"''Oh mia bèla Madunina''" (
Classical Milanese orthography: ' ; "Oh my beautiful little
Madonna
Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...
" in
Milanese) is a song by
Giovanni D'Anzi which is an unofficial city anthem of
Milan.
The title refers to the golden statue of the
Virgin Mary on the spire of
Milan Cathedral
Milan Cathedral ( it, Duomo di Milano ; lmo, Domm de Milan ), or Metropolitan Cathedral-Basilica of the Nativity of Saint Mary ( it, Basilica cattedrale metropolitana di Santa Maria Nascente, links=no), is the cathedral church of Milan, Lombard ...
visible all over the city, namely the
Madonnina (''Madunina'' in the Milanese dialect).
The song was written and composed in 1934 by the Milan songwriter
Giovanni D'Anzi (1906–1974). In the 1930s, many immigrants from the
Mezzogiorno, especially from the region of
Naples, came to Milan bringing with them their famous
Neapolitan songs such as "
’O sole mio
"O sole mio" () is a well-known Neapolitan song written in 1898. Its Neapolitan language lyrics were written by Giovanni Capurro and the music was composed by Eduardo di Capua (1865–1917) and Alfredo Mazzucchi (1878–1972).. The title tra ...
". D'Anzi thus decided to create a musical answer from Milan. The song became a hit in the city almost immediately, and in 1938 it topped the Italian hit parade.
Musically, "Oh mia bela Madunina" has similarities to
American ballads of the time.
The lyrics give some praise to Neapolitan music but add that Milan also deserves a mention; they address the Madonna under whose domination Milan is vibrant with life and always busy. The lyrics end with an offer to shake hands because it is a small world, after all, but the closing verse ''ma Milan, l'è on gran Milan!'' ("but Milan is a great Milan!") reaffirms the Milanese pride. It is often sung by
AC Milan and
Inter Milan fans during the matches, in particular during the ''
Derby della Madonnina''.
References
Sources
* Giovanni D'Anzi, ''Le canzoni milanesi'', Curci, Milano 1961
{{Authority control
1934 songs
Culture in Milan
Italian songs
Lombard language