{"id":150,"date":"2009-06-18T14:18:34","date_gmt":"2009-06-18T18:18:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/italian\/?p=150"},"modified":"2009-06-18T14:18:34","modified_gmt":"2009-06-18T18:18:34","slug":"%e2%80%98o-sole-mio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/italian\/%e2%80%98o-sole-mio\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018O Sole Mio"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u2018O sole mio<\/strong>\u00a0 is without doubt the most well known Neapolitan (and probably Italian)\u00a0song in the world. The lyrics were written by the journalist Giovanni Capurro in 1898,\u00a0and the music was composed by his friend Eduardo di Capua, a professional posteggiatore<\/strong>, a Neapolitan word meaning someone who sings in restaurants and at parties. They then sold the song to the music publisher Bidieri for 25 lire! Bidieri presented the song\u00a0at the most important Neapolitan music festival, la festa di Piedigrotta<\/strong>. \u2018O sole mio <\/strong>didn\u2019t win but\u00a0took second place and the rest, as they say, is history.\u00a0Poor Capurro and Di Capua, however,\u00a0went on living in poverty.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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I chose this song not only because it\u2019s the most famous Neapolitan song in the world, but because in my posts I often mention Italian dialects, and I thought this might be a good\u00a0way to\u00a0illustrate some of\u00a0the differences between \u2018proper\u2019 Italian and dialetto<\/strong> (dialect). <\/span><\/p>\n

Firstly the original Neapolitan text :<\/span><\/p>\n

Che bella cosa na jurnata \u2018e sole, \/ <\/span><\/strong>n\u2019aria serena doppo na tempesta! \/ <\/span><\/strong>Pe\u2019 ll\u2019aria fresca pare gia\u2019 na festa. \/ <\/span><\/strong>Che bella cosa na jurnata \u2018e sole!<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Ma n\u2019atu sole \/ <\/span><\/strong>cchiu\u2019 bello oi ne\u2019. \/ \u2018<\/span><\/strong>O sole mio \/ <\/span><\/strong>sta \u2018nfronte a te! \/ ‘<\/span><\/strong>O sole, \u2018o sole mio \/ <\/span><\/strong>sta \u2018nfronte a te, \/ <\/span><\/strong>sta \u2018nfronte a te!<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lucene \u2018e llastre d\u2019a fenesta toia; \/ <\/span><\/strong>na lavannara canta e se ne vanta \/ <\/span><\/strong>e pe\u2019 tramente torce, spanne e canta \/ <\/span><\/strong>lucene \u2018e llastre d\u2019a fenesta toia.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Ma n\u2019atu sole \/ <\/span><\/strong>cchiu\u2019 bello, oi ne\u2019. \/ \u2018<\/span><\/strong>O sole mio \/ <\/span><\/strong>sta \u2018nfronte a te!<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Quanno fa notte e \u2018o sole se ne scenne, \/ <\/span><\/strong>me vene quase \u2018na malincunia; \/ <\/span><\/strong>sotto \u2018a fenesta toia restarria \/ <\/span><\/strong>quanno fa notte e \u2018o sole se ne scenne.<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ma n\u2019atu sole\u00a0 \/ <\/span><\/strong>cchiu\u2019 bello, oi ne\u2019. \/ \u2018<\/span><\/strong>O sole mio \/ <\/span><\/strong>sta \u2018nfronte a te!<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Now the Italian \u2018translation\u2019:<\/span><\/p>\n

Che bella cosa una giornata di sole, \/ un\u2019aria serena dopo la tempesta! \/ Per l\u2019aria fresca pare gia\u2019 una festa. \/ Che bella cosa una giornata di sole!<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Ma un\u2019altro sole \/ piu\u2019 bello non c\u2019e\u2019. \/ Il sole, il sole mio \/ sta in fronte a te, \/ sta in fronte a te!<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Luccicano i vetri della tua finestra; \/ una lavandaia canta e si vanta \/ mentre strizza, stende e canta \/ luccicano i vetri della tua finestra!<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Ma un altro sole \/ piu\u2019 bello non c\u2019e\u2019. \/ Il sole mio \/ sta in fronte a te!<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Quando fa notte e il sole se ne scende, \/ mi viene quasi una malinconia; \/ resterei sotto la tua finestra, quando fa notte e il sole se ne scende.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Ma un altro sole \/ piu\u2019 bello non c\u2019e\u2019. \/ Il sole mio \/ sta in fronte a te!<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Neapolitan is\u00a0just one of the many dialects spoken in Italy, but it is probably the most famous one due to the well known tradition of Canzone Napoletana<\/strong>, and to the many famous actors\u00a0who have made Neapolitan a popular dialect. Comparing the two texts above it\u2019s easy to see the similarities between the Italian language and Neapolitan dialect, e.g. you can see that na jurnata \u2018e <\/strong>is a dialectic transformation of una giornata di<\/strong>, and so on. Seeing the Neapolitan and the Italian texts side by side doesn\u2019t, however, really illustrate the true difference between spoken Italian and Neapolitan dialect. To understand this you will need to listen to \u2018O sole mio<\/strong> performed by a true Neapolitan. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

To finish with, here is\u00a0my English translation of \u2018O sole mio<\/strong>:<\/span><\/p>\n

A sunny day is such a beautiful thing, \/ the air is serene after\u00a0the storm! \/ The\u00a0 fresh air really feels like a celebration \/ A sunny day is such a beautiful thing<\/span>!<\/span><\/p>\n

But there\u2019s no other sun, \/ more beautiful. \/ <\/span>The sun, my sun \/\u00a0upon your face! \/ upon your face!<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
The glass of your window\u00a0is sparkling; \/ a washerwoman is singing and is boasting \/ while wringing out, hanging out and singing, \/ the glass of your window\u00a0is sparkling.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
But there\u2019s no other sun<\/span>, \/ more beautiful. \/ My sun \/ upon your face!<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
When night comes and the sun has set, \/ I\u00a0feel almost\u00a0melancholy; \/ I’d stay below your window, \/ when night comes and the sun has set.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
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But there\u2019s no other sun, \/ more beautiful. \/ <\/span>The sun, my sun \/\u00a0upon your face! \/ upon your face!<\/span><\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

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<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u2018O sole mio\u00a0 is without doubt the most well known Neapolitan (and probably Italian)\u00a0song in the world. The lyrics were written by the journalist Giovanni Capurro in 1898,\u00a0and the music was composed by his friend Eduardo di Capua, a professional posteggiatore, a Neapolitan word meaning someone who sings in restaurants and at parties. They then…<\/p>\n

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