# Music by Genre > Celtic, U.K., Nordic, Quebecois, European Folk >  Speranze Perdute

## Tavy

The other thread about Italian folk tunes was very timely - as I was wanting to learn some of those  :Grin: 

I thought I'd start with Speranze Perdute, but since I like to work from tab, and also like to have a Midi file to play along with when learning, I thought I'd convert Jim's scan (thanks Jim BTW!) to abc format to ease the learning process... I'm posting here in case it's helpful to others, and of course in case anyone spots any mistakes: I think I've got all the notation in there including chords and dynamics etc, the only I wasn't sure about were a couple of B notes that are notated as flat, even though they're already flat in the key (F).  Whether this makes them double flat (play an A), or not I'm unsure, anyone else?  In any case they're marked up the same as they are in the score.

Here's the abc:

X:1
T:Speranze Perdute (Lost Hope)
I: 1st Violin
O:Italy
S:A.Paolilli's Music Co., Providence, R.I.  See also http://www.paperclipdesign.com/19ctunes/speranz.gif
C:A. Morelli
L:1/8
Q:240
M:3/4
K:F
%%MIDI gchord czfzfz  % strum pattern for chords
%%MIDI chordvol 40    % Vol for chords
%%MIDI bassvol 40     % Vol for chords
%%MIDI chordprog 24 % guitar chords
%%MIDI bassprog 24 % guitar chords
%%MIDI beat 105 90 60 1  % emphasis pattern for lead
%%MIDI program 1 40   % Fiddle lead - remove to revert to piano!
|[: [P:A] !p! "Dm"A6 |"A7" {c} B4 A2 | F4 (3EFE |"Dm" D4 (DE) | GF ED CB, |"D7" A,G, B,A, CB, |"Gm" G,6- | G,4 z2 | B6 | e4 d2 | \
"A7" ^c6 | e4 ef | g2 e2 ^c2 | B2 G2 E2 |"Dm" (ED) (FE) (GF) | D4 A,2 | \
"Dm" A6 |"A7" {c}B4 A2 | F4 (3EFE |"Dm" D4 (DE) | GF ED CB, |"D7" A,G, B,A, CB, |"Gm" G,6- | G,2 z2 g2 | gf ef ga | \
gf ef ge |"Dm" fe de fg | ag fe dc |"A7" (BA) .e.e .^c.c | ._B.B GG EE |"Dm" D2 z [dF] [d2F2] |[1 "Dm" [d2F2] z2 A,2 :|[2 "Dm" [d2F2] z2 c2|]:\
[P:B] !f! "F" (3cdc ^B2 c2 | a4 g2 |"C7" (3fgf e2 G2 | B4 g2 | (3fgf e2 G2 | B4 e2 |"F" (3ded c2 F2 | A4 c2 | (3cdc ^B2 c2 | \
"Am" (_b4 a2) |"A7" !>! (^c6|"Dm" d4) z2 |"C7" .b.b .g.g .e.e | .c.c .B.B .G.G |[1 "F" F6-| F2 z2 c2 :|[2 "F" F6-| F2 z2 A,2 |]:\
[P:C] !p! "Dm" A,2 D2 F2 | A2 d2 e2|f6-|f2 e2 d2|c2 B2 A2| (3GAG F2 D2|"A7" E6-|E4 A,2|A,2 ^C2 E2| A2 ^c2 e2| g6-|g2 f2 e2|^c2 B2 A2|\
(3GAG F2 E2|"Dm" F4 (3EFE|D2 z2 A,2|A,2 D2 F2|A2 d2 e2|f6-|f4 d2|d6|"D7"_e4 d2|"Gm"G6-|G4 z2|\
"Gm" G,B,DG^FG|G,B,DG^FG|"Dm" DFAd^cd|DFAd^cd|"A7" A^cea^ga|A^cea^ga|"Dm" [F2d2] z [Fd][F2d2]|[1\
"Dm" [F2d2] z2 A,2:|[2 "Dm" [F2d2] z4|] [P:D] "F" {B} !>! c6| {^c} !>! d6 | "C7" {A}(B6| [E2B2]) ([G2c2] [B2d2])|[c2e2] [e3g3] f|e2 d2 _d2|"F" c6-|c2 d2 e2|{g}f2 e2 d2|\
(3cdc B2 A2|"C7" B6-|B2 c2 d2|{f}e2 d2 c2|(3BcB A2 G2|"F" A6|F6|{B} !>! c6|{c} !>! d6|"C7"{A}B6-|B2 c2 d2|e2 g3 f|\
e2 d2 _d2|"F" c6-|c2 d2 e2|{g}f2 e2 d2|(3cdc B2 A2|"C7"B6-|B2 c2 d2|e2 d2 c2|(3BcB A2 G2|"F" F2 z2  !>! [A2f2]| !>! [A2f2] z4 :|[

I'm attaching a PDF rendition of the score for easy comparison to Jim's original as well... I would have liked to have attached the MIDI as well, but apparently that's not possible...

----------

DavidKOS

----------


## John Kasley

Those are not double flats, they're "courtesy flats" to make it a bit easier for the performer to read.

----------

Edster

----------


## Martin Jonas

Nice job, Tavy.  One minor correction: the accidentals in the Trio part are wrong.  Last line of page one, third bar the accidental should be a B natural, not B flat, and the same again on the second line of page 2, first bar.  Then on the next bar, the accidental should be a C sharp, not C natural.

Great tune!

Martin

----------


## Tavy

> Nice job, Tavy.  One minor correction: the accidentals in the Trio part are wrong.  Last line of page one, third bar the accidental should be a B natural, not B flat, and the same again on the second line of page 2, first bar.  Then on the next bar, the accidental should be a C sharp, not C natural.
> 
> Great tune!
> 
> Martin


It is indeed a great tune, corrected abc and PDF below along with the tab as well - the tab is unplayable "as is" in parts but I'm sure you folks will all figure your own fingerings for the tricky chords.




> Those are not double flats, they're "courtesy flats" to make it a bit easier for the performer to read.


Thanks, that makes sense.

X:1
T:Speranze Perdute (Lost Hope)
I: 1st Violin
O:Italy
S:A.Paolilli's Music Co., Providence, R.I.  See also http://www.paperclipdesign.com/19ctunes/speranz.gif
C:A. Morelli
L:1/8
Q:240
M:3/4
K:F
%%MIDI gchord czfzfz  % strum pattern for chords
%%MIDI chordvol 40    % Vol for chords
%%MIDI bassvol 40     % Vol for chords
%%MIDI chordprog 24 % guitar chords
%%MIDI bassprog 24 % guitar chords
%%MIDI beat 105 90 60 1  % emphasis pattern for lead
%%MIDI program 1 40   % Fiddle lead - remove to revert to piano!
|[: [P:A] !p! "Dm"A6 |"A7" {c} B4 A2 | F4 (3EFE |"Dm" D4 (DE) | GF ED CB, |"D7" A,G, B,A, CB, |"Gm" G,6- | G,4 z2 | B6 | e4 d2 | \
"A7" ^c6 | e4 ef | g2 e2 ^c2 | B2 G2 E2 |"Dm" (ED) (FE) (GF) | D4 A,2 | \
"Dm" A6 |"A7" {c}B4 A2 | F4 (3EFE |"Dm" D4 (DE) | GF ED CB, |"D7" A,G, B,A, CB, |"Gm" G,6- | G,2 z2 g2 | gf ef ga | \
gf ef ge |"Dm" fe de fg | ag fe dc |"A7" (BA) .e.e .^c.c | ._B.B GG EE |"Dm" D2 z [dF] [d2F2] |[1 "Dm" [d2F2] z2 A,2 :|[2 "Dm" [d2F2] z2 c2|]:\
[P:B] !f! "F" (3cdc ^B2 c2 | a4 g2 |"C7" (3fgf e2 G2 | B4 g2 | (3fgf e2 G2 | B4 e2 |"F" (3ded c2 F2 | A4 c2 | (3cdc ^B2 c2 | \
"Am" (_b4 a2) |"A7" !>! (^c6|"Dm" d4) z2 |"C7" .b.b .g.g .e.e | .c.c .B.B .G.G |[1 "F" F6-| F2 z2 c2 :|[2 "F" F6-| F2 z2 A,2 |]:\
[P:C] !p! "Dm" A,2 D2 F2 | A2 d2 e2|f6-|f2 e2 d2|c2 B2 A2| (3GAG F2 D2|"A7" E6-|E4 A,2|A,2 ^C2 E2| A2 ^c2 e2| g6-|g2 f2 e2|^c2 B2 A2|\
(3GAG F2 E2|"Dm" F4 (3EFE|D2 z2 A,2|A,2 D2 F2|A2 d2 e2|f6-|f4 d2|d6|"D7"_e4 d2|"Gm"G6-|G4 z2|\
"Gm" G,B,DG^FG|G,B,DG^FG|"Dm" DFAd^cd|DFAd^cd|"A7" A^cea^ga|A^cea^ga|"Dm" [F2d2] z [Fd][F2d2]|[1\
"Dm" [F2d2] z2 A,2:|[2 "Dm" [F2d2] z4|] [P:D] "F" {=B} !>! c6| {^c} !>! d6 | "C7" {A}(B6| [E2B2]) ([G2c2] [B2d2])|[c2e2] [e3g3] f|e2 d2 _d2|"F" c6-|c2 d2 e2|{g}f2 e2 d2|\
(3cdc B2 A2|"C7" B6-|B2 c2 d2|{f}e2 d2 c2|(3BcB A2 G2|"F" A6|F6|{=B} !>! c6|{^c} !>! d6|"C7"{A}B6-|B2 c2 d2|e2 g3 f|\
e2 d2 _d2|"F" c6-|c2 d2 e2|{g}f2 e2 d2|(3cdc B2 A2|"C7"B6-|B2 c2 d2|e2 d2 c2|(3BcB A2 G2|"F" F2 z2  !>! [A2f2]| !>! [A2f2] z4 :|[

----------


## Tavy

Scotts just enabled posting of MIDI files, so for those that just want to listen... here's the midi as well...

----------

dulcillini, 

Edster

----------


## mandoisland

I could recently buy a copy of the Mandoline-Album by Alessandro Morelli which includes as the last piece the Espoirs Perdus.

I have checked in the database of the German GEMA that this piece is in the public domain and as this is the case I have added the complete Mandoline-Album by Alessandro Morelli to the free sheetmusic page on my homepage www.mandoisland.de

I have also collected some interesting videos in my blog www.gezupftes.de (currently only in German, but translation to English will follow -> www.mandoisland.com )

It was interesting for me to read the dedication of the pieces, which show that Alessandro Morelli was obviously activ in France. If I read it right this was published in 1927 (XXVII on the last page) by Beuscher in Paris - but I am not completely sure about this.

Hope you enjoy this!

Michael Reichenbach

----------


## Martin Jonas

Michael,

Many thanks for this (and you other scans of old mandolin music)!  I've looked through the pieces and was struck by the many small and large differences between this (presumably original) edition of Speranze Perdute and the Paolilli edition on Jim Garber's web site (which seems to be the one everybody is playing).

Of the other pieces, the one that had most immediate appeal to me on a quick sight reading was the mazurka "Un Bal de Carnaval", so I've done a quick-and-dirty runthrough of it for my Youtube channel:



Thanks also for the 12 pieces from the "_Repertorio del Mandolinista_" collection that you've uploaded at your site here.  I've recorded similarly quick-and-dirty versions of three of the tunes from that collection -- the first two are particularly nice tunes to play:

Una Gita A Spezia (Polka)

Aida (Mazurka) (not the same piece as on the Rounder "Italian String Virtuosi" CD compilation).

Mattino d'Aprile (waltz)

Martin

----------


## Jim Garber

I have a recording by Giovanni Vicari from an LP that I believe is from the 1950s and he certainly adds his own flourishes and ornaments. it is a nice piece. Years ago I met an Italian accordion player in my town and asked him to play SP and he was very pleased and noted that it was his wife's favorite tune.

----------

DavidKOS

----------


## mandopops

Jim,
What's the Vicari LP you've got?
What other tunes are on it?
He was one of my teachers & I'd like to find anything I can by him.
We've chatted about him before.
Thanx for any info.

----------


## Jim Garber

First, I was wrong. SP was not on either of the two LPs I have of Vicari's. it was from a 78 and reissued in a compilation called _Speranze Perdute_ on Global Village records.

Here are the LPs I have.

----------

DavidKOS

----------


## mandopops

Great LP's. I don't have them. (I'd love to)  I had his Tra Vegia E Sonna (A Tour de Force) on a bad cassette that eventually warbled itself to death. There were a couple of other tunes on it that were inaudible.
I have the Global CD w/ Speranze  on it &  the Rounder disc. I have a better tape(since dubbed) of Vicari doing Musettas Waltz from La Boheme. Beautiful. There is also some Polka on the tape too. Untitled. Great stuff.

----------


## brunello97

Sheri Mignano does a very nice version of Speranze Perdute with her group Mattinata de Matteo.  Here is her web site:

http://www.zighibaci.com/

Sheri is a (not often enough!) visitor here at the cafe.  I really enjoy her arrangements of this classic Italian repertoire.

Jim, the Vicari disc looks great (that's Futura font on the lp cover isn't it?) Do you have this in digital format as well?

Mick

----------


## Jim Garber

I intend to digitize these one day. I actually thought about reissuing these on CD on a friend's label but my contact with the Vicari family said it might be difficult.

----------


## mandopops

Not to be pushy, but tomorrow would be a good day to digitize.

----------


## Martin Jonas

I see that the Mattinata LP has "Mio Dolce Sogno" on it as well -- that's in Sheri's book and credited to Vicari himself.  Fun tune to play (as of course is Tra Veglia E Sonno).

I mentioned this over in the Classical forum a few weeks ago, but this is a good place to repeat the link: there is a nice brief biography of Vicari at this web site together with an MP3 download of one of his 78s, "Occi Di Bambola", a mazurka on solo banjo recorded in 1928.

Martin

----------


## brunello97

Nice site, Martin.  Thanks.  I remember a great version of Speranze Perdute from a collection 'La Mazurka del Medioevo' on an Italian folk music blogsite you hooked me up with some time back.  A nice horn band arrangement of the piece.

http://italianfolkmusic.blogspot.com/

Mick

----------


## mandopops

Neat little Bio on Vicari, but maybe a bit misleading. He did not live in Little Italy his whole life nor just make his Vivaldi and Italian music recordings.
I took lessons from him in what was his old apartment in Manhattan near 24th st.(?) My memory here is vague. He kept it as his studio because rent control kept the price down. He had a house in Long Island. He bought it from the money he had made in the pit orchestras for Broadway shows. He had played for My Fair Lady for years. In fact he not only played multiple instruments, which increases the bucks he made doing the shows, but he said he was the cast guitar teacher. He also did Hello Dolly for a number of years. He said there was a brief Black version with Pearl Bailey and a Louis Armstrong appearance. The facts here are vague, but it was a long time ago. He did take pride in all this. So being a multi-instrumentalist (Guitar,Banjo, Mandolin,etc,) he could make some good money doing the shows,
Just a little info to add.

----------


## Jim Garber

What type of mandolin did he play, Pops? While we are on the subject, did he play mandolin banjo or tenor on those recordings? Sounds like tenor to me.

----------


## mandopops

His main Mandolin was a 2-point Martin. I forget  the Model number. He had an assortment of Catania instruments, Mandolin, Mando-Cello, Guitar, and a Greek- Style Bouzouki. He was from the town in Sicily and kept contacts back there. In fact, through him a few of us ordered a handful of their Artist Model Mandolins. I still have and love mine.

He did have a DeAngelico Mandolin & Guitar. The Mandolin was in a closet unstrung and without a case. He told me he had one. I said "where ?" & he walked over to the closet and pulled it out from under a pile of stuff. He said on his DeAngelico Guitar he would sometimes use a DeArmond pick-up. No Classical purist he. He would rock out.

He had a Paramount Tenor Banjo. I'm not up on Models, but it seemed like an up-scale Model.

He had a Gibson Mandola. It was the Mandola version matching the A4. I remember because I have a 1917 A4 and it was a match. I asked him to sell it to be cheap. No dice. He was no dummy. Yet, over all he was not a huge Gibson fan. 

I think for the shows Banjo was often his main ax, but it seemed there was always a 2nd or 3rd instrument he played.

One other bit I remembered. He had an autographed picture of Theodore Bikel on his wall. He said he did a recording with Bikel of Russian Folk Music. On the recording Vicari played a Balalika.(sic) It was in his apartment, again unstrung.

----------


## gus garelick

I've been lurking here too long, so it's time to join this discussion.  I play in a group in the Bay Area called The Hot Frittatas, and "Speranze Perdute" is on our first CD, "Caffe Liscio," released back in 2001 (and still available through CD Baby).  I first heard the tune from Matteo Casserino in San Francisco's famous Caffe Trieste, back in the 70s.  A friend of mine at the time, Tom Marion, introduced me to the Trieste, when we weren't playing Bluegrass.  Tom was, and still is, a great mandolinist and guitarist, though I've lost contact with him (I know he lives somewhere in L.A.).  But Tom gave me some sheet music for the tune, which is probably the same music from which Sheri Mignano based her transcription (unless she got it from me, but that's another story!).  Matteo usually played without music at the Trieste, but in fact he owned lots of sheet music.  I suspect he must have learned "Speranze" in his youth-- with or without music.   Anyway, I've been playing it on mandolin for all these years, and put it on the first Hot Frittatas CD, with just guitar and accordion backup.   When the album first came out, I got an immediate positive reaction from my father, who had grown up in Brooklyn, NY, in the 1930s, and recognized it as a kind of 'lost song' from one of his Italian buddies.  He was astounded that I had learned this tune and couldn't imagine where I ever got it!  Then, I got a long letter from an elderly Italian man in Philadelphia who bought the CD and remembered the tune as one of the last tunes his own father had ever played-- on the violin.  Actually, it was such a moving letter, I included it on the Hot Frittatas' web site (www.hotfrittatas.com).  I had never heard it on the violin, either from recordings or in person, so I tried it a few times.  I still prefer the mandolin, but there are times I happen to have my fiddle in hand and I just go ahead and play it.  I've always wondered about its composer, Alessandro Morelli, and what other tunes he composed.   It must have tremendously popular when it came out.  My father's knowledge of the tune in the 1930s came from his Italian friends, and concerts of the Brooklyn Workmans Circle Mandolin Orchestra.  Whenever I play the tune for elderly Italians, I get some very emotional responses, similar to that man's letter.  In recent years, I have heard Riccardo Tesi's arrangement of the tune.  Tesi is a leading edge accordionist in Italy today, and did a tribute to Ballo Liscio music about ten years ago.  Unfortunately, there is no mandolin on his arrangement, and it leans a little too much to popular jazz; it's kind of disappointing (although I'm still a big admirer of Riccardo Tesi's music).  But I digress.   SP is still a mainstay of our Hot Frittatas repertoire, and I usually play it on the mandolin.  Adding the accordion presented a special challenge.  There are some wonderful mandolinists in the Bay Area who play this style of music (Ballo Liscio) and insist that it should only be played by mandolins and guitars (no accordions, please).  I guess that puts us on the edge, but I think we integrate the instrument very tastefully, IMHO.  But that's another discussion.

----------

DavidKOS

----------


## John Kasley

Well, like my former bandmate, Gus, I've been lurking on this thread the past few days as well. I play Speranze Perdute on the mandolin and a few other Ballo Liscio tunes. One of these days, I hope to get my mandolin ensemble, Hampton Roads Mandolin Ensemble, to work a few into our repertoire.
However, I first learned SP on the piano accordion, from Michele (Mike) Corino...another Bay Area great. I don't know if Michele is still with us, but I'm sure if you asked him, he'd have some disagreement with limiting performance of SP to mandolins and guitars. The version I learned is from one of the Paul Beuscher editions published in Paris in 1959 and of course the title is in French, "Espoirs Perdus". This transcription works surprisingly well on the mandolin. There is a nice little two measure section of eighth notes in the first part, measures 29-30 that I think works better on mandolin than the same measures in the transcription at the head of this thread, which I think is based on the version published by O.Di Bella. The Beuscher transcription also has a nice coda that I've heard very few people play. Of course, there are accordionistic phrases in the Beuscher edition that just don't work on the mandolin, at least not solo mandolin, but would work in a mandolin duet or ensemble. Another point of connection, a Bay Area European folk/Klezmer style band I was a member of, "Ellis Island", regularly performed SP with mandolin, accordion, clarinet, flute, etc. Our mandolinist, Bob Black(who passed away a number of years ago), was born in Brooklyn, NY and learned it there and if I recall correctly, played with the ILGWU Mandolin Orchestra. I wonder if there's a dissertation there, "The Role of Mandolin Orchestras in New York City Labor Unions". LOL 

Gus, hope to see you at CMSA in October and pick a few, including Speranze Perdute.

----------


## Jim Garber

> I wonder if there's a dissertation there, "The Role of Mandolin Orchestras in New York City Labor Unions". LOL


I found an article in a book from 1964 entitled _50 Years of Yiddish Song_. In a section about the New York Mandolin Symphony orchestra there is a relevant quote: "Our Orchestra was named 'Freiheit Mandolin Orchestra' and possessed a goal to play music for workers."

----------


## brunello97

Well, Gus, it is nice to hear from you.  Sunday morning I was biking up the Barton Creek greenbelt in Austin and took a break stretched out on the rocks and listened to the Frittata's Speranze Perdute while catching an unexpected cool breeze blowing down the canyon. A fine morning.  

Apparently, SP remains a popular wedding reception tune in Italy.  Lost Hope for whom, the other suitors?

Mick

----------


## Martin Jonas

Gus/John,

Good to hear from both of you -- I've thoroughly enjoyed the Hot Fritattas CDs I've bought, and your version of Speranze Perdute!

Gus: I wouldn't know which particular sheet music Tom Marion gave you for SP, but the version in Sheri's book is identical to the Paolilli version, first and second mandolin parts both (first mando part is at Jim's web site here).  It still seems a pretty popular tune in Italy, as there are lots of versions on Youtube uploaded by Italians.  The large majority are on accordion, with only a sprinkling of mandolin versions, so I would think that the addition of the accordion to your arrangement adds "authenticity" if anything.  No violin versions at all (unless one counts this nice guitar/violin/mandolin trio recorded by Al Caiola, but as he's a New Jersey-based guitarist I guess he's not much of a reflection of what goes on in Italy).

Like you, I've also wondered about who Morelli was, and what other music he wrote.  I don't know whether you have checked the scans that Michael Reichenbach has uploaded to his site, as per his post above in this thread.  The direct link is:

http://www.mandoisland.de/noten2010/...o_morelli.html

I don't know whether this was the original version, but it was published in Paris by Beuscher and gives every indication of being the original -- it has Morelli's dedications for each piece (SP is dedicated to "Mademoiselle Louise Paulucci", whoever she was) and includes other pieces by him that have not caught the popular imagination to the excent that SP has.  If it is the original edition, it's interesting that the title "Speranze Perdute" does not appear -- it is "Espoirs Perdus" -- and that according to the title page there is a mandolin and a guitar part, but no reference to an accordion edition.  So, maybe mandolin is the original instrumentaiton after all, not accordion (or violin, for that matter).

As I mentioned above, I've had a look through the other Morelli tunes and thought that the mazurka (Un Bal De Carnaval) is a really appealing piece.  I'm only a hack player, of course (plus, that Youtube video of mine was made after only two or three read-throughs without rehearsing) -- I'd love to hear the Frittatas (or Gus alone) give it a go as I don't really manage to do it justice.

John:
Interesting that you have a Beuscher accordion edition from 1959 -- as mentioned above, the version scanned by Michael is also by Beuscher, but specifically for mandolin.  It is marked "XXVII", so I would think it was first published in 1927.  How does it compare to your accordion version?  I note that it does have an intro in 6/8 (marked "movimento di barcarolla"), which I've never heard anybody play, and a coda which may well be the one you mention.

Related trivia: the cover of the recent novel "A Mandolin of Gold" by Michael Frank Tedesco (who has posted here on the Cafe before, so he may well read this) is a sepia photo of an Italian string band photoshopped onto some old sheet music.  Looking closer, one sees that it's the Paolilli edition of "Speranze Perdute".  Looking even closer, one sees that it's actually the precise same scan as on Jim Garber's web site -- it has the same hand-written guitar chords...

Martin

----------


## Mandophile

You're right about that Mick! I can never remember my password when I try to log in!
so I decidedthe mandolin group at Trieste came up to play in my hometown, Petaluma. We played Speranze Perdute and a friend recorded it (along with several melodies from my book). . It's a little noisy but it's fun to play along with it. The tempo was a little like winding up a clock...but
once we got going, it was fine. 
   Enjoy!
ttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99Qtp8600Hw

   Sheri

----------

DavidKOS, 

Edster

----------


## renesevieri

Always been one of my favorite waltzes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUUKVUE8XhI

----------


## renesevieri

Here's a version for ya.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUUKVUE8XhI

----------


## Jim Garber

Excellent, Rene. Thanks for posting that!!

----------


## brunello97

Sweet. Check out Rene on "Volare". I don't sound that good in the shower! (But I have an awesome harmony singer.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edcAW...eature=related

Penso che un sogno così non ritorni mai più.  Oh, yeah!

Mick

----------


## Martin Jonas

I've been meaning to record Speranze Perdute complete with the second mandolin part from the 1920s Paolilli arrangement for some time, but have only just got around to it -- I had previously attempted several recordings on solo mandolin, but it's hard to stay in time on this tune without a backing rhythm.  

This has the first mandolin part on the Ceccherini (which I find has the most suitable tone for these ballo liscio tunes), the second mandolin part on the Embergher and a strummed tenor guitar rhythm.  Speed seems very variable on this tune, and the accordion versions tend to be very fast indeed (see Rene's version earlier in this thread).  My version is a bit slower, at precisely the tempo given in Sheri Mignano's book: she has marked the tune moderato and gives a metronome count of 136bpm.  I think that works pretty well.

The images used for the video are a collage of pictures associated in some form with the title -- I have kept this deliberately serendipitous and have shied away from the overly obvious allegories which come up when searching for "Lost Hope".



Martin

----------

brunello97, 

Christopher Stetson

----------


## Mandophile

Just a note as I've been doing some research on Morelli, and he was born near Naples in 1875 and died in 1918.  
Whatever copyright dates you're reading are of much later editions. He wrote a few other songs with words as well but SP arrived on American shores along with quite a few million Southern Italians c1900.  It's considered public domain sheet music and although there are some arrangements out there including the French Espoirs Perdus. I don't have a date for publication in Italy but I'm sure it was ca 1900. Enrico Ricci is wrongly given credit As composer on one copy I have; in all likelihood he was an arranger. Antonio Grauso published it in 1909 but it may be M.V. Cardilli  who was the first American publisher. Either way both published it long before Paolilli and others. The Ellis Island folk band out of the San Francisco East Bay performed from the Cardilli arrangement.  (Bob Black's old group).  You won't find a date on this sheet music. It's public domain.  That means that the publisher could not be granted a legal copyright; only when an arranger has made a significant contribution to a new arrangement is it possible to gain a copyright status with date of publication.
Some of you know that I'm trying to get the music out there..in my Drop box.  So tonight I went to my Ellis Island book and found it.  I'm going to scan my Cardilli copy as I had forgotten I had it. Here it is, and I'll upload to Cardilli in the other Forum Drop Box thread.

----------

Beanzy, 

brunello97, 

DavidKOS

----------


## DavidKOS

> Just a note as I've been doing some research on Morelli, and he was born near Naples in 1875 and died in 1918.  
> ...... Antonio Grauso published it in 1909 but it may be M.V. Cardilli  who was the first American publisher. Either way both published it long before Paolilli and others.


That's one of the versions I use, for sure!

----------

Mandophile

----------


## Jim Garber

Sadly, I was contacted a few years back by a descendent of Morelli's, possibly his grandson or great-grandson. Unfortunately, I had a hard drive crash and lost his email address.

----------

Mandophile

----------


## MF Tedesco

[QUOTE=Martin Jonas;832519]Gus/John,

"Related trivia: the cover of the recent novel "A Mandolin of Gold" by Michael Frank Tedesco (who has posted here on the Cafe before, so he may well read this) is a sepia photo of an Italian string band photoshopped onto some old sheet music.  Looking closer, one sees that it's the Paolilli edition of "Speranze Perdute".  Looking even closer, one sees that it's actually the precise same scan as on Jim Garber's web site -- it has the same hand-written guitar chords..."

Martin

Thanks for noticing the purloined sheet music.

Best,

M.F. Tedesco

----------

DavidKOS

----------


## Calogero

Lp vicari posso avere registrazione?

----------


## Jim Garber

> Lp vicari posso avere registrazione?


Giovanni Vicari?

----------


## brunello97

> Giovanni Vicari?


A good friend of mine said he has a copy of an LP by Vicari and at one point offered to digitize it.  I'll have to check back in with him about that.

Mick

----------

DavidKOS

----------


## Foster Reed

Mel Bay 2011- Northern Italian and Torino Region Folk Songs, performances by Carlo Alonzo and Clara Ponzoni...sheet music and cd. Speranza Perdute, p. 42, track 8.
A great resource for this and similar songs.

----------


## Jim Garber

> A good friend of mine said he has a copy of an LP by Vicari and at one point offered to digitize it.  I'll have to check back in with him about that.


Our friend Sheri already had digitized the same LP.

----------

DavidKOS

----------


## brunello97

GV from The Godfather.

It seems I _do_ have some audio files from Vicari.  :Wink:  Calogero's post threw me for a moment.

Mick

----------

DavidKOS

----------


## Mandophile

This is it!  A monograph of Alessandro Morelli's "Speranze Perdute."
  I cover his life and how his waltz became world famous. Part One reveals the life of a very active young man living in Rome and then in Paris where his waltz was made more famous. Very little is known of him but now we have a fairly clear glimpse into who he was, his teacher, his friends, and maybe even, a lover.
 Part Two is an appendix with 17 titles (sheet music) and an excel spreadsheet that   identifies each title in its chronological publication order. It covers about 100 years of various editions. I was able to locate 17 of 34 known published editions of his waltz.
The download is a PDF with about 95 pages.

Everything is downloadable from this folder in my Dropbox.
Alessandro Morelli: A Monograph

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/tok6c2x0i...cPHH7Qj7a?dl=0

I hope you all learn about Signore Morelli and his great contributions to the mandolin repertoire.

----------

DavidKOS, 

John McCoy

----------


## Mandophile

yes, David, many before Paolilli but now you all will find out that it was Tesio who first published "Speranze Perdute", followed by Grauso, Di Bella, Pagani, and Paolilli.
my spreadsheet is in the monograph and will show you a clear evolution as to how it evolved.  Enjoy!

----------

DavidKOS

----------


## Mandophile

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/9zhxeekpy...Zb9lDzWUa?dl=0

Updated Italian Vintage Audio files and added a new October 1989 performance of "Speranze Perdute"  a quartet: Mandolin 1 & 2, Guitar, bass guitar. 
  They're probably using the Pagani edition as Pignoloni, the arranger, used Gustavo Gori edition which Pignoloni reduced.  Follow along with the Pignoloni score!

compare to Frank Trombetta's 1971 radio performance of Morelli's waltz and I just added my Caffe Trieste ensemble's rendition of the waltz; we recorded it in 2008 at the Caffe Trieste recording studio. 4 mandolins, guitar, and myself on accordion.


updated PDF is attached here

----------

DavidKOS

----------


## Mandophile

Now that I re-listen to the 1989 version, I think it's more of a hybrid: Pignoloni intro with Di Bella in the body of the waltz--added enhancement by first mandolinist Norman Giorno-Calapristi.
As to my mandolin ensemble at 2008 Caffe Trieste, we used Paolilli but my accordion riffs are totally unwritten! I just always played it that way and not sure why. I somewhat follow the second mandolin but enjoy filling it in. We return to the first section in D minor to end it on its somber note, rather than the 4th section in F major.

----------

DavidKOS

----------


## Mandophile

Boy, I just reread my #31 post. Was I million miles off!  Download the paper and you'll get the latest scoop, meaning accurate facts about Morelli's life. As far as I know, he was born in Rome, not even close to Naples. My recent paper even identifies his teacher in Rome.

----------

DavidKOS

----------


## Mandophile

Too late to insert into the monograph but I attach, with permission from the great American artist and cartoonist, Robert Crumb. This is his take on "Espoir Perdu" with probably a collection of friends and villagers in the town of Suave.
Mr. Crumb learned to play Morelli's waltz (he's a wonderful musician, too) from my old, dear friend Tom Marion when they used to play together as the "Cheapsuit Serenaders."
Merci bc!
Remember, in these times of Lost Hope that a false hope is worse than no hope at all.
Keep hoping. Stay Safe!

----------

Beanzy, 

brunello97, 

DavidKOS, 

mandopops

----------


## Mandophile

I think that the accordionist is drawn from Crumb's "Les As du Musette", un jeu de cartes. I have the deck but surveying the drawings, I'm not sure if I can identify him with any certitude. I have a couple of hunches. I'll ask him to identify the mandolin player too. Usually, it's a banjoist so not sure who he had in mind for this duo.

----------

DavidKOS

----------


## Mandophile

I just read Ennio Morricone's obituary today. Like Morelli, he became another great Roman-born musician-composer; I mentioned that he scored Bertolucci's "1900" but I need to correct the debut year in the monograph--it should have been 1976, not 1989. Thanks. RIP Morricone!

----------

DavidKOS, 

mandopops

----------


## Mandophile

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99Qt...raAENe&index=6

My old mandolin ensemble performing "Speranze Perdute" at the local Aqus Cafe, Petaluma in 2008. I hope you enjoy it. I believe we used the Cardilli edition. If you search "Ralph Muscatell" you'll find dozens of recordings he did of the mandolin group playing titles from "Mandolin Melodies."

----------

DavidKOS, 

mandopops, 

Nbayrfr

----------


## Jim Garber

Nice to see all of you from 11 years ago. For convenience here it is embedded. Nice playing.

----------

DavidKOS, 

John Uhrig, 

Mandophile, 

mandopops, 

Nbayrfr

----------


## mandopops

A wonderful, A wonderful. I enjoyed that. 
Thanx for sharing.
Joe B

----------

DavidKOS, 

Mandophile

----------


## Mandophile

Just discovered Matacea's (Natale Di Palma's) vocal version of Morelli's waltz, tucked away in a Germantown, Philadelphia Victorian attic. It is very brittle but will be carefully scanned so that we can all appreciate to what lengths these Italian music publishers went to preserve their heritage. In my spreadsheet (analysis of 17+ versions), I alluded to Matacea's 1920 edition but had no copies, only a LOC reference. Now we know! Del Colle's lyrics are preserved for posterity. Stay tuned as we scan this priceless edition. BTW, it contains a dedication to Philadelphia's Luigi (Luigino) Giorno whose mandolin was photoshopped the 1930s poster which appears on the cover for my "Italian Mandolin Heroes in America." Giorno traveled to Manhattan all the time to buy sheet music and hangout with musicians; he was friends with the Italian publishers and the more famous composers such as Luigi Canoro.

----------


## Mandophile

The fascinating story behind this binder cover would be of interest to those of you who cherish heroic efforts. This leather, engraved binder cover with St. Mark's familiar lion contained several collections and sheet music. I'm uploading it here because Morelli's "Speranze Perdute" was preserved inside this binder in an old Germantown attic. It was originally sold at S.F. (Sante Fortunato) Vanni's, an Italian bookseller; in fact, Vanni's was founded in 1884 and known as the oldest Italian bookstore in America. Tesio probably bought his mandolin books there when he first arrived. Vanni's was first located at 548 Broadway and later moved to Bleecker Street. A family run business that served generations of Italians.

The binder's owner, mandolinist and band leader Luigi Giorno, invested in specialized collections and various editions. As a consequence, he created one of the largest ballo liscio libraries on the East Coast; he protected numerous ephemeral manuscripts for future generations. Much of it uploaded to the ballo liscio thread in this forum. 

Retrieving these sorts of things require risks: all sorts of dust mites and allergens, broken attic ladders. Saving Italian culture, one title at a time. Stay tuned as we breathe life into these mummified remains.

----------

brunello97, 

Jim Garber

----------


## Mandophile

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/tok6c2x0i...cPHH7Qj7a?dl=0   (Morelli folder)  the new sheet music is attached here as well.

This link takes you to the Morelli folder with 17 different versions of his waltz. Now, I've just uploaded the 18th version. A vocal piece published by Arturo Matacea. What makes this version special and stand alone are the lyrics. Giovanni Del Colle (a well-known Italian poet and maestro) wrote appropriate words to accompany this classic. While most of Matacea's music catalog contains Irredentist songs, this waltz keeps the theme of romanticism & a lost love.  

As a result of finding this rare copy, I will rewrite/modify the monograph and the Index to include this edition. BTW, Matacea kept the original barcarolle and seems to have based it on the Beuscher model. Published in 1920, shortly after it was in print, Matacea (aka Natale di Palma) left for Italy with his wife where he seems to have abandoned her. Nothing is known as to what happened during the volatile period of Mussolini's rise to power.

----------

August Watters, 

brunello97, 

DavidKOS, 

Jim Garber, 

themelodist79

----------


## Mandophile

I finished revising the second edition of Speranze Perdute. I've clarified text, added a couple of examples that have only recently been located. First, the vocal score published by Matacea and second, a clean copy of Tesio's mandolin trio which has an enhanced arrangement by Giovanni Napoleone, a Niagara Falls barber, immigrated from Abruzzo. His manuscript appears with the new Tesio arrangement. Napoleone composed four new parts: mandola, mandocello, bass, & guitar. 

here's the link that takes you "Speranze Perdute: A Monograph of Lost Hope." It's about 100 pp. You are free to download the PDF. All the 19 scores of the waltz are in the PDF.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/tok6c2x0i...cPHH7Qj7a?dl=0

----------

brunello97, 

DavidKOS, 

EdHanrahan, 

Joe Bartl, 

mandopops

----------


## mandopops

Again, remarkable amount of work. I’ve only begun to skim though it all. 
Thanx to you, Sheri,
Joe B

----------

DavidKOS

----------


## mandopops

Still looking thru your text. Quite a lot of material. I love all the various published editions. It promoted me to pull out my copy. Back in the days of my Italian group gigging, we had a binder full of the old tunes. I made my own Xerox copies of them. Some I shared with you. My copy is similar to the one on page 69. Except mine has Mandolin or Violin as the heading, not vice versa. Also, mine under the title says Waltz not Lost Hope. Don't know if it had been doctored up at sometime through the years. A copy of a copy of a copy etc...  I think I have all 3 parts. I thought it was interesting. 
I love the versions with the intro, nice touch.
Joe B

----------

DavidKOS

----------


## mandopops

Looking again, mine is like the one on page 48. Although mine Is published by Paolilli’s of Providence, RI. What a strange web they weave. 
Joe B

----------

DavidKOS

----------


## Mandophile

yes, a mutual admiration society with immunity from prosecution, so to speak. These Italian American publishers knew they were "outlaws" not accountable to the Berne Convention copyright laws. No consequences. As a result, they begged, borrowed, and stole with abandon. In the case of the Paolilli edition, it appears to be nothing more than the Di Bella version. Di Bella and Paolilli were good friends/colleagues, exchanging letters and Paolilli's sheet music was later published under Di Bella when Paolilli closed up shop. I'm glad this collection inspired you to dig deep, Buster!

----------

DavidKOS, 

mandopops

----------

