Canzone Napoletana
Encyclopedia
Canzone Napoletana, sometimes referred to as Neapolitan song, is a generic term for a traditional form of music sung in the Neapolitan language
, ordinarily for the male voice singing solo, although well-represented by female soloists as well, and expressed in familiar genres such as the lover's complaint or the serenade
. It consists of a large body of composed popular music—such songs as O Sole Mio; Torna a Surriento
; Funiculì, Funiculà
; Santa Lucia
and others.
The Neapolitan song became a formal institution in the 1830s due to an annual song-writing competition for the Festival of Piedigrotta
, dedicated to the Madonna of Piedigrotta, a well-known church in the Mergellina
area of Naples. The winner of the first festival was a song entitled Te voglio bene assaie; it is traditionally attributed to the prominent opera composer, Gaetano Donizetti
, although an article published in 1984 by Marcello Sorce Keller shows there is no historical evidence in support of the attribution. The festival ran regularly until 1950, when it was abandoned. A subsequent Festival of Neapolitan Song on Italian state radio enjoyed some success in the 1950s but was eventually abandoned as well.
The period since 1950 has produced such songs as Malafemmena by Totò
, Maruzzella by Renato Carosone
and Carmela by Sergio Bruni. Although separated by some decades from the earlier classics of this genre, they have now become Neapolitan "classics" in their own right.
from Naples and southern Italy roughly between 1880 and 1920. The music was also popularized abroad by performers such as Enrico Caruso, who took to singing the popular music of his native city as encores at the Metropolitan Opera
in New York in the early 1900s. Caruso is therefore responsible for the fact that operatic tenors since then have been required to know these songs. This has led to such recent phenomena as The Three Tenors
- three opera singers performing, at least in part, popular songs from Naples. Plácido Domingo
, has recorded a full CD Italia ti amo of traditional and some more modern Neapolitan and Italian songs. Luciano Pavarotti
recorded three albums of Neapolitan and Italian songs: The Best: Disc 2, (2005), Pavarotti Songbook, (1991), and Romantica
, (2002). Mario Lanza
recorded an acclaimed selection of 12 Neapolitan songs on his 1959 album, Mario! Lanza At His Best
. Opera/Pop crossover tenor, Sergio Franchi
recorded his very popular Billboard
Top 25 RCA debut album, Romantic Italian Songs in 1962, and continued to record Neapolitan songs on most of his albums throughout his career. Andrea Bocelli
recorded an album in 2009 dedicated to the style, entitled Incanto
.
The most important native Neapolitan performers of Neapolitan songs in the last few decades include Roberto Murolo, Sergio Bruni, who to Neopolitans is considered the greatest contemporary Neapolitan singer; he was also an outstanding guitarist and composer; Renato Carosone
and Mario Maglione. Murolo is known not only as a singer, but as a composer, scholar and collector of the music; his collection of twelve LP
s, released in the 1960s, is an annotated compendium of Neapolitan song dating back to the twelfth century and is the "Bible" for those interested in performing or simply learning more about the music. Representatives of different veins, but nevertheless leading the continuing tradition of song in Neapolitan are the jazz-rock singer-songwriter Pino Daniele
and the folkloric group Nuova Compagnia di Canto Popolare.
An important factor in defining what makes a Neapolitan song is the matter of language. All these songs are written and performed in the Neapolitan dialect
(Napulitano). The matter of dialect has not prevented a few non-Neapolitans from writing dialect versions of Neapolitan songs. The most famous example of this is "'A Vucchella" by Gabriele D'Annunzio
.
Neapolitan language
Neapolitan is the language of the city and region of Naples , and Campania. On October 14, 2008 a law by the Region of Campania stated that the Neapolitan language had to be protected....
, ordinarily for the male voice singing solo, although well-represented by female soloists as well, and expressed in familiar genres such as the lover's complaint or the serenade
Serenade
In music, a serenade is a musical composition, and/or performance, in someone's honor. Serenades are typically calm, light music.The word Serenade is derived from the Italian word sereno, which means calm....
. It consists of a large body of composed popular music—such songs as O Sole Mio; Torna a Surriento
Torna a Surriento
“Torna a Surriento” is a Neapolitan song said to have been composed in 1902 by Ernesto De Curtis to words by his brother, Giambattista. The song was copyrighted officially in 1905; it has since become wildly popular, and has been sung by performers as diverse as Beniamino Gigli, Elvis Presley,...
; Funiculì, Funiculà
Funiculì, Funiculà
"Funiculì, Funiculà" is a famous Neapolitan song written by Italian journalist Peppino Turco and set to music by Italian composer Luigi Denza in 1880. It was composed to commemorate the opening of the first funicular cable car on Mount Vesuvius. The 1880 cable car was later destroyed by the...
; Santa Lucia
Santa Lucia
Santa Lucia is a traditional Neapolitan song. It was transcribed by Teodoro Cottrau and published by the Cottrau firm, as a "barcarolla", at Naples in 1849. Cottrau translated it from Napuletano into Italian during the first stage of the Risorgimento, the first Neapolitan song to be given Italian...
and others.
The Neapolitan song became a formal institution in the 1830s due to an annual song-writing competition for the Festival of Piedigrotta
Piedigrotta
Piedigrotta Literally, "at the foot of the grotto". A section of the Mergellina quarter of Naples, Italy, so-called for the presence of the Church of the Madonna of Piedigrotta near the entrance to an ancient Roman tunnel...
, dedicated to the Madonna of Piedigrotta, a well-known church in the Mergellina
Mergellina
.Mergellina is a section of the city of Naples in the Campania region of Italy. It is at the west end of the seaside road, via Caracciolo, one mile away from the main port of Naples.-Overview:...
area of Naples. The winner of the first festival was a song entitled Te voglio bene assaie; it is traditionally attributed to the prominent opera composer, Gaetano Donizetti
Gaetano Donizetti
Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti was an Italian composer from Bergamo, Lombardy. His best-known works are the operas L'elisir d'amore , Lucia di Lammermoor , and Don Pasquale , all in Italian, and the French operas La favorite and La fille du régiment...
, although an article published in 1984 by Marcello Sorce Keller shows there is no historical evidence in support of the attribution. The festival ran regularly until 1950, when it was abandoned. A subsequent Festival of Neapolitan Song on Italian state radio enjoyed some success in the 1950s but was eventually abandoned as well.
The period since 1950 has produced such songs as Malafemmena by Totò
Totò
Prince Antonio Focas Flavio Angelo Ducas Comneno De Curtis di Bisanzio Gagliardi, best known by his stage name Totò and nicknamed il principe della risata was an Italian comedian, film and theatre actor, writer, singer and songwriter...
, Maruzzella by Renato Carosone
Renato Carosone
Renato Carosone , born Renato Carusone, was among the greatest figures of Italian music scene in the second half of the 20th century. He was also a modern performer of the so-called canzone napoletana, Naples' song tradition.-Beginnings:Carosone was born in Naples...
and Carmela by Sergio Bruni. Although separated by some decades from the earlier classics of this genre, they have now become Neapolitan "classics" in their own right.
History
Many of the Neapolitan songs are world-famous because they were taken abroad by emigrantsItalian diaspora
The term Italian diaspora refers to the large-scale migration of Italians away from Italy in the period roughly beginning with the unification of Italy in 1861 and ending with the Italian economic miracle in the 1960s...
from Naples and southern Italy roughly between 1880 and 1920. The music was also popularized abroad by performers such as Enrico Caruso, who took to singing the popular music of his native city as encores at the Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
in New York in the early 1900s. Caruso is therefore responsible for the fact that operatic tenors since then have been required to know these songs. This has led to such recent phenomena as The Three Tenors
The Three Tenors
The Three Tenors is a name given to the Spanish singers Plácido Domingo and José Carreras and the Italian singer Luciano Pavarotti who sang in concert under this banner during the 1990s and early 2000s. The trio began their collaboration with a performance at the ancient Baths of Caracalla, in...
- three opera singers performing, at least in part, popular songs from Naples. Plácido Domingo
Plácido Domingo
Plácido Domingo KBE , born José Plácido Domingo Embil, is a Spanish tenor and conductor known for his versatile and strong voice, possessing a ringing and dramatic tone throughout its range...
, has recorded a full CD Italia ti amo of traditional and some more modern Neapolitan and Italian songs. Luciano Pavarotti
Luciano Pavarotti
right|thumb|Luciano Pavarotti performing at the opening of the Constantine Palace in [[Strelna]], 31 May 2003. The concert was part of the celebrations for the 300th anniversary of [[St...
recorded three albums of Neapolitan and Italian songs: The Best: Disc 2, (2005), Pavarotti Songbook, (1991), and Romantica
Romantica
-Track listing:# "Lovedust" – 4:00# "Weird and Woozy" – 3:12# "Black Postcards" – 5:12# "Black Champagne" – 3:34# "Swedish Fish" – 2:54# "Renée Is Crying" – 3:13# "Mermaid Eyes" – 3:31...
, (2002). Mario Lanza
Mario Lanza
right|thumb|[[MGM]] still, circa 1949Mario Lanza was an American tenor and Hollywood movie star of the late 1940s and the 1950s. The son of Italian emigrants, he began studying to be a professional singer at the age of 16....
recorded an acclaimed selection of 12 Neapolitan songs on his 1959 album, Mario! Lanza At His Best
Mario! Lanza at His Best
Mario! Lanza At His Best is a CD released by BMG in 1995, and consists of two original albums recorded by tenor Mario Lanza. These are: the Neapolitan songs album Mario!, recorded in December 1958, and The Vagabond King, recorded in July 1959...
. Opera/Pop crossover tenor, Sergio Franchi
Sergio Franchi
Sergio Franchi was an Italian tenor.Franchi was born in Cremona, Italy. His father wanted him to become an electrical engineer, so he studied both music and engineering simultaneously. The family moved to South Africa in 1952, where Sergio worked part-time as a draftsman, while continuing to study...
recorded his very popular Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Top 25 RCA debut album, Romantic Italian Songs in 1962, and continued to record Neapolitan songs on most of his albums throughout his career. Andrea Bocelli
Andrea Bocelli
Andrea Bocelli, is an Italian tenor, multi-instrumentalist and classical crossover artist. Born with poor eyesight, he became blind at the age of twelve following a soccer accident....
recorded an album in 2009 dedicated to the style, entitled Incanto
Incanto
Incanto is the twelfth studio album by Classical Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, released November 4, 2008, coinciding with his 50th birthday. The album, a personal tribute to the musical traditions of his homeland, features mainly Neapolitan love songs from Bocelli's childhood.The two disc set also...
.
The most important native Neapolitan performers of Neapolitan songs in the last few decades include Roberto Murolo, Sergio Bruni, who to Neopolitans is considered the greatest contemporary Neapolitan singer; he was also an outstanding guitarist and composer; Renato Carosone
Renato Carosone
Renato Carosone , born Renato Carusone, was among the greatest figures of Italian music scene in the second half of the 20th century. He was also a modern performer of the so-called canzone napoletana, Naples' song tradition.-Beginnings:Carosone was born in Naples...
and Mario Maglione. Murolo is known not only as a singer, but as a composer, scholar and collector of the music; his collection of twelve LP
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
s, released in the 1960s, is an annotated compendium of Neapolitan song dating back to the twelfth century and is the "Bible" for those interested in performing or simply learning more about the music. Representatives of different veins, but nevertheless leading the continuing tradition of song in Neapolitan are the jazz-rock singer-songwriter Pino Daniele
Pino Daniele
Pino Daniele is an Italian vocalist, composer, and musician, whose influences cover a wide number of genres, fusing pop, blues, jazz, Italian and Middle eastern music into his own unique brand of world music.-Studio albums:...
and the folkloric group Nuova Compagnia di Canto Popolare.
An important factor in defining what makes a Neapolitan song is the matter of language. All these songs are written and performed in the Neapolitan dialect
Neapolitan language
Neapolitan is the language of the city and region of Naples , and Campania. On October 14, 2008 a law by the Region of Campania stated that the Neapolitan language had to be protected....
(Napulitano). The matter of dialect has not prevented a few non-Neapolitans from writing dialect versions of Neapolitan songs. The most famous example of this is "'A Vucchella" by Gabriele D'Annunzio
Gabriele D'Annunzio
Gabriele D'Annunzio or d'Annunzio was an Italian poet, journalist, novelist, and dramatist...
.
List of songs
- Canzone amalfitana
- Come faccette mammetta
- Dicitencello vuje
- Funiculì, FuniculàFuniculì, Funiculà"Funiculì, Funiculà" is a famous Neapolitan song written by Italian journalist Peppino Turco and set to music by Italian composer Luigi Denza in 1880. It was composed to commemorate the opening of the first funicular cable car on Mount Vesuvius. The 1880 cable car was later destroyed by the...
- Indifferentemente
- Lazarella
- Luna Caprese
- Luna rossa
- MalafemmenaMalafemmenaMalafemmena is a song written by the Neapolitan actor Antonio de Curtis in 1951. It has become one of the most popular Italian songs and has been recorded by many artists.-Background:...
- Mare verde
- María, Marí
- Na' sera e' maggio
- O MarenarielloO Marenariello"Marenariello" is a Neapolitan song written in 1893 by Gennaro Ottaviano and Salvatore Gambardella . It was adapted into the English language hit "I Have But One Heart" and was sung by Andrea Bocelli on his first classical album Viaggio Italiano released in 1997.-Text of the song:Oje né, fa'...
- 'O paese d'o sole
- 'O Sarracino
- 'O Sole Mio'O Sole Mio"O sole mio" is a globally known Neapolitan song written in 1898. The lyrics were written by Giovanni Capurro and the melody was composed by Eduardo di Capua. Though there are versions in other languages, "'O sole mio" is usually sung in the original Neapolitan language...
- 'O surdato 'nnammurato'O surdato 'nnammurato"'O Surdato 'Nnamurato" is one of the most famous songs ever written in the Neapolitan language. The song is generally regarded as the anthem of S.S.C. Napoli....
- Passione
- Reginella
- Rose rosse
- Santa LuciaSanta LuciaSanta Lucia is a traditional Neapolitan song. It was transcribed by Teodoro Cottrau and published by the Cottrau firm, as a "barcarolla", at Naples in 1849. Cottrau translated it from Napuletano into Italian during the first stage of the Risorgimento, the first Neapolitan song to be given Italian...
- Te voglio bene assaje
- Tiempe belleTiempe belle"Tiempe belle" is a Neapolitan song written by Vincenzo Valente in 1916; the words are by Aniello Califano. It is Valente's most famous composition....
- Torna a SurrientoTorna a Surriento“Torna a Surriento” is a Neapolitan song said to have been composed in 1902 by Ernesto De Curtis to words by his brother, Giambattista. The song was copyrighted officially in 1905; it has since become wildly popular, and has been sung by performers as diverse as Beniamino Gigli, Elvis Presley,...
- Voce e notte
Recording artists
- Sergio Bruni
- Renato CarosoneRenato CarosoneRenato Carosone , born Renato Carusone, was among the greatest figures of Italian music scene in the second half of the 20th century. He was also a modern performer of the so-called canzone napoletana, Naples' song tradition.-Beginnings:Carosone was born in Naples...
- Aurelio FierroAurelio FierroAurelio Fierro was a successful Italian actor and singer who specialized in songs in the Neapolitan dialect.-Career:...
- Tullio Pane
- Mario AbbateMario AbbateMario Abbate was an Italian singer, famous as an exponent of Neapolitan songs. In the 1950s and 1960s he appeared in three movies, one directed by Dino Risi, Operazione San Gennaro. He died at the age of 53.-External links:...
- Giulia Sacco
- Mario Maglione
- Roberto Murolo
- Giacomo Rondinella
- Angela LuceAngela LuceAngela Luce is an Italian film actress and singer of Neapolitan song. She has appeared in 80 films since 1958.She was born in Naples, Italy.-Selected filmography:* La seconda notte di nozze * L'amore molesto...
- Mario TreviMario TreviMario Trevi,stage name of Agostino Capozzi is an Italian singer, film actor and theater actor.-Biography:Mario Trevi was born in Melito di Napoli, Italy, November 2, 1941....
- Enrico Caruso
- Mario MerolaMario MerolaMario Merola was an Italian singer and actor, most prominently known for having rejuvenated the traditional popular Neapolitan melodrama known as the sceneggiata....
- Massimo RanieriMassimo RanieriMassimo Ranieri , is an Italian pop singer, film and stage actor.He was born in Naples , the fifth of eight children in the family. When he was 10, young Giovanni would sing at restaurants, wedding receptions, etc...
- Pino DanielePino DanielePino Daniele is an Italian vocalist, composer, and musician, whose influences cover a wide number of genres, fusing pop, blues, jazz, Italian and Middle eastern music into his own unique brand of world music.-Studio albums:...
- Gigi D'AlessioGigi d'AlessioLuigi "Gigi" D'Alessio is an Italian popular singer and Neapolitan singer-songwriter.-Career:D'Alessio was born in Naples. Well-known in Naples beginning in the early 1990s and throughout Italy due to participation in the Sanremo Festival in 2000 and 2001. He has also made overseas appearances,...
- Lina Sastri
Composers
- Pasquale Mario Costa
- Luigi DenzaLuigi DenzaLuigi Denza , was an Italian composer.Denza was born at Castellammare di Stabia, near Naples. He studied music under Saverio Mercadante and Paolo Serrao at the Naples Conservatory. Later, he moved to London and became a professor of singing at the Royal Academy of Music in 1898...
- Eduardo di CapuaEduardo di CapuaEduardo di Capua was an Italian singer and songwriter.-Biography:He was born in Naples in 1865. Together with the poet Giovanni Capurro, di Capua wrote the song "'O Sole Mio", which has since been recorded by many singers, both classical and popular...
- Ernesto De CurtisErnesto De CurtisErnesto De Curtis was an Italian composer.Born in Naples, the son of Giuseppe De Curtis and Elisabetta Minnon, he was a great-grandson of composer Saverio Mercadante and the brother of poet Giambattista De Curtis, with whom he wrote the song "Torna a Surriento"...
- E. A. Mario
- Emanuele NutileEmanuele NutileEmanuele Nutile was an Italian writer and composer of Neapolitan songs, remembered especially for "Mamma mia, che vo' sapè", a standard in the Neapolitan repertory that has been recorded by virtually every tenor since Enrico Caruso....
- Raffaele SaccoRaffaele SaccoRaffaele Sacco was an Italian optician Raffaele Sacco (August 14, 1787 - January 20, 1872) was an Italian optician Raffaele Sacco (August 14, 1787 - January 20, 1872) was an Italian optician (reputed inventor of the aletoscope ( an apparatus to verify the authenticity of stamps, wax seals, etc.)...
- Francesco Paolo TostiFrancesco Paolo TostiSir Paolo Tosti was an Italian, later British, composer and music teacher.-Life:Francesco Paolo Tosti received most of his music education in his native Ortona, Italy, as well as the conservatory in Naples. Tosti began his music education at the Royal College of San Pietro a Majella at the age of...