Not the singer but the
song. This week we have two videos of the Italian song
"Caruso." The first video is of a singer called Lucio Dalla.
Dalla is an iconic singer in Italian pop music and this may be his most
popular song. Remember, this isn't a singing course, it's a diction course.
This ain't pretty but it's crazy moving. Having said that, listen
to how he deals with the language. Listen to the "L"s and how
he pronounces them. Listen to the difference between long vowels and
short vowels (stressed and unstressed syllables). As always, listen to
how he doubles consonants. I think (I hope) you'll notice how he short
changes final vowels. I've mentioned that when you elide a final vowel of
one word with the beginning vowel of a second word the emphasis (or preference)
is given to the start of the word. This is a good illustration of how
little importance is given to final vowels. However, you can hear in Pavarotti's
singing that his final vowels are mostly longer and "purer."
It's not always so but it is 90% of the time. That's what we have
to do in opera and Italian canzoni or art songs. You're going to get a
lot more of a diction lesson listening to the Pav. clip but I think it'll be
useful to hear how someone using more "casual" Italian sounds.
Before you listen, do me a favor and read the translation of the song
which follows the text below. It really is a wonderful song.
And on a performance note, notice what Pavarotti does with the text at "Così diventò tutto piccolo..." which is the 2nd part of the third verse. He uses the double consonants as well as a little extra Italian "sob" in his sound to make it almost heartbreaking. It's incredible how Italian can remain so legato even when syllables are bounced on like he does.
Enjoy,
R
Dalla
And on a performance note, notice what Pavarotti does with the text at "Così diventò tutto piccolo..." which is the 2nd part of the third verse. He uses the double consonants as well as a little extra Italian "sob" in his sound to make it almost heartbreaking. It's incredible how Italian can remain so legato even when syllables are bounced on like he does.
Enjoy,
R
Dalla
Pavarotti
Qui dove il mare luccica
e tira forte il vento
su una vecchia terrazza davanti al golfo di Surriento
un uomo abbraccia una ragazza
dopo che aveva pianto
poi si schiarisce la voce e ricomincia il canto:
Te voglio bene assai
ma tanto tanto bene sai
e' una catena ormai
che scioglie il sangue dint' e' vene sai...
Vide le luci in mezzo al mare
pensò alle notti la in America
ma erano solo le lampare
e la bianca scia di un'elica
sentì il dolore nella musica
si alzò dal Pianoforte
ma quando vide la luna uscire da una nuvola
gli sembrò più dolce anche la morte
Guardò negli occhi la ragazza
quegli occhi verdi come il mare
poi all'improvviso uscì una lacrima
e lui credette di affogare.
Te voglio bene assai
ma tanto tanto bene sai
e' una catena ormai
e scioglie il sangue dint'e vene sai...
Potenza della lirica
dove ogni dramma e' un falso
che con un po' di trucco e con la mimica
puoi diventare un altro
Ma due occhi che ti guardano
così vicini e veri
ti fanno scordare le parole
confondono i pensieri.
Così diventò tutto piccolo
anche le notti la in America
ti volti e vedi la tua vita
come la scia di un'elica.
Ah si, e' la vita che finisce
ma lui non ci pensò poi tanto
anzi si sentiva felice
e ricominciò il suo canto:
Te voglio bene assai
ma tanto tanto bene sai
e' una catena ormai
che scioglie il sangue dint'e vene sai...
Te voglio bene assai
ma tanto tanto bene sai
e' una catena ormai
che scioglie il sangue dint'e vene sai...
Here, where the sea shines
and the wind howls,
on the old terrace beside the gulf of Sorrento,
a man embraces a girl
he wept after,
then clears his throat and continues the song:
I love you very much,
very, very much, you know;
it is a chain by now
that melts the blood inside the veins, you know…
He saw the lights out on the sea,
thought of the nights there in America,
but they were only the fishermen’s lamps
and the white wash astern.
He felt the pain in the music
and stood up from the piano,
but when he saw the moon emerging from a cloud
death also seemed sweeter to him.
He looked the girl in the eyes,
those eyes as green as the sea.
Then suddenly a tear fell
and he believed he was drowning.
I love you very much,
very, very much, you know,
it is a chain by now
that melts the blood inside the vein you know…
The power of opera,
where every drama is a hoax;
with a little make-up and with mime
you can become someone else.
But two eyes that look at you,
so close and real,
make you forget the words,
confuse your thoughts,
So everything became small,
also the nights there in America.
You turn and see your life
through the white wash astern.
But, yes, it is life that ends
and he did not think so much about it
on the contrary, he already felt happy
and continued his song:
I love you very much,
very, very much, you know,
it is a chain by now
that melts the blood inside the veins, you know…
I love you very much,
very, very much, you know,
it is a chain by now
that melts the blood inside the veins, you know…
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