THREE CHANCE-DISCOVERED CANTONESE SONGS

Spent some time after lunch browsing youtube. Herewith a haphazard sampling of Cantonese lyric.


相思淚 SEUNG SI LEUI
TEARS OF LOVE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a54Z9D6YDJ8&feature=related
A pleasantly sorrowful old-fashioned tune.


香夭及升天 HEUNG YIU KAP SING TIEN
INCENSE SPIRALLING UPWARDS
Sung by Yam Kiem-fai (任劍輝) and White Snow Immortal(白雪仙).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaLWlOJyRaw&feature=related
A lovely duet from the opera 帝女花 (Tai neui fa: 'emperor-daughter-flower') about princess Cheung-Peng, daughter of the last Ming emperor. The invasion of the Manchu forces prevented her marriage, and as the capital fell to the rebels, the emperor killed several members of his own family and committed suicide.
Though her arm was severed by her father, she survived. Her request that she be permitted to become a nun was denied by the emperor of the new dynasty, who arranged for her and her fiancé to be reunited and wed. By all accounts their marriage was a happy one, but, alas, short. She died of illness a year afterwards, aged seventeen.

For the benefit of those who wish to follow the text, I have copy-pasted it below.

【旦】落花滿天蔽月光，借一杯附薦鳳台上。
【旦】帝女花帶淚上香，願喪生回謝爹娘。
【旦】我偷偷看、偷偷望，佢帶淚帶淚暗悲傷。
【旦】我半帶驚惶，怕駙馬惜鸞鳳配，不甘殉愛伴我臨泉壤。
【生】寸心盼望能同合葬；鴛鴦侶，相偎傍。
【生】泉台上再設新房，地府陰司裡再覓那平陽門巷。
【旦】唉，惜花者甘殉葬。花燭夜，難為駙馬飲砒霜。
【生】江山悲災劫。感先帝，恩千丈；與妻雙雙叩問帝安。
【旦】唉，昐得花燭共諧白髮，誰個願看花燭翻血浪。
【旦】唉，我誤君累你同埋孽網，好應盡禮揖花燭深深拜。
【旦】再合巹交杯，墓穴作新房，待千秋歌讚註駙馬在靈牌上
【生】將柳陰當做芙蓉帳，明朝駙馬看新娘，夜半挑燈有心作窺妝。
【旦】地老天荒，情鳳永配痴凰，願與夫婿共拜相交杯舉案。
【生】遞過金杯慢咽輕嘗，將砒霜帶淚放落葡萄上。
唱詞：
【旦】合歡與君醉夢鄉，
【生】碰杯夢到夜台上。
【旦】百花冠替代殮妝，
【生】駙馬珈墳墓收藏。
【旦】相擁抱 、
【生】相偎傍，
【合】雙枝有樹透露帝女香。
【生】帝女花，
【旦】長伴有心郎；
【合】夫妻死去樹也同模樣。



雙仙拜月亭 SEUNG SIEN BAAI YUET TING

And now, just because I've always like it, a piece from 'Two Immortals Worship at the Moon Pavilion', one of the classics of the Cantonese opera repertoire.


粧樓拜月 JONG LAU BAAI YUET
ADORNING THE BUILDING (FOR) REVERENCING THE MOON
Sorry, no idea who the performers are.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_DVRxa3fzM
There are several movie versions of this opera.

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Next up, at some future point, the stellar 芳豔芬 (Fong Yim-fan), famous for a mellifluous voice and expressivity in her opera roles. She performed at times with Yam Kiem-fai, mentioned above.
Still among the living, last I heard, but in her eighties and retired.