Canzoni villanesche - The Classical Shop

Canzoni villanesche
Neapolitan Love Songs of the 16th century
Ensemble Daedalus
CD I
Maria Cristina Kiehr soprano
Otto Rastbichler, Marco Beasley tenor
Josep Cabré baritone
Roberto Festa recorder, percussion
Renée Stock, Markus Tapio viol
Hugh Sandilands lute, chitarrino francese, viol
Federico Marincola colascione, discant lute, lute
Mara Galassi arpa doppia, arpa ad arpione
CD II
CD I: Recorded at the Chapel of the Bisschoppelijk Seminarie, Gent / Belgium (June 1994)
CD II: Recorded at Auditorium Pigna (Corsica) / France (July 2003)
& at Festeburgkirche Frankfurt a. M. / Germany (February 2005)
by Adelheid & Andreas Glatt
Digital editing & digital mastering by Andreas Glatt
Executive Producer: Hanno Pfisterer
Front illustration: Johannes Fein (www.feine-fotos.com)
Layout: Joachim Berenbold
Booklet editor: Susanne Lowien
CD manufactured in Germany
20XX © 2012 ACCENT
Pascal Bertin countertenor
Luciano Catapano tenor, guitar
Josep Benet tenor · Josep Cabré baritone
Roberto Festa recorder · Hugh Sandilands guitar, lute
Leonardo Massa colascione · Pierre Pitzl guitar, tenor viol
Brigitte Gasser tenor viol · Renée Stock bass viol
Roberto Festa direction
Canzoni villanesche
Canzoni villanesche
CD I
CD II
1 Madonna tu me fai lo scorucciato3:51
9 Chi la gagliarda, donne, vo imparare4:24
(MK, OR, MB, JC, RF, HS, FM, MG)
(MK, OR, MB, JC, RF, RS, MT, HS, FM, MG)
2 Villanella Ch’all’acqua vai4:11
10 Mentre il cuculo li suo cucù cantava2:55
(MB, FM, MG)
(MK, MB, RF, RS, MT, HS)
3 Venimo a salutarte a ‘sta contrata4:06
11 La villanella1:51
(OR, MB, JC, RS, MT, HS)
(MG)
4 ‘Sto core mio fosse di diamante5:50
12 Baciami, vita mia, baciami anchora2:35
(MK, HS)
(MK, OR, MB, JC)
5 Madonna mia, la vostra alma bellezza4:02
13 A quand’a quand’ haveva una vicina (MK, OR, JC, MT, HS, MG)
(MK, OR, MB, JC, RF, RS, MT, HS, FM, MG)
6 Boccuccia dolce chiù che canamielle2:34
14 La cortesia voi donne predicate (RF, RS, MT, HS, FM, MG)
(HS)
7 Voccuccia de no pierseco apreturo3:58
15 S’io dormo aggio gran male5:47
(OR, MB, JC, HS, FM, MG)
(OR, MB, JC, RS, MT, HS, FM, MG)
8 Madonna non è più lo tiempo antico4:54
16 ‘St’ amaro core mio e diventato (MK, OR, MB, JC, HS, FM, MG)
(MK, OR, MB, JC, RS, MT, HS, FM, MG)
3:44
2:58
2:42
1 Sto calascione che me metto ’nzino0:55
(LC)
0 Jesce sole1:08
1
(LC, LM, RF)
2 Deh, quando ti veggio5:11
(LC, JB, JC, HS, LM, PP)
1 Madonna non è più lo tiempo antico3:48
1
(PB, LC, JC, HS, LM, PP, BG, RS)
3 O Vecchia tu che guardi2:52
(LC, JB, JC, HS, LM, PP, BG, RS)
2 Che sia maldicta l’acqua3:05
1
(PB, HS, LM, PP, BG, RS)
4 Vorria, Madonna, fareti sapere2:48
(LC, HS)
3 Voria, crudel, tornare3:58
1
(LC, HS, LM)
5 A colascione2:38
(HS, LM, PP)
4 Recercar secondo1:51
1
(HS)
6 O Lucia miau, miau3:27
(PB, LC, JB, JC, HS, LM, PP, BG, RS)
5 Caccia la vecchia fuora del campo1:38
1
(HS)
7 Deh! La morte de mariteto4:46
(JB, HS, PP)
6 Sto core mio se fosse di diamante
1
(JC, HS, LM, PP)
8 Vorria ca fosse ciaola4:38
(LC, JC, HS, LM, PP, BG, RS, RF)
7 Tu sai che la cornacchia6:29
1
(PB, LC, JC, HS, LM, PP, BG, RS, RF)
9 Villanella ch‘all‘acqua vai4:05
(LC, HS, LM)
8 Nuttata ‘e sentimento4:07
1
(LC)
Maria Cristina Kiehr (MK) soprano · Otto Rastbichler (OR) tenor
Marco Beasley (MB) tenor · Josep Cabré (JC) baritone
Pascal Bertin (PB) countertenor · Luciano Catapano (LC) tenor, guitar
Josep Benet (JB) tenor · Josep Cabré (JC) baritone
Roberto Festa (RF) recorder, percussion · Renée Stock (RS), Markus Tapio (MT) viol
Hugh Sandilands (HS) lute, chitarrino francese, viol · Federico Marincola (FM) colascione, discant lute, lute
Mara Galassi (MG) arpa doppia, arpa ad arpione
Roberto Festa (RF) recorder · Hugh Sandilands (HS) guitar, lute
Leonardo Massa (LM) colascione · Pierre Pitzl (PP) guitar, tenor viol
Brigitte Gasser (BG) tenor viol · Renée Stock (RS) bass viol
5:49
E nglish
E nglish
THE MUSIC
October 24th 1537 marks the entry of the canzone
villanesca alla napolitana into the history of music. On that day, Johannes de Colonia published the
first collection of Neapolitan songs. Little is known
of this German publisher, nor do we possess any
other publications of his. Since Colonia’s edition
includes neither dedication nor preface, there is no
way of determining the reasons or person underlying it. This first book of canzoni villanesche should
probably be considered as evidence of the success
of this repertory when the Emperor Charles V visited the Kingdom of Naples in 1536.
The frontispieces of the Cantus and Tenor parts,
which are all that remains of the 1537 edition, are
engravings of three peasants singing to revive their
work-tired spirits. Colonia certainly intended the
choice of this engraving to highlight the popular
origin of the canti villanesche. The German publisher was of course not in a position to ascribe the
traditional pieces in his anthology to composers:
hence they remain anonymous.
The purpose of Colonia’s publication was to present
to the public a type of music in which it was possible to identify the popular spirit and pride of the
Neapolitans. In the first place, therefore, he set out
to select the stylistically most typical pieces but,
in the second place, he was faced with the problem of musical notation: how should a purely oral
heritage be transcribed? As Colonia’s answer to this
question was to be adopted by the whole first generation of villanesca composers, we shall return to
6
it later. But first let us look at the origin and evolution of this type of music.
The only traces remaining of the traditional villanesca are to be found in literary sources, and not
a single note has come down to us from the singers immortalized in the poems and chronicles of the
period – Zio Pezillo, Sbuffapappa, Velardiniello. The
diffusion of the written canzone viIlanesche went
through two distinct phases. The first is the publication in Venice of three-part villanesche by Neapolitan composers: Il primo e secondo libro di canzoni
villanesche by Don Joan Dominico del Giovane di
Nola (1541) and the Villanesche a tre voci by Thomaso di Maio, Vincenzo Fontana and Thomaso Cimello.
After that, no further volume devoted to a single
author appeared, but rather anthologies of works by
Neapolitan or southern musicians such as Leonardo
Primavera, Leonardo dell’Arpa, Massimo Troiano, or
Pomponio Nenna, to mention only the best known,
and to whom should be added Orlando di Lasso, who
spent the greater part of his adolescence in Naples.
These publications where soon followed by the
various printings and reprints of the anthologies
which constitute the second phase in the evolution of the villanesca, the four-part compositions
of non-Neapolitan composers led, surprisingly, by
Adrian Willaert. His first collection of villanesche
goes back to 1544, and is followed by publications
of his pupils and followers such as Perissone Cambio (1545), Antonio Barges (1545), Baldissera Donato (1545, 1551, 1552, 1556, 1558).
The villanesco style continued to spread throughout Italy well into the first decades of the seventeenth century, though it was to change its name,
becoming first the villanella and later the canzonetta.
The early canzoni villanesche a tre voci have several peculiar characteristics. The most typical vocal trio consists of a soprano singing in a medium
range, accompanied by a tenor and bass at least
a fifth above their usual ranges. Furthermore, the
voices often move in parallel, keeping the chord
in its basic position. The upper part is thus a third
above the second part and a fifth above the bass.
These parts moving in parallel fifth and the unusual
voice range are the most typical characteristics of
the Neapolitan villanesca repertory. There is also a
return to the form of songs with verses, contrasting
sharply with the madrigal-like tendency to eliminate refrains and repeats.
Willaert and his school intervened in the Neapolitan repertory with the clear intention of improving
on the irregular procedures of the southern composers. Once the parallel fifths were eliminated,
villanesche were composed for a madrigal-style
quartet. Actually, the Neapolitan trio must have
corresponded to a specific practice of popular
Parthenopean singers, for it was quite impossible
for the unusual sound of such a group to find its
way into the Venetian musical context. At first, the
northern composers made their own arrangements
of Neapolitan melodies. The Neapolitan cantus
prius factus is initially given to the soprano in the
four-part versions of villanesche. The next stage is
foreshadowed by a note accompanying the cantus
of Willaert’s villanesca A quand’a quand’haveva
una vicina, suggesting putting the soprano part an
octave lower, which in effect gives it the position
and function of a tenor part. In later developments
of the canti villaneschi what might at first have
seemed cautiously or exceptionally experimental
became the normal habit among northern Italian
composers: the cantus prius factus, the original
popular melody, is henceforth always the tenor
part of a four-part version. To adapt the popular
melody to the new arrangements, it was generally necessary to lower it by a fifth. Four-part
versions could thus be considered as something
more than a mere revision of an earlier model, and
gained greater artistic respect in the light of the
re-emerging idea of imitatio. The melody in the
tenor part was in effect hidden by the two upper
parts, although its characteristic rhythms and the
harmonies it imposes still make its presence felt.
New compositions of old Neapolitan folk-tunes
bring with them a sense of playfulness: four-part
versions offer the Venetian public a sort of musical
hide-and-seek.
7
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THE TEXTS
Johannes de Colonia’s anthology published in 1537
contains only poems in verses in Neapolitan dialect,
all in the same metric form: four hendecasyllabic
couplets followed by a ripresa. It has recently been
established that the canzone villanesca is in fact a
development of an earlier metric form, the strambotto, which flourished during the reign of Naples
in the late fifteenth century, first among the popular bards, later among the academies and courts
of the whole of Italy. The creation of the canzone
villanesca in Naples is an attempt to return to the
oral tradition of the southern chanson, highlighting the popular spirit of this mode of expression. By
its very nature the canzone villanesca runs counter
to traditional literary trends and musical culture.
It should not be overlooked that the years of the
rise of the villanesca were also those of attempts
to make the Tuscan language a national one, and
the madrigal the king of secular musical styles. The
birth of the canzone villanesca is a reaction to this
trend and consequently leads to the development
of fully autonomus poetic and musical characteristics, In some cases, the link between the two poetic
forms becomes quite clear. Leonardo Giustiniani’s
strambotto Non ti ricordi quando mi dicevi gives
rise to a villanesca which starts in the same way:
8
STRAMBOTTO
Non ti ricordi quando mi dicevi
Che tu m’amavi si perfettamente?
Se stavi un giorno che non me vedevi
Con li occhi mi cercavi tra la gente;
E risguardando s’tu nion me vedevi
Dentro lo tuo cuor stavi dolente;
E mo mi vedi, e par non me conosci
Come tu servo stato mai non fossi
CANZONA VILLANESCA
Non t’arricordi e quandio mi dicevi
Che tu m’amavi si perfettamente?
O d’abraciami, giocami, stringemi,
Basciami, ridemi, traditora.
O signora, o padrona,
O regina del mio core.
Se stai un giorno che non me vedevi
Con li occhi mi cercavi tra la gente;
O d’abraciami, giocami, stringemi
A
B
A
B
A
B
A
B
mutazione
ripresa
mutazione
ripresa
In practice, there is a ripresa after each couplet
(mutazione). Both poetically and musically, the canzone villanesca consists of two parts: the mutazione
is usually more lyrical in character, the ripresa more
dance-like and rythmical. Indeed, the canzone villanesca revives the use of refrains and repetitions and,
like in the strambotto, it has four verses. The villanesco poet is a musician who plays with expressions
in dialect, proverbs and sly metaphors. The canzone
villanesca brings the court street cries, cries from
the market and quaint, traditional characters.
The golden age of the canzone villanesca extends
half-way through the sixteenth century. In the second half of the century, the style and language of
the canzone napolitana undergo a radical change in
both form and content. The original poetic scheme
gives way to a basic form with no repetition and
with its rhythm marked by various rhyme schemes
(ABB CDD EFF GHH AABB CCDD EEFF GGHH). The
dialect and popular character of the original villanesca gradually disappear until all that is left is a
sweet love lyric. Such a change makes it necessary to
replace the term canzone villanesca with the more
refined one of villanella. The form was later to be
known by the term canzone napolitana and, in the
early seventeenth century, canzonetta.
The villanesca, like its forerunner the strambotto,
had made its way into courts and patrician houses
thanks to the fascination of its picturesque spontaneity. In these new surroundings, it loses its origi-
nal musical and literary characteristics and, in the
hands of amateur poets, becomes a minor literary
genre, and a pale imitation of the madrigal. By the
end of the sixteenth century, it is finally in decline.
The evocative images of the dialect are no longer
to be found in the texts of the canzonette, but only
in the sterile language of occasional poets. In vain
did scholars and poets such as G.B. del Tupo et C.
Basile protest in their determination to lay claim to
the Neapolitan character of the style now contaminated by Tuscan expressions. C. Basile’s Calliope,
ovvero la museca ends with a nostalgic evocation
of the “good old days”:
O bello tiempo antico,
o canzune massiccie,
o parole chiantute,
o concierte a doi sole,
o museca de truono,
mo tu non siente mai cosa de buono!
Dov’è iuto lo nomme
vuostro, dove la fama
o villanelle mei napolitane?
Ca mo cantate tutte toscanese,
con l’aire a scherechesse,
contrarie de Ia bella antichetate,
che sempre cose nuove hanno mentate.
Roberto Festa
Translation: Rodney Stock
9
F ran Ç ais
F ran Ç ais
La musique
Le 24 octobre 1537 marque l’entrée officielle de la
canzone villanesca alla napolitana dans l’histoire
de la musique. À cette date, en effet, Johannes de
Colonia publie le premier recueil de chants napolitains. Nous savons peu de choses sur cet éditeur
allemand et nous n’en connaissons pas d’autre
publication. L’édition de Colonia ne contenant ni
dédicace ni préface, il est impossible de cerner les
motifs de l’éditeur. Probablement, ce premier livre
consacré aux canzoni villanesche doit-il être considéré comme la preuve du succès que ce répertoire
avait rencontré lorsque l’empereur Charles V visita
le royaume de Naples en 1536.
Sur le frontispice des voix de soprano et de ténor,
uniques survivantes de l’édition de 1537, une gravure représente trois paysans qui, une fois achevé
leur dur labeur, veulent secouer leur lassitude en
chantant. Par ce choix, Colonia avait certainement
l’intention de souligner l’origine populaire des
canti villaneschi. L’éditeur allemand n’ayant pas
la possibilité de déterminer les compositeurs des
pièces traditionnelles de son anthologie, celles-ci
restèrent donc anonymes. L’intention de Colonia
était sans aucun doute de présenter au public un
genre musical susceptible de lui révéler l’esprit et
la fierté du peuple napolitain. Il choisit donc dans
ce but les pièces les plus caractéristiques sur le plan
stylistique. La notation musicale représentait le
plus grand problème : comment transcrire un héritage de transmission purement orale ? Un problème
auquel furent confrontés tous les compositeurs de
10
villanesca ; nous y reviendrons plus tard. Penchonsnous tout d’abord sur l’origine et l’évolution de ce
genre musical.
Nous ne trouvons des traces de la villanesca traditionnelle que dans des sources littéraires, mais
aucune note ne nous est parvenue des chanteurs
immortalisés dans des poèmes et chroniques de
l’époque (Zio Pezzillo, Sbuffapappa, Velardiniello).
La diffusion écrite de canzone villanesche se fit en
deux étapes. La première est la publication à Venise
de villanesche à trois voix de compositeurs napolitains : Il primo e secundo libro di canzoni villanesche de Don Joan Dominico del Giovane di Nola
(1541) et les Villanesche a tre voci de Thomaso di
Maio, Vincenzo Fontana et Thomaso Cimmello. Par
la suite, on ne publia plus de volumes dédiés à un
seul auteur, mais seulement des anthologies contenant les œuvres de musiciens napolitains ou du sud
de l’Italie, tels que Leonardo Primavera, Leonardo
dell’Arpa, Massimo Troiano ou Pomponio Nenna –
pour ne citer que les plus célèbres. Sans oublier
Roland de Lassus qui passa à Naples la plus grande
partie de sa jeunesse.
Ces publications furent bientôt suivies d’impressions et réimpressions qui entraînèrent la deuxième
phase dans la diffusion de la villanesca. Il s’agit ici
de compositions à quatre voix de compositeurs non
napolitains, avec à leur tête Adrian Willaert, ce qui
ne manque pas d’étonner. Son premier recueil de
villanesche paraît en 1544, suivi de publications de
ses élèves et successeurs, tels que Perissone Cambio
(1545), Antonio Barges (1545), Baldissera Donato
(1545, 1551, 1552, 1556, 1558).
Le style villanesco continua de se diffuser dans
toute l’Italie jusque dans les premières décennies
du 17e siècle. La villanella initiale fut toutefois
rebaptisée plus tard canzonetta.
Les premières canzoni villanesche à trois voix
révèlent quelques traits spécifiques : l’élément du
trio vocal qui revient le plus fréquemment est une
voix de soprano dans la tessiture moyenne, accompagnée d’une basse et d’un ténor qui chantent
au moins une quinte au-dessus de leur tessiture
habituelle. Les voix évoluent souvent en parallèle,
l’accord conservant la structure initiale. La partie
de dessus se meut donc une tierce au-dessus de
la deuxième voix et une quinte au-dessus de la
basse. Cette conduite des voix et la tessiture inhabituelle sont typiques de ce répertoire napolitain.
On y trouve par ailleurs un retour à la forme strophique de la chanson, en franche opposition aux
tendances madrigalesques qui excluaient refrains
et reprises.
Willaert et les musiciens de son école s’intéressèrent au répertoire napolitain avec la claire intention d’améliorer le niveau inégal des compositeurs
méridionaux. Une fois les quintes parallèles éliminées, les villanesche furent composées pour un
quatuor madrigalesque. Le trio napolitain doit en
fait avoir correspondu à une pratique spécifique
de chanteurs populaires parthénopéens car il était
quasiment impossible à la sonorité inhabituelle
d’un ensemble de ce genre de se mêler à la vie
musicale vénitienne. Dans un premier temps, les
auteurs septentrionaux firent leurs propres arrangements de mélodies napolitaines. Dans la villanesca à quatre voix, le soprano se voit confier à
l’origine le cantus prius factus. L’étape suivante de
l’évolution est annoncée par une remarque figurant dans A quand’a quand’haveva una vicina de
Willaert. Il suggère ici de faire chanter le soprano
une octave plus bas, lui faisant reprendre la tessiture et la fonction de la voix de ténor. Plus tard,
cette expérimentation quelque peu hésitante au
début devient la règle parmi les compositeurs des
canti villaneschi du nord de l’Italie : le cantus prius
factus, la mélodie populaire à l’origine, passe alors
à la voix de ténor dans la version à quatre voix. La
mélodie doit donc être notée en général une quinte
plus bas : la villanesca à quatre voix est donc plus
qu’une simple reprise d’un modèle antérieur et
jouit d’une plus grande considération artistique
à la lumière de l’idée renaissante de l’imitatio. La
mélodie de la voix de ténor est en fait recouverte
par deux voix de dessus mais son rythme caractéristique révèle toutefois sa présence. Les nouvelles
compositions des mélodies napolitaines ancestrales
dissimulent un élément ludique inédit : ces villanesche à quatre voix proposent une sorte de cachecache musical au public vénitien.
11
F ran Ç ais
F ran Ç ais
Le texte
L’anthologie de Johannes de Colonia publiée en
1537 ne contient que des poésies en vers en dialecte napolitain. Elles comportent toutes la même
forme métrique : quatre couples de vers hendécasyllabes, suivis d’une reprise. On a pu récemment
prouver que la canzone villanesca est née en fait de
l’ancienne forme métrique du strambotto. Celle-ci
connut un âge d’or pendant le règne de Naples à
la fin du 15e siècle – présente tout d’abord chez
les poètes populaires et plus tard chez les académiciens et dans les cours italiennes. Vouloir rendre
à la canzone villanesca son origine napolitaine est
une tentative de revenir à la tradition orale de la
chanson méridionale en valorisant le caractère
populaire de cette forme d’expression. Dans son
essence, la canzone villanesca est à contre-courant
des traditions littéraires et de la culture musicale
courante. N’oublions pas que les années pendant
lesquelles la villanesca atteint son apothéose sont
le théâtre de tentatives d’imposer le toscan comme
langue nationale et d’élever le madrigal au rang de
roi de la musique profane. La canzone villanesca
naît en réaction à ces courants et entraîne par
conséquent le développement de caractéristiques
poétiques et musicales autonomes.
Dans certains cas, la parenté entre les deux formes
poétiques devient évidente. Le strambotto de Leonardo Giustiniani Non ti ricordi quando mi dicevi
génère une villanesca qui commence ainsi :
12
STRAMBOTTO
Non ti ricordi quando mi dicevi
Che tu m’amavi si perfettamente?
Se stavi un giorno che non me vedevi
Con li occhi mi cercavi tra la gente;
E risguardando s’tu nion me vedevi
Dentro lo tuo cuor stavi dolente;
E mo mi vedi, e par non me conosci
Come tu servo stato mai non fossi
CANZONA VILLANESCA
Non t’arricordi e quandio mi dicevi
Che tu m’amavi si perfettamente?
O d’abraciami, giocami, stringemi,
Basciami, ridemi, traditora.
O signora, o padrona,
O regina del mio core.
Se stai un giorno che non me vedevi
Con li occhi mi cercavi tra la gente;
O d’abraciami, giocami, stringemi
A
B
A
B
A
B
A
B
mutazione
ripresa
mutazione
ripresa
À chaque couple de rimes succède une ripresa (mutazione). Aussi bien sur le plan poétique que musical, la canzone villanesca se compose de deux parties. La mutazione est généralement plus lyrique, la
ripresa plus dansante et plus rythmique. En effet, la
canzone villanesca réhabilite l’usage des refrains et
des répétitions, et comme le strambotto elle s’articule en quatre strophes.
L’auteur de villanesca est un musicien qui joue
avec les expressions dialectales, les proverbes et les
métaphores. Les thèmes de la canzone villanesca
sont les cris des marchés et des rues et dépeignent
le caractère populaire des gens.
La canzone villanesca vit son âge d’or jusqu’à la
moitié du 16e siècle. Le style poétique et la langue
de la canzone napolitana changent de forme et de
contenu dans la seconde partie du siècle. Le schéma
poétique original cède la place à une forme nouvelle sans reprises et à un rythme défini par un
schéma de rimes très diversifié (ABB CDD EFF GHH
AABB CCDD EEFF GGHH). Le dialecte et le caractère
populaire de la villanesca d’origine disparaissent
peu à peu, jusqu’à ce que n’en subsiste plus qu’une
poésie amoureuse édulcorée. Un changement requérant de rebaptiser le terme canzone villanesca
du nom plus raffiné de villanella. Par la suite lui
fut préféré le terme de canzone napolitana qui
deviendra finalement la canzonetta au début du
17e siècle.
La villanesca, comme déjà précédemment le strambotto, s’était imposée dans les cours et les maisons
patriciennes grâce à l’enthousiasme suscité par la
spontanéité et l’évidence de cette musique. Dans ce
nouveau contexte, elle finit par perdre son caractère musical et littéraire originel pour devenir entre
les mains de poètes amateurs un genre littéraire
mineur et une pâle imitation du madrigal. Vers la
fin du 16e siècle, sa fin est inéluctable. Les images
suggestives du dialecte ont déserté les textes des
canzonette, remplacées par le langage stérile des
poètes de circonstance.
C’est en vain que des élèves et poètes tels que G. B.
del Tupo et G. Basile tentent de sauver le caractère
napolitain entaché d’influences toscanes. Calliope,
ovvero la museca de G. Basile s’achève sur le souvenir nostalgique du « bon vieux temps ».
O bello tiempo antico,
o canzune massiccie,
o parole chiantute,
o concierte a doi sole,
o museca de truono,
mo tu non siente mai cosa de buono!
Dov’è iuto lo nomme
vuostro, dove la fama
o villanelle mei napolitane?
Ca mo cantate tutte toscanese,
con l’aire a scherechesse,
contrarie de Ia bella antichetate,
che sempre cose nuove hanno mentate.
Roberto Festa
Traduction : Elisabeth Chypre
13
D eutsch
D eutsch
Die Musik
Am 24. Oktober 1537 findet die canzone villanesca
alla napolitana Eingang in die Musikgeschichte. Es
war der Tag, an dem Johannes de Colonia die erste
Sammlung neapolitanischer Lieder veröffentlichte.
Wir wissen nicht viel über diesen deutschen Herausgeber, und weitere Publikationen sind uns nicht
bekannt. Da die Ausgabe Colonias weder Widmung
noch Vorwort enthält, sind die Beweggründe des
Herausgebers nicht zu erkennen. Wahrscheinlich ist
dieses erste Buch mit canzoni villanesche als Beweis
dafür zu sehen, welchen Erfolg dieses Repertoire
hatte, als Karl V. das Königreich Neapel 1536 besuchte.
Die Titelblätter der Sopran- und Tenorstimme, die
einzigen, die von dieser 1537er Ausgabe übriggeblieben sind, zeigen Stiche mit drei Bauern, die singend ihren ermüdeten Geist nach der anstrengenden Arbeit wieder beleben wollen. Colonia wollte
mit dieser Wahl sicher auf die volkstümliche Herkunft der canti villanesche aufmerksam machen.
Dieser deutsche Herausgeber konnte die Komponisten der traditionellen Stücke in seiner Sammlung nicht bestimmen: sie blieben daher anonym.
Es war sicherlich Colonias Absicht, das Publikum
mit einer Art Musik bekannt zu machen, die ihm
den Geist und den Stolz der Neapolitaner vor Augen bringen sollte. Darum wählte er die Stücke aus,
die stilistisch gesehen am bezeichnendsten waren.
Das größte Problem war die Notation: Wie sollte er
ein rein mündlich überliefertes Erbe aufschreiben?
Dieses Problem stellte sich allen Villanesca-Kom14
ponisten; wir werden später noch darauf zurückkommen. Zuerst sollten wir uns mit Ursprung und
Entwicklung dieser Art Musik beschäftigen.
Die einzigen Spuren der traditionellen villanesca
finden wir in literarischen Quellen, aber nicht eine
Note der Sänger, die dank der Gedichte und Chroniken jener Zeit Unsterblichkeit erlangten (Zio Pezzillo, Sbuffapappa, Velardiniello), ist uns überliefert.
Die schriftliche Verbreitung von canzone villanesche
geschah in zwei Abschnitten. Der erste ist die Veröffentlichung in Venedig von dreistimmigen villanesche neapolitanischer Komponisten: Il primo e
secondo libro di canzoni villanesche von Don Joan
Dominico del Giovane di Nola (1541) und die Villanesche a tre voci von Thomaso di Maio, Vincenzo
Fontana und Thomaso Cimmello. Danach erschienen
keine weiteren Ausgaben einzelner Komponisten,
sondern nur noch Anthologien mit Werken neapolitanischer oder süditalienischer Musiker wie Leonardo Primavera, Leonardo dell‘Arpa, Massimo Troiano
oder Pomponio Nenna, um nur die bekanntesten zu
nennen. Orlando di Lasso, der den größten Teil seiner
Jugend in Neapel verbrachte, darf in diesem Zusammenhang nicht vergessen werden.
Diesen Veröffentlichungen folgten bald weitere
Drucke und Neuauflagen‚ die zu der zweiten Phase der Verbreitung der villanesca führten. Hierbei
handelt es sich um vierstimmige Kompositionen
nicht-neapolitanischer Komponisten, die überraschenderweise von Adrian Willaert angeführt
wurden. Seine erste Ausgabe mit villaneschen er-
scheint 1544, gefolgt von Veröffentlichungen seiner Schüler und Nachfolger wie Perissone Cambio
(1545), Antonio Barges (1545), Baldissera Donato
(1545, 1551, 1552, 1556, 1558).
Der villanesco-Stil verbreitete sich in ganz Italien
bis hinein in die ersten Jahrzehnte des 17. Jahrhunderts. Die anfängliche villanella bekam später
allerdings einen anderen Namen und wurde zur
canzonetta.
Die ersten dreistimmigen canzoni villanesche haben
einige besondere Eigenschaften, wobei das Element
des vokalen Trios, das am häufigsten vorkommt, ein
Sopran in Mittellage ist, der von einem Bass und
Tenor begleitet wird, die mindestens eine Quinte
über ihrer normalen Lage singen. Die Stimmen bewegen sich oft in Parallelen, wobei der Akkord den
ursprünglichen Aufbau beibehält. Die Oberstimme
bewegt sich also eine Terz über der zweiten Stimme
und eine Quinte über dem Bass. Diese Stimmführung und die außergewöhnliche Stimmlage sind
die typischsten Merkmale dieses neapolitanischen
Repertoires. Weiterhin gibt es eine Rückkehr zur
Form der Strophenlieder, was in starkem Gegensatz
zu madrigalähnlichen Tendenzen steht, die Refrains
und Wiederholungen ausschlossen.
Willaert und die Musiker seiner Schule interessierten sich für das neapolitanische Repertoire mit der
deutlichen Absicht, das ungleiche Niveau der südlichen Komponisten zu verbessern. Nachdem die
parallelen Quinten eliminiert waren, komponierte
man villanesche für ein madrigalähnliches Quartett. Das neapolitanische Trio muss wohl mit der
besonderen Gewohnheit populärer parthenopeni-
scher Sänger übereingestimmt haben, denn es war
für diesen ungewöhnlichen Klang einer solchen
Gruppe ziemlich unmöglich, sich in das venezianische Musikleben zu mischen. Anfangs machten die
nördlichen Komponisten ihre eigenen Bearbeitungen neapolitanischer Melodien. In der vierstimmigen villanesca übernimmt ursprünglich der Sopran
den cantus prius factus. Der folgende Schritt in der
Entwicklung wird durch eine Anmerkung angekündigt, die in Willaerts A quand‘a quand‘haveva una
vicina zu finden ist. Willaert schlägt hier vor, die
Sopranstimme eine Oktave tiefer zu singen, wodurch sie Lage und Funktion der Tenorstimme übernimmt. Später wird dieses anfangs eher zögernde
Experiment zur Regel unter den norditalienischen
Komponisten der canti villaneschi: der cantus prius factus, die ursprünglich volkstümliche Melodie,
geht nun auf die Tenorstimme der vierstimmigen
Fassung über. Die Melodie muss deshalb im Allgemeinen eine Quinte tiefer notiert werden: die vierstimmige villanesca ist also mehr als nur die reine
Wiederholung eines früheren Modells und genoss
mehr künstlerisches Ansehen im Lichte der wieder
aufgeblühten Idee der imitatio. Die Melodie der
Tenorstimme wurde eigentlich von den zwei Oberstimmen überdeckt, aber ihre charakteristische
Rhythmik macht ihre Anwesenheit deutlich. Neue
Kompositionen alter neapolitanischer Volksweisen
bergen ein neues spielerisches Element: diese vierstimmigen villanesche bieten dem venezianischen
Publikum eine Art musikalisches Versteckspiel.
15
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D eutsch
Der Text
Die 1537 veröffentlichte Anthologie Johannes de
Colonias enthält nur Gedichte in Versform in neapolitanischem Dialekt. Bei allen finden wir die
gleiche metrische Form: vier elfsilbige Verspaare,
denen eine ripresa (Reprise) folgt. Kürzlich wurde
der Beweis erbracht, dass die canzone villanesca
sich im Grunde genommen aus der früheren metrischen Form, dem strambotto‚ entwickelt hat. Diese
erreichte ihren Höhepunkt während der Herrschaft
Neapels im späten 15. Jahrhundert und ist anfänglich unter den volkstümlichen Dichtern und später
unter Akademikern und an Höfen in ganz Italien zu
finden. Dass die canzone villanesca ihren Ursprung
in Neapel hat, wird durch den Versuch verdeutlicht,
zu der mündlichen Tradition der südlichen Chansons zurückzukehren, wodurch der volkstümliche
Charakter dieser Art der Ausdrucksweise unterstrichen wird. Ihrem Wesen nach schwamm die canzone villanesca gegen den traditionellen literarischen
Strom und die gängige musikalische Kultur an.
Man darf nicht vergessen, dass in den Jahren, in denen die villanesca ihrem Höhepunkt entgegenging,
der Versuch unternommen wurde, die toskanische
Sprache zu nationalisieren und das Madrigal zum
König der weltlichen Musik zu erheben. Die Geburt
der canzone villanesca ist eine Reaktion auf diese
Strömungen und führt konsequenterweise zu der
Entwicklung eigenständiger poetischer und musikalischer Merkmale.
In manchen Fällen ist der Zusammenhang zwischen
den zwei poetischen Formen sehr deutlich. Leonar16
do Giustinianis strambotto Non ti ricordi quando
mi dicevi ist die Basis zu einer villanesca, die genauso anfängt:
STRAMBOTTO
Non ti ricordi quando mi dicevi
Che tu m’amavi si perfettamente?
Se stavi un giorno che non me vedevi
Con li occhi mi cercavi tra la gente;
E risguardando s’tu nion me vedevi
Dentro lo tuo cuor stavi dolente;
E mo mi vedi, e par non me conosci
Come tu servo stato mai non fossi
CANZONA VILLANESCA
Non t’arricordi e quandio mi dicevi
Che tu m’amavi si perfettamente?
O d’abraciami, giocami, stringemi,
Basciami, ridemi, traditora.
O signora, o padrona,
O regina del mio core.
Se stai un giorno che non me vedevi
Con li occhi mi cercavi tra la gente;
O d’abraciami, giocami, stringemi
A
B
A
B
A
B
A
B
mutazione
ripresa
mutazione
ripresa
Die ripresa folgt auf jedes Verspaar (mutazione).
Sowohl auf dem Gebiet der Poesie als auch auf dem
der Musik besteht die canzone villanesca aus zwei
Teilen, Die mutazione ist im Allgemeinen lyrischer,
die ripresa tänzerischer und rhythmischer. Die canzone villanesca führt den Gebrauch von Refrains
und Wiederholungen wieder ein und besteht, wie
der strambotto, aus vier Strophen.
Der villanesca-Dichter ist ein Musiker, der mit
Ausdrücken des Dialektes, Sprichwörtern und
Metaphern spielt. Die Themen der canzone villanesca handeln von Markt- und Straßenrufen und
beschreiben den volkstümlichen Charakter der
Menschen.
Das goldene Zeitalter der canzone villanesca reichte bis in die Mitte des sechzehnten Jahrhunderts
hinein. In der darauffolgenden zweiten Hälfte
nahmen sowohl Stil als Sprache der canzone napolitana eine andere Form und anderen Inhalt an.
Anstelle des originalen poetischen Schemas tritt
nun eine neue Form ohne Wiederholungen und ein
Rhythmus, der durch ein sehr buntes Reimschema
bestimmt wird (ABB CDD EFF GHH AABB CCDD
EEFF GGHH). Dialekt und volkstümlicher Charakter der ursprünglichen villanesca verschwinden
allmählich, bis nur noch eine süßliche Liebeslyrik
übrigbleibt. Diese Veränderung erfordert die Umbenennung des Ausdrucks canzone villanesca in
den subtileren Namen villanella. Später änderte
man diesen Namen in canzone napolitana und im
frühen 17. Jahrhundert in canzonetta.
Sowohl der frühe strambotto als auch danach die
villanesca fanden Eingang in die höfische Welt
und Bürgerhäuser dank ihrer Begeisterung für die
anschauliche Spontaneität dieser Musik. In dieser
neuen Umgebung verlor sie ihren ursprünglichen
musikalischen und literarischen Charakter. Sie ge-
riet in die Hände von Amateurdichtern und wurde
zum minderwertigen literarischen Genre und ein
blasses Abbild des Madrigals. Gegen Ende des 16.
Jahrhunderts ist ihr Verfall nicht mehr aufzuhalten.
Die suggestiven Bilder des Dialektes sind aus den
Texten der canzonette verschwunden. An die Stelle
tritt eine sterile Sprache von Gelegenheitsdichtern.
Vergeblich versuchten Schüler und Dichter wie
G.B. del Tufo und G. Basile den neapolitanischen
Charakter, der durch toskanische Einflüsse besudelt war, zu retten. G. Basiles Calliope, ovvero la
museca endet mit nostalgischer Erinnerung an die
„gute alte Zeit“:
O bello tiempo antico,
o canzune massiccie,
o parole chiantute,
o concierte a doi sole,
o museca de truono,
mo tu non siente mai cosa de buono!
Dov’è iuto lo nomme
vuostro, dove la fama
o villanelle mei napolitane?
Ca mo cantate tutte ntoscanese,
con l’aire a scherechesse,
contrarie de Ia bella antichetate,
che sempre cose nuove hanno mentate.
Roberto Festa
Übersetzung: Adelheid Glatt
17
CD I
1 Madonna tu mi fai lo scorucciato
Che t’haggio fatto che griffi la cera?
Anima mia,
Questa n’è via
De contentar ‘st’affannato core?
Me par che m’habbi in tutto abbandonato
Che non t’affacci all’hora della sera.
Anima mia...
I think you’ve completely abandoned me
Since you don’t appear at nightfall.
My soul...
Va, figlia mia, che ci haggio indivinato
Che saccio con chi giochi a covallera.
Anima mia...
Go, my girl, because I’ve figured it out
And I know with whom you’re playing covallera
My soul...
Donque, mio caro ben, dolce Signora,
Habbi pietà d’un chi te solo adora.
Anima mia...
So my beloved, sweet lady,
Pity the one who adores only you.
My love...
2 Villanella ch’all’acqua vai
Moro per te e tu non lo sai.
Ahimè, ch’io moro mirando a te.
Country maid at the well
For you I die and you know it not.
Alas, I die to look on you.
Quando vai con la lancella
Pari regina e non villanella.
Ahimè...
When you with your bucket go
You seem a queen, not a country maid.
Alas...
Cossì pari tra l’altre belle
Come la luna mezzo’ a le stelle.
Ahimè...
Against all other beauties
You are the moon amidst the stars
Alas...
Non importa essere nata
Mezzo’ a no bosco aggratiata.
Ahimè...
What matters it to be born
In the woods, and full of grace?
Alas...
3 Venimo a salutarte a‘sta contrata
Vecchia scota, li saluti!
Nui siamo li benvenuti
E tu sie la mal trovata.
Vecchia lo naso
De faccia ti sia raso,
Vecchia le mani
18
My lady, you show me anger.
What have I done to make you frown?
My soul,
This isn’t the way
To make my troubled heart happy.
We’ve just come here to greet you
Greetings, old hag!
We are welcome
And you are out of the place
Old hag, may your nose
Be shaved off,
Old hag, may the dogs
Ti mangiano li cani.
Per far festa solenne
Ogn’homo dica: Amenne!
Eat your hands.
And in solemn celebration,
All men will say: Amen!
Due sicora a due mani ognun ti porta
E dui sauti zingaresschi,
E dui cascavalli freschi,
E ti fa la bocca storta.
Vecchia gobbata
Possi essere brusciata,
Vecchia lo core
Ti crepa et esca fore.
Per far...
Two chicories we brought in each hand
And two gipsy jumps
And two fresh cheeses,
And you snarl.
Old hunchback,
You will be roasted
Old one, your heart
Will crack and fall out.
And in solemn...
4 ‘Sto core mio se fosse di diamante
Sarria spezzato per tanto dolore,
Quanto ne provo e sent’ a tutte I’hore.
Even if my heart were made of diamond,
It would splinter from the sharp pain
That feel and sense hour by hour.
Et ben ch’afflitto sia, più ch’altro amante
Tenga dolente e sconsolato il core,
Pur non li manca spirto nè vigore.
Although I’m afflicted more than other lovers,
My heart discouraged and reduced to sorrow,
Nonetheless it lacks neither strength nor spirit.
Ma quanto più patisce è più costante,
Soffre il dolor se ben fosse maggiore,
Di quel ch’io provo e sent’a tutte l’hore.
But however much it suffers and how steadily,
It would gladly bear a greater pain
Than what I feel and sense hour by hour.
Ma voi, donna crudele, volete anchora,
Per maggior segno de mia fed’ogn’hora,
Vedermi tormentar prima ch’io mora.
But you, cruel Lady, never satisfied,
Demand still greater proof of my devotion,
To torture me until I die.
5 Madonna mia, la vostra alma bellezza
Avanza quella della bell’Aurora.
Vi dico ancora che nel bel vostro viso
Mi par veder aperto il paradiso.
My Lady, your beauty surpasses
That of lovely Aurora
And more I say: in your face so fair
I find the gates of heaven open.
7 Voccuccia de no pieresco apreturo
Mussillo de no fico lattarola.
S’io t’haggio sola
Dinto a quest’uorto,
‘Noe resta muorto,
Si tutte sse cerase non te furo.
Little mouth like an unfolded peach blossom,
Tender lips of a milky fig,
Should I catch you alone
Inside this orchard,
May I be dead
If I don’t steal all those cherries from you.
19
Tanto m’affacciarraggio pe’ ‘ste mmura,
Fin che me dice. “Intro nella scola!”
S’ io t’ haggio...
Ah, should I succeed in getting there just once,
You would not longer play at teasing me.
Should I...
E sii na vota intrar me c’ assecuro,
Tu non me ferraie cchiù cannavola.
S’ io t’ haggio...
I will keep coming to the top of this wall
Until you tell me: “Come to my house”.
Should I...
E sii ‘nce saglio ‘ncoppa de ssa noce
Tutto lo scogno pe’ ‘sta Santa Croce.
S’io t’haggio...
Te farraggio dire
E resentire
Te potarraie, ma non auzà la voce.
Ah, if one day I climb to the top of this walnut tree,
I swear by the Holy Cross to shake down all its fruits.
Alas! it burns
I’ll make you say,
And you might well complain,
But never raise your voice.
8 Madonna non è più lo tiemp’antico,
A quell’uzanza che l’auciell’arava.
Non esser tanto brava
S’io so de Sarn’e tu si de la Cava.
My Lady, the old days are over,
The days of ancient manners narrated by the bird.
Do not think so much of yourself,
Just because I am from Sarno and you are from Cava.
Mò solle fico: n’è tiempo d’amico;
Quist’è lo mutto de la madamma va va.
Tu non con mico et io mancho con tico,
Passai lo tiempo che Berta filava.
Mò s’indurata: et io so’ fatto scoglio.
E come la voi tu, così la voglio.
Io non so’ come soglio:
Tu circh’ad altro et io dite me spoglio.
9 Chi la gagliarda, donne, vo imparare?
Venite a noi che siamo mastri fini,
Che di sera e di matini
Mai manchiamo di sonare.
20
Now is the time of figs, the time for friendship.
This is the motto of Madama Va Va.
You are not with me, I am not with you;
The time when Queen Bertha was spinning is gone.
Your have become severe, and I’ve turned into rock:
Any way you want it, that way want it too.
I am no longer the one I used to be.
You look for another, and I am relieved of you.
Which of you, ladies, will learn the galliard?
Come to us, who are fine masters.
For evening and morning
We never fail to play.
Provance un poco cance vuoi chiamare.
Appassa dieci volte che salimo.
Che di...
Don’t be shy, and call us!
The tenth times you pass by, no doubt you will.
For evening...
Se la gagliarda, donna, vuoi imparare
Sotto lo mastro el te bisogna stare.
Che di…
Lady, if you wish to learn the gaillard,
You must do it under a master.
For evening...
A chi è principiante li vo dare
Questo compagno ch’a nome Martini.
Che di…
As for the beginners, we’ll give them
This companion, here, whose name is Martini.
For evening...
10 Mentre il cuculo il suo cucù cantava
“Lascia” - dicea Amarilli,
“Lascia, Damon, tua Fili
E corri in braccio, corri cor mio,
Cucù, cucù non odi?
Egli ti invita ed io.”
While the cuckoo his cuck-oo sang
“Leave” said Amaryllis,
“Damon leave your Phyllis,
And run to my arms, sweetheart.
Do you not hear: cuck-oo, cuck-oo?
He invites you, and I invite you too.”
12 Baciami, vita mia, baciami anchora
Nè ti spiaccia baciarmi un’altra volta.
Che ‘l finir di baciar così m’accora
Che senza baci m’è l’anima tolta.
Baciami mille volte e mille anchora,
Et poi mi baci sì che chi n’ascolta
Numerar mai possa i nostri baci.
Kiss me, my life, and kiss me evermore,
Nor be displeased by kissing me anew.
If kissing ends, my heart becomes so sore
That left unkissed, I say to life adieu.
Kiss me a thousand times, and a thousand times more.
Then kiss me in such a way that even the few
Who here us could at no time count our kisses.
13 A quand’ a quand’ haveva una vicina
Ch’era a vedere la stella Diana.
Tu la vedevi,
Tu li parlavi,
Beato te se la baciavi tu.
Oh once I had a neighbour
Who looked like the morning star Diana.
You’ve seen her
You’ve spoken to her,
You’re lucky if you’ve kissed her.
Che veramente pare regina,
Ogn’uno ne farla inamorare.
Tu...
Truly she looked like a queen
And could make anybody love her.
You...
Che quando se levava la matina
Phebo per scorno se ne ritornava.
Tu...
For in the morning when she arose
The sun, ashamed, withdrew at once.
You...
Mò mi credeva stame contento
Et trovomi le mani pien di vento.
Tu...
And when I thought myself contented,
I found my hands were full of wind.
You...
15 S’io dormo haggio gran male
S’io veglio male e peggio:
Che far dunque mi deggio,
O mio giusto desire,
Se non morire?
If I sleep, I’m in great pain
Awake, I’m bad and worse.
What shall I do,
O my true desire,
If not die?
21
Il cibo è tosco rio
Ch’uccide il cor nel petto:
Qual dunque è il mio diletto,
O mio...
Food is the evil cause
Of my heart dying in my bosom
What then can be my delight,
O my…
La vista d’altra donna
Così, lasso, mi strugge:
Che farò, Amor mi rugge,
O mio...
The sight of other women,
Alas, thus destroys me
What shall I do, love makes me roar.
O my...
Qualunque altro piacere
Ch’in altrui goda mai,
Tutti son duoli e guai:
Che debbo dunque dire,
Se non: morire?
Any other pleasures
By anyone enjoyed
Are but all pain and trouble.
What, then, shall I say
If not: die.
16 ‘St’amaro core mio è diventato
‘St’amaro core mio è diventato
Un orolggio di guai ch’ad ogni parte
Sona l’hore, li punt’anchor li quarte.
E la frezza che gira e mostra l’hore
Per mio destin è l’immagine bella
Una crudel che mi punge e marteilla.
Fiamma le rote e tormento le corde.
Li contrappesi sono la speranza
Ch’hora m’atterra, et hora al Ciel m’inalza.
E nella sfera di mia crudel vita,
Chiaro si legge e veci’a tutte l’hore
Come assencia e cagion del mio dolore
22
My embittered heart has become
A clock of woe which sounds
The hours, the minutes and the quarters
And the hand which turns and tells the hour
In my own fate is the beautiful image
Of the cruel one who stings and troubles me
Flames the gears, torments the wires,
And the counterweights are the hope
Which now drags me down, now carry me to heaven.
And on the sphere of my cruel life
At all times can be clearly red and seen
How your absence is reason for my pain.
CD II
1 Sto calascione che me metto ‚nzino
E stò taccone che me piglio ‚mmano
Pe fare ‚mmidia acchiù de no pacchiano,
Me deze Apollo mmiezo a lo Pennino.
This calascione, which I press close to my heart, / And
this plectrum which I hold in my hand, / To provoke the
envy of more than a few people, / Apollo has given them
to me, one day while walking in the Pennino.
Oh comme è bello liscio, oh comm‘è fino,
Ha de Cestunia ‚no copierchio sano!
Ogne corda che nc‘èie è ‚no stentino
Che se sente da Puorto a Campagnano.
Oh! how beautiful it is, how smooth; Oh! how fine!
Its lid is entirely made of tortoiseshell,
Each of its strings is a gut
Which is heard from Portici to Campagnano.
Co stò strommiento graziuso tanto
Voglio cantare cchiù de na canzona,
E spero tutte vencere a lo canto.
With such a gracious instrument as this,
I want to sing many songs,
And with my singing, I hope to conquer everyone.
Musa, tu che staje ‚ncoppa d‘Alecona,
Mentre de Cecca le bellizze canto,
Lavorame de Torza na corona!
Thou muse, who dwells in Helicon,
While I sing of the beauties of Cecca,
Prepare me a crown of cauliflowers!
2 Deh, quando io ti veggio a ‘ssa fenestra stare,
Tanto sei bella tu,
Deh, pare che vo’ gli homini ammazzare.
E tu te lo credi tu.
Ah! When I see you at this window
- You are so beautiful It looks as if you will kill all men.
And you, you believe that!
Deh, altro nce vole che colore havere,
Tanto sei bella tu.
Deh, a chi non vol insipita parere.
E tu te lo credi tu.
Ah! It takes more than a fine plumage,
- You are so beautiful If one does not wish to seem insipid.
And you, you believe that!
Deh, maglio è che lassi quesse fantasie,
Tanto sei bella tu.
E pone l’orecchio a ‘sse parolle mie.
E tu te lo credi tu.
Ah! You would do better to abandon these fantasies,
- You are so beautiful And lend an ear to my discourse.
And you, you believe that!
Deh, ma tutti te credevi ingannare,
Tanto sei bella tu.
Ma quess’amico non ce vol incappare.
E tu te lo credi tu.
Ah! You believe that you can deceive us all,
- You are so beautiful But that friend, you will not have him.
And you, you believe that!
23
3 O vecchia tu che guardi ste citelle
Ti voglio di la mia fantasia.
O vecchiarella mia,
Beata tene, o vecchia,
Goderne t’apparecchia,
Si fai piacer a me.
Si tu me fai parlare co’ ‘ssa bella,
Questo ti dicho che beata tia.
O vecchiarella mia,
Beata tene, o vecchia,
Goderne t’apparecchia,
Si fai piacer a me.
If you fix me up a date with this beauty,
I tell you, you would know all about it.
O my little old woman!
It is your lucky day, grandmamma,
Much joy is in store for you,
If you are kind to me.
Sola s’affacci’a questa fenestrella,
Quando li conto la gran pena mia.
O vecchiarella mia,
Beata tene, o vecchia,
Goderne t’apparecchia,
Si fai piacer a me.
May she approach this window alone,
So that I can tell her of my sorrows.
O my little old woman!
It is your lucky day, grandmamma,
Much joy is in store for you,
If you are kind to me.
E se me fai la gratia, o vecchiarella,
Dirò che sei la cima della bella.
O vecchiarella mia,
Beata tene, o vecchia,
Goderne t’apparecchia,
Si fai piacer a me.
If you do this for me, o little old woman,
I will say that you are a paragon of beauty.
O my little old woman!
It is your lucky day, grandmamma,
Much joy is in store for you,
If you are kind to me.
4 Vorria, Madonna, fareti sapere
Ch‘io t‘amo tanto e non so che mi fare.
Guarda ‚sta sorte come mi fa stare.
Vorria Madonna fartelo vedere,
Ch‘io per te moro; non m‘abbandonare!
Guarda...
Vorria ‚no jorno fartelo gustare,
L‘ardor che pato e non posso parlare.
Guarda...
24
O old woman, you who chaperone these maidens
I am going to confide in you my dearest wish.
O my little old woman!
It is your lucky day, grandmamma,
Much joy is in store for you,
If you are kind to me.
I would wish, Madonna, to let you know
I would wish, Madonna, to let you know
That I love you so, and know not what to do.
Look at what my fate is making of me.
I would wish, Madonna, to show you
That for you I die; do not abandon me!
Look at what my fate is making of me.
I would like, one day, for you to taste
The ardour which I suffer without being able to express it.
Look at what my fate is making of me.
Dì a che serve fareme stentare
La notte e‘l gjorno per voler amare?
Cierto ch‘ammore sì mi fa pazziare!
Say, what is the point of being in pain
Night and day from love’s desire?
Ah! for sure, love is driving me mad!
6 O Lucia miau, miau
Tu non gabbi più a me,
Sienta, sienta matunata!
Chi e chissa billanazza,
Come gatta chiama a me?
Giorgia tua sportunata
Che vol tanto bene a te.
Ia ti prega, cu la mia,
Lassar passar bizzarria,
Ch’aia, statua marmorata,
Perché l’autra tu trovata
Che non vole bene a te!
O Lucia, susa da lietta, non dormire,
Sient’a Giorgia bella cantare,
Con zampogna e tammurrina,
Per voler far cantarata;
O lucia inzuccarata,
Perché pur stai corruzzata?
Miau, miau gratta malata!
Va a cucina, licca pignata,
Cula cacata!
Sienta, sienta matunata,
Giorgia tua vol cantara,
Che vol tanto bene a te!
O Lucia miaow, miaow
You do not care about me any more,
Listen, listen, little devil!
Who is this beauty
Whom you call your little puss, like me?
The unhappy Giorgia
Who loves you so much.
With all my heart I beg of you,
Stop this crazyness
For, disdainful beauty,
This other, whom you have found,
Does not love you!
O Lucia, get up, do not sleep,
Listen to the beautiful voice of Giorgia,
Who wishes to perform the ditty
To the sound of bagpipes and drum.
O my sweet sugar Lucia,
Why do you wear a sad face?
Miaow, miaow, naughty puss!
Go to the kitchen to lick the bowl
Dirty beast!
Listen, listen, little devil,
Your Giorgia wants to sing,
Who loves you so much!
7 Deh! La morte de maritet‘ aspett‘io
E no, e no e per altro no.
Ma mi dibito che nanzi me mor‘io
Deh, quanto sei bella tu
Ma mi dibito che nanzi me mor‘io
Deh, ch‘io la vorria trovare
Ma non la poss‘asciar‘ accussì bella comm‘a te.
Ah! I await the death of your husband
Ah! I await the death of your husband,
But no, no - there’s nothing to be done.
Besides, I doubt that it will happen before my own death.
Ah! you are so beautiful
I doubt that it will happen before my own death.
Ah! I would like to find another one,
But I cannot - another as beautiful as you.
25
E tutto lo juorno sto addonocchiato
E no, e no e per altro no.
E ca Dio me lev‘a nanzi sto scurore!
Deh, quanto sei bella tu
Ma mi dibito che nanzi me mor‘io
Deh, ch‘io la vorria trovare
Ma non la poss‘asciar‘ accussì bella comm‘a te.
And so, I spend my days on my knees,
But no, no - there’s nothing to be done.
So that God can overcomes this darkness!
Ah! you are so beautiful
I doubt that it will happen before my own death.
Ah! I would like to find another one,
But I cannot - another as beautiful as you.
E se tu te marite e tu non te pigni mene
E no, e no e per altro no.
En capo de lo anno vedova te veggio
Deh, quanto sei bella tu
Ma mi dibito che nanzi me mor‘io
Deh, ch‘io la vorria trovare
Ma non la poss‘asciar‘ accussì bella comm‘a te.
And if you should marry someone else,
But no, no - there’s nothing to be done.
Before the year is out I wish to see you widowed.
Ah! you are so beautiful
I doubt that it will happen before my own death.
Ah! I would like to find another one,
But I cannot - another as beautiful as you.
8 Vorria ca fosse ciaola e ca vulasse
A ‚sta fenesta a dirte na parola,
Ma non ca me mettisse a la gaiola.
E tu da dinto subbeto chiammasse:
„Viene Marotta mia, deh, viene Cola.“
Ma non ca me mettisse a la gaiola.
And you, inside, you would call to me,
“Come, my loved one. Ah! come, Nicholas”
But, above all, do not put me in a cage!
Et io venesse et hommo returnasse,
Comm‘era primmo e te truvasse sola,
Ma non ca me mettisse a la gaiola.
And I would come, and become again the man
That I was before finding you alone.
But, above all, do not put me in a cage!
E po‘ turnasse a lu buon sinno gatta,
Ca me ne scesse pè la cataratta.
Ma che na cosa me venesse fatta.
And then, I would recover my wits,
And I would slide along the gutter,
Blissful at having received one thing, at least, from you.
9 Villanella ch‘ all‘ acqua vai
Villanella ch‘ all‘ acqua vai
Moro per te e tu non lo sai.
Ahimè, ch‘ io moro mirando a te.
Quando vai con la lancella
Pari regina e non villanella.
Ahimè, ch‘ io moro mirando a te.
26
I would love to a bird who would fly up to your window,
And would whisper some words to you.
But, above all, do not put me in a cage!
Peasant girl, who goes to the fountain
Peasant girl, who goes to the fountain,
I am dying for you, and you know it not.
Alas! I die to look at you.
When you walk with your pitcher,
You appear to be a queen and not a peasant.
Alas! I die to look at you.
Cossì pari tra l‘ altre belle
Come la luna mezzo‘ a le stelle.
Ahimè, ch‘ io moro mirando a te.
Thus you appear among the other beauties,
Like the moon among the stars.
Alas! I die to look at you.
Non importa essere nata
Mezzo‘ a no bosco aggratiata.
Ahimè, ch‘ io moro mirando a te.
No matter that you were born
In a wood, if one is adorned with all the graces.
Alas! I die to look at you.
10 Jesce, jesce sole
Scaglienta ‘Mperatore!
Scaniello mio d’argiento
che vale quattrociento,
Ciento cinquanta
Tutta la notte canta,
Canta Viola
Lo mastro de la scola
O mastro mastro
Mannancenne priesto,
Ca scenne mastro Tiesto
Co lanze co spate,
Co l’auciello accompagnate.
Sona, sona zampognella,
Ca t’accatto la gonnella,
L agonnella de scarlato,
Si non suone te rompo la capo.
Non chiovere, non chiovere,
Che voglio ire a movere!
A movere lo grano
De mastro Giuliano.
Mastro Giuliano
prestame la lanza,
Ca voglio ire ‘n Franza,
Da Franza a Lombardia
dove sta madamma Lucia!
Arise, arise o sun,
Warm us again, Emperor!
My little silver throne
Which is valued at four hundred.
One hundred and fifty
All the night long
Sings Viola
The schoolmaster
The master, the master
Quick, allow us to disappear!
Master Tiesto has arrived
With lances and swords
Accompanied by the lark.
Proclaim, little musette,
That I have bought a skirt,
A scarlet skirt.
If you do not play, I’ll beat you up!
No rain, no rain,
I want to go reaping,
To reap the corn
Of Master Giuliano.
Master Giuliano
Lend me your lance,
I want to go to France,
To France and Lombardy,
Where Madam Lucia lives!
11 Madonna non è più lo tiempo antico
A quell‘ uzanza che l‘ auciell‘ arava.
Non esser tanto brava
S‘ io so de Sarn‘ e tu si de la Cava.
Madonna, it is no longer olden days
The time of ancient customs, of which the bird spoke.
Do not be so haughty,
Just because I come from Sarno and you come from Cava.
27
Mò solle fico: n‘ è tiempo d‘ amico;
Quist‘ è lo mutto de la madamma va va.
Tu non con mico et io mancho con tico,
Passai lo tiempo che Berta filava.
Now is the time of figs, the time of friendship,
That is the motto of Madam Vava.
You without me, me without you,
It is far from the good old days.
Ahimé, non so che fare,
Specchio vurria tornare
Sol per mirarte, ma se lo sapisse
A qualche vecchia brutta me darisse.
Alas! I know not what to do.
I would like to turn into a mirror,
Just to look at you, but, if you knew,
You would give me to some horrible old woman.
Mò s‘indurata: et io so‘ fatto scoglio.
E come la voi tu, così la voglio.
Io non so‘ come soglio:
Tu circh‘ ad altro et io di te me spoglio.
As you are very tough, and me, I am petrified.
I want what you want.
I am no longer what I was before.
Look for another one and good riddance!
Meglio saria tornare
Ghiaccio per non bruciare
A così forte, ma se lo sapisse
Co st‘occhi ardenti pur lo disfarrisse.
T’would better be to turn
Into ice, and thus not
Burn so strongly, but, if you knew,
You would only melt it with those burning eyes of yours.
12 Che sia maldicta l’acqua sta matina
Che m’ha disfacta, ohimè do meschinnella.
Haggio rotto la langella,
Trista me che voglio fare?
Vicini mei sapitela sanare.
Per provar acqua dolce de piscina,
Mi so spaccata la cicinnatella.
Haggio rotto la langella,
Trista me che voglio fare?
Vicini mei sapitela sanare.
Trying to taste the sweet water from the fountain,
I have come a cropper
My pitcher is broken,
So, what do I do now?
Neighbours, you will be able to repair it.
Pignatto rotto mai fa bon cocina,
Così dolente songo e meschinella.
Haggio rotto la langella,
Trista me che voglio fare?
Vicini mei sapitela sanare.
One cannot cook good food in a broken dish,
That’s what I am thinking, sad and miserable.
My pitcher is broken,
So, what do I do now?
Neighbours, you will be able to repair it.
La bon lancella se vol conservare,
Cha poi che rotta non la poi sanare.
Haggio rotto la langella,
Trista me che voglio fare?
Vicini mei sapitela sanare.
With a good vessel, one must take care,
For once broken, how can it be put together again?
My pitcher is broken,
So, what do I do now?
Neighbours, you will be able to repair it.
13 Voria, crudel, tornare
Pianellett‘e poi stare
Sott‘a ssi piedi, ma se lo sapisse
Per straziarmi corrend‘andarisse.
Voria, crudel, tornare
Citrangolo e poi stare
Alla finestra, ma se lo sapisse
Per darmi morte seccare mi farisse.
28
Cursed be the water this morning
Which has destroyed me, alas, poor me!
My pitcher is broken,
So, what do I do now?
Neighbours, you will be able to repair it.
I would like, o cruel one, to turn
Into a pair of slippers, and so stay
Under your feet, but, if you knew,
You would start running to tear me apart.
I would like, o cruel one, to turn
Into a bitter orange tree, and stay
At the window, but, if you knew,
You would let me wither in order to kill me.
16 ‘Sto core mio se fosse di diamante
Sarria spezzato per tanto dolore,
Quanto ne provo e sent‘ a tutte l‘hore.
My heart, were it made of diamond,
Would be broken by so much pain
Such as I suffer, such as I experience, constantly.
Et ben ch‘afflitto sia, più ch‘ altro amante
Tenga dolente e sconsolato il core,
Pur non li manca spirto nè vigore.
And although I be afflicted more than another lover,
Though my heart be sad and inconsolable,
It lacks neither spirit nor vigour.
Ma quanto più patisce è più costante,
Soffre il dolor se ben fosse maggiore,
Di quel ch‘ io provo e sent‘ a tutte l‘ hore.
But the more it suffers, the more it is constant,
Suffering pain, even when it would be greater
Than that which I suffer, which I experience constantly.
Ma voi, donna crudele, volete anchora,
Per maggior segno de mia fed‘ ogn‘ hora,
Vedermi tormentar prima ch‘io mora.
But you, cruel Lady, you always wish,
As a greater sign of my faith, still
To see me tormented before I die.
17 Tu sai che la cornacchia ha questa usanza
Che quando canta sempre dice crai.
Crai, crai.
Tu perzì così mi fai donna scortese,
Che dai bone parole e tristi attese.
You know that the crow has the habit,
When singing, of always saying caw.*
Caw, caw.
You do the same, cruel woman,
Handing out good words and sad promises.
Aucello ca prommitte la speranza
E le promesse sue n’attende mai.
Crai, crai.
Tu perzì così mi fai donna scortese,
Che dai bone parole e tristi attese.
Bird who promises hope
And never keeps its word.
Caw, caw.
You do the same, cruel woman,
Handing out good words and sad promises.
Tu sei, madonna, a quessa somiglianza
Sermpre me dice : Aspetta ch’averai.
Crai, crai.
Tu perzì così mi fai donna scortese,
Che dai bone parole e tristi attese.
You are made, Madonna, from the same mould,
Always telling me: Wait and you will receive.
Caw, caw.
You do the same, cruel woman,
Handing out good words and sad promises.
29
Sai come disse Pinta ad Cramosina:
“Megli’hoggi l’ovo che crai la gallina”.
Crai, crai.
Tu perzì così mi fai donna scortese,
Che dai bone parole e tristi attese.
18 Nuttata ‘e sentimento
Che notte! che notte!
Che luna! che mare!
‘Sta sera me pare
Scetato ‘e sunnà.
Cu’ st’aria serena,
Ca scippa d’ ‘o core
Suspire d’ammore
Dormì nun se pò!
Chiara è ‘a luna
Doce è ‘o viento,
Calmo è ‘o mare
Oj Carulì ! ...
‘Sta nuttata ‘e sentimento
Nun è fatta pe’ durmì.
Lontano, lontano,
P’o mare turchino,
Vulesse a te ‘nzino
Nu suonno sunnà;
Nu suonno ‘e dulcezze
Nu suonno ‘ncantato,
Cu’ ttico abbracciato
Sunnanno, murì!
Chiara è ‘a luna
Doce è ‘o viento,
Calmo è ‘o mare
Oj Carulì ! ...
‘Sta nuttata ‘e sentimento
Nun è fatta pe’ durmì.
30
As Pinta said to Cramosina:
“One in the hand is worth two in the bush”
Caw, caw.
You do the same, cruel woman,
Handing out good words and sad promises.
18. Sentimental night
What a night! What a night!
What a moon! What a sea!
On this night, it seems to me,
That I am dreaming wide awake.
In this tranquil air,
Which steals from my heart
Some amorous sighs,
Sleep escapes me!
The moon is pale
The wind is soft,
The sea is calm
O Carulì! ...
This sentimental night
Is not made for sleeping.
Away, away,
In the turquoise sea,
I would like on your bosom
To dream a dream,
A dream of softness,
An enchanted dream,
Entwined with you
To die in a dream!
The moon is pale
The wind is soft,
The sea is calm
O Carulì! ...
This sentimental night
Is not made for sleeping.
Sources
CD I
[1] Madonna tu me fai lo scorucciato
source: Canzone villanesche alla napolitana,
J. de Colonia 1537
music: anonymous, text: Velardiniello (?)
[2] Villanella ch’all’acqua vai
source: Canzon napolitana a tre libro II, G. Scotto 1566
music: anonymous, text: anonymous
[3] Venimo a salutarte a ‘sta contrata
source: Canzon villanesche al modo napolitano a tre voci
di Thomaso Cimello da Napoli, A. Gardano 1545
music: Thomaso Cimello, text: anonymous
[4] ‘Sto core mio ne fosse di diamante
source: Le quatoirsiesme livre a quatre parties...
par Rolando di Lasso, T. Susato 1545
music: Orlando di Lasso, text: anonymous
[5] Madonna mia la vostra alma bellezza
source: Canzone villanesche di Vincenzo Fontana
a tre voci alla napoletana libro 1, A. Gardano 1545
music: Vincenzo Fontana, text: anonymous
[6] Boccuccia dulce chiù che canamielle
source: Canzone villanesche alla napolitana
di M. Adriano Wigliaret
music: Perissone Cambio
[7] Voccuccia de no pierseco apreturo
source: Canzone villanesche alla napolitana,
J. de Colonia 1537
music: anonymous, text: Velardiniello (?)
[10]Mentre il cuculo il suo cucù cantava
source: II libro delle canzonette di Giuseppe Caimo, 1584
music: Giuseppe Caimo, text: anonymous
[11] La villanella
source: MS Aq. No 107501 Newberry Library
music: Vincenzo Capirola
[12]Baciami, vita mia, baciami anchora
source: Di Baldassare Donato il primo libro di canzon
villanesche alla napolitana, A. Gardano
music: Baldassare Donato, text: anonymous
[13]A quand’a quand’haveva una vicina
source: Madrigali a quattro voce di Geronimo Scotto con
alcuni a la misura de breve..., G. Scotto 1542
music: Adrian Willaert, text: anonymous
[14]La cortesia voi donne predicate
source: Le quatoirsiesme livre a quatre parties... par Rolando
di Lasso, T. Susato 1545
music: Orlando di Lasso
[15]S’io dormo aggio gran male
source: Il primo libro della raccolta di napoletane a tre voci,
di diversi eccellentissimi autori, Bartolomeo da Ravenna 1570
music: Meo Fiorentino, text: anonymous
[16]‘St’amaro core mio e diventato
source: canzone alla napolitana nuovamente composte,... da
Don Gio: Domenico diNola, F. Rampazzetto 1563
music: Giovanni Domenico del Giovane da Nola, text:
anonymous
[8] Madonna non più lo tiempo antico
source: Canzon villanesche di Giovan Thomaso di Maio
libro 1, A. Gardano 1545
music: Giovan Thomaso di Maio, text: anonymous
[9] Chi la gagliarda, donne, vo imparare
source: Di Baldassare Donato il primo libro di canzon
villanesche alla napolitana, A. Gardano
music: Baldassare Donato, text: anonymous
31
CD II
[1] Sto calascione che me metto ’nzino
source: De la Tiorba a Taccone de Filippo Sgruttendio
de Scafato, C. Cavallo 1646
text: Filippo Sgruttendio
[2] Deh, quando ti veggio
source: Canzone villanesche alla napolitana,
J. de Colonia 1537
music: anonymous, text: anonymous
[3] O Vecchia tu che guardi
source: Canzone villanesche alla napolitana,
J. de Colonia 1537
music: anonymous, text: anonymous
[4] Vorria, Madonna, fareti sapere
source: Canzonette alla napolitana di Gabriel Fallamero
music: Gabriel Fallamero, text: anonymous
[5] A calascione
source: MS 2431, Napoli, biblioteca del Conservatorio
music: Bernardo Pasquini
[6] O Lucia miau, miau
source: Le quatoirsiesme livre a quatre parties...
par Rolando di Lasso, 1545
music: Roland de Lassus, text: anonymous
[7] Deh! La morte de mariteto
source: Canzone villanesche di Messer Adriano Wigliaret,
A. Gardane 1545
music: adaptation by the ensemble of a tenor
by Perissone Cambio, text: anonymous
[8] Vorria ca fosse ciaola
source: Il terzo libro delle villotte alla napolitana a tre,
1567 Gardanus
music: anonymous, text: G. B. Basile, Le Muse Napolitane
[9] Villanella ch‘all‘acqua vai
source: Canzon napolitane a tre, G. Scotto 1566
music: anonymous, text: anonymous
[10]Jesce sole
source: Lo cunto de li cunti, Giambattista Basile 1634-36
text: Giovan Battista Basile
[11] Madonna non è più lo tiempo antico
source: Canzon villanesche di Giovan Thomaso di Maio
Libro I, A. Gardano 1545
music: Giovan Thomaso di Maio, text: anonymous
[12]Che sia maldicta l’acqua
source: Canzone villanesche alla napolitana,
J. de Colonia 1537
music: anonymous, text: anonymous
[13]Voria, crudel, tornare
source: Canzon napolitane a tre, G. Scotto 1566
music: anonymous, text: anonymous
[14]Recercar secondo
source: Il terzo libro di liuto di vincenzo Gorzanis
music: Vincenzo Gorzanis
[15]Caccia la vecchia fuora del campo
source: Il terzo libro di liuto di vincenzo Gorzanis
music: Vincenzo Gorzanis
[16]Sto core mio se fosse di diamante
source: Le quatoirsiesme livre a quatre parties...
par Rolando di Lasso, T. Susato 1545
music: Orlando di Lasso, text: anonymous
[17]Tu sai che la cornacchia
source: Canzone villanesche alla napolitana,
J. de Colonia 1537
music: anonymous, text: anonymous
[18]Nuttata ‘e sentimento
music: G. Capolongo, text: A. Cassese