New Folklore Society Voices

"Many times two men or two women will lead the Rosario de Cruz songs, singing the characteristic close harmonies of this music, which is rooted in Spanish tradition. The songs touch on the various themes of the festival: the glorified Cross; praise to the Virgin Mary; and the beauty and renewal of the blossoming spring."

NOTE: The New York Folklore Society Newsletter and New York Folklore Journal were replaced by Voices: The Journal of New York Folklore which debuted December, 2000.

New York Folklore Society
P.O. Box 764
Schenectady, NY 12301
518/346-7008
Fax 518/346-6617
nyfs@nyfolklore.org

Spring/Summer 1999

SPRING/SUMMER 1999 VOICES MAIN PAGE

Fiesta de Mayo Songs
Contributed by Karen Canning

The Fiesta de la Cruz de Mayo (The Festival of the Cross of May) combines ancient prayers and songs with contemporary instruments and reinterpretations, the earmarks of a truly living folk tradition. The selections here were recorded at the Cruz de Mayo celebration of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church in Rochester, NY, which follows the tradition of Cayey, Puerto Rico. The Fiesta consists of a cycle of 15 praise songs led by several singers in the community, with traditional ensemble of cuatro, guiro, and guitar led by Sr. Pedro Nuñez. All of the songs have a repeating chorus or response sung by all the participants between each verse. Many times two men or two women will lead the Rosario de Cruz songs, singing the characteristic close harmonies of this music, which is rooted in Spanish tradition. The songs touch on the various themes of the festival: the glorified Cross; praise to the Virgin Mary; and the beauty and renewal of the blossoming spring. Also included are several notably somber and emotional songs relating Jesus’s crucifixion, which effectively deepen the joy of salvation expressed throughout the celebration.

Salve Cruz Santa y Divina
(Hail to the Cross, Sacred and Divine)

This song depicts the Cross at the moment of Jesus’s death, with the words of the chorus translating as, "Hail to the Cross, Sacred and Divine, where Jesus died, His blood spilling between the thorns." Its plaintive melody is sung in a slowly rocking tempo, with cuatro and guitar signaling each chorus with a falling melodic line. Part of the main text asks the Virgin Mary to "calm my great torments," recognizing that her compassion flows from her intense grief. The song also remembers that, "the pure and fragrant flower is sometimes without thorns."

Chorus:

Salve cruz santa y divina
donde Jesús expiró
donde su sangre vertió
entre la zarza y la espina
entre la zarza y la espina expiró.

Verse 1

Yo te adoro cruz divina
porque en ti murió Jesús
por darnos eterna luz
y librarnos de la ruina.

Verse 2

O divino redentor
esencia pura y divina
no siempre produce espinas
la pura y fragante flor.

Verse 3

Virgen María
calma mis duros tormentos
de aquel dolor tan cruento
que tu alma sentía

Verse 4

Al morir mi buen Jesús
da movimiento la tierra
todo se queda en tinieblas
y hasta el sol pierde su luz.

Mayo Dichoso
(Happy or Blissful May)

The final song of the Fiesta de Cruz celebration, this piece rejoices in the beauty, grace, and flowering of the earth that comes in May, causing the community to sing its praises and "leave our sorrows behind." Led by a soloist, the participants answer her by singing all three verses in a peaceful waltz tempo, punctuated by the cuatro and guitar on repeating lines. The instruments continue after the verses are completed, offering the opportunity for community members to further comment, in song, on the celebration.

Verse 1

Mayo dichoso
mes de las flores
hoy te saludan
los trovadores.

Verse 2

Son admiradores
de tu belleza
que abandonamos
muchas tristezas.

Verse 3

Mayo galano
para cantarte
mayo florido
para adorarte
para adorarte
para adorarte.

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