Nel cor più non mi sento
Encyclopedia
"Nel cor più non mi sento" (Why feels my heart so dormant) is a soprano
aria
from act 2 in Giovanni Paisiello
's 1788 opera L'amor contrastato, ossia La molinara, usually known as La molinara.
This aria was immortalized by Beethoven
who composed six variations in G major for piano, WoO 70, in 1795. Other composers who wrote variations based on Paisiello's work include Johann Nepomuk Hummel
, Giovanni Bottesini
(for double bass
), Johann Baptist Vanhal
, and notably, Paganini
("Introduction and variations in G major" for violin, Op. 38, MS
44, 1827).
; it is bracketed by a short introduction and a postlude. A typical performance last for about 1:20 minutes. It is written in the time signature
of 6/8 and the key signature
of F major
. The vocal range
covers the interval
of an octave
plus a minor third
, from D4
to F5.
In concert performances of this aria, it is often performed with a complete da capo
where the interpreter applies ornaments
and embellishments during the repetition
.
, with orchestra, 1973 sung by Eglise Gutiérrez
, with piano accompaniment played by Wilhelm Kempff
in 1962 played by Julio Zoppi
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
aria
Aria
An aria in music was originally any expressive melody, usually, but not always, performed by a singer. The term is now used almost exclusively to describe a self-contained piece for one voice usually with orchestral accompaniment...
from act 2 in Giovanni Paisiello
Giovanni Paisiello
Giovanni Paisiello was an Italian composer of the Classical era.-Life:Paisiello was born at Taranto and educated by the Jesuits there. He became known for his beautiful singing voice and in 1754 was sent to the Conservatorio di S. Onofrio at Naples, where he studied under Francesco Durante, and...
's 1788 opera L'amor contrastato, ossia La molinara, usually known as La molinara.
This aria was immortalized by Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...
who composed six variations in G major for piano, WoO 70, in 1795. Other composers who wrote variations based on Paisiello's work include Johann Nepomuk Hummel
Johann Nepomuk Hummel
Johann Nepomuk Hummel or Jan Nepomuk Hummel was an Austrian composer and virtuoso pianist. His music reflects the transition from the Classical to the Romantic musical era.- Life :...
, Giovanni Bottesini
Giovanni Bottesini
Giovanni Bottesini was an Italian Romantic composer, conductor, and a double bass virtuoso.-Biography:Born in Crema, Lombardy, he was taught the rudiments of music by his father, an accomplished clarinetist and composer, at a young age and had played timpani in Crema with the Teatro Sociale before...
(for double bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
), Johann Baptist Vanhal
Johann Baptist Vanhal
Johann Baptist Vanhal also spelled Wanhal, Waṅhall or Wanhall was an important classical music composer born in Nechanice, Bohemia to a Czech family.- Biography :...
, and notably, Paganini
Niccolò Paganini
Niccolò Paganini was an Italian violinist, violist, guitarist, and composer. He was one of the most celebrated violin virtuosi of his time, and left his mark as one of the pillars of modern violin technique...
("Introduction and variations in G major" for violin, Op. 38, MS
Moretti and Sorrento
Moretti and Sorrento refers to a a thematic catalogue of the works of Niccolò Paganini. The catalogue was commissioned in 1982 by the city of Genoa in celebration of the bicentenary of Paganini's birth...
44, 1827).
Lyrics
brillar la gioventù; cagion del mio tormento, amor, sei colpa tu. Mi pizzichi, mi stuzzichi, mi pungichi, mi mastichi; che cosa è questo ahimè? Pietà, pietà, pietà! Amore è un certo che, che disperar mi fa. |
No fire of youth divine? Thou cause of all my torment, O Love, the fault is thine! He teases me, he pinches me, He squeezes me, he wrenches me; What tortures I must bear! Have done, have done, have done! Thou, Love, art surely one Will drive me to despair! |
Music
The aria, or rather arietta, is very short, 20 barsBar (music)
In musical notation, a bar is a segment of time defined by a given number of beats of a given duration. Typically, a piece consists of several bars of the same length, and in modern musical notation the number of beats in each bar is specified at the beginning of the score by the top number of a...
; it is bracketed by a short introduction and a postlude. A typical performance last for about 1:20 minutes. It is written in the time signature
Time signature
The time signature is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each measure and which note value constitutes one beat....
of 6/8 and the key signature
Key signature
In musical notation, a key signature is a series of sharp or flat symbols placed on the staff, designating notes that are to be consistently played one semitone higher or lower than the equivalent natural notes unless otherwise altered with an accidental...
of F major
F major
F major is a musical major scale based on F, consisting of the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature has one flat . It is by far the oldest key signature with an accidental, predating the others by hundreds of years...
. The vocal range
Vocal range
Vocal range is the measure of the breadth of pitches that a human voice can phonate. Although the study of vocal range has little practical application in terms of speech, it is a topic of study within linguistics, phonetics, and speech and language pathology, particularly in relation to the study...
covers the interval
Interval (music)
In music theory, an interval is a combination of two notes, or the ratio between their frequencies. Two-note combinations are also called dyads...
of an octave
Octave
In music, an octave is the interval between one musical pitch and another with half or double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been referred to as the "basic miracle of music", the use of which is "common in most musical systems"...
plus a minor third
Minor third
In classical music from Western culture, a third is a musical interval encompassing three staff positions , and the minor third is one of two commonly occurring thirds. The minor quality specification identifies it as being the smallest of the two: the minor third spans three semitones, the major...
, from D4
Scientific pitch notation
Scientific pitch notation is one of several methods that name the notes of the standard Western chromatic scale by combining a letter-name, accidentals, and a number identifying the pitch's octave...
to F5.
In concert performances of this aria, it is often performed with a complete da capo
Da capo
Da Capo is a musical term in Italian, meaning from the beginning . It is often abbreviated D.C. It is a composer or publisher's directive to repeat the previous part of music, often used to save space. In small pieces this might be the same thing as a repeat, but in larger works D.C...
where the interpreter applies ornaments
Ornament (music)
In music, ornaments or embellishments are musical flourishes that are not necessary to carry the overall line of the melody , but serve instead to decorate or "ornament" that line. Many ornaments are performed as "fast notes" around a central note...
and embellishments during the repetition
Repetition (music)
Repetition is important in music, where sounds or sequences are often repeated. One often stated idea is that repetition should be in balance with the initial statements and variations in a piece. It may be called restatement, such as the restatement of a theme...
.
External links
Interpretations sung by Renata TebaldiRenata Tebaldi
Renata Tebaldi was an Italian lirico-spinto soprano popular in the post-war period...
, with orchestra, 1973 sung by Eglise Gutiérrez
Eglise Gutiérrez
Eglise Gutiérrez is a Cuban-American coloratura soprano. She studied voice in Cuba, in Miami with Manny Perez, and at the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from which she graduated in 2004. She presently works with the voice teacher, William Schumann.In 2004 she won the Mirjam...
, with piano accompaniment played by Wilhelm Kempff
Wilhelm Kempff
Wilhelm Walter Friedrich Kempff was a German pianist and composer. Although his repertory included Bach, Liszt, Chopin, Schumann, and Brahms, Kempff was particularly well-known for his interpretations of the music of Ludwig van Beethoven and Franz Schubert, both of whose complete sonatas he also...
in 1962 played by Julio Zoppi