Liberal Arts Blog — Keys to the Hearts of Seven Billion People XVIII — Sto lat(Poland)
Liberal Arts Blog — Thursday is Joy of Music Day
Today’s Topic — Keys to the Hearts of Seven Billion People XVIII — Stolat, Stolat (Poland) — May you live 100 years!
It does not get much simpler. Or more universal. Happy Birthday! If you have Polish ancestors or have spent any time in Poland, please share your favorite Polish song, Likewise if you have a favorite birthday song from anywhere else in the world. For fun, I have added portraits of three great Poles; Copernicus, Curie, and Chopin. Poland’s three Cs! Experts — please chime in. Correct, elaborate, elucidate.
POLISH LYRICS

1. Sto lat, sto lat, Niech zyje, zyje nam
2. Sto lat, sto lat, Nieh zyje, zyje nam
3. Jeszcze raz, jeszcze raz, Niech zyje, zyje nam
NB: Niech zyje nam!
ENGLISH TRANSLATION

1. 100 years, 100 years, may they live!
2. 100 years, 100 years, may they live!
3. Once again, Once again, may they live!
NB: May they live!
POLAND’s THREE Cs: Copernicus, Curie, Chopin

1. Copernicus (1473–1543) put the sun at the center of the universe.
2. Curie (1867–1934 was the first person to win two Nobel Prizes.
3. Chopin (1810–1849) has brought joy to millions.
Sto lat: The Polish Birthday Song
Sto lat! — The Polish Birthday Song
APPENDIX: Keys to the Hearts of Seven Billion People — Past Posts in This Series
4/9/20 — Nkosi — South African National Anthem
4/16/20 — Sweet Mother — unofficial national Anthem of Nigeria
4/23/20 — Jambo — the Swahili equivalent — Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda
4/30/20 — Sakura — Japan — the cherry blossom song
5/7/20 — Arirang — Korea (North and South)
5/14/20 — Chuang Tian — China — Li Bai — Gong Linna
5/21/20 — Ode to Joy — German — Beethoven/Schiller
5/28/20 — La Marseillaise — French — France plus many more french-speaking nations
6/4/20 — Volare — Italian — Domenico Modugno
6/11/20 — Arrorro and Cielito Lindo — Spanish speakers
6/18/20 — La Garota de Ipanema — Brazil and other Portuguese speakers
6/22/20 — Gayatri Mantra — Hindus
7/2/20 — Pokarekare Ana — Maori — New Zealand
7/9/20 — Aseda Yede Ma Onyame — Ghana
7/16/20 — “Al Fatihah” — most sacred Islamic prayer (Arabic)
7/23/20 — “Tavaszi Szel” — Hungarian Folk Song
7/30/20 — “Modeh Ani” — the Jewish Waking Up Prayer
I feel strongly that the core humanities curriculum of every school in the world should consist of the most beloved songs of the world’s peoples. Music unites. The opportunity cost of any other texts is infinite. Why not give every 18 year old the keys to hearts of seven billion people? I am not sure this is the perfect list. But I have spent 10 years testing the hypothesis. And the results are not scientific but they are pretty convincing. Proposals welcome.
YOUR TURN
Time to share the coolest thing you learned in the last week related to music. Or the coolest thing you learned in your life related to music. Say your favorite song or songs. Or your favorite tips for breathing, posture, or relaxation. Or some insight into the history of music….Or just something random about music… like a joke about drummers. jazz, rock….or share an episode or chapter in your musical autobiography.
This is your chance to make someone else’s day. And perhaps to cement in your memory something important you would otherwise forget. Or to think more deeply than you otherwise would about something that matters to you.