Canzone napoletana (), sometimes referred to as Neapolitan song ( nap, canzona napulitana ), is a generic term for a traditional form of music sung in the

Neapolitan language , altname = , states = Italy , region = Abruzzo, Apulia, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Lazio, Marche, Molise , ethnicity = ''Mezzogiorno'' Ethnic Italians , speakers = 5.7 million , date ...

, ordinarily for the male voice singing solo, although well represented by female soloists as well, and expressed in familiar genres such as the love song and

serenade In music, a serenade (; also sometimes called a serenata, from the Italian) is a musical composition or performance delivered in honor of someone or something. Serenades are typically calm, light pieces of music. The term comes from the Itali ...

. Many of the songs are about the nostalgic longing for Naples as it once was. The genre consists of a large body of composed popular music—such songs as " ’O sole mio"; " Torna a Surriento"; "

Funiculì, Funiculà "Funiculì, Funiculà" (, en, "Funicular Up, Funicular Down") is a Neapolitan song composed in 1880 by Luigi Denza to lyrics by Peppino Turco. It was written to commemorate the opening of the first funicular railway on Mount Vesuvius. It was p ...

"; " Santa Lucia" and others. The Neapolitan song became a formal institution in the 1830s due to an annual song-writing competition for the Festival of Piedigrotta, dedicated to the Madonna of Piedigrotta, a well-known church in the Mergellina area of Naples. The winner of the first festival was a song entitled "Te voglio bene assaie"; it is traditionally attributed to the prominent opera composer

Gaetano Donizetti Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti (29 November 1797 – 8 April 1848) was an Italian composer, best known for his almost 70 operas. Along with Gioachino Rossini and Vincenzo Bellini, he was a leading composer of the '' bel canto'' opera style ...

, although an article published in 1984 by Marcello Sorce Keller shows there is no historical evidence in support of the attribution. The festival ran regularly until 1950, when it was abandoned. A subsequent Festival of Neapolitan Song on Italian state radio enjoyed some success in the 1950s but was eventually abandoned as well. The period since 1950 has produced such songs as " Malafemmena" by

Totò Antonio Griffo Focas Flavio Angelo Ducas Comneno Porfirogenito Gagliardi de Curtis di Bisanzio (15 February 1898 – 15 April 1967), best known by his stage name Totò (), or simply as Antonio de Curtis, and nicknamed ''il Principe della risata ...

, "" by Renato Carosone, "Indifferentemente" by Mario Trevi and "Carmela" by

Sergio Bruni Sergio Bruni (stage name of Guglielmo Chianese, 15 September 1921 – 22 June 2003) was a popular Italian singer, guitarist, and songwriter. He was often called "The Voice of Naples". He was born in the commune of Villaricca, near Naples, Italy ...

. Although separated by some decades from the earlier classics of this genre, they have now become Neapolitan "classics" in their own right.

History

Many of the Neapolitan songs are world-famous because they were taken abroad by

emigrants Emigration is the act of leaving a resident country or place of residence with the intent to settle elsewhere (to permanently leave a country). Conversely, immigration describes the movement of people into one country from another (to permanentl ...

from Naples and southern Italy, roughly between 1880 and 1920. The music also was popularized abroad by performers such as

Enrico Caruso Enrico Caruso (, , ; 25 February 1873 – 2 August 1921) was an Italian operatic first lyrical tenor then dramatic tenor. He sang to great acclaim at the major opera houses of Europe and the Americas, appearing in a wide variety of roles (74) ...

, who took to singing the popular music of his native city as encores at the

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is opera ...

in New York in the early 1900s. Caruso also recorded many of these songs, which subsequently became part of the standard repertoire for operatic tenors, and which were performed and recorded by such notable singers as

Beniamino Gigli Beniamino Gigli ( , ; 20 March 1890 – 30 November 1957) was an Italian opera singer (lyric tenor). He is widely regarded as one of the greatest tenors of his generation. Early life Gigli was born in Recanati, in the Marche, the son of a shoem ...

, Francesco Albanese,

Franco Corelli Franco Corelli (8 April 1921 – 29 October 2003) was an Italian tenor who had a major international opera career between 1951 and 1976. Associated in particular with the spinto and dramatic tenor roles of the Italian repertory, he was cel ...

, Mario Del Monaco, Giuseppe Di Stefano, and Tito Schipa.

The Three Tenors The Three Tenors were an operatic singing trio, active during the 1990s and early 2000s, and termed as a supergroup (a title normally reserved for rock and pop groups) consisting of Italian Luciano Pavarotti and Spaniards Plácido Domingo and ...

also performed popular songs from Naples.

Plácido Domingo José Plácido Domingo Embil (born 21 January 1941) is a Spanish opera singer, conductor, and arts administrator. He has recorded over a hundred complete operas and is well known for his versatility, regularly performing in Italian, French ...

recorded a full CD '' Italia ti amo'' of traditional and some more modern Neapolitan and Italian songs.

Luciano Pavarotti Luciano Pavarotti (, , ; 12 October 19356 September 2007) was an Italian operatic tenor who during the late part of his career crossed over into popular music, eventually becoming one of the most acclaimed tenors of all time. He made numero ...

recorded three albums of Neapolitan and Italian songs: ''The Best: Disc 2'', (2005), ''Pavarotti Songbook'', (1991), and '' Romantica'', (2002). Mario Lanza recorded an acclaimed selection of 12 Neapolitan songs on his 1959 album, '' Mario! Lanza At His Best''. Opera/pop crossover tenor,

Sergio Franchi Sergio Franchi (born Sergio Franci Galli; April 6, 1926 – May 1, 1990) was an Italian-American tenor and actor who enjoyed success in the United States and internationally after gaining notice in Britain in the early 1960s. In 1962, RCA Vict ...

recorded his very popular ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...

'' Top 25 RCA debut album, ''Romantic Italian Songs'' in 1962, and continued to record Neapolitan songs on most of his albums throughout his career.

Andrea Bocelli Andrea Bocelli (; born 22 September 1958) is an Italian tenor and multi-instrumentalist. He was born visually impaired, with congenital glaucoma, and at the age of 12, Bocelli became completely blind, following a brain hemorrhage resulting fro ...

recorded an album in 2009 dedicated to the style, entitled ''

Incanto ''Incanto'' is the twelfth studio album by Classical Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, released on 4 November 2008 and coinciding with his 50th birthday. The album, a personal tribute to the musical traditions of his homeland, features mainly Neapo ...

''. The most important native Neapolitan performers of Neapolitan songs in the last few decades include

Roberto Murolo Roberto Murolo (19 January 1912 – 13 March 2003) was an Italian musician. Career Born in Naples, Italy as the son of poet Ernesto Murolo and Lia Cavalli, Murolo showed a began singing and playing the guitar as a child. Murolo won the Ital ...

Bruno Venturini Bruno Venturini (; 26 September 1911 – 7 March 1991) was an Italian footballer who played as a goalkeeper, and who competed with Italy in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. Career Born in Carrara, Venturini began playing football as a goalke ...

, Mario Trevi, Mario Abbate, Mario Merola, Giulietta Sacco, Franco Ricci,

, Renato Carosone, and Mario Maglione. Murolo is known not only as a singer and guitarist, but also as a composer, scholar and collector of the music; his collection of twelve LPs, released in the 1960s, is an annotated compendium of Neapolitan song dating back to the twelfth century. Representatives of different veins, but nevertheless leading the continuing tradition of song in Neapolitan, are the jazz-rock singer-songwriter Pino Daniele and the folkloric group

Nuova Compagnia di Canto Popolare The Nuova Compagnia di Canto Popolare (literally "New Company of Folk Song"), also known by the acronym NCCP, is an Italian folk group, founded in Naples in 1969. History The musical project was founded by musicians Eugenio Bennato, Carlo D’A ...

. :it:Nuova Compagnia di Canto Popolare An important factor in defining what makes a Neapolitan song is the matter of language. All these songs are written and performed in the

. Although the music is sung by many non-Neapolitan singers, it is difficult to sing correctly without knowledge of the Neapolitan dialect, which is crucial in obtaining the correct inflection. The matter of dialect has not prevented a few non-Neapolitans from writing dialect versions of Neapolitan songs. The most famous examples of this are '' ’A vucchella'' by Gabriele D'Annunzio and '' Tu sì 'na cosa grande'' by

Domenico Modugno Domenico Modugno (; 9 January 1928 – 6 August 1994) was an Italian singer, actor and, later in life, a member of the Italian Parliament. He is known for his 1958 international hit song " Nel blu dipinto di blu", for which he received Grammy ...

List of songs

* 'A vucchella * Accarezzame * Canzone amalfitana * Caruso * C'è la luna mezz'o mare *

Cerasella ''Cerasella'' is a 1959 Italian teen comedy film directed by Raffaello Matarazzo. It is loosely inspired by the lyrics of the song " Cerasella". Cast *Claudia Mori: Cerasella * Mario Girotti: Bruno * Luigi De Filippo: Alfredo * Alessandra P ...

* Comme facette mammeta *

Core 'ngrato "Core 'ngrato" (; "Ungrateful Heart"), also known by the first words "Catarì, Catarì" (short and dialectal form for ''Caterina'', a female first name), is a 1911 Neapolitan song by emigrant American composer Salvatore Cardillo with lyrics by ...

* Cu 'mmé * Dicitencello vuje * Era de maggio * Fenesta vascia *

Guaglione "Guaglione" is a Neapolitan song with music by Giuseppe Fanciulli and words by Nicola "Nisa" Salerno. This original version of the song was the winning song at the IV Festival di Napoli which was broadcast on radio in 1956. ''Guaglione'' () is Ne ...

*' I te vurria vasa' * Indifferentemente * Lacreme napulitane * Lazzarella * Luna caprese * Luna rossa * Malafemmena * Mamma mia che vo sapé * Mare verde * Marechiare * Marenariello * María, Marí * Munasterio 'e Santa Chiara * Na' sera e' maggio * 'O marenariello * 'O paese d'o Sole * 'O sarracino * 'O sole mio *

'O surdato 'nnammurato ''O surdato 'nnammurato'' (; in English: "The Soldier in Love") is a famous song written in the Neapolitan language. The song is used as the anthem of S.S.C. Napoli. The words were written by Aniello Califano and the music composed by Enrico Cann ...

* Passione * Pecché? * Reginella * Rose rosse * Santa Lucia * Santa Lucia Luntana *

Tiempe belle "Tiempe belle" is a Neapolitan song written by Vincenzo Valente in 1916; the words are by Aniello Califano Aniello Califano (19 January 1870 in Sorrento – 20 February 1919 in Sant'Egidio del Monte Albino) was an Italian poet and writer. ...

* Torna a Surriento * Tu Vuò Fà L'Americano * Voce ′e notte

Noted figures

Recording artists

* Mario Abbate * Francesco Albanese *

Renzo Arbore Lorenzo Giovanni "Renzo" Arbore (; born 24 June 1937) is an Italian television host, singer, actor and film director. Career Arbore became nationally recognized as radio anchor man, together with Gianni Boncompagni, in the late 1960s, with ...

* Renato Carosone *

* Nino D'Angelo * Gigi D'Alessio * Gabriele D'Annunzio * Pino Daniele * Mario Del Monaco * Giuseppe Di Stefano * Elvira Donnarumma *

Aurelio Fierro Aurelio Fierro (13 September 1923 – 11 March 2005) was a successful Italian actor and singer who specialized in songs in the Neapolitan dialect. Career He was born in Montella, in the Province of Avellino, Italy. His singing career bega ...

* Gigi Finizio *

* Natale Galletta *

* Mario Lanza * Angela Luce * Mario Maglione *

Mia Martini Mia Martini (; born Domenica Rita Adriana Bertè ; 20 September 1947 – 12 May 1995) was an Italian singer, songwriter and musician.James Christopher MongerMia Martini allmusic.comJoe Masiello * Mario Merola * Gilda Mignonette *

* Tullio Pane * Maria Paris * Gennaro Pasquariello *

Massimo Ranieri Massimo Ranieri (born Giovanni Calone on 3 May 1951) is an Italian singer, actor, television presenter and director. Biography Early life Ranieri was born in Naples ( at Santa Lucia), the fifth of eight children in the family. When he was 10, y ...

Giacomo Rondinella Giacomo Rondinella (30 August 1923 – 25 February 2015) was an Italian singer and actor. Life and career Born in Messina, the son of a couple of Neapolitan actors and singers, Rondinella started his career as a singer after World War II, follo ...

* Jimmy Roselli * Giulietta Sacco *

Lina Sastri Pasqualina "Lina" Sastri is an Italian actress and singer. Life and career Born in Naples, Lina Sastri started acting in amateur dramatics at very young age. She made her professional debut with the theatrical company Teatro Libero, and had her ...

* Tito Schipa *

* Mario Trevi *

Roberto Alagna Roberto Alagna (; born 7 June 1963) is a French operatic tenor. He obtained French citizenship in 1981, while also retaining his previous Italian citizenship. Early years Alagna was born in Clichy-sous-Bois, outside the city of Paris, in 1963 t ...

Composers

* Pasquale Mario Costa * Pino Daniele *

Ernesto De Curtis Ernesto De Curtis (4 October 1875 – 31 December 1937) was an Italian composer.Luigi Denza Luigi Denza (24 February 1846 – 27 January 1922) was an Italian composer. Career Denza was born at Castellammare di Stabia, near Naples. He studied music with Saverio Mercadante and Paolo Serrao at the Naples Conservatory. In 1884, he moved t ...

* Peppino di Capri * Eduardo di Capua * Enzo Gragnaniello *

E. A. Mario Giovanni Gaeta (1884 – 24 June 1961) was the real name of the Italy, Italian poet, writer and musician better known as E. A. Mario. He took the ''E'' of his assumed name from the initial letter of the pseudonym Ermes under which he wrote for ...

* Salvatore Mazzocco * Emanuele Nutile * Raffaele Sacco *

Francesco Paolo Tosti Sir Francesco Paolo Tosti KCVO (9 April 1846, Ortona, Abruzzo2 December 1916, Rome) was an Italian composer and music teacher. Life Francesco Paolo Tosti received most of his music education in his native Ortona, Italy, as well as the co ...

References

Bibliography

* Marcello Sorce Keller, “Continuing Opera with Other Means: Opera, Neapolitan Song, and Popular Music among Italian Immigrants Overseas”, ''Forum Italicum'', Vol. XLIX(2015), No 3, 1- 20.

External links

List of texts of several Neapolitan songsSheet music for 30 Neapolitan Songs
* * {{Naples Italian folk music Italian popular music