German dramas which have never before been presented').

210

SINGING MENNONITE

Because the dramas were not long enough to provide an entire evening's entertainment, drama director Tina Kehler asked a Mejallen Grupp or 'group of girls' to sing several songs to round out the program. The group was a double trio consisting of Rhona Sawatzky, Audrey Dick, Eleanor Bueckert, Adela Sawatzky, Donna Fast and Kathy Hiebert. They had sung together previously at school and church functions. Together with Mrs. Kehler and Adela's mother, the girls found and translated songs for the Low German evening. They began with Reuben Epp's "0 Begrowt mie Nich," a parody of"O Bury MeNot on the Lone Prairie" which had been published in Epp's fast-selling Plautdietsche Schrefstetja the year before (Epp 1972, 100). Several of their own translations were added to the program, but apparently nobody kept copies of these songs. This is, of course, typical of songs or poetry in Low German. Because they are not classified as real poetry or song, little care is taken to preserve them, except when they are part of the performance repertoire of groups like the Heischraitje or Dietscha Spos. "Mien Oola," meaning "My Old Man," is thought to have been a translation of "My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean." "Polly Wolley Dudel oll de Daa" is an obvious translation of its English counterpart. (In fact, it was actually the English song, sung with a Low German accent.) The final song, "0 Sustje Auna," was translated into Low German using the technique Reuben Epp had used for "Oh Bury Me Not." Epp used successively more colourful terms for the word 'bury' in the translation. The girls, translating "Oh Susanna," used progressively more dramatic expressions for the word 'cry'. Beginning with the gentle hiel which is used for ordinary crying, they ended with roa, meaning to howl like an animal. The verbal humour, reinforced by pantomime, brought tears oflaughter to many a listener's cheeks. The performance of the Mejallen Grupp or 'lovely ladies', as they were called (Martens 1972, 1), was enhanced by their costuming. In the days of mini-skirts, these style-conscious teenagers were attired in ill-fitting dresses, crumpled skirts with uneven hemlines, old-fashioned hats and tattered shopping bags and handbags. Some ofthem also wore spectacles to read the words oftheir songs, written on oversized sheets of crumpled looseleaf paper. The final touch ofhumour came at the end oftheir performance when one ofthe Mejalles leaned toward the audience and in a loud stage whisper said, "Wie sent noch aula nijch befriet." As soon as she said the girls were all still single, the audience heard the sound of stomping feet as a group of stage hands clamoured down the aisle and jumped on stage to chase the screaming girls.

211

Plautdietscha Owent Songs

94

All you etta (All You've Eaten)

j '

=100-112

~

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refrain

All

you et - ta, think

•

,~ ]. think

,~

p·

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of

all

• ~

of all

you et - ta

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1. Schin - kje-Fleesch en Plu

l

l J I p· F J. ]J I

Plu - me-Moos, Plu - me-Moos,

2. Komst-Borscht met Botta-Broot ...

4. Portseltje met Sieropp ... 5. Bobbat met Heena-brode ...

Translation Refrain All you ate, think of all you ate, All you ate, think of all you ate.

,~ ~-

et.

you

3. W'renikje met Schmauntfat ...

you et - ta,

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~

~

,~

All

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- me- Moos,

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kje-Fleesch, Schin - kje-Fleesch,

II

0!

1. Ham and plum/fruit soup, Ham and plum/fruit soup, Ham, ham, Plum soup, plum soup, 0. 2. Cabbage borscht with buttered bread ... 3. Cheese pockets with cream gravy ... 4. New Year's cookies with syrup ... 5. Stuffing with roast chicken ...

212

SINGING MENNONITE

"All you etta" lends itself easily to a sing-a-long, with a leader and an audience singing alternate phrases in the verses of the songs .. When it was sung at the annual Neubergthal Community Picnic in June 1978, a small choir led the audience. This choir consisted of some local singers and others from Halbstadt and Gnadenfeld, small Mennonite villages near Altona. The refrain is a transliteration ofthe title of"Alouette!," one ofCanada's most popular French-Canadian folksongs. Peasant immigrants often appropriated words from neighbouring foreign languages, adapting them to their own culture with little understanding of their real meaning. The song is about a favourite Mennonite pastime: eating, or overeating, since the choir ended the song with an audible groan, followed by a moaned ((0 Buckweedoaj" ("Oh my aching stomach!"). The foods listed are considered traditional Mennonite dishes, although a number of them were adopted in the Ukraine.

95

Bottabloom (Dandelion)

J=60

$gjlf If ~fj:ljJJ@jlj~0j; Bot - ta-bloom,

Jal

onjreen, en

Bot - ta- bloom, Easch- tet Bloom-tje em

goa-nijch soo kjleen,

En

$~ Leef - stet Bloom-tje ekj

$ J J&r: Bot - ta-bloom,

I•

sie die goot,

Die

Joa, __

too latst wit-tet

t#t til~: en aul die-nes jli

Hoa_

-

kjen,

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Bot - ta-bloom,

Lot mie die nijch mee - ja

n

II -

kjen.

213

Plautdietscha Owent Songs Translation Dandelion, dandelion, First little flower of the year, Yellow and green, and not so small, And at the end white hair. Dearest flower I love you so, You and all those like you, Dandelion, dandelion, Please don't let me smell you anymore.

This parody of"Edelweiss" was first sung by several nieces oflyricist Gerhard Ens at the Mennonite Festival of Art and Music, an annual spring fund-raising event sponsored by the Women's Auxiliary of Westgate Mennonite Collegiate in Winnipeg. The singers apparently learned it while washing dishes. The uncle is a Mennonite educator and writer who hosts a weekly Low German radio program, entitled "Gerhard Ens Commentary," aired on radio station CFAM in Altona. "Bottab loom" is Ens' poetic reaction to the pernicious dandelion which annually invades Manitoba lawns and gardens. The harmonization reproduced here is an arrangement used by the women of the Jereeschte Tweeback, who perform it in a nostalgic, sentimental style.

96

Goo'n Owent mien Frint (Good Evening My Friend)

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=152

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r

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- went.

Ekj wensch die

fa.l Jlekj,

en

214

~

SINGING MENNONITE

J1

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Ma- kjlijch-kiet

uck,

~

J

l

Goo'n

I $ $ $ J. went,

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Goo'n

0

J I went.

Translation Good evening my friend, how are things with you? Good evening, good evening, good evening. I wish you much joy, and comfort thereto, Good evening, good evening, good evening.

There was no consensus on the origins ofthis round song, but Canadian Mennonite Bible College faculty and their families learned it at the annual faculty retreat one September several years ago. They claimed it came from western Canada withNeil Matthies, a brother-in-law of George Wiebe, head ofCMBC's music department. The Heischraitje, on the other hand, say they learned it from a lady in Gretna. In all likelihood, the song is a translation of a well-known High German round song.

97

Gooden Owent (Good Evening)

Tune: Good Night Ladies

1. Gooden Owent Mumtjes, Gooden Owent Oomtjes, Gooden Owent aula, Wie brinjen nu onns Fast. Jie sent onns aula welkom hia, Welkom hia, welkom hia, Jie sent onns aula welkom hi a, Hoptjuntjeit daut goot.

2. Goode Nacht Mumtjes, Goode Nacht Oomtjes, Goode Nacht aula, Onns Fast ess nu to Enj. Schaftijch foa wie nu no Hus,

Nu no Hus, nu no Hus, Schaftijch foa wie nu no Hus, Schlopt aula scheenjesunt.

Translation 1. Good evening women/wives, Good evening men/husbands, Good evening to you all, We now present our celebration. We bid you all welcome here, Welcome here, welcome here, We bid you all welcome here, We hope you have a good time.

215

Plautdietscha Owent Songs 2. Good night women/wives, Good night men/husbands, Good night everyone, Our celebration's over,

Happily we now go home, Now go home, now go home, Happily we now go home, Sleep well, all of you.

This parody of"Good Night Ladies" was sung at a fund-raising event presented by the Ladies of the Stanley Agricultural Society in Winkler on October 23, 1978. A group of women directed by lyricist Susie Penner sang the first verse to introduce the program of Low German skits, poems and dramas, and the second verse to conclude it.

98

0 Plume-Moos (Oh Plum/Fruit Soup) '!\me: Beulah Land 1. Ekj stem Fondoag en Farschtje aun, Waut Moos faa Saajen brinje kaun, Ekj meen dee Moos waut Taunte koakt, Dee haft mie meist jesunt jemoakt.

Refrain 0 Plume-Moos, en Kjresbaa-Moos, Soont koake onse Dietsche bloos, De Dockta jeft die dan ne Pel, Waut leida dan nijch halpe wei. Dan froag moo bloos mol Taunte Tien, Dee moakt daut one Meditsien. 2. Wan eena sijch eascht plaut lajcht dol, Bie naajen Waakj em Hospitol, Bloos Eija at en reeschet Broot, Schmajkjt Moos aul awa aules goot. 3. See schekjt mie een stekj Rogge-Broot Daut schleit aul meist de Hunga doot, En wan ekj Klopps haud ate kunt Waa weet, ekj wea fleijcht gauns jesunt. 4. En haud ekj noch en Komtje Borscht En noch en stekjstje Lawa-Worscht, Wan Taunte Tien noch Kjielkje koakt Dan wea dee Moltiet gootjemoakt.

Refrain 5. Wan Taunte Tien dee Schinkjes muak En honk dee lang jenuach em Ruak, En ekj kunn ate soo's ekj wull, Dan aut ekj fal meeja a us ekj sull. 6. En wan se Jlips-Moos haudjekoakt En W'renekje doatoo jemoakt En dan noch Dwoag en Rogge-Broot, Daut schmackt doch awa aules goot. 7. En wort too Sindach reedjemoakt En Suara-Komst doatoo jekoakt Met Fonna-Worscht en Spakj doamank Dan paus bloos opp sess atst die krank. 8. En wan en Kjint de Buck deed wee En dan too Taunte Tien daut sad, Dee koakt dan boolt Kimalitee, Dan deed de Buck nijch meeja wee.

216 Refrain2 0 Meditsien, 0 Meditsien, Got froagt mau bloos mol Taunte Tien. Dee koak.t die boolt en Kjreitatee, Dan deit die nijch de Buck soo wee, Dan hafst du boolt dan Kopp no hecht, En dujeist seeja boolt oppjerecht. 9. En schneet ekj mie mol goot aum Foot, Dan deed daut wee, dan rand daut Bloot, Dan lad see Moageblada opp, En seeja boolt head dee Weedaog opp. 10. Wan mie de Dochta unjaseak.jt, En mie ne Buddel Pelle reakjt, Waa weet, ess daut nijch lauta Jeft? Daut moakt mie dan aul meist febleft.

Re{rain2

SINGING MENNONITE If Auntie Tien would noodles make, The meal was made with finest taste.

Refrain 5. When Auntie Tiene the ham did make, And hung it long enough in smoke, And I could eat as I longed to, I ate much more than I ought to. 6. And when she cooked the slippery-noodle soup, And perogies made to serve with it, Aged cottage cheese and rye bread too, That tasted better than all else. 7. And iffor Sunday they prepared, And sauerkraut they also made, With farmer's sausage and bacon too, Then careful be, don't eat til ill.

Translation 1. Today I start a little song, Of blessings that Moos brings along, I mean the Moos that Auntie cooks, It's 'most restored my healthy look.

8. And when a child had stomach aches, And told Aunt Tiene oh how it aches, She quickly made some camomile tea The stomach then from pain is free.

Refrain Oh plum fruit soup, and gooseberry soup, Only our Germans cook that soup. The doctor wants to give me pills, Which never ever cure my ills. Just go and ask my Auntie Tiene, She cures you without medicine.

Refrain2 Oh medicine, oh medicine, Just go and ask your Auntie Tiene, She soon will cook some herbal tea, Your stomach will from pain be free, You11 raise your head til its full height, And soon be walking tall, upright.

2. And when you're lying on your back For nine days in the hospital, Just eating eggs and crusty bread, For good food Moos is far ahead.

9. And ifl really cut my foot, And then it hurt, and really bled, She'd plaster it with herbal leaves, Which quickly would the pain relieve.

3. She sent a piece of her rye bread, It almost 'killed my hunger dead', And if hamburger I could eat, Who knows, I might be on my feet.

10. And when the 'doc' examines me, And hands some bottled pills to me, Who knows, they might be poisonous? It makes me almost all confused.

4. And ifi had a bowl of borscht, And then a piece ofliverwurst,

Refrain2

217

Plautdietscha Owent Songs

According to the lyricist, herbal medicines and Auntie Tiene's cooking are the cure for whatever ails one. The poet seems to suggest that any favourite food would be beneficial to health and well-being, despite the fact that some of .the foods mentioned are high in cholesterol. Contemporary concerns about nutrition obviously do not enter into this cultural view of health. Neither does modern medicine have anything to offer the one who is ill. In fact, there are suspicions that the doctor's medicine is poisonous, which again suggests a mistrust of another cultural view of illness and health. Unlike a recently composed Heischraitje song about the dangers ofvisiting a doctor, this one does not criticise the medical profession for preoccupation with economic gain. The song itself, however, has been used to bring economic gain as well as entertainment. The Pluma Moos Singers first sang it to East-Reserve audiences. They attributed it to a poet from Landmark. When the J ereeschte Tweeback sang it at a fund-raising concert in Mountain Lake, Minnesota in 1985, a member of the audience gave them a similar version which he claimed had been written by a bedridden citizen.

99

Tus, Tus opp dan Foarm (Home, Home on the Farm) Tune: Home On the Range 1. 0 jef onns ne Stad, opp ne Manitoba Stap, Wua de Stapmies en Hose toop sent, Wua de Weit en de Flauss wiefelt schmock met daut Grauss, En de Wolkje en Raaj'n meiss nijch kjemt.

Refrain Tus, tus opp dan Foarm, Met de Hung, Kjeaj, Kjikjel en Schwien, Wua de Mensche mootijch sent, Krakjt endoont waut doa kjemt, Auf daut raajent, Wint blost, oda Sonn schient. 2. De Loft ess soo rein, en de Ead ess soo fein, Daut J ekjaak en daut Frucht waust soo scheen. De Bloome bleaje jral, daut moakt mie gauns dral, Oba schlap mie bloos nijch no de Staut.

Translation 1. Oh give me a place, on a Manitoba field, Where the gophers and rabbits abide, Where the wheat and the flax, wave gently with the grass, And the clouds and the rain almost hide. Refrain Home, home on the farm, With the dogs, cows, chickens and pigs, Where the people take heart, Whatever may come, If it rains, the wind blows, or sun shines. 2. The air is so clean, and the earth is so fine, The vegetables and fruit grow so well, The flowers bloom so bright they almost make me spin, But just don't drag me to the town.

218

SINGING MENNONITE

Several of the five Doerksen sisters and cousins who comprise the Pluma Moos Singers wrote this song while camping. Like their parodies and paraphrases of other American folksongs such as "Old Kentucky Home," their Low German counterpart to "Home on the Range" tries to make the song more relevant to the prairie Mennonite. From the description of the simple beauties of rural life and the plea not to drag the singer to town, we can only conclude that the town does not offer the singer the desired closeness to nature.

100

Welkom no Altona (Welcome to Altona) '1\me: The Red River Valley

Refrain Aula welkom no onns Darp Altona, Wie sent seeja oppntimende Lied, Han hea Wrenekje, Worscht en uck Knack sot, Komt en hat 'ne bestemt goode Tiet. 1. Hia sent aulahaunt scheene Fejnaaje, Woatjerant, Bauljespalt en fetalt, En wie ha'n dan met groote Femeeje, Daut Plautdietsche Prograum aunjestalt.

2. Ess doch meist tom sikj selwst aum Buck biete, Wan dee Plautdietsche Grupp sikj loos lat, En dee kjenne dan soo Schnette riete, Daut enjieda sien Trubble fejat. 3. Sent uck Gaustmusikaunte en Spala, Dee dan sinje en sptile soo scheen, Fonn'e duts straume Mtiakjes kaust wale, Wtim du west dan aus Sunflower Kwien. 4. Fale Lied kome en lange Reaje, No daut Knacksot Fast kome dee jnietsch, Wiel daut Knacksot Flekj fangt aun too bleaje, En dee jleiche dee Worscht en daut Dietsch.

Translation Refrain All are welcome in our village Altona, We are very hospitable folk, Have perogies, sausage and sunflower seeds, Come enjoy a most wonderful time. 1. Here are all types of interesting pastimes, Running races, playing ball and conversing, And we also prepared with great effort, To present a Low German program.

2. One almost laughs til one bites one's own stomach, When the Low German group loose lets, And they know how to talk up the gossip, That each one his trouble forgets. 3. Guest musicians and players they come here, And they sing and they play wondrously, From a dozen lovely girls you can choose one, Whom you want as the Sunflower Queen. 4. Many people they come by the rowfull, Quickly for the Sunflower Festival. For the sunflower patch is now blooming, And they like the sausage and Low German.

Plautdietscha Owent Songs

219

The women of the Aultneiw Knackzoat Kuta (Altona Sunflower Seed Estate/Community), a support group for Altona's Sunflower Festival, generally sing "Welkom no Altona" as an opening song at their Low German programs. According to lyricist John Klassen, who prefers to be known as Jehaun Klosse, the distinctive aspects of a visit to Altona are eating traditional Mennonite foods, jovial visiting and speaking Low German. The descriptive Low German idioms in Verse 2 particularly amuse most listeners. The Kuta, as they call themselves, use the funds they raise at these programs in various ways. They support local efforts like the Pioneer Centre, the Sunflower Festival and the local branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association, but occasionally they also send funds to ventures like the Wycliffe Pla utdietsch project, through which the New Testament has been translated into the Low German dialect of many Canadian and Latin American Mennonites. It is ironic that the melody of a cowboy song which talks mournfully about saying good-bye is used for a welcome song which encourages people to enjoy themselves. Because the Altona weekly newspaper is called The Red River Valley Echo, the melody of"The Red River Valley" may have been regarded as representative oflocal history. Dietscha Spos Songs German Fun Songs Armin Ens, uncle of the Ens Family Singers, or Dietscha Spos (German Fun), remembers singing English folksongs from the red Manitoba Schools Songbook. Like many other Mennonite school children, he wondered why he had to sing songs totally foreign to his life experiences. To him, a song like "Early One Morning" was ridiculous. Why would a girl be crying out in the pasture in the morning? The only thing he had ever heard crying in the pasture in the morning was a cow about to give birth! And so he decided to take revenge on what he considered a cultural assault by writing Low German parodies which would reflect his own everyday life. "Doa hinje en'e Feefenss" ("Back There in the Pasture"), which celebrates the beauties of nature on the prairies, is his version of"The Ash Grove," while "Om Kjnals" ("Mr. Cornie") is a southern Manitoba parody of"Do You Ken John Peel?" Like their uncle, Ernest Ens, Erica Ens and Heidi Harms, who comprise the Ens Family Singers, have written several Low German songs, often parodies or translations of popular, country and love songs. Heidi Harms is credited with Low German versions of Olivia Newton John's "Let Me Be There," John Denver's

220

SINGING MENNONITE

"Country Roads" and a "Dear John" song, while Ernest has translated "I Cried a Tear'' and "I've Been Everywhere." Armin has also translated several popular and country songs, including Anne Murray's "Snowbird," Elvis Presley's "Love Me Tender'' and "Diestra Stramel awa mie" ("Dark Strip/Ribbon over Me"), a Marty Robbins tune. They translated popular and country tunes, they say, to provide materials familiar to their audience, as well as to satirize the sentimentality of many of these songs. The country idiom was selected because the songs would tell uncomplicated stories and express emotions with which the audience could identify. The country idiom is also musically similar to the gospel songs preferred by many Low German speakers in their audiences. Ernest has written several Low German parodies of movie themes. His version of the "Do-re-mi" song from the musical The Sound of Music, beginning "Dee Koo deejeft onns fresche Malkj ('The cow, it gives us fresh milk'), reminds us that Armin and Ernest began translating songs into Low German while doing chores together in the barn. He has also translated "Somewhere, My Love" from the movie Dr. Zhivago. Ernest's sisters have tried their hand at parodying High German love songs. Heidi has parodied "Muss ich denn," and Erica "Horch was kommt von draussen her." The Ens Family Singers began their career as a Low German singing group for a dinner theatre in the Reinland Community Centre in March 1986. Invitations to entertain in Winkler, Altona and Plum Coulee, including Altona's Sunflower Festival in July 1986, helped to popularize the group. They recorded Dietscha Spos (German Fun) in concert on July 3, 1987 in Winkler, and Spos mott Senn! in 1988. Some of the more popular songs recorded at the Winkler concert are included on both tapes.

101

Stappen Wajch (Prairie Roads) Tune: Take Me Home, Country Roads

English Refrain Country roads, take me home, To the place where I belong, West Virginia, mountain mama, Take me home, country roads.

1. Meist em Himmel, Borscht en Pei-launt, Pempenboaj, de Rie hinjare Fens. Hea ess goot sen'n, Em Darpstje Reinlaunt, Manke Pappeln, unjare kloare Stierns.

221

Plautdietscha Owent Songs Low German Refrain Dee Stappenwajch feat mie no Hus, Jo gauns bat Tus, Doa well ekj han. Faspa aun Sindach, Kjees en Tweeback, Plumenplauts, Prips met Schmaunt.

2. Deleng de Dwaagauss, Go wie spatsieren, Kjikjen hie Grootfurrasch 'nen, Ferrem Medachshlop. Spalen Kjnipsdesch, Knacken Sot, Kjnetten Wollstremp, Mau rajchno Uajenmot. Low German Refrain

3. I hear their voices in the morning as they call me, The radio reminds me of my home far away, Driving down the road I get the feeling That I should have been home yesterday, yesterday.

Translation 1. Almost in heaven, Soup and pie-land, Pembina Hills, the brooklet behind the fence. It's good to be here, In the village ofReinland, Among the aspens, underneath bright stars. Low German Refrain The prairie road takes me home, Yes, right 'til home, I want togo. Lunch-time on Sunday Cheese with double buns, Damson plum squares, Coffee with cream.

2. Along the main street, We go visiting, Stop at Grandfather's place, Before he takes his nap. Play crokinole, Crack sunflower seeds, Knit wool stockings Measuring with one's eyes.

Low German Refrain

Lyricist Heidi Harms says she and her sister Erica Ens frequently drove along country roads to pass a Sunday afternoon while they lived in rural southern Manitoba. She felt the song "Country Roads" needed a Low German equivalent to reflect her and other Mennonites' experience of country roads near Reinland.

102

Wuaawer du best (Wherever You Are)

Tune: Let Me Be There

1. Wuaawer du best, Wuaawer du die uck rommdrifst oop'e Ead, Dit weetst du gauns 'wess, Mie jankat uck doahan,

Ekj hool diene Haunt, Enjriep die wan du handraschen deist, Ekj bliew met die toop, Wuaawer du hanjeist.

222

SINGING MENNONITE

Refrain Miejankat 'ssemorjes met die toop too sen'n En 'sseowens mienswaajen uck, Mie jankat aules, waut nu dwautsch ess, Too moaken t'rajch, Ekj well met die toop fuat no Disneyland Ooda weens no Jurtschaks Piet, Ekj well daaj ral form die han'n, Oba bloos nijch de Kjiep.

Translation 1. Wherever you are, Wherever you may wander on this earth, Surely you know, I always want to be there; I'll hold your hand, And grab you when you come crashing down, Staying with you, Wherever you may go.

2. Ekj kjan die aul goot, Wie sentje beid fonn dich hie Roosenuat, Ekj saj uck met Moot, Ekj well form die nijch fuat, Fait die een Frint, Du weetst wua ekj too finjen sie, En wan du mol foonst, Dan sen ekj fuats hie die.

Refrain I want to be with you in the morning, And evenings as far as I'm concerned too, I want to change whatever's wrong And make it right; I want to go away to Disney land with you, Or at least to Pete Yurchuck's; I want to have much of you, Just not the coop. 2. I already know you well, We've both come from near Rosenort, I also say with courage, I don't want to leave you; Do you need a friend, You know where I can be found, And when you phone me, Then I'll be right beside you.

Because she liked to mimic Olivia Newton John's voice, Heidi Harms decided to write a Low German parody ofNewton John's "Let Me Be There." Not only does the song mock Newton John's voice, it also reveals the ridiculous sentimentality of the lyrics. Several elements are amusing: the use of colloquial Low German for a love song, the rather literal translation from English and the use of a flat German accent for transliterated English words like 'wherever'. Further humour occurs through the use of puns, such as rendering the verb han'n ('to have') as the noun Han ('hen'). This deliberate misinterpretation creates an opportunity to use the 'don't give me the coop' idiom for the idea of not breaking a relationship. Even the fact that Heidi and her sister sing a verse and refrain in English before moving to the Low German version amuses an audience, since they think one sings love songs in High German or English, the languages of poetry, but not in Low German.

223

Plautdietscha Owent Songs

103

Om Kjnals (Mr. Cornie) Tune: Do You Ken John Peel? 1. 0, kjanst du Oom Kjnals Met dee bliew en witte Koa, 0, kjanst du Oom Kjnals, Goode Kjoasch oop'm Tap soogoa, 0, kjanst du Oom Kjnals, Hee pausst opp no dien Jefoa, Opp'm Wajch teschen Winkla en Morden.

Refrain Teschen Winkla en Morden Waa doa nijch aula foat, Teschen Winkla en Morden, Dee Wajch foat sijch gauns 'ne Droat, Dee Menschen waut doa sent, Sent opp'm Wajch no Koat, See fur'n too stoakj Teschen Winkla en Morden. 2. Jo, ekj kjann Oom Kjnals, Kjreach latst 'n Tsadel soogoa, Ekj kjan Oom Kjnals, Hee kroajd mie 'nen en siene Koa, En ekj funk schea aun too roar'n Weals sienJeschnees wees doa soo kloa Daut ekj haud awa naajntijchjefoaren. 3. Daut Tsaddel, daut Kost mie soo dea, Oba ekj ha' aunjenomen doafonn eene Lea, Ekj haud sullt bata weeten, Ekj wisstje wua ekj wea, Opp'm Wajch teschen Winkla en Morden.

4. Nu wan ekj Iangsam foa, Dan woa mie nijch bees, Weals ekj weet gauns 'wess Oom Kjnals set doa meet sien Jeschnees; Wann ekj doa aun denkj, Dan woa ekj gauns nerwees, Opp'm Wajch teschen Winkla en Morden.

Translation 1. Do you know Mr. Cornie, With blue and white car, Do you know Mr. Cornie, Red cherry on the top also, Do you know Mr. Cornie, He's watching how you drive, On the road between Winkler and Morden. Refrain Between Winkler and Morden, Who doesn't all drive there! Between Winkler and Morden, The road is completely crooked; The people who are there Are on the way to court, They drove too fast Between Winkler and Morden. 2. Yes I know Mr. Cornie, Even got a ticket the other day, I know Mr. Cornie, He invited me into his car, And I well nigh started to cry loudly, Because his contraption showed so clearly That I had driven over 90.

224 3. The ticket, it was very expensive, But I have decided to learn from it; I should have known better, For I knew where I wasOn the road between Winkler and Morden.

SINGING MENNONITE 4. Nowifl drive slowly, Then don't get angry with me, Because I know most certainly, Mr. Cornie's sitting there with his contraption. When I think ofit, I get totally nervous, On the road between Winkler and Morden.

This parody is an example ofArmin Ens' revenge on school teachers who forced him to sing English folksongs from the Manitoba Schools Songbook. "Om Kjnals" is modelled on a real character in his past. Apparently, the name I(jnals is not simply a typical Mennonite name. It may have been chosen for one of two reasons. A single adult male who still lived with his parents was often referred to as Grootfodasch' I(jnals, or 'grandfather's Cornie'. Henry Ens, father of the singers, often said the French acronym for RCMP- GRC -stood for Grootfodasch' I(jnals, making the name I(jnals an obvious choice for an RCMP. The song is also rooted in southern Manitoba history. Because Winkler had a police constable but no court house, residents who received speeding tickets had to go to Morden to appear before the judge to pay their tickets. Since Winkler residents supported local businesses, they drove to Morden in the 1950s and early 1960s only for those services not available in Winkler at that time: the dentist, the Dairy Queen or the court house. Winkler residents surmised that those who drove to Morden on certain days would also find their names in the court news section of the weekly paper next week. Legend has it that some of the more influential community members managed under-the-table payments so that neither their own nor their irreputable sons' names appeared in the paper. The Ens Family Singers say this song is an audience favourite, no doubt because of the catchy tune and because the lyrics speak of their listeners' own observations and experience.

CHAPTER NINE

9leuuinu enug~ MANIT 0 B A MEN N 0 NIT E S celebrated the centennial of their arrival in the province in 197 4 on the East Reserve and in 197 5 in the West Reserve. These celebrations were held shortly after the Canadian centennial in 1967 and the Province ofManitoba's centennial in 1970. Consequently, they occurred in an era in which celebrating one's history was popular. The centennial reunion songs in this collection represent just a few of the many celebrations which took place. The East-Reserve celebration in Landmark in 1974 and the West-Reserve Reinland village centennial were symbolic of Mennonite arrival in the two main areas of settlement in the province. The Blumenfeld and especially the Horndean centennial events were more localized celebrations. The songs written for these events are of special significance for village residents because they recall their own history. Many of these songs differ from other Low German songs in that instead of expressing social criticism, they speak of village life in more nostalgic terms, recalling the beauty of the birds, flowers and good times with neighbours. Because of their local references, some of these songs probably will not be performed again, except by or for villagers. The Blumenfeld centennial song, however, has been adopted by the Jereeschte Tweeback as the tune with which they begin their program of traditional Low German songs. Although the lyrics speak of a particular village, they could represent any village. Songs for more recent village centennials and reunions have been written in English, possibly to accommodate both poets and audiences who no longer speak Low German.

226

SINGING MENNONITE

Contemporary

104

Dit Launt ess dien Launt

Tune: This Land Is Your Land

Textl Don kaume Mennoniete, ess nijch too bejriepe, Siedelde opp'm Launt, naume Awahaunt, Trokj dee Spekjeldrot, fraut daut Knacksot, Dit Launt, daut ess faa die en mie.

Refrain Dit Launt ess dien Launt, dit Launt ess mien Launt, Pra' Ros bet Roosenuat, just about Utjebuat, Nu ha wie Awahaunt, nu's aules open Boa, Dit Launt, daut ess faa die en mie.

Translation Then came the Mennonite, can scarce be fathomed, Settled on the land, soon took management, Fenced with barbed wire, devoured sunflower seeds, This land, it's made for you and me. Refrain This land is your land, this land is my land, Prairie Rose til Rosenort, almost gone bankrupt, Now we have hundred years, now all's an open plain, This land, it's made for you and me.

Text2 Dit Darp ess Reinlaunt, dit Darp ess Reinlaunt, Fonn'e oole Feefens, bet de lange Dwaagaus, Fonn Wielasch J oacob, bet Werner Ensen (Heinrikj Jaunsen), Dit Darp ess 'fus faa die en mie.

Translation This village is Reinland, this village is Reinland, From the old cattle pasture, til the long crossroads, From Jacob Wieler's, til Werner Enses' (Henry Janzens'), This village is home for you and me.

Text3 Dise Staut ess Winkla, dise Staut ess Winkla, Fomm Wajch twee'n-dartijch, bettem Kloppenspalgrunt, Fomm Wotatoarem, bette achte Gauss sieden, Dise Staut ess 'fus faa die en mie.

Translation This town is Winkler, this town is Wmkler, From Highway 32, til the golf course, From the water tower, til eighth street south, This town is home for you and me.

Reunion Songs

227

Text4 Diss Darp ess Winkla, diss Darp ess Winkla, Fomm Bossfoara Siemes, tom sud sied Schell, Fomm Juck Juck Eelies, tom Monarch Machinery, Diss Darp ist 'fus for you und mie.

Translation This village is Winkler, this village is Winkler, From bus-driver Siemens, to the south-side Shell, From Yuck Yuck Elias, to Monarch Machinery, This village is home for you and me.

In 1974, Kanadier Mennonites on Manitoba's East Reserve celebrated the centennial of their migration to Canada. In Landmark that June, pioneer history was recalled through speech and song. One of those songs was Woody Guthrie's "This Land Ain't Your Land," a political satire on the struggle for ownership of Canadian soil. The successive contenders have been the Norsemen, the French, Native people, the English and finally U.S. investors. The Low German appendage to the parody was written and performed by De Heischraitje en Willa Honig (Locusts and Wild Honey), who at that time were accompanied by electric guitar. Later that same month, the group was awarded the talent trophy for their rendition of this song at the annual Landmark Collegiate Variety Night. By 1978, the song had become a standard feature ofHeischraitje concerts. The lyrics contain several symbolic references. The barbed-wire fence may indicate the level of technology and land claims in general, or may represent Mennonite exclusiveness in particular. The reference to a Mennonite territory bounded by Prairie Rose and Rosenort informs us that we are talking about only a small segment of the Manitoba Mennonite population, the K.leinegemeinde (lit. 'little congregation'), now known as the Evangelical Mennonite Conference. And the open plain reminds us of the impact of pioneer agriculture on a once-wooded area roamed by native hunters and gatherers. Another version of"This Land Is Your Land" (Text 2) was composed by a WestReserve Russlander male singing group in 1975 for the Reinland centennial celebrations. The village ofReinland was founded in the first year of West-Reserve settlement. The age of the village is indicated by the reference to the old cattle pasture. The custom of having a common pasture on the outskirts of the village was standard in Russia. In Canada, products such as barbed wire created changes in cattle pasturing. Fencing could be more extensive with barbed wire than with scarce wood supplies.

228

SINGING MENNONITE

The original1975 version ofthe song reads "From Jabob Wieler's, til Henry Janzen's," but by the time it was sung at a 1978 Ens family reunion in Reinland, Werner Ens had moved into the Janzen residence, so the words were altered to fit the facts. Hearing this song about Reinland inspired my father, Mr. A.C. Klassen, to write a similar poem about the place where he lived at that time, the town of Winkler. He composed the song (Text 3) while driving along his school-bus route. The boundaries of this town are defined by habits of the townspeople, rather than by surveyors who regard Eighth Street South as outside of town limits. The Low German term for golf course, translated literally, is 'knocking playground', a colourful description of one aspect of the game. Not to be outdone by his father, my brother, an eighteen-year-old at that time, decidedtousehislimitedknowledgeofLowGermantowritehisownversion(Text4). Intended and unintended humour mesh in this Low German, English and High German poetic mixture. Much of the humour arises from a rather peripheral knowledge of the language, resulting in misrenderings like diss, paralleling the English 'this', for the Low German dit. Inexperience with the language is also evident in the use of the humorous Juck, Juck for Jutt, Jutt, meaning 'J.J.', to represent Arnold's well-respected Spanish teacher. Another example of unintended humour is in the naming of the town's boundaries. Rather than the usual east-west and north-south boundaries, Arnold has defined the town's parameters on the diagonal. The use of Low German, however, is part of the intended humour, or perhaps social criticism. Teenagers in Winkler in the 1970s normally spoke only English and generally used Low German to criticize the ethnocentrism they sensed in their community. Furthermore, calling the 'town' of Winkler a mere village was another way teenagers criticized what they perceived as a narrow cultural background.

105

Ballad of Peter Harms

J Hoa-romms Pee - ta spi:ild em Saunt - hock, En dam fien

p v PI r je - saw-den Graund,

229

Reunion Songs

=II Hoa-romms Pee - ta spald em Saunt-hock, En dam fien

2. Enmoljinkj hee Stapmies schlenjen, Met en Langen Binjabaunt, Tekjt dan Baunt, de Stapmies piepten, Riemd de Stapmies form daut Launt. 3. Hoaromms Peeta schmeet en curve Baul, Awa homebase schmeet hee dan, Kjeena kunn dan curve Baul traffen, Kjeena kunn opp first base nopp. 4. Hoaromms Peetajinkj no Sustje, Peetasch Sus form Gnodentol, Hoaromms Peeta naum sikj Sustje, Fried sikj Sus form Gnodentol. 5. Hoaromms Peeta wort en Pradja, Lead de Menschen groot en kjleen, Wort en gauns ernorja Radna, Lead de Mens chen groot en kjleen.

je - saw-den Graund.

Translation 1. Peter Harms played in the sandbox, In the finely sifted ground, Peter Harms played in the sandbox, In the finely sifted sand. 2. Once he went out catching/slinging gophers, With a long piece of binder-twine, Pulled the string, the gophers squeaked, Cleaned the gophers from the land. 3. Peter Harms threw a curve ball, Over home base he threw it, No one could hit the curve ball, No one got onto first base. 4. Peter Harms courted Susie, Susie Peters from Gnadenthal, Peter Harms, he took himself Susie, Married Susie from Gnadenthal. 5. Peter Harms became a preacher, Taught the people big and small, Became a rather outstanding speaker, Taught the people big and small.

This historical ballad is the story of any boy who has lived in a Manitoba Mennonite village and had a typical upbringing: playing in the sandbox, catching gophers, playing sports, courting a girl from a neighbouring village and choosing a vocation. Catching gophers is one activity which dates this song. This was a favourite pastime for young boys growing up in the 1920s and 1930s. They would go to fairly high land, which the gophers seemed to favour. The boys would lay a binder-twine noose over the entrance to the gopher's haunt, run a length of twine along the ground and lie down to await a curious gopher. When a gopher popped his head out

SINGING MENNONITE

230

the hole, the boy pulled the string, strangling the gopher. The gopher's tail was cut off and brought to the municipal office. In an attempt to save the crops by reducing the gopher population, the municipal offices paid a bounty of one cent per tail. Boys growing up in the Depression years considered this a substantial reward. Eyewitnesses, however, report catching a number of gophers without tails. Another village custom deserves comment. The inter-village courting pattern was fairly common, especially since villagers were often related to each other. However, it also seems to have fostered inter-village rivalry. The Russian melody of this ballad is familiar to most Russlander, giving the song an added historical depth for these listeners. However, they knew two different sets oflyrics. In one story, an abandoned orphan searches for shelter on a cold winter's night. In another, a Cossack king courts a Persian princess aboard ship, then tires of her company and throws her overboard. In either case, the story was a tragedy, and the singers ofthe Peter Harms ballad performed it with mock-serious pathos to imply tragedy in his life as well. This ballad was one of several songs sung by a male octet at the Village of Reinland Centennial Celebration in 1975. The octet sang both in unison and in four parts, accompanied by guitar. Lyricists Henry Ens and Menno Wiebe were members of the octet, and the real Peter Harms was a member of the audience!

106

Legend of the Gausseschlinjels (Legend ofthe Street Rascals)

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231

Reunion Songs

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297

Heischraitje Songs l

Ji Fun-kjen, Foo-ten,

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2. Fromme Tjleejemeenda, von der Erde reis michlos Dauts aun dit Sied, jant Sied, De easchte hea en Manitoba weare wie Aun dit Sied,jant Sied, Kleefeld, Steinbach, Bloomenuat, en Tus Daut ess aun dit Sied, jant Sied, Wan se kome woare, woare Koare foare Dit Sied, jant Sied. 3. Knacksot knacke dautjeft schmaaje Placke Hea aun dit sied,jant sied, Spos mott senne wan 't bleiw woat brenne Hea aun dit Sied, jant Sied, Nijch febleft wan't uck Schicksel jeft Daut ess aun dit Sied, jant Sied, Daut bastejenne, fomm Hoat dankboa senne, Hia aun dit Sied, jant Sied.

Translation Refrain This side, that side, Which now is which side, Which is the good side? This side, that side, Which side's home for you, oh yes, Which side's home for you? 1. Oiling doors so they no longer squeak, That is this side, that side,

Baking cookies so that lips start smacking Here on this side, that side, Fehrs, Dycks, Friesens, Funks, Voths, Zacharias, This side, that side, Drinking winter coffee, blinking friendly eyes, This side, that side. 2. Pious Kleinegemeinde, 'take me from this world', This side, that side, The first to come to Manitoba, they were here On this side, that side, Kleefeld, Steinbach, Blumenort, and their home is On this side, that side, When they come, they will be driving cars, that is On this side, that side. 3. Cracking sunflower seeds til greasy spots appear On this side, that side, Humour must be there, and if there's blue smoke On this side, that side, Not surprised if trouble comes to them That's on this side, that side, Wishing for the best, and thankful as we're blest On this side, that side.

298

SINGING MENNONITE

The idea ofjant Sied, or 'the other side', became a concrete reality for the Heischraitje only after one of their members, Dennis Reimer, moved to the vicinity of Gretna on the West Reserve. Before that time, although some of them lived west of the Red River in Winnipeg, they still thought of themselves as coming only from dit Sied or 'this side', as every Mennonite refers to the particular side of the river on which he/she lives. Cultural differences between East- and West-Reserve Mennonites are apparent in this song. Verse 1 highlights dialectical differences. The use of the 'n' ending on participles and nouns is one ofthe characteristics which distinguishes Kanadier West-Reserve Low German from Russlander and Kanadier East-Reserve Low German. Dennis Reimer also considers the habit of farmers near Gretna going to town for their daily coffee-break, even in blustery winter weather, as a WestReserve practice. Many listeners may not catch the colourful pun on Mennonite family names: Faaren ('in front of') Dikjen ('fat') Friejes (Friesens) Footen ('took/grabbed') Funkjen (Funks) Sackarieas (Zacharias). Verse 2 reveals East-Reserve distinctives. The Heischraitje refer to those of their own church background (the Kjleejemeenda or Kleinegemeinde) as being pious and other-worldly, a comment on their conservative theological stance. The Heischraitje also assume that Tus or 'home' must of course be found on dit Sied. Some of the Heischraitje felt that Dennis' last verse was too conservative, so they altered it to add a little more local colour, such as blue smoke, an idiom meaning 'come what may'. Dennis apparently wrote the song while driving to rehearsal in Winnipeg from Gretna one day.

143

Ekj schammie (IAmAshamed)

~ =126-132

refrain

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l

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se wie nijch plietsch,Daut

299

Heischraitje Songs

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