Today in history

(Cliccate qua per la versione italiana di questo post.)

Milano, S. Maria presso S. Celso (photo by L. Ciampa, 12 August 2011)

August 15 is Ferragosto, a popular holiday instituted by Emperor Augustus in the year 18 B.C. (the Feriae Augusti, or, “Augustus's Vacation”).  It coincides with the Catholic feast of the Assumption of Mary and with the Orthodox feast of the Dormition of Mary.

Two years ago I was in Milan during the Ferragosto. The city was empty. Empty. I had to play a concert the evening of August 14 in this abandoned city. I had little hope for a large audience. They arranged 300 chairs and printed 300 programs. 400 people came!

August 15 is the anniversary of the death of a rather interesting Southern Italian.   Niccolò Piccinni (not the composer) was born in Castelsaraceno, a little town in the province of Potenza (Basilicata).  He lived in Naples, where he died on 15 August 1768.  He was a judge, but he was also a talented poet. He wrote poems in Italian, Latin, and Neapolitan. One of his poems was admired by Charles III. (During Piccinni's lifetime, prior to becoming King of Spain, Charles was King of the Two Sicilies.)

Such a capable poet should have written more poetry, a fact that even Piccinni himself regretted.

Chillo io, che grolia aggio d’avè mbrogliato

Sempe na Vicaria, mbroglià doveva

Certo primmo lo Boja ch’è chiammato

La justizia mperzona, e lo faceva.

Lo lodo io mo pe non esserle sgrato

Ca ncuollo e mane soje non me metteva

Eppure fetenno io d’essere acciso

Avria avuto pe isso a esse mpiso.