Lyr Add: Musica Proibita / Forbidden Song

Subject: Lyr Add: Musica Proibita
From: chico
Date: 12 Sep 05 - 12:08 AM

  (G Am Dm7 D#° G,  7,  E7 Am Cm G D7 (repeat Eb7), Gm Eb7 D)
  
  D7    G       C           D7  G
  Ogni sera di sotto al mio balcone                         Underneath my balcony every evening
            Em         A7     D7
  Sento cantar una canzon d'amore                                I hear a love-song,
       G        C         D7    G
  Più volte la ripete un bel garzone                        Repeated several times by a handsome boy
                C  G           C G
  E battere mi sento forte il cuore,                        And it makes my heart beat faster
              A7              D (7) (G7?)
  E batere mi sento forte il cor
  
      D7        G     G+         Am
  Oh, quanto è dolce quella melodia                        O how sweet is that melody!
              D7                  Em G
  Oh, come è bella, quanto m'e gradita                        O how pretty, how I love to hear it!
            B         F#7           B
  Ch'io la canti non vuol la mamma mia                        My mother will not let me sing it,
            Eb     Bb7            Eb
  Vorrei saper perchè me l'hà proibita?                        I don't know why she would forbid me,
   7        Ab    B7           Eb        
  Ella non c'è ed io la vò cantar                                Now that she is out I am going to sing
      A°            Eb         Bb7 Eb (Em A7 G7)
  La frase che m'hà fatto palpitare:                        The song that I found so exciting.
  
             C                   Dm
  Vorrei bacciar i tuoi capelli neri                        I'd like to kiss your raven hair
             G7    E7                C
  Le labbra tue e gli occhi tuopi severi                        Your lips and your solemn eyes;
              
  Vorrei morir con te algel di Dio,                        I would want to die with you, O heavenly angel,
  Oh, bella innamorata, tesor mio,                        My beautiful beloved, precious jewel.        
  Qui sotto il vidi ieri a passeggiare                        Yesterday I saw him walking by,
  E lo sentiva al solito cantar:                                And heard him sing as he always does:
  
  Vorrei bacciar i tuoi capelli neri
  Le labbra tue e gli occhi tuoi severi,
                C#°    A7        
  Stringimi, o cara, stringimi al mio                        Clasp me, darling, clasp me to your heart,
  Dm    Fm        C        G7          C
  Cuore fammi provar l'ebbrezza dell'amor                        Let me feel the ecstasy of love!
  
  
  [Gastaldon, canta original Gino Bechi]

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Musica Proibita
From: chico
Date: 12 Sep 05 - 12:55 PM

Nobody comments on my stuff anymore. This is one of the most "Beautiful-Haunting" songs ever written

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Musica Proibita
From: chico
Date: 12 Sep 05 - 01:48 PM

  Last verse unabridged version
  
             G                   Am
  Vorrei bacchiar i tuoi capelli neri                        I'd like to kiss your raven hair
             D7      (B7)           G
  Le labbra tue e gli occhi tuopi severi                        Your lips and your solemn eyes;
                Ab°    E7         Am            
  Vorrei morir con te algel di Dio,                        I would want to die with you, O heavenly angel,
       (Cm)       G      D7    G                        
  Oh, bella innamorata, tesor mio,                        My beautiful beloved, precious jewel.
                C     D           G
  Qui sotto il vidi ieri a passeggiare                        Yesterday I saw him walking by,
           Bm      A        D7
  E lo sentiva al solito cantar:                                And heard him sing as he always does:
  
  Vorrei bacciar i tuoi capelli neri
  Le labbra tue e gli occhi tuoi severi, 
  Stringimi, o cara, stringimi al mio                        Clasp me, darling, clasp me to your heart, 
  Cuore fammi provar l'ebbrezza dell'amor                        Let me feel the ecstasy of love!
  
  [Gastaldon, canta original Gino Bechi]
  

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Musica Proibita
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 12 Sep 05 - 02:50 PM

Perhaps more noticed than you would guess from the response. Copies go to a middle-aged son who is learning guitar. I am sure others copy for themselves, relatives or friends.

Compare "Musica Proibita" with the American "O Promise Me." I found this note at the "Parlor Songs" site:

"Oh Promise Me," music Reginald De Koven, Lyrics by Clement Scott.
Song written in 1889 and added to the light opera "Robin Hood" as an expediency. "Supposedly De Koven borrowed the tune from an Italian piece titled "Musica Proibita." The reason the tune was added was because the contralto [Jesse Bartlet Davis] playing Alan-a-Dale needed a song that would properly display her voice.
"According to the story, she threatened to walk out on the performance and De Koven grabbed a copy of "Oh Promise Me" and gave it to her saving the day and the opera and as a result, the song became an immediate hit."

Midi and Scorch format at the website.
Parlor Songs

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Musica Proibita
From: MMario
Date: 12 Sep 05 - 02:57 PM

chico - Love the stuff your posting - unfortunately - as you post chords and lyrics but not a melody I have no way of knowing what they sound like - unless it is a song I already know. in whihc case I probably wouldn't comment about it.

But many people look at stuff here and don't comment on it.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Musica Proibita
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 12 Sep 05 - 04:01 PM

In 1884, G. Schirmer, NY, published sheet music, "Fobidden Music (Musica Proibita)," the abbreviated form, with both Gastaldon's Italian, and English words by Charlotte E, Coursen. The English version given by Chico is closer to the original Italian than the Coursen lyrics.
Copy at American Memory.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Musica Proibita
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 13 Sep 05 - 11:29 PM

The Library of Congress American Memory Collection has 2 copies of THE FORBIDDEN SONG (MUSICA PROIBITA)

This version has music by S. Gastaldon and English words by Charlotte H. Coursen, 1884.

This version has music by S. Gastaldon and English words by Laura M. Underwood, 1885.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Musica Proibita / Forbidden Song
From: GUEST,pietro
Date: 01 Jan 07 - 03:50 PM

hi chico,
   i have been listening to this song since i was a small child(1953)and my favourite version is gigli's. enrico caruso did it before him and i must confess, i don' t know of gino becchi. you have the words right except for a few:

                     vorrei baciar i tuoi capelli neri
                     le labbra tue e gli occhi tuoi severi
                     vorrei morir con te angel di dio
                     o bella innamorata, tesor mio.
                     Qui sotto il vidi ieri a passeggiare
                     e lo sentivo al solito cantar:

and at the very end the words are:
                     
                     stringimi, o cara, stringimi al tuo
                     cuore, fammi ecc.

and you are right, it is one of the most beautiful/haunting songs ever written. that' s what i told luciano pavarotti in person in 1978 at a time when he was sing only operatic pieces.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Musica Proibita / Forbidden Song
From: GUEST,squibit
Date: 30 Jan 11 - 03:48 PM

Thank you all for your help, especially you Chico.

I believe there are performances on YouTube-seem to remember listening to Domingo, perhaps on public TV. There has been some discussion of his "masculizing" the lyrics out of concern that the audience might not be aware of the convention of a male singer voicing the thoughts of a woman. In agreement with your comments he
made note(no pun) of the beautiful melody.