Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Kolędy (Polish Christmas Carols) - "Lulajże Jezuniu"

"Lulajże Jezuniu" is the traditional Christmas Eve lullaby, and ever a favorite.

Lyric and translation are here.

Performances include an old recording;
"Masowsze" women's choir in costume;
a youth choir in Krakow;
and piano solo of the Chopin quotation within his "Scherzo No. 1".






Mater Dolorosa Choir has a nice CD out,
which includes a performance of
"Lulayjze Jezuniu"

Wesołych Świąt dla was wszystkich.

Gene and Clara's Christmas, 1946

Marty just shipped me two cartons of things from the Marilla attic.  Some of the items date from 90 years ago; I have never seen any of them before this half-hour.




This is the St. Luke's CYO caroling group, in traditional Polish costume, out on a mission to sing kolędy at an Old Folks' Home way out in the country, a goodly drive from Buffalo through the Western New York snows.  Eugene Zdrojewski (CYO President at that time) is third from the left.  Eugene Norman (good friend, eventual Best Man, and family doctor) is fifth from the left.  Clara Matynka is second from the right. 

Our mother always called these costumes their "Krakowianki" costumes.  But these are in particular the style of the Polish highlanders, the gorale.

They would have sung the old carols, including the two that we have seen and heard here:



Marty, a thousand thanks for sending these things to me.  All the gems will be published in time. Right tonight, though, we can remember the parents in their youth.

Love, 
Julie

Monday, December 23, 2013

Pierogi

Jedna pierog.
One pierog.
A single pierog.
Pierog, singular.

Dwa pierogi.
Two pierogi.
More than one pierog.
Plural pierogi.

Wielu pierogi.
Many pierogi.
  
Wielu pierogi.

Pierogi z nadzieniem z kapusty kwaszonej.
Pierogi with filling of cabbage, shredded.
Pierogi with sauerkraut filling.

The Wall Street Journal stepped up to the plate the other day with just the right feature article about pierogi.  The author discusses the secret ingredient, the correct manual assessment of dough perfection, and the recipes for the dough and for the fillings.

Smacznego!

Sunday, December 22, 2013

Carol for Advent: Czekam na Ciebie


Longing for the sun, and the Son, in minor mode:


"Czekam na Ciebie, Jezu mój mały,
ciche błaganie, ku niebu śle.
Twojego przyjścia, czeka świat cały.
Sercem gorącym przyzywa Cię.



"Spójrz, tęskniony na tej ziemi,
przyjdź, o Jezu, pociesz nas!
Szczerze kochać Cię będziemy.
Przyjdź, o Jezu, bo już czas.



"Usłysz Maryjo głos Twoich dzieci,
Tyś naszą Matką na każdy dzień.
O daj nam Słońce, które rozświeci,
grzechu i błędu straszliwy cień.



"Spójrz teskniony na tej ziemi,
daj nam Zbawcę, Dziecię Twe.
My dla Niego żyć pragniemy,
Jemu damy serca swe."



Source for the Polish lyric is teksty.org

Below is my (hilarious, no doubt) refinement of a Google  translation:


"Waiting for you, my little Jesus,
Sending silent supplication to the sky.
For your advent, the whole world is waiting.
Warm hearts call to you.

"Look upon this Earth with its longing.
Come, Jesus, comfort us!
Truly we love you.
Come, Jesus, because it is time.

"Hear, Mary, the voice of your children.
Thou art our Mother, every day.
Give to us the Sun, that its light
Will enshadow sin and terrible error."


How does it sound? Like this, sung by an organist with an affecting baritone; and like this.


From Nuty Religijne we can obtain the score with Polish lyrics:







Friday, December 20, 2013

Wedding Party, May 1946, continued

Yesterday's feature was a newspaper item including a photo of an unknown wedding party.  One bridesmaid, and one groomsman, were known, however. This morning a photographic print fluttered up out of the carton and insisted on being scanned:


Bridesmaid Clara Matynka, Jr.,
our CAMZ.

Groomsman Richard Mazurowski;
the two are first cousins.




Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Wedding Party, May 1946


The newspaper is Dziennik dla Wszystkich,
literally "Daily Paper for All,"
hence "Everybody's Daily."



środa, dwudziestego dziewiątego Maja
"Wednesday, May 29th"
Next to the bride: Clara Matynka.
Next to the groom, Richard Mazurowski.

Clara and Richard are first cousins.
Their mothers were the sisters
Pearl and Clara Haremska.

Sunday, December 15, 2013

Clara Matynka High School Art Folio, continued: Yearbook

At Kensington High School in Buffalo, academic year 1945-46, our CAMZ was a Junior and took the Art and Design class taught by Miss Davis.  The class practiced yearbook production tasks, such as layout and script-writing.

Clara's art folio for the year included this exercise in ruling subunits of a page. The vertically-oriented rectangle is scored with a diagonal line.  At given distances along that line, horizontal and vertical lines give the dimensions of the subunit. This is, I suppose, why a "half page" ad might not be a top or bottom half, or a left or right half.  It might be the subunit determined by going halfway down that diagonal.

We still use the diagonal dimension, to size our computers.



I never did yearbook in school, so the whole production process was and remains mysterious to me. One improvement over the good old days is the deliberate openness of the clubs at a school or  a college, with more Open House events and Campus Club Fairs and the like.

One disimprovement, at least at my school, was complete lack of instruction in the technical skills of drawing, painting, or sculpture.  We were just urged to be creative and expressive.  Well, you goofs, it is hard to express creativity without technical skills.






Here is the CAMZ concept for the yearbook cover:



And here are two CAMZ concepts for what I am calling the Senior Propaganda Page, or the Senior Exhortation Page:





Well!  They didn't use her stuff!  They picked Bill Schmidt's cover design.  It signifies three different meanings of "compass," which is darn clever.

As well, the compass directional points encompassing the globe are reminiscent of Lady Liberty's crown.  Also darn clever.


"Footprints in the sands of time" is the well-worn theme of the back cover design.

I'll glue the binding back together.  Don't worry; I won't use tape.



There are four entire pages of this endpaper in the volume.  Let's check it out.



Men are physicians, sailors, microscopists, chemists, artists or maybe salesmen, builders and architects, and saxophonists.  Women are secretaries and waitresses.

That's the thing: they urge "Study, study, study, girl! and then they express incredulity when girl resolves to use all that studying for something outside of the box.  In my own case, a generation later, it did not stop me, but it did make me resentful enough to have disdain for motherhood as a career choice.  Now girls are overtly taught to have disdain for motherhood as a career choice.  It's the opposite extreme, and it's just as harmful as the original extreme.






Fascinating how Carol Wilfert, below, sees the world.  Kensington High in fact sits at the North Pole, emitting clouds of bubbles and a bunch of radiation.  Is it Santa's workshop?  Is she Elvish?  Are we all Elvish?

Or has she just gone many times to see The Wizard of Oz?



Switching settings here to Mad Ludwig's Alpine castle, we see the chosen Senior Exhortation Page.  Sorry, the kid looks creepy to me.  I can't see his eyes.  Is he going to smash those books and that toy factory together?  Sorry to be paranoid, but robed figures who float up out of bubble clouds make me nervous.



One of the contests that year had for theme meat consumption - an upbeat postwar theme. 



Clara is indeed in the group photo of the Yearbook Art Staff, in the back row. Scan from  the left and go three faces.  Once you recall the face you are looking for, it's easy to see that face even when it is tiny in a picture:





















Friday, December 13, 2013

Clara Matynka High School Art Folio, continued: Pen and Ink Exercises

What's a "flat tone?"  What's "value?"


Which way are we supposed to read this - down the columns?









Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Clara Matynka High School Art Folio, continued: Advertising Design

"Warmers by Wilne" - catchy!

"Botany" is a bit unexpected
as a name of a brand
of gentlemen's couture.
Perhaps we are to think of
tropical resorts.

"Mandel's" offering is named
"Bombay Lizard."
Pretty striking!




Names of business concerns can be a fascinating subject.  Just now I am reading the latest of Alexander McCall Smith's Mma Ramotswe books; the title is The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon.  Other Gaborone businesses that show up in this story are "This Way Up Building Company" and "Patient Driving School."  



Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Clara Matynka High School Art Folio, continued: Design, and Thoughts of Home

Design study at Kensington High in 1946 included use of the "Ruling Pen." Whatever a "Ruling Pen" is, the use of it, demonstrated on this sheet of manila paper, is impressive.  While the two top designs include some uneven spacing, the rest appear quite even, and the woven - my eyes are crossing; maybe it is just triple-layered - design bottom right is amazing. 


Watercolor on paper cutout.

Watercolor from a stencil.
Simple, but effective in getting me into
the Christmas mood.



Watercolor card on the ever-beloved
"cozy home winter wonderland" theme.
Why are the Christmas trees blue?
Why did it take me so long to notice
that the Christmas trees are blue?

The cozy, welcoming home was the theme of a picture that hung in the front hall of the Marilla house for as long as I can remember.  It was printed on fabric; did it come from Clara's Drapery Shop?  It was of good size: perhaps two by two and a half feet.  Behind glass and framed in an old, dark, ornate frame, it was always there, and I'm sure it made a big fat impression on me.  I live now in Grandma Moses country; I often see landscapes like this, including the scene across the road from her house.

Where is the Marilla Grandma Moses picture now?

Grandma Moses