About the composer
Francis Bebey was born in 1929 in Cameroon. A many talented man, he sings, plays guitar
and several African instruments, but is also a writer and poet (in 1994 he won the Prix
Saint Exupéry for a book) and a composer. For the internationally known Kronos
quartet he composed a piece for string quartet and pygmy flute.
| Date | ± 1990? |
| Performers | Singer, guitar and accompaniment |
| Length | 4.02 minutes |
| Particulars | This is a song, a kind of blues and also a short Stabat Mater, written and sung by an African performer. |
| Textual variations | Only the first line of the poem is used, and the text is
about the need for love, in general, and for the virgin Maria in particular, expressed in
a mixture of the languages English, French and Douala. The song text is: Stabat Mater dolorosa (2x) Nyango a Muna - Maria A tem na ndutu ba bo mo muna na njo a'a wo na ndutu Stabat Mater dolorosa (2x) Your sorrow speaks to mankind, telling of great love En moi ta douleur résonne comme un cri d'amour Et ce me cri dit d'aimer toujours même les gents qui sont différents de moi I will tread in your steps until I reach the goal and I know the goal is love I'll always remember you, Mary Stabat Mater dolorosa (2x) Nyango a Muna - Maria A tem na ndutu ba bo mo muna na njo a'a wo na ndutu Stabat Mater dolorosa (2x) The world needs you now, Mary, please give us your love Le monde a besoin de toi et de ton amour Je ne dirai plus de mal de tous ces gens que j'ai crus différents de moi I will pursue my search until I reach the goal and I know the goal is love Je ne t'oublierai jamais, Marie. |
| CD | Disques Ozileka CD 13905: Francis Bebey, Mwana O I bought this CD in a record shop in the Netherlands, 1998 |
| Performers | Francis Bebey |
| Other works | Mwana O Kapitane Mo Yes, I believe in you Vesperal Mummy, I go for town The Queen of Sheba Bona Basu Mitingidingi Ganto Bantu |
| Added | 1998 - (BEB 01) |
E-mail:
stabatmater@dds.nl