Glossary entry

Spanish term or phrase:

cola

English translation:

(little) figure at the end

Added to glossary by Charles Davis
May 22, 2016 17:53
7 yrs ago
2 viewers *
Spanish term

Cola

Spanish to English Art/Literary Music
Looking for the translation of definition 15 here, or possibly a misuse of the term. This is referring to the Aerosmith song I Don't Want to Miss a Thing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkK8g6FMEXE


Observa cómo el tema va adquiriendo fuerza.
Introducción:
Con un motivo de orquesta de tres notas graves ascendentes con una pequeña cola.

cola1.
Del lat. vulg. coda, y este del lat. cauda.

15. f. Mús. Detención en la última sílaba de lo que se canta.

http://dle.rae.es/srv/fetch?id=9itfzUx|9iuJPym|9iwFrX3
Proposed translations (English)
4 +3 (little) figure at the end
Change log

Jun 5, 2016 04:12: Charles Davis Created KOG entry

Discussion

Thomas Walker May 23, 2016:
Descriptive - not formal use of a standard term I've been a musician for decades, & haven't run across this term before, in English or in Spanish. Def. 15 from DRAE is interesting - new to me. It could involve a fermata, but I think the operative part of the definition is that the voice (could probably also be a solo instrument) keeps going, on a held note presumably, after all the other players (the accompaniment) have stopped. (Technically speaking, without a fermata, the voice could have a held note for 4 measures, while everybody else has 4 measures of rests.) It's not all that uncommon, but I don't know a term for this in English.
However, I don't think the writer of the ST here had Def. 15 in mind. I think Charles is right - it refers to the short, slightly faster phrase after the 3 slow, emphasized notes, in the introduction. I also don't know a formal musical term for this in English, so a clear, descriptive phrase is all we can do, I think - & I think Charles's "little figure at the end" is perfectly fine here.

Proposed translations

+3
1 hr
Selected

(little) figure at the end

This doesn't refer to a coda (which is never called a "cola" in my experience). Nor is it using "cola" in the sense of definition 15, which I admit is new to me and which I suppose you would call a pause or (more formally) a fermata. It explicitly refers to the introduction of the song, which consists of "tres notas graves ascendentes con una pequeña cola", played four times before the voice comes in. The three rising notes (B, C#, E) are played in the lower strings, followed by drum beats the first time and by a higher six-note figure from the violins the other three times (slightly different each time). It's more or less like this:

DA - DA - DA - (da-dada-dada-da)
DA - DA - DA - (da-da-dada-dada-da).

DA DA DA are the tres notas graves ascendentes and the bit in lower case in parentheses is the cola. It just means a "tail" to the phrase, but I don't think you would call it a tail in English. I don't think there's a technical term for it. I would just call it a little figure at the end (of the phrase), or you could say "three low rising notes followed by a little figure", for example. Something like that.
Peer comment(s):

agree Robert Carter : Yes you're quite right Charles, it's not a coda at all, having listened to it. I have no idea what that's called formally, but your term works I think, perhaps "trailing figure" or "figure tailing off"?
2 hrs
Thanks very much, Robert! That's a good idea; it would keep the "tail" (or "trailing") idea.
agree philgoddard : Flourish or embellishment, perhaps.
3 hrs
Thanks, Phil. I think one of those could be used, yes. I was thinking of "flourish", in fact, though I decided on the more neutral "figure" in the end.
agree neilmac : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DUEAG5eO6c
13 hrs
Cheers, Neil :) // Wonderful! I haven't heard it for about 30 years. The Count Basie Orchestra on triangle.
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Selected automatically based on peer agreement."
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