The Serenades Of All Nations 1898 'The Fortune Teller'

James Pitt-Payne, London UK - 19 Jan 2005

When a girl is in the ballet operatic
she has a gorgeous chance
for breaking hearts,
she's the object of attentions quite ecstatic,
from young and aged patrons of the arts.
With serenades they nearly make me frantic,
with lack of sleep I am distracted quite.
For instance there's that Irish Lord romantic
whose ballads often keep me up all night.
What does he sing this Irish Lord?
Tell me, would not this drive you mad?

Oh! Come all ye swate mavourneens,
ye acushlas and colleens,
and bring your best shillelahs,
your poteens and your dudeens,
for arrah na Pogue has won my heart,
she is my Colleen asawn,
Oh how I love my deelish
and my Cruiskeen lawn.

On the night before a certain Spanish Señor
beneath my window tinkled his guitar,
in a rather antiquated sort of tenor
told me I was his idol and his star.
With fearful portamento and crescendo
he sang what Spanish songs he had on hand.
To which I had to answer 'No comprendo,
please go away I do not understand!'
What sort of music did he sing?
His songs were all this sort of thing:

Come to me in the moonlight Amorita
Let us fly away to fair Granada,
there we'll live and love sweet Senorita,
Dance and drink all day in the posada,
My Amorita! My Senorita

On the night before the Minister from China
was sitting in a box upon my right
when I came to do my dance
his eyes met mine ah!
I saw he fell in love with me at sight.
That night ere slumber
brought me sweet effacement
I heard a noise that made me shriek for aid,
that Chinaman was there
beneath my casement
a singing me a Chinese serenade,
A Chinese serenade, what bliss!
To me it sounded much like this.

Naya moyo ti chilow lanchow pi
shamko tain gee woo kow moo
She no foo wow moo.

On the night before the gay Marquis Parisian
beneath my window warbled all alone,
and he tempted me to Paradise Elysian
by lifting up his wheezy baritone.
In voice that was so tender so asthmatic
suggestive of absinthe and cigarettes.
He sang me cavatinas operatic,
likewise a few Parisian chansonettes.
No doubt those songs were gay and sweet,
Well some of them I will not now repeat.

Je vous aime! Je t'adore
Could Mam'zelle vish for more?
Mon cœur you it haf I am sure.

Ma belle fly viz me,
viz me to gay Paree.

Je t'aimerais, Je t'aimerais,
Je t'aimerais, Je t'aimerais,
Je t'aimer aimer aimer aimerais
Toujours.

One summer night,
the noble Prince of Hayti,
as black was he as any Ace of Spades;
came plunking on his banjo 'neath my window,
and sang me 'dark complected' serenades,
he sang of melyons,
rabbit's foots and possums,
addressing me as Dinah, Lou and Sal.
He offered me his deep brumette affections,
requesting that I be his 'honey gal.'
What did he sing, that ebon Prince?
His songs I've thought of ever since.

Me an' de banjo underneath yo' windy,
jus' becase I loves my honey:
Owt im de moonlight,
kickin' up a shindy,
jus' becase I loves yo'.
I can't sing much,
but my heart am true,
I loves yo' down to the groun', I do.
Dere ain't no gal in de world but yo'
an' dat's becase I loves yo'!

Soft karaoke
Words
piano 1
piano 2
piano 3
piano 4
lyric
pizz str bass
*
The Serenades of All Nations 1898
From - "The Fortune Teller"
Comic Opera in 3 Acts
Music by Victor Herbert. Book by Harry B. Smith.
As Produced by The Alice Nielsen Opera Co.
© 1898 by M. Witmark & Sons, New York
*
sequence and karaoke by James Pitt-Payne, London UK
on Wednesday 19 January 2005 at 23.01
in association with Doug Grierson
*