Yale Collection of Musical Instruments presents
ellen hargis soprano
pa u l o ’ d e t t e archlute
in
wait! i’m singing now... 15 Hillhouse Avenue New Haven Sunday 6 October 2013 3:00 P.M.
cover painting:
Nicolas Régnier (1591– 1667) Musician Playing a Lute to A Singing Girl oil on canvas, 1621–22
This concert is made possible by the generous support of the Associate Members of the Collection Remaining concerts on this season’s series November 3 - Florilegium 3:00 pm Ashley Solomon, baroque flute Terence Charlston, harpsichord January 26 - Juilliard Baroque 3:00 pm Robert Mealy, violin Gonzalo Ruiz, oboe Dominic Teresi, bassoon Jeffrey Grossman, harpsichord March 2 - Smithsonian Chamber Players 3:00 pm Vera Beths, violin Kenneth Slowik, violoncello Pedja Muzijevic, piano April 13 - Tapestry Ensemble 3:00 pm Cristi Catt, soprano Laurie Monahan, mezzo-soprano Daniela Tosic, mezzo-soprano Diana Brewer, soprano, vielle & sackbutt Christa Patton, vielle & harp Takaaki Masuko, percussion Special Free Performances October 8 - Yale Baroque Ensemble 5:30 pm Chamber music of J.S. Bach Robert Mealy, director December 8 - Yale Baroque Ensemble 3:00 pm Morse Recital Hall, Yale School of Music This concert is being recorded and streamed live over the Internet; please turn off all cell phones and pagers.
Yale Collection of Musical Instruments presents
ellen hargis, pa u l
soprano o ’ d e t t e , archlute in
wait! i’m singing now...
Barbara Strozzi L’Astratto (1619-1677) Giovanni Girolamo Kapsberger Toccata Ia (1611) (c. 1585–1651) Gagliarda IVa Toccata VIa Gagliarda Xa Barbara Strozzi
Respira mio core
Questa e la nuova
L’amante segreto
Alessandro Scarlatti Orfeo (1660–1725) Alessandro Piccinini Toccata XI (1639) (1566 – 1638) Gagliarda III Corrente VI Battaglia Antonio Cesti
Aspettate! adesso canto!
(1623-1669)
About the Music The year 1600 marks an important turning point in the history of vocal music. Though the practice of singing to the lute had already been popular for over a hundred years, the majority of the music so performed was originally written in parts, to be sung by a vocal ensemble, played on instruments, or a combination of the two. The playing of the lower parts of a vocal composition on the lute or keyboard as accompaniment to a solo voice was merely one of several possible performance options. In the 1570s a group of Florentine intellectuals, composers, poets and singers began discussing ways of increasing the rhetorical power of vocal music by reviving the legendary practices of the ancient Greeks. The Florentine Camerata’s interest in recreating the declamatory style of Greek solo song resulted in the eventual demise of the polyphonic madrigal, which, even when accompanied by a single lute did not permit the singer adequate flexibility to fully convey the meaning of the text. Thus the medium itself was not altered, only the style of the writing. The polyphonic lute parts of the 16th century were abandoned in favor of a simpler chordal accompaniment to a freer, more speech-like vocal line. The stile recitativo was ideal for conveying the wide range of emotions contained in the highly expressive poetry of the early 17th century. Early collections of monodies, as these songs were often called, usually presented these serious works alongside lighter, tuneful, strophic arias, or canzonette. By the 1640s and 50s, Antonio Cesti and Barbara Strozzi in Venice along with a large group of Roman composers were combining these two styles in their cantatas and laments. Barbara Strozzi was a composer of extraordinary creativity and distinction. Her cantatas include some of the most original and powerful writing of the early baroque period. Strozzi was adopted by the Venetian poet Giulio Strozzi and was a regular performer at his distinguished L’Accademia degli Unisoni. Her singing was lavishly praised though her stage presence was thought to be overly provocative by some of the stodgy academicians. Strozzi studied music with the great Venetian opera composer Francesco Cavalli, whose warm, lyrical style she often emulates. Strozzi’s songs often deal with the treachery of love, running the emotional gamut from contentment to anguish to rage to sorrow to resignation. L’Astratto is a cantata exploring whether singing can help one to forget about the troubles of love. But finding the right song and text proves to be a serious challenge! Respira mio core is based on a sighing passacaglia bass with poignant sobbing and weeping motives punctuated with piquant dissonances. L’Amante Segreto is also based on a passacaglia bass, but this one is interrupted regularly by animated passages of recitative as the lover ponders his plight and struggles with the best way of coping with a secret love. Questa è la nuova, like L’Astratto deals with singing as therapy, but while the infectious Spanish rhythms and repeated phrases should help anyone to feel better, this diva is apparently beyond help! The greatest singers have always been confident of their ability to move the hearts of their listeners. But no one employed the power of singing more effectively than Orpheus, who used his talents to convince Pluto to give him back his beloved Euridice. Though we are accustomed to experiencing this story as a full-length opera, Scarlatti manages to fit it all into one compact, but amazingly expressive cantata. Cesti’s hilarious Aspettate! Adesso canto! features another singer with a large ego, who commands a sizeable repertoire she is eager to show off, including cantatas by Rossi and Carissimi, popular songs and canzonettas. She begins song after song without finishing any of them. But unlike Strozzi’s L’Astratto who despairs of ever finding the right song to soothe her soul, Cesti’s cantatrice becomes fed up with the audience and storms off. It seems prime donne of the seventeenth century were very much like their modern counterparts! Alessandro Piccinini came from a highly respected musical family; both his father and his two brothers were professional lutenists. Alessandro must have exhibited talent at an early age, since
he was invited to join the Gonzaga court at Mantua when he was only sixteen. He went instead to Ferrara, where his father had been summoned by the Este family. With the death of his patron in 1597 and the passage of Ferrara into the Papal States, Alessandro entered the service of Cardinal Pietro Aldobrandini, the powerful nephew of Pope Clement VIII. He also visited Rome regularly in the service of the Ferrarese Marchese Enzo and Cardinal Giulio Bentivoglio, early patrons of Frescobaldi. Piccinini’s first book of lute music, published in 1623, includes detailed notes on ornamentation, arpeggiation, dynamics and expression, information vital to the understanding of this repertoire. But enough about the lute. The singer wants to get started! Maybe she will feel better this time! –Paul O’Dette
About the Performers Ellen Hargis is one of America’s premier early music singers, specializing in repertoire ranging from ballads to opera and oratorio. In her hometown of Chicago, she is co-director of The Newberry Consort, and is Stage Director-in-Residence for the Haymarket Opera Company, where she has directed historically informed productions of baroque opera for the past two seasons. As a soprano, she has worked with many of the foremost period music conductors of the world, including Andrew Parrott, Gustav Leonhardt, Daniel Harding, Paul Goodwin, John Scott, Monica Huggett, Jane Glover, Nicolas Kraemer, Harry Bickett, Simon Preston, Paul Hillier, Craig Smith, and Jeffery Thomas. She has performed with The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, The Virginia Symphony, Washington Choral Arts Society, Long Beach Opera, CBC Radio Orchestra, Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, Tragicomedia, The Mozartean Players, Fretwork, the Seattle Baroque Orchestra, Emmanuel Music and the Mark Morris Dance Group. Ellen Hargis has performed at many of the world’s leading festivals including the Adelaide Festival (Australia), Utrecht Festival (Holland), Resonanzen Festival (Vienna), Tanglewood, the New Music America Festival, Festival Vancouver, the Berkeley Festival (California), and is a frequent guest at the Boston Early Music Festival. A prolific recording artist, her discography embraces repertoire from medieval to contemporary music. She has recently recorded Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, and the leading role of Aeglé in Lully’s Thésée and Conradi’s opera Ariadne, for CPO, both nominated for a Best Opera Grammy Award. She is featured on a dozen Harmonia Mundi recordings, including a critically acclaimed solo recital disc of music by Jacopo Peri, and in Arvo Pärt’s Berlin Mass with Theatre of Voices, as well as two recital discs with Paul O’Dette on Noyse Productions. Her recordings have won the Grand Prix du Disque and the Choc du Monde. Ellen Hargis teaches voice at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, and is a visiting professor at the Eastman School of Music for the 2013-2014 academic year. She has been a guest lecturer at institutions such as Harvard, Yale, the Oberlin Conservatory, the University of British Columbia, McGill University, the Moscow Conservatory, and others. She also teaches many summer courses in early music, and directs the annual “Compleat Singer” Baroque vocal program in Vancouver, BC.
Paul O’Dette has been described as “the clearest case of genius ever to touch his instrument”
(Toronto Globe and Mail). One of the most influential figures in his field, O’Dette has helped to define the technical and stylistic standards to which twenty-first-century performers of early music aspire. In doing so, he has helped to infuse the performance practice movement with a perfect combination of historical awareness, idiomatic accuracy, and ambitious self-expression. His performances at the major international festivals in Boston, Vienna, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, Munich, Prague, Milan, Florence, Geneva, Madrid, Barcelona, Tokyo, Moscow,
St. Petersburg, Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Melbourne, Adelaide, Los Angeles, Vancouver, Berkeley, Bath, Montpellier, Utrecht, Bruges, Antwerp, Bremen, Dresden, Innsbruck, Tenerife, Copenhagen, Oslo, Cordoba, etc. have often been singled out as the highlight of those events. Though best known for his recitals and recordings of virtuoso solo lute music, Paul O’Dette maintains an active international career as an ensemble musician as well, performing with many of the leading early music soloists and ensembles. He is a member of the acclaimed continuo ensemble Tragicomedia. Paul O’Dette has made more than 130 recordings, receiving five Grammy nominations and numerous other international record awards. “The Complete Lute Music of John Dowland” (a 5-CD set for harmonia mundi USA), was awarded the prestigious Diapason d’or de l’année, while “The Royal Lewters” has received the Diapason D’or, a Choc du Monde de la Musique, a 5-star rating in BBC Music Magazine, 5-star rating in Goldberg and a perfect score of 10 from ClassicsToday.com. “The Bachelar’s Delight: Lute Music of Daniel Bacheler” was nominated for a Grammy in 2006 as “Best Solo Instrumental Recording.” Mr. O’Dette has performed in broadcasts for the ABC (Australia), Radio Argentina, BBC (UK), CBC (Canada), Radio France, RAI (Italy), Westdeutscher Rundfunk (Cologne), Bayerischer, Rundfunk (Munich), SFB (Berlin), NOS (Holland), Austrian Radio, Spanish Radio and Television, TV Ankara, Hungarian Television, Norwegian Radio, Danish Radio and Television, Swedish Television, Swiss Radio and Television, National Public Radio (USA) and CBS Television (USA). Mr. O’Dette is also active as a conductor of baroque opera. In 1997 he led performances of Luigi Rossi’s L’Orfeo at Tanglewood, the Boston Early Music Festival (BEMF) and the Drottningholm Court Theatre in Sweden with Stephen Stubbs. Since 1999 they have co-directed performances of Cavalli’s Ercole Amante at the Boston Early Music Festival, Tanglewood, and the Utrecht Early Music Festival, Provenzale’s La Stellidaura Vendicata at the Vadstena Academy in Sweden, Monteverdi’s Orfeo and L’Incoronazione di Poppea for Festival Vancouver, Lully’s Thésée, Conradi’s Ariadne (Hamburg, 1691) and Mattheson’s Boris Goudenow for the Boston Early Music Festival and Tanglewood and Lully’s Psyché for the Boston Early Music Festival. The recording of Ariadne was nominated for a Grammy as “Best Opera Recording of 2005,” Thésée was nominated in the same category in 2007 and Psyché was nominated in 2008. Paul O’Dette has guest directed numerous Baroque orchestras on both sides of the Atlantic including the Portland Baroque Orchestra, Tafelmusik, Apollo’s Fire, Ensemble Arion, Chatham Baroque and Corona Artis. In addition to his activities as a performer, Paul O’Dette is an avid researcher, having worked extensively on the performance and sources of seventeenth-century Italian and English solo song, continuo practices and historical lute technique. He has published numerous articles on issues of historical performance practice, co-authored the Dowland entry in the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians and edited the lute works of Marco dall’Aquila. Paul O’Dette is Professor of Lute and Director of Early Music at the Eastman School of Music and Artistic Director of the Boston Early Music Festival.
L’Astratto Voglio sì, vò cantar: forse cantando Trovar pace potessi al mio tormento. Ha d’opprimere il duol forza il cocento; Sì, sì, pensiero, aspetta: A sonar cominciamo E a nostro senso una canzon troviamo. Hebbi il core legato un di d’un bel crin... La stracerei: subito ch’apro un foglio Sento che mi raccorda il mio cordoglio. Fuggia la notte e [il] sol spiegava intorno...
The Distracted One Yes, I want to sing: perhaps in singing I’ll be able to find peace for my torment. Music has the power to overcome suffering; Yes, yes, my thoughts, wait: We’ll begin to play, And we’ll find a good song for this mood I’m in... “Once my heart was bound by beautiful tresses...” I should rip this one up! The minute I turn the page, I’m reminded of my grief. “The night has fled and the sun shines all around...”
Parlato Eh, si confondon qui la notte’el giorno!
Spoken Hah, here they confuse day and night!
Presto Volate, o Furie,...
Presto “Fly away, o Furies...
Adagio ...e conducete un miserabile al foco eterno!
Adagio ...and take this wretch with you into the eternal fire!”
Parlato Ma che fo nell’ inferno? Al tuo ciel vago desio spiega l’ale e vanne... À fè, che quel che ti compose Poco sapea dell’amoroso strale! Desiderio d’amante in ciel non sale. Goderò sotto la luna... Hor questa si ch’é peggio! Sà il destin degl’amanti e vuol fortuna! Adagio Misero i guai m’han da me stesso astratto, E cercando un soggetto, Per volerlo dir sol cento n’ho detto. Adagio Chi nel carcere d’un crine I desiri hà prigionieri, Per sue crude aspre ruine Nemen suoi sono i pensieri.
Spoken But what am I doing in hell? “To your heaven, o delightful desire, spread your wings and fly...” Honestly, whoever wrote you Knew very little about Love’s arrows! A lover’s desire does not ascend to heaven. “I shall rejoice under the moon...” Now, this one’s even worse! It knows fate of lovers yet expects good fortune!
Chi, ad un vago alto splendore Diè fedel la libertà Schiavo alfin tutto d’amore Nemen sua la mente havra.
One who has faithfully pledged his liberty To a high shining ideal, A complete slave to love, In the end cannot even possess his own mind.
Quind’io, misero e stolto, Non volendo cantar, Cantato ho molto.
Therefore I, miserable and stupid, Not wanting to sing, Have sung quite a lot. (translation: Ellen Hargis after Dixon/Panthaki)
Adagio Wretched me, my troubles have pulled me apart, And looking for one subject, Wishing to say one thing, I have said a hundred. Adagio One who is imprisoned by his desires In a jail of beautiful tresses, In his own cruel, harsh ruin Does not even possess his own thoughts.
Respira, mio core!
Breathe again, my heart!
Respira, mio core, Rallegrati, oh lasso! Mia Lilla in un sasso Tutto ha versato il suo rigore. Quasi d’averle usate ora si penta, Le durezze tormenta E perch’ognun da lei pietade impetre Cerca fiamme d’amor fin dalle pietre.
Breathe again, my heart! Be glad again; My Lilla has thrown Her harsh cruelty to the rocks Regretting all the pain that she inflicted Upon the one that begged for mercy While trying to awaken Love in a stony heart.
Speranze, tornate, Svegliatevi, affetti! Concenti e diletti Dalle battute sue lieti sperate. Gitta in pezzi il suo cor empio, inumano, Lilla col ferro in mano E acciò sue tenerezze a ognun sian note, I più duri macigni odia e percuote.
Return, my hopes, Awake, fond thoughts! You hope for sweet delights of love From her battle. Lily, sword in hand, Breaks open her cruel and savage heart, Demolishing the harsh and rocky crags So that all should see the tenderness inside.
Costanza gradita! Miei giorni tranquilla Cortese mia Lilla, Leva i sassi e gl’inciampi alla mia vita. Perché accesa di te mio cor l’intendi, Suscita mille incendi E per esserti alfin più sviscerata, Delle viscere altrui mostrasi armata.
Lovely constancy! Make my days serene, My gracious Lily, Move away the rocks and obstacles of my life. See how my heart burns, As bright as a thousand fires, Take it, so that all can see you, Armed with the heart of your beloved. (translation: Massimo Ossi)
L’amante segreto
The secret lover
Voglio, voglio morire, Più tosto ch’il mio mal venga à scoprire.
I want to die, Rather than have my ill come to be discovered.
Ò disgrazia fatale! Quanto più miran gl’occhi il suo bel volto Più tien la bocca il mio desir sepolto: Chi rimedio non hà taccia il suo male, Non resti di mirar chi non hà sorte, Nè può da sì bel ciel venir la morte.
Oh, fatal disgrace! The more my eyes see her beautiful face, The more my lips will remain sealed, He who has no remedy hides his illness. One who has no hope can only look, And death couldn’t come from such a fair sky.
La bella donna mia sovente miro Ed ella à me volge pietoso il guardo, Quasi che voglia dire: “Palesa il tuo martire”, Chè ben s’accorge che mi struggo e ardo. Ma io voglio morire Più tosto ch’il mio mal venga à scoprire.
I often look at my lovely lady, And she turns a pitying look at me, As if to say “Reveal your torment”, For she is well aware that I am consumed and burn. But I want to die, Rather than have my ill come to be discovered.
L’erbetta, ch’al cader di fredda brina Languida il capo inchina All’ apparir del Sole Lieta verdeggia più di quel che suole: Tal io, s’alcun timor mi gela il core, All’ apparir di lei prendo vigore. Ma io voglio morire Più tosto ch’il mio mal venga à scoprire
The grasses, which covered by the frost, Languishing, bow their heads, At the appearance of the sun, Happily become even greener than before: Thus I, when fear has frozen my heart, Recover my strength when she appears. But I want to die, Rather than have my ill come to be discovered.
.Deh, getta l’arco poderoso e l’armi, Amor, e lascia omai di saettarmi! Se non per amor mio Fallo per onor tuo, superbo Dio, Perchè gloria non è d’un guerrier forte Uccider un chi stà vicino à morte.
Oh, throw away your mighty bow and arrows, Love, and stop shooting at me now! If not for my sake, Then for your own honor, proud god, For there is no glory for a great warrior In killing one already so close to death. (translation: Ellen Hargis)
Questa è la nuova
This is the news
Questa è la nuova Ch’io v’ho dà dire amanti, Ch’amando non si trova Altro che pene e pianti, Ben il mio cor il prova E volete ch’io canti.
This is the news That I have to tell you, lovers, In loving, nothing can be found But pain and tears: My heart knows this well, And yet you want me to sing about it.
Senta, senta chi brama La canzonetta udire: Non s’ama, no non s’ama Senza pena e martire A chi m’invita e chiama Altro non hò che dire.
Listen, listen, you who desire To hear my song: There is no love Without pain and torment To you who invite and call me I have nothing else to say.
Deh, cantar non mi fate, Che la canzon peggiora, Quante bevan de ingrate Fugge che s’innamore. Ha poca caritate Chi vuol ch’io canti ancora.
Alas, don’t make me sing, For the song just gets worse, As he who is in love avoids Such ungrateful drinks. They who want me still to sing Are lacking in charity! (translation: Ellen Hargis)
Orfeo
Orfeo
Poi che riseppe Orfeo che la sua vaga e bella Euridice Tocca dal fiero dente d’aspide velenoso Estinta al suol cadea; sbigottito e dolente Rivolti i lumi all’etra Spiegò tai carmi al suon’ della sua cetra.
When Orfeo learned that his charming and beautiful Eurydice, Touched by the fierce tooth of a venomous snake Fell to the ground, dead; dismayed and sorrowful, And turning his eyes to heaven, He played these verses to the sound of his lyre:
Aria: Crude stelle, ò m’uccidete Ò pietose mi rendete La mia cara Euridice. Dite voi superni Numi Se con questi mesti lumi Di mirarla Orfeo più lice.
Aria: Cruel stars, either kill me Or, mercifully, return to me My darling Eurydice. Tell me, O you gods divine, If with these sad eyes Orfeo shall be allowed to see her again.
Recitativo: Ah, che son sordi i Dei, Nè ascoltano le stelle i pianti miei. Ah, ch’in van mi lamento S’altri ch’il rio non ode, E le fiere selvaggie, e sassi, e’l vento.
Recitativo: Ah, the gods are deaf, Nor do the stars hear my weeping; Ah, I lament in vain If none but the river hears me, Or the wild beasts, the rocks, and the wind.
Adagio: Pianga il rio al pianto mio Piangan’ meco in queste selve Le più crude irate belve,
Adagio: The river weeps at my weeping; In the wilderness the most cruel, angry beasts Weep with me,
Lacrimate mesti e lassi, Duri sassi, E tù pur, pietoso vento, Accompagna il mio lamento E dite: “Orfeo infelice, È morta la tua cara Euridice.”
They cry, sad and spent; You harsh rocks, And you too, pitying wind, Accompany my lament, And say: “Unhappy Orfeo, Your dear Eurydice is dead”.
Adagio: È morta la mia cara Euridice, E quanto giusto per sua morte è il pianto È inutil altrettanto. Andrò nel basso Averno L’involerò di grembo à Pluto istesso, Che forse tanto fia À questa Cetra mia Dal ciel permesso. E se fia che mercè di questa Cetra Torni Euridice all’ Etra Sarà il mio canto vezzoso Tanto che torneranno Al primo lor’ contento Le fiere, i sassi, Il ruscelletto, e’l vento.
Adagio: My darling Eurydice is dead, And however justified by her death is my weeping, It is useless nonetheless. I shall go to deepest Avernus; I shall steal her from the lap of Pluto himself; For perhaps such will be The permission Heaven grants this lyre; And if it should happen that by the grace of this lyre, Eurydice is returned to the light, My song shall be so delightful That the beasts, The rocks, The stream, and the wind Shall return to their happy state. (translation: Ellen Hargis)
Aspettate! adesso canto Aspettate! adesso canto, Ecco che suona, e intanto, Ditemi, come la desiderate, La volete d’amore, di sdegno, Di martello, di partenza In rimprovero, in honore, O tutta quanta di maledicenza? Concitata, patetica, soave? Sopra qual chiave: Di ge sol re ut? Di ce sol fa ut? Io canterei, ma non vi dichiarate;
Aspettate! adesso canto Wait! I’m singing now, And here, he’s playing, so Tell me, what do you want? Do you want it about love, scorn, Jealousy, breaking up, Reproach, honor, Or something completely scandalous? Agitated, melancholy, or sweet? In what key? In the key of G? In the key of C? I’d sing, but you aren’t telling me what –
Aspettate! aspettate! Se volete ch’una stanza Sia con trilli e passeggiate, E l’altra su’l cromatico aggiustata, Habbia diesis e bemolli in abbondanza, Chi poi facc’in consonanza E le settime e le quarte... Ma, voltiamo un po’ le carte: Trovarete canzoni regalate.
Wait! wait! If you want one verse With trills and fast notes, And another set chromatically With lots of sharps and flats, And then suspensions Of sevenths and fourths... But, let’s leaf through the pages a bit: You’ll find something suitable.
Aspettate! adesso canto. Ecco che suona, e intanto, Ditemi, di chi la desiderate: Di quel uom cotanto raro Che d’un re portava il nome? O di chi nel suo cognome In superlativo è caro? Io ne studio più d’un paro E qui tutte ve le mostro, Ma bramando il gusto vostro Vorrei sentirvi dir:
Wait! I’m singing now. And here, he’s playing, and meanwhile, Tell me, who do you want it by: By that man so unrivaled That he bore a king’s name? [Louis/Luigi Rossi] Or by him whose surname Is the superlative of “caro”? [Carissimi] I’m looking over quite a few of them, And I’ll show them all to you, But as I want to suit your taste I’d like to hear you say:
“Questa, questa cantate!” Aspettate! fermatevi, ascoltate! “E per voi dovrà penare Un amante che v’adora: Occhi belli e fia ch’io mora Mentre la colpa sua solo è d’amare: Deh, lacrime amare! Per ammollir quel core indarno uscite” .
“That one! Sing that one!” Wait! stop, listen! “And an adoring lover Must suffer for you, Fair eyes, and let me die, Whose only fault is loving: Alas, bitter tears! To soften that heart you flow in vain”.
Ma piano; sentite: Lasciamo andar di grazia Le canzoni amorose; Tutta la gente è sazia D’ascoltar queste cose; Non s’à dunque da sentire Altro mai che: “Pupillette”, “A morir, core, a morire.” E su tante barzellette “Filli”, “Lilla”, “luci belle, Occhi vi chiamerei, ma siete stelle”; Roba così molesta Ch’ha fatta al mondo omai tanto di testa.
But just a minute, listen: Let’s forget about these Love songs; Everybody’s sick Of listening to that stuff. There’s nothing to it but “Little eyes”, “To die, my heart, to die.” And other such rubbish as “Phyllis”, “Lilla”, “Fair orbs, Eyes I would call thee, but stars thou art.” Stuff so irritating That the world is fed up with it by now.
Ma qui voi me direte: “Eh, cominciate!” Aspettate! aspettate: L’ho ritrovata affè. Oh, questa è nuova; Veri proverbi son: “Chi cerca trova”. La vuò cantar, Se ben non fa per me; L’ho ritrovata affè.
But now you tell me “So begin already!” Wait! wait! I’ve found it for sure. Oh, this is a new one; As the saying goes “Seek and ye shall find”. I’ll sing it, Even though I didn’t write it; I’ve found it for sure.
Non si può resister più! Tutti cercano parole, Ogni femina ne vuole, Perchè tutti van dietro alla virtù. Non si può resister più!
No one can resist any longer! Everybody’s looking for lyrics, Every woman wants them, Because everyone chases after talent. No one can resist any longer!
Dame, monache, zitelle, Spose, vedove, cassate, Donne pubbliche, private, Principesse e damigelle: Io non dico queste o quelle: Basta sol che tante e tante Voglion roba stravagante E non sanno cantar lanturlulu. Non si può resister più!
Ladies, nuns, old maids, Wives, widows, female relatives, Public women, kept women, Princesses and young ladies: I won’t say which ones, Suffice it to say that so many of them Want fancy stuff to sing And they can’t carry a tune in a paper bag. No one can resist any longer!
Chi domanda canzonette E chi vuol recitativi; Chi morali, chi lascivi, E chi pien di barzelette, Ad ogn’un se ne promette Che son versi e non cecchini, Che se fossero quattrini Nemmen ci basteria tutto il Perù: Non si può resister piu!
One asks for ditties, And another wants recitatives; One moral songs, and another dirty ones, And one only little silly numbers; You must assure everyone That these are just songs, not gold pieces, And if they were coins, Even all Perù couldn’t supply as many: No one can resist any longer!
Oggi nasce una canzone E domani è bella vecchia, Onde poi l’altra apparecchia Il poeta che compone. O che poca discrezione! Se due volte è sentita Dicon subito ch’è trita Che buona un tempo veramente fu. Non si può resister più!
A song is born today And tomorrow it’s passé, So the poet Composes new ones. Oh, what poor judgment! If something is heard twice, They immediately say it’s old-fashioned, Even if they used to think it quite good. No one can resist any longer!
Quanti fondan le speranze Su l’amor della signora, Se qualch’uno gli lavora L’estriviglio e un par di stanze. Ne qui cessano l’istanze Che ne voglion sin le putte E ne voglion perche tutte Più d’ascoltator le mette su. Non si può resister più!
How many get their hopes up, Thinking they’ll win a woman’s love If somebody makes up A refrain and a couple of verses? And it doesn’t stop there; Even the whores want them, And they all want them because More than one listener puts them up to it. No one can resist and longer!
S’ode ognor per i rioni Dir: “do, re, mi, fa, sol, la”. Gira pur di qua e di la, Dapertutto son canzoni. Questo avvien per chi fa doni, Voglion correr la lor lancia E son tanti che la Francia Sto per dir che non ha tanti monsù. Non si può resister più!
One constantly hears in the streets “Do, re, mi, fa, sol, la”. Just walk around; There are songs everywhere. That’s what happens when they’re given out, They want their works to circulate, And there are so many that I have to say That France hasn’t as many Monsieurs. No one can resist any longer!
Vi sarà qualche figliola Che non sa dire “mamma” o “tata” E pur vedesi applicata A ridir la solfa in scuola. Or col maestro sola sola Va spargendo le battute Perche stima gran virtute Cantar fin che l’è notte in su e in giù. Non si può resister più!
Take some young girl, Who can’t yet say “mama” or “nanny”, And there she is Practicing her scales in school. Now, all alone with the teacher She goes beating out the rhythms, Because it’s considered a great virtue To be able warble up and down, day and night. No one can resist any longer!
Con tante ciarle e tante Credea farvi partire, Ma non movendo voi punto le piante Mi risolvo di dire Che se non intendeste Quell’ “aspettate” che sentito avete, Io vi vuò dichiarar la cifra mia: “Aspettate” vuol dire “andate via!”
With all this blather, I hoped to make you leave, But, since you’re not making tracks, I guess I’ll have to explain In case you didn’t understand. That word “wait” that you heard, I shall translate for you: “Wait” means “Scram!” (translation: Hargis/Malafronte after Burrows)