Good to see this new Group -- maybe it can be some sort of focus for those of us that are interested in playing Italian music. To kick this off, I thought this may be a good place to collect links to the various Italian tunes I've recorded and posted on Youtube over the last couple of months since I got a new webcam. As I said when I first posted links over in the "Celtic/European folk" forum (where Italian music tends to get drowned out by the Irish contingent), I have no claim to any technical merit or authenticity and I'm basically a hack player, but recording these tunes works for me as a way of getting my practice time a bit more goal-oriented rather than the usual aimless picking. Soem of these I've played semi-regularly for a few years, but others I've learned straight from the sheet and played only two or three times before recording, so there is some variability in fluency as well as more than a few mistakes and fluffed notes. I learned these tunes from various sources, mainly: 1. Old arrangements for mandolin orchestra which are in the repertoire folder of our informal seven-piece ensemble (I play only the first mandolin part in the videos, which sometimes works fine and sometimes feels like something is missing). 2. Old photocopies of 1920s sheet music, usually set for two mandolin and guitar, published for the expat Italian community by New York publishers. I got a stack of those from Jim Garber a few years ago and have introduced several to our ensemble. 3. Sheri Mignano's wonderful book "Mandolin Melodies", now in its third edition and migrated from hardcopy format to PFD files on CD-Rom. Here is what I have on Youtube up to now: Io Te Vurria Vasa Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana Piacer d'Amor (Silvio Ranieri arrangement) Piacer d'Amor (anonymous arrangement) Serenata Napolitana Bizzosa Polka Lazy Gondolier O Marenariello Piccola Bambola Mazurka Speranze Perdute (on Embergher) Speranze Perdute (on Ceccherini) Speranze Perdute (on Mid-Missouri) Sogno d'una fata Olga Polka Leonora Valse La Bella Siciliana (tarantella) Serenata de Rose Reginella Parlami d'amore Mariu Mezza Notte Mattinata In Fondo Al Mare Signora Fortuna Se Tu Sapessi Quando Ti Voglio Bene O Detto Al Sole Napoli Tutta Luce Napoli China Femmine La Romanina Baciami Forte Mazurka Autunno Senza Te Quando Tramondo O Sole Tenebre Infinita Lieto Passato Un Viaggio A Messina Tosselli's Serenade Santa Lucia O Mio Babbino Caro Ciribiribin Aida Mazurka Martin
That's alot of good music! Any chance of getting copies of Olga Polka and La Bella Siciliana? thanks Bill Foley
Bill, Thanks for the comment. Send me a PM with your email address... Martin
Here's a list of some Tarantellas we play every Saturday Night at a local Neapolitan Restaurant. I could use more, if anyone has a suggestion. thanks Tarantellas #1 #2 Calabrese Calace Fasola Fishecettando Funnicula La 'Ndrezzata La Zita Passa Pizzica Quadriglia Napolitana Wedding
here's two from the '60's - might be "troppo moderno" for the turn of the last century repertoire but they're beautiful songs:
By way of update, here is a list of new Italian tunes that I have uploaded since my post in early June -- not much, as I was sidetracked first by the World Cup and then by going away on holiday: Aida Mazurka (a completely different tune from the one with the same name linked above) Polka: Una Gita A Spezia Amor Innocenta (that's the spelling on the printed sheet music; proper Italian would be "Amore Innocente"). Funiculi Funicula (of course!) Mazurka: Tra Veglio E Sonno Mazurka: Tears and Smiles (L Francia) Waltz: Mio Dolce Sogno (G Vicari) Lazy Gondolier Martin