Pigorian Chants

Someone handed me a small booklet with an enclosed CD of...Pigorian Chants. Yes, classical Gregorian chants, by pigs. Well, voices assuming the role of pigs, and cows and chickens, and even the farmer.

Although this delightful little book has been around for a while, it's a new finding for me - so if you already have 3 copies, I apologize. The whole thing is from the imagination of Sandra Boynton, long famous for her whimsical greeting cards embellished with, well, pigs and cows and chickens, etc. I tried diligently to incorporate a sample of the pictures and audio, but I don't have the technical acumen to pull that off, and if I did, I would probably fall afowl (that's a pun) of Ms. Boynton's lawyers, never mind the pictures you see here. So I'll just describe as best I can what the book is about.


The chants begin with the pigs fast asleep. They chant:

Ore-Snay, OreSnay.       Snore, snore.

Ore-Snay, OreSnay.       Snore, snore.

Ore-Snay, OreSnay.       Snore, snore.

Ore-Snay, OreSnay.       Snore, snore.

It's possible that you noticed that the pigs chant in Pig Latin. The dawn comes, and the animals awaken. First the Rooster, then the chickens:

Coccadoodul du.           Cock-a-doodle-doo.
Ego dixi:                 I said,
Coccadoodul du.           Cock-a-doodle-doo.

O, primam lucem.          O, first light!

Sol surgit.               The sun is rising.

Gallus magnifice          The strutting

incedens exclamat.        Rooster calls.

Nunc venit agricola.      Now comes the farmer.


Ecce Macdonaldus Senex    Behold Old MacDonald,
qui fundum habet.         Who has a farm.
E-I-E-I-O                 EIEIO.

And it continues to name the farm animals, with a Ni oink oink hic, and a Ni oink oink ibi.

The gist of the book is that the pigs want to sleep(Et-lay us-ay eep-slay) and not until the farmer threatens to give their food to the chickens can they be rousted (Op-stay, Opstay. E're-way oming-cay!).

The cow's response?

Margaritas ante porcos.    Pearls before swine.
Allemooia, allemooooooia.  Allemoia, Allemooia.
Et in Arcadia sumus.       Country life is 
                           overrated.

There's much, much more. Quoting from the back cover:
"Intoned in the original Pig Latin, with antiphonal responsoria and commentaria in Latin by the lesser barnyard animals, and featuring the ethereal polyphony of chickens, this music is not soon to be forgotten."

 I'll be honest - this is not a recording that you will treasure over the years and play it again and again. A little chanting gos a long way, But it may be that you are in need of a white elephant gift for an upcoming party. This might be - if you can still find it in the stores - just the item.