Palomma 'e notte

Grandissimo, questo! Grandissima poesia dal grandissimo poeta Salvatore Di Giacomo (1860-1934), musicata nel 1906 dal grandissimo compositore Francesco Buongiovanni (1872-1940), interpretata dal grandissimo tenore napoletano, Gabriele Vanorio (1922-1969).  Nato coincidentemente sul primo anniversario della morte di Enrico Caruso, Vanorio fu nella sua epoca uno degli interpreti più importanti della canzone napoletana. Morì di un fulmineo tumore al cervello, all’età di 47.

Such greatness! A great poem by the great Neapolitan poet Salvatore Di Giacomo (1860-1934), set to music in 1906 by the great composer Francesco Buongiovanni (1872-1940), interpreted by the very great Neapolitan tenor, Gabriele Vanorio (1922-1969). Coincidentally born on the one-year anniversary of the death of Enrico Caruso, Vanorio was in his day one of the most important interpreters of the Neapolitan song. He died of a rapidly growing brain tumor at age 47.

NAPULITAN’ Tiene mente ’sta palomma, Comme ggira, comm’avota, Comme torna ’n’ata vota ’Sta ceroggena a tentà! Palummè, chist’è ’nu lume, Nun è rosa o giesummino, E tu a fforza ccà vvicino Te vuò mettere a vulà! Vattenn’ ’a lloco! Vattenne, pazzarella! Va’, palummella, e torna, E torna a ’st’aria Accussì fresca e bella! ’O bbì ca i’ pure Mm’abbaglio chianu chiano, E ca mm’abbrucio ’a mano Pe’ te ne vulè caccià? Carulì, pe’ ’nu capriccio, Tu vuò fà scuntento a ’n’ato E po’, quanno ll’hê lassato, Tu addu ’n’ato vuò vulà. Troppe core staje strignenno Cu ’sti mmane piccerelle; Ma fernisce ca ’sti scelle Pure tu te può abbrucià. Vattenn’ ’a lloco! Vattenne, pazzarella! Va’, palummella, e torna, E torna a ’st’aria Accussì fresca e bella! ’O bbì ca i’ pure Mm’abbaglio chianu chiano, E ca mm’abbrucio ’a mano Pe’ te ne vulè caccià? Torna, va’, palomma ’e notte, Dint’a ll’ombra addò sì nata! Torna a ’st’aria ’mbarzamata Ca te sape cunzulà! Dint’ ’o scuro e pe’ me sulo ’Sta cannela arde e se struje, Ma c’ardesse a tutt’ ’e dduje, Nun ’o ppozzo suppurtà! Vattenn’ ’a lloco! Vattenne, pazzarella! Va’, palummella, e torna, E torna a ’st’aria Accussì fresca e bella! ’O bbì ca i’ pure Mm’abbaglio chianu chiano, E ca mm’abbrucio ’a mano Pe’ te ne vulè caccià?

ITALIANO Guarda questa farfalla, Come gira, come svolazza, Come torna un'altra volta A tentare questa candela! Farfallina, questo è un lume, Non è rosa o gelsomino, E tu per forza qua vicino Ti vuoi mettere a volare! Vattene da là! Vattene, pazza! Va', farfallina, e torna, E torna a quest'aria Così fresca e bella! Lo vedi che anch'io Mi abbaglio piano piano E che mi brucio la mano Per volerti cacciare via? Carolina, per un capriccio, Tu vuoi fare scontento un altro E poi, quando l'hai lasciato, Tu, da un altro, vuoi volare. Troppi cuori stai stringendo Con queste tue mani piccole, Ma finisce che queste ali Anche tu ti puoi bruciare. Vattene da là! Vattene, pazza! Va', farfallina, e torna, E torna a quest'aria Così fresca e bella! Lo vedi che anch'io Mi abbaglio piano piano E che mi brucio la mano Per volerti cacciare via? Torna, va', farfalla di notte, Nell'ombra dove sei nata! Torna a quest'aria imbalsamata Che ti sa consolare! Nel buio e solo per me Questa candela arde e si strugge, Ma che arda tutti e due, Non lo posso sopportare! Vattene da là! Vattene, pazza! Va', farfallina, e torna, E torna a quest'aria Così fresca e bella! Lo vedi che anch'io Mi abbaglio piano piano E che mi brucio la mano Per volerti cacciare via? Traduzione italiana di Natalia Cernega (napule-de-canzone.com)

ENGLISH Look at this butterly, How it whirls, how it flits, How it comes back again To tempt this candle! Butterfly, this is a lamp, It's not a rose or jasmine, And you at any cost Want to fly nearer to it! Fly away from here! Fly away, crazy butterfly! Fly, butterfly, and return, And return to the air So fresh and beautiful! Do you see that I also Make a mistake And that I burn my hand, Trying to chase you away? Caroline, on a whim, You want to make another person unhappy, And then, when you leave him, You want to fly away to an other. Too many hearts you are squeezing In your little hands, But in the end, you might also burn your wings. Fly away from here! Fly away, crazy butterfly! Fly, butterfly, and return, And return to the air So fresh and beautiful! Do you see that I also Make a mistake And that I burn my hand, Trying to chase you away? Return, fly, butterfly of the night, To the shadow where you were born! Return to the balmy air That can console you! In the dark only for me This candle burns and melts, But let it burn to both of us Because alone I can't bear it! Fly away from here! Fly away, crazy butterfly! Fly, butterfly, and return, And return to the air So fresh and beautiful! Do you see that I also Made a mistake And that I burnt my hand, Trying to chase you away? English translation by Leonardo Ciampa

Foto: crazycompany.it

BUON 125o COMPLEANNO, BENIAMINO GIGLI!

Buon 125o compleanno, Maestro Gigli! Ed ecco due modi di festeggiarlo. Primo: comprate subito il libro GIGLI (in lingua inglese). Secondo: guardate questo video YouTube di due scene de La Traviata (opera che Gigli non incise nella sua interezza). Viene dal film tedesco, Ave Maria (1936), con soprano Erna Berger.

Buon 125o compleanno, Maestro Gigli! And here are two ways to celebrate it. First: buy the book GIGLI immediately!  Second: watch this YouTube video of two scenes from La Traviata (an opera that Gigli didn't record in its entirety).  It comes from the German film, Ave Maria (1936), with soprano Erna Berger.

What is real and true

A response to A PRIEST’S CONVERSION – “I GET IT NOW!” by Fr. Richard Heilman
http://www.romancatholicman.com/a-priests-conversion-i-get-it-now/

By pure chance I came across a blog post by a priest named Fr. Richard Heilman. I was struck by his candor and astonished by the many things that he said that were true – and equally astonished by a few things he said that were categorically untrue.

Fr. Heilman began by recounting the numerous strangers – the pest control guy, the checkout guy at a convenience store, a couple of guys at a party – whom he invited to drop by his church sometime. And they did. This all occurred within the last week.

I admit it: I felt a tinge of joy reading about Fr. Heilman’s evangelistic successes.

Something is happening in the Church and in the world today. And, I know something is happening with me. I can’t recall many times (any?) in my priesthood that I would unabashedly – with great confidence and joy – invite people on the street to these amazing sacraments. 

Personal invitation is the only way to build an organization without dumbing down. If you rely on advertising, you need a gimmick – something catchy, cheapening, and at least partially untrue. If instead you invite someone, the invited decides to come. The inviter doesn’t have to lower the quality of the product – the invited has already decided to give it a try.

Fr. Heilman continued:

I had spent a great portion of my priesthood buying into the notion that, if we create all kinds of trendy “programs” and socials, while we kept our liturgy as cheery and entertaining as possible, people would hear about how “cool” and “fun” and “with the times” we were, and come running. We may have “held our own” with numbers in the pew, but I also noticed the average age was continuing to rise, and – where were all the men? I could see that, while this trendy approach had short-term results, the future was looking unsustainable. It didn’t make sense. I was led to believe that “hip” and “trendy” appealed to the youth. And, we believed men didn’t go for all that ceremonial stuff – “Johnny Six-pack” likes it “real” like the rest of the world.

Naturally, I have been saying these things for decades, as have most of my colleagues. But to hear a priest say it was powerful. If the Millennials are interested in one thing, they’re interested in what is real and true.

However, it is on this very point that Fr. Heilman started to go astray.

First, the Internet was invented (thanks, Al Gore?). With the advent of the Internet, we began immersing ourselves in truth. Prior to this, we took the word of the so-called “experts” – those who specialized in such things as liturgy. These experts would give us directions and we would follow, never suspecting there may be more to understanding the deeper truths of the liturgy. Now, with so much information at our fingertips, we were becoming experts ourselves, overnight.

Unintentionally, Fr. Heilman touched upon an important fact: Millennials are educated, they can read, they have Internet access, and for those reasons, they will not, and should not, accept any old Medieval malarky that happens to emanate from the pulpit.

But Fr. Heilman continues:

With truth in hand, we were shocked and appalled to discover that, up to that point, we were receiving information through a liberal/modernist/progressive (pick one) filter. Essential facts were being left out or twisted to perpetuate this modern liberal agenda. There was an emphasis on what they wanted us to know, and a de-emphasis of things they did not want us to know. The fortunate and hopeful reality of our times is that “truth” is like a poison for the whole liberal movement. Many, especially the young who are more Internet savvy, are not buying what the liberals are selling any longer. This is one of the reasons why, I believe, our older generation remains indoctrinated in the liberal agenda – they are simply not using the Internet to the degree in which young people are today. And, I believe, this is one of the main reasons seminarians today tend to be more traditional. The liberal professors have a much more difficult time convincing them to follow their false agenda any longer.

What? In what diocese are the older congregants liberal? The Diocese of Fantasyland?  The vast majority of Catholics that I know are what I call “automatic Republicans” – they vote Republican because of The One Issue. I agree that abortion is a serious matter. However, for all its preoccupation with what happens before you’re born and after you’ve died, the Church often fails people who are still alive. The other reason most Catholics vote Republican is because conservativism does not conserve people – it conserves institutions. If gay marriage is OK, that shakes the foundations of Catholic teaching. Unfortunately for the institution, Jesus would say that homosexuals are real, living human beings, as are African-Americans, divorcees, and so forth. Rather than rush to strengthen those human beings, conservative churches rush to strengthen the teetering institution.

Frankly, I’m surprised that so many Italians practice Catholicism. Italians above anyone else appreciate the importance and significance of breaking bread together. How can a church hold up a banner that says, “ALL ARE WELCOME”? A truthful banner would include the footnote, “You can’t eat the meal with us, but you’re welcome.”

Fr. Heilman was fully within the borders of Fantasyland with his fictional description of the “liberal filter.” I almost laughed out loud. Any attempt to compare liberal secrecy with conservative secrecy cannot be serious. “What melting glaciers? I didn’t see any melting glaciers.” The GOP doesn’t lack a filter; they lack a thermometer. Now, would you like to talk about the secrecy of the Roman Catholic Church? I didn’t think so.

But as the topic turned toward liturgy, I started to feel a twinge of joy again.

The light of faith in our Church was rapidly dimming, and the way to restore its blaze once again was by, first, restoring the liturgy: “It is in the treatment of the liturgy that the fate of the Faith and of the Church is decided” (Pope Benedict XVI). Pope Benedict’s legacy was in trying to recover the sense of transcendence and beauty of the liturgy.  

I wanted to cheer when Fr. Heilman said,

We’ve come to understand that when the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is celebrated with due reverence, honor and beauty, it opens our hearts to receive the magnificent power and majesty of God. It is the spark that, quite literally, changes a person. 

In my long career, I have never seen a shred of evidence to support the theory (which, thankfully, Fr. Heilman doesn’t hold) that beautiful liturgy in itself drives parishioners away, and “lighter” liturgy in itself attracts parishioners. I personally have worked in churches with beautiful liturgy yet many young people in the pews, and churches with guitars and drums yet very few young people in the pews. I’ve seen it many times, and in each case the difference was not the liturgy – it was the pastor.

In one respect, my perspective is clearer than that of most clerics. I have worked for virtually every major denomination, thus I can often see what each church has to offer, or “has going for it” so to speak. More than any other denomination, Catholicism captures the mystery. The stained glass, incense, and (in a few churches) reverent music enhance a worship service filled with readings and dogma which, frankly, don’t always make sense. There is little in the Creed that corcords with the laws of science. That’s a hard sell for college-educated Millennials who just incurred $200,000 in debt so that they could learn the laws of science. Now they’re expected to believe in a God who says, “I gave you a brain. Now, I require you to believe things that make no sense.”

According to Fr. Heilman,

Young people ... are looking for true, deep, intellectually robust spirituality, and they weren’t finding it until now.

The Millennials are looking for something – in particular, those with young children, whom they hope will grow up with “some sort of church experience.” According to Fr. Heilman, what they’re looking for is an encounter with the Divine; Someone who transcends them; Someone who is big enough, large enough, great enough to take care of them and lead them into an amazing new life. Alas, I don’t think that’s what most young people are looking for at all. After years of listening to the litany of grown ups’ lies, they seek what is real and true. They buy fresh coffee beans, not Sanka. They buy artisan breads, not Sunbeam. They buy Italian extra-virgin olive oil, not Wesson. They’re tired of the big companies poisoning the environment.  And yes, they are more fascinated by the pipe organ than by electronic substitutes. As for 60s-style guitar-strumming: if even I, born in 1971, am too young to remember that music, why would someone born in 1995 long to hear it?

Fr. Heilman concluded:

Now, I could look that pest control guy and Kwik Trip dude in the eye and say, “I know what you are looking for, man … Come Home!! We have it here!!”

Assuming, of course, that those guys are heterosexual and have never been divorced.

Buon compleanno, Enrico Caruso!!!

Buon compleanno al più grande tenore della storia. Perché era il più grande? Questo ne è un buon esempio. Qua, un’aria che generazioni di tenori hanno gridato, Caruso la canta, con legato perfetto, senza sforzarsi, e infonde il canto con anche più emozione dei gridatori. Evviva Caruso!

Happy birthday to the greatest tenor in history.  Why was he the greatest? This is a good example. Here, an aria that generations of tenors have screamed, Caruso sings it, with perfect legato, without forcing, and he infuses the singing with even more emotion than the screamers. Long live Caruso!

No! Pagliaccio non son; se il viso è pallido, è di vergogna, e smania di vendetta! L'uom riprende i suoi dritti, e'l cor che sanguina vuol sangue a lavar l'onta, o maledetta! No, Pagliaccio non son! Son quei che stolido ti raccolse orfanella in su la via quasi morta di fame, e un nome offriati, ed un amor ch'era febbre e follia! Sperai, tanto il delirio accecato m'aveva, se non amor, pietà... mercè! Ed ogni sacrifizio al cor lieto, imponeva, e fidente credeva più che in Dio stesso, in te! Ma il vizio alberga sol ne l'alma tua negletta; tu viscere non hai... sol legge e'l senso a te! Va, non merti il mio duol, o meretrice abbietta, vo' ne lo sprezzo mio schiacciarti sotto i piè!!

No! I am not Pagliaccio; If my face is pale, It’s from shame, and lust for revenge! This man is taking back his rights, This bleeding heart wants blood To wash away the shame, o cursed woman! No, I am not Pagliaccio! I am the idiot Who picked this little orphan off the street Almost dead from hunger, And gave you a name, And a love that was feverish and mad! I had hoped, I had been blinded by this delirium, If not love, pity... mercy! And my heart was glad for every sacrifice required, And confidently believed In you, more than God Himself! But only vice lives in your neglected soul; you have no feeling... only feeling for yourself! Go away, you’re not worth my grief, Wretched harlot, You have my contempt Just to crush you under my feet!!

Il trionfo dell'uovo / The triumph of the egg

Foto: Leonardo Ciampa.

Io non sono di certo uno degli estremisti americani con una sfiducia intensa e completa del governo. (Purtroppo, ce ne sono milioni qui.) Comunque, per quanto riguarda l’alimentazione, devo dire che io effettivamente ho una sfiducia totale del governo, dell’American Heart Association, e di ogni grande organizzazione americana. Sono cresciuto negli anni 1970, quando il burro è stato sostituito dalla margarina, lo zucchero dalla saccarina, lo strutto dal grasso vegetale ... Tutti gli alimenti di base sono stati sostituiti dalle sostanze chimiche – e ci hanno detto che questo fosse SANO! Oggi la guerra continua. Uno dei più grandi nemici è il pane. Da millenni la gente ha mangiato il pane e non è morta. (“Dacci oggi il nostro pane quotidiano.”) Adesso il pane è letale. Cosa è cambiata? Oggi, praticamente ogni coltivatore di grano in America utilizza Roundup (prodotto da Monsanto) nel suo raccolto. Adesso abbiamo una popolazione che secondo i medici abbia le “allergie al glutine”, ma secondo il buonsenso abbia le allergie al Roundup. Un altro nemico fin dagli anni ’70 è il latte non scremato. Com’è che la crema fosse nociva per noi, ma gli ormoni della crescita bovina (prodotti da Monsanto) non fossero nocivi? Un altro grande nemico delle nostre arterie (così hanno detto): le uova. La battaglia era completa: ogni alimento base della dieta umana – uova, pane, latte, burro, lardo – era stato attaccato con successo. Comunque, c’è una buona notizia! Il 10 febbraio, il Washington Post ha riferito che il DGAC, il comitato consultivo per le linee guida dietetiche, sta per cancellare i suoi avvertimenti contro gli alimenti con colesterolo come le uova, i gamberetti, e il manzo, a causa di prove crescenti che il colesterolo alimentare, lungi dal compromettere la nostra salute, sia in realtà un nutriente importante e vantaggioso. Forse ancora più interessante è stato un articolo apparso quattro giorni dopo nel New York Times. Emma Morano, 115 anni (nata il 29 novembre 1899), è la persona più anziana d’Europa e la quinta persona più anziana del mondo. Il suo segreto? Consuma tre uova crude al giorno per circa 100 anni.

I am certainly not one of the American extremists with an intense and comprehensive distrust of the government.  (Unfortunately, there are millions of them here.)  However, with regard to nutrition, I will say that I do indeed have a complete mistrust of the government, the American Heart Association, and with every major American organization. I grew up in the 1970s, when butter was replaced by margarine, sugar was replaced by saccharine, lard was replaced by vegetable shortening ... All of the basic foods were replaced by chemical substances – and we were told that this was HEALTHY! Today the war continues.  One of the biggest foes is bread.  For millennia people ate bread and didn't die.  ("Give us this day our daily bread.")  Now bread is lethal.  What changed?  Today, virtually every wheat farmer in America uses Roundup (manufactured by Monsanto) on his or her crop.  Now you have a population who according to the doctors have a "gluten allergy", but according to common sense have a Roundup allergy. Another enemy since the 70s is non-skim milk. How is it that cream was bad for us, but bovine growth hormones (produced by Monsanto) were not? Another great foe of our arteries (so they said): eggs. The battle was complete: every basic staple of the human diet – eggs, bread, milk, butter, lard – had been successfully attacked. However, there is some good news!  On February 10, the Washington Post reported that the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) is going to discontinue its warnings against cholesterol-laden foods like eggs, shrimp, and beef, due to mounting evidence that dietary cholesterol, far from compromising our health, is actually an important and beneficial nutrient. Perhaps even more compelling was an article that appeared four days later in the New York Times.  Emma Morano, age 115 (born November 29, 1899), is the oldest person in Europe and the fifth oldest person in the world.  Her secret?  She has consumed three raw eggs per day for about 100 years.

Emma Morano, age 115. (Photo: Alessandro Grassani, for the New York Times)
Photo © 2015 The New York Times Company

Il bacio / The kiss

Foto: Leonardo Ciampa.

Interpretazione strepitosa de Il Bacio della Dame Joan Sutherland (1960).
Sensational performance of Il Bacio (The Kiss) by Dame Joan Sutherland (1960).


IL BACIO
Musica di Luigi Arditi (1822-1903)
Parole di Gottardo Aldighieri (1824-1906)

Sulle labbra se potessi dolce un bacio ti darei.  Tutte ti direi le dolcezze dell’amor.  Sempre assisa te d’appresso,  mille gaudii ti direi,  Ah! ti direi.  Ed i palpiti udirei  che rispondono al mio cor.  Gemme e perle non desio,  non son vaga d’altro affetto.  Un tuo sguardo è il mio diletto,  un tuo bacio è il mio tesor.  Ah! Vieni! ah vien! più non tardare!  a me!  Ah vien! nell’ebbrezza d’un amplesso  ch’io viva!  Ah!

If I could only give you a sweet kiss on your lips, I would tell you about all the sweetnesses of love. Seated near you always, I would tell you about a thousand joys! Ah! That's what I would tell you about. And I would hear my palpitations that respond to my heart. Gems and pearls I desire not, nor do I seek others' affections. One glance from you is my delight, one kiss from you is my treasure. Ah! Come! Do not delay! Ah! Come! May I live in the intoxication of one of your embraces! Ah! English translation: Leonardo Ciampa

La saggezza & lo spirito napoletani! / The Neapolitan wisdom & spirit!