The English Translation of Amor Ch'Attendi.
Love, What Are You Waiting For?
Love, what are you waiting for?
Love, what are you doing?
Come on! why don't you take
your arrows now at last?
Love, revenge!
Love, hit with your darts
that haughty heart
that disdains your kingdom.
O pomp, o glory,
o proud booty,
what a noble victory
if Love hurts her;
Love, dare!
Love, hurt her!
Love, and hear
what praises you will receive.
Mighty Love,
gentle Love,
people will say
"eventually she did burn with the fire of love,
that cruel woman
who, eager for moans
and tears,
scorns her lovers."
That arrogant heart
now is languishing and sighing,
that sharp face
now moves to pity.
Those cruel eyes,
turned to two rivers,
do now pour out
tears of love.
If she once cruel and wicked
denied mercy
now, humble and pious,
she asks for it.
O fire, o arrow,
noble, immmortal,
what will escape you
if you set on fire the ice?
From the high heaven,
Jupiter throws thunderbolts,
Apollo, the bowman of Delos,
rains darts,
but let the golden arrow
be adorned with laurel,
for it exceeds
any other in power.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
English Version: Love, What Are You Waiting For?
Saturday, May 23, 2009
AMOR CH'ATTENDI [Italian]
Amor Ch'Attendi is an extremely popular song from Caccini's collection of songs: Le Nuove Musiche.
Amor Ch'Attendi
[In Italian]
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/99/CACCINI_Amor_che_attendi.mid
Below is the Piano interpretation played by me. I have made a video using pictures of cupid as Amor Ch'Attendi is about love and its different aspects.
Amor Ch'Attendi
[In Italian]
Amor ch'attendi,Below is the Church Organ interpretation of Amor Ch'Attendi
Amor che fai?
Su, che non prendi
Gli strali omai;
Amor vendetta,
Amor saetta
Quel cor ch'altero
Sdegna 'l tuo impero.
Ò pompa, ò gloria,
Ò spoglie altere,
Nobil vittoria
S'Amor la fere;
Amor ardisci,
Amor ferisci,
Amor et odi
Qual havrai lodi.
Amor possente
Amor cortese
Dirà la gente
Pur arse e prese
Quella crudele,
Che, di querele
Vaga, e di pianti,
Schernia gli amanti.
Quel cor superbo
Langue e sospira,
Quel viso acerbo
Pietate spira.
Fatti duoi fiumi
Quei crudi lumi,
Pur versan fore
Pianto d'amore.
Se cruda e ria
Negò mercede,
Humile e pia
Mercede hor chiede.
Ò face, ò strale,
Alta immortale,
Che fia che scampi
S'il ghiaccio avvampi.
Dall'alto cielo
Fulmina Giove,
L'Arcier di Delo
Saette piove,
Ma lo stral d'oro
S'orni d'alloro
Che di possanza
Ogni altro avanza.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/99/CACCINI_Amor_che_attendi.mid
Below is the Piano interpretation played by me. I have made a video using pictures of cupid as Amor Ch'Attendi is about love and its different aspects.
The Works of Giulio Caccini
Caccini, one of the founders of the genre of opera, wrote 3 significantly influential operas himself. Euridice (1600), Il Rapimento de Celafo (1600) and the updated version of Euridice in 1602. Ironically, the first Euridice contained music by Peri, Caccini's main competitor. In addition to these 3 operas, Caccini wrote the music for one intermedio (Io che dal ciel cader farei la luna, 1589) and published two collections of songs and madrigals, both titled Le Nuove Musiche, in 1602 and 1624 respectively. I have included two versions of the popular song "Amor Ch'Attendi" from Le Nuove Musiche in my Blog. One of these versions is a Church organ interpretation of the piece and the other is the piano accompaniment played by me. Most of Caccini's madrigals are through-composed and contain a minimal amount of repetition. No music for multiple voices composed by Caccini survives, although the records from Florence indicate he was involved with polychoral music around 1610. Despite this brief involvement with polychoral music, Caccini was predominantly a composer of solo song. This was his strength and it is in this field that he accquired his immense fame.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Giulio Caccini
Giulio Caccini (8 October 1551 - 10 December 1618) was an Italian musical polymath of the very late Renaissance and early Baroque musical periods. He was a composer, teacher, singer, instrumentalist and writer, to name a few. Furthermore, he is renowned as one the founders of the genre of opera.
During his early years Caccini studied the lute, the viol and the harp in Rome whilst acquiring the reputation as a singer. Luck struck Caccini when his unmatchable talent was recognized by Francesco de Medici of the powerful Medici family. Francesco was so impressed with the young Caccini's talent he took him to Florence for further study. By 1579, Caccini was singing at the Medici court. He was a tenor and was able to accompany himself on the viol or archlute; he sang at various entertainments, including weddings and affairs of state and took part in the intermedi of the time. The intermedi was the extravagant dramatic, musical and visual spectables which is now considered the ancestor of Opera.
Additionally, Caccini was one of the many who became greatly influenced by the introduction of the Renaissance; the revival of classical ideas and the exploration of the new. He took part in the movement of humanists, writers, musicians and scholars of the ancient world who formed the Florentine Camerata, a group of people dedicated to recovering the glory of ancient Greek dramatic music. With Caccini's diverse musical abilities he added to the mix of intellects and talents while being a major asset to the group with the Medici's on his side. Through the mix of diverse talents within the Florentine Camerata the group was able to develop the concept of monody - an emotionally affective solo vocal line, accompanied by relatively simple chordal harmony on one or more instruments. The introduction of monody was a revolutionary departure from the polyphonic practice of the late Renaissance thus indicating the transition period between the late Renaissance and early Baroque.
Giulio Caccini's Character:
Giulio Caccini was often less than honourable. He was a astute man, determined to get what he wanted. He was frequently motivated by jealousy and envy, not only in his professional life but also in his advancement in favour with the Medici. On one occasion he informed the Grand Duke Francesco de Medici of the illict affair between Pietro de Medici's wife Eleonora and Bernadino Antinori. Furthermore, his rivalry with both Emilio de' Cavalieri and Jacopo Peri seems to have been intense. Using his influential status with the Medici's Caccini may have been the one who arranged for Cavalier to be removed as the director for the wedding between Henry IV of France and Maria de Medici in 1600. He also seems to have rushed his own opera "Euridice" into print before Perio's opera on the same subject could be published.
During his early years Caccini studied the lute, the viol and the harp in Rome whilst acquiring the reputation as a singer. Luck struck Caccini when his unmatchable talent was recognized by Francesco de Medici of the powerful Medici family. Francesco was so impressed with the young Caccini's talent he took him to Florence for further study. By 1579, Caccini was singing at the Medici court. He was a tenor and was able to accompany himself on the viol or archlute; he sang at various entertainments, including weddings and affairs of state and took part in the intermedi of the time. The intermedi was the extravagant dramatic, musical and visual spectables which is now considered the ancestor of Opera.
Additionally, Caccini was one of the many who became greatly influenced by the introduction of the Renaissance; the revival of classical ideas and the exploration of the new. He took part in the movement of humanists, writers, musicians and scholars of the ancient world who formed the Florentine Camerata, a group of people dedicated to recovering the glory of ancient Greek dramatic music. With Caccini's diverse musical abilities he added to the mix of intellects and talents while being a major asset to the group with the Medici's on his side. Through the mix of diverse talents within the Florentine Camerata the group was able to develop the concept of monody - an emotionally affective solo vocal line, accompanied by relatively simple chordal harmony on one or more instruments. The introduction of monody was a revolutionary departure from the polyphonic practice of the late Renaissance thus indicating the transition period between the late Renaissance and early Baroque.
Giulio Caccini's Character:
Giulio Caccini was often less than honourable. He was a astute man, determined to get what he wanted. He was frequently motivated by jealousy and envy, not only in his professional life but also in his advancement in favour with the Medici. On one occasion he informed the Grand Duke Francesco de Medici of the illict affair between Pietro de Medici's wife Eleonora and Bernadino Antinori. Furthermore, his rivalry with both Emilio de' Cavalieri and Jacopo Peri seems to have been intense. Using his influential status with the Medici's Caccini may have been the one who arranged for Cavalier to be removed as the director for the wedding between Henry IV of France and Maria de Medici in 1600. He also seems to have rushed his own opera "Euridice" into print before Perio's opera on the same subject could be published.
Despite Caccini's ambitions that often got in the way of his social skills, he was an astute and brilliant man partly responsible for the transition from the Renaissance period to the Baroque. His diverse musical abilities, role in the Florentine Camerata and introduction of the concept of Monody made him a key figure in Renaissance music.
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