Spanish nursery rhymes

Last updated

Nursery rhymes (Spanish : rimas infantiles) in the Spanish language have been passed down by oral tradition. They may be classified according to their amusing, educative or soothing qualities.

Contents

History and context

Nursery rhymes are short songs written for small children. The lyrics are usually simple and repetitive for easy comprehension and memorization. Although they are meant to be lighthearted and fun, they also function as an introduction to music and certain basic concepts learned through repetition and song.

Traditionally, nursery rhymes are taught through oral tradition where knowledge, stories, and songs are learned through generational repetition as part of familial or popular culture. In more recent decades, specialized artists have worked within the infant market.

Nursery rhymes are activities through which children can learn and play with different melodies. They also introduce children to popular themes that help with early socialization. [1]

Many Latin American nursery rhymes are based in the context of the farm or rural life. After the Spanish conquest of the continent, much of the oral tradition derived from religious and superstitious traditions with the goal of introducing children to formative social concepts.

Classification by function

One possible method of nursery rhyme classification is that of function. Although it is possible that one song may fall under more than one category, each has a different goal or purpose:

Examples

Los Pollitos Dicen ("Little Chickens") is a classic Spanish Nursery Rhyme De juego, and also falls under the Nana or Cancion de cuna category. Many spanish speaking countries lay claim to this song such as Ecuador and Spain, but its author is the Chilean musician and poet Ismael Parraguez. [2] Its popularity is similar to that of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" in English.

Los pollitos dicen
pío, pío, pío

cuando tienen hambre
cuando tienen frio.

La gallina busca el maiz
y el trigo

les da la comida y les
presta abrigo.

Bajo de sus alas,
acurrucaditos

duermen los pollitos hasta
el otro día!''

Little chickies squeal,
pio pio pio,

When they are so cold, and when
they want a meal.

Mama goes and gets them corn
from the field,

serves them each their food, and
warms them head to heel.

Chickies sleep so yummy,
snuggled up with mommy,

And that’s just where they’ll stay
until another day. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nursery rhyme</span> Traditional song or poem for children

A nursery rhyme is a traditional poem or song for children in Britain and many other countries, but usage of the term dates only from the late 18th/early 19th century. The term Mother Goose rhymes is interchangeable with nursery rhymes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gregorio Martínez Sierra</span> Spanish writer and theatre director (1881–1947)

Gregorio Martínez Sierra was a Spanish writer, poet, dramatist, and theatre director, a key figure in the revival of the Spanish theatrical avant-garde in the early twentieth century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer</span> Spanish poet and writer (1836–1870)

Gustavo Adolfo Claudio Domínguez Bastida, better known as Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer, was a Spanish Romantic poet and writer, also a playwright, literary columnist, and talented in drawing. Today he is considered one of the most important figures in Spanish literature, and is considered by some as the most read writer after Miguel de Cervantes. He adopted the alias of Bécquer as his brother Valeriano Bécquer, a painter, had done earlier. He was associated with the romanticism and post-romanticism movements and wrote while realism was enjoying success in Spain. He was moderately well known during his life, but it was after his death that most of his works were published. His best known works are the Rhymes and the Legends, usually published together as Rimas y leyendas. These poems and tales are essential to the study of Spanish literature and common reading for high-school students in Spanish-speaking countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baa, Baa, Black Sheep</span> English nursery rhyme

"Baa, Baa, Black Sheep" is an English nursery rhyme, the earliest printed version of which dates from around 1744. The words have not changed very much in two and a half centuries. It is sung to a variant of the 18th century French melody Ah! vous dirai-je, maman.

A children's song may be a nursery rhyme set to music, a song that children invent and share among themselves or a modern creation intended for entertainment, use in the home or education. Although children's songs have been recorded and studied in some cultures more than others, they appear to be universal in human society.

El Último de la Fila was a successful Spanish rock group based in Barcelona, Spain. Formed in 1985 by Manolo García and Quimi Portet, the group released a total of 7 full-length albums before disbanding in early 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Childlore</span> Folk culture of young people

Childlore is the folklore or folk culture of children and young people. It includes, for example, rhymes and games played in the school playground. The best known researchers of the field were Iona and Peter Opie.

Evangelina Sobredo Galanes, known as Cecilia, was a Spanish singer-songwriter. She took her stage name from the song "Cecilia" by Simon and Garfunkel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clan (TV channel)</span> Public Spanish childrens television network

Clan is a Spanish free-to-air television channel owned and operated by Televisión Española (TVE), the television division of state-owned public broadcaster Radiotelevisión Española (RTVE). It is the corporation's television channel for kids, and is known for its programming for children between the ages of two and twelve.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matilde Salvador i Segarra</span> Spanish artist (1918–2007)

Matilde Salvador Segarra was a Spanish composer and painter.

<i>Cántale a tu Bebé</i> 2009 studio album by Mary Ann Acevedo

"Cántale a tu Bebé" is the name given to the second studio album by the Puerto Rican singer, songwriter and actress, Mary Ann Acevedo who performs with her husband, producer Guillermo Torres and features songs by the happy couple. Mary Ann is in the hopes of their first child so this project has all the feeling and love of an artist who is living the whole process of a woman waiting for her firstborn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maria Rodrigo</span>

María Rodrigo was a Spanish pianist and composer. She was the daughter of Pantaléon Rodrigo, and studied music at the Madrid Conservatorium under José Tragó for piano, Valentín Arín for harmony and Emilio Serrano for composition. Maria was the first woman to have her opera performed in Spain. Her sister Mercedes Rodrigo was equally intelligent, being the first woman from Spain to obtain a degree in psychology from the Rousseau Institute in Geneva. The two left Spain for Switzerland during the Spanish Civil War, moved in 1939 to Bogota, Colombia, at the invitation of rector Agustín Nieto Caballero, and in 1950 to Puerto Rico at the invitation of José María García Madrid. With Pablo Casals, Rodrigo founded the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music. She died in Puerto Rico in 1967. Maria was one of the few composers that addressed the composition of zarzuelas, a genre of Spanish music.

María de la Cruz Nájera Botello is a Mexican actress. She is the wife of Alejandro Bichir, and the mother of Odiseo, Demián and Bruno Bichir.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ismael Parraguez</span>

Francisco Ismael Segundo Parraguez Cabezas, or simply Ismael Parraguez was a Chilean musician, Normal teacher, poet, and novelist. He was known for being the creator of the Orfeón Chileno in 1914, during the centennial of the Battle of Rancagua and the children's poem Los pollitos dicen, which he published on his 1907 book Poesías Infantiles. Parraguez was also known by the pseudonym of Misael Guerra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alma Flor Ada</span> Cuban-American author and poet

Alma Flor Ada is a Cuban-American author of children's books, poetry, and novels. A Professor Emerita at the University of San Francisco, she is recognized for her work promoting bilingual and multicultural education in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Il Pulcino Pio</span> 2012 single by Pulcino Pio

"Il Pulcino Pio" is an Italian song released as a single on 18 July 2012 on Globo Records by the Rome radio station Radio Globo. The song was interpreted by Morgana Giovannetti, an actress and host of the station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ah! vous dirai-je, maman</span> French childrens song

"Ah! vous dirai-je, maman" is a popular children's song in France. Since its composition in the 18th century, the melody has been applied to numerous lyrics in multiple languages – the English-language song "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" is one such example. It was adapted in Twelve Variations on "Ah vous dirai-je, Maman" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isabel Campoy</span> Educationalist, author

Isabel Campoy is an author of children's books, poetry, and pedagogical resources. Central to Campoy's work is the promotion of bilingual education.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">El Reino Infantil</span> Argentine YouTube channel

El Reino Infantil is an Argentine YouTube channel featuring music for children owned by Leader Music. It was founded by Roberto Pumar in 2011.

References

  1. Stein, Gari. "The Benefits of Using Music with Young Children". Songs for Teaching. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  2. Marchant, Reinaldo E. "El autor de Los pollitos dicen" (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  3. Jaramillo, Susie. "Little Chickes/Los Pollitos Dicen". Canticos. Encantos Media PBC. Retrieved 16 November 2016.

Further reading