O Sole Mio - 10 most popular Neapolitan songs performed on mandolin by Andrea Colombari

July 5, 2015 - PRLog -- Italians love to laugh and talk emphasizing everything by gesturing. In southern parts of Italy most of them are short with dark hair and olive skin. Farther north, they are are taller and have lighter hair and eyes. Tall or short, light or dark, all Italians have the same outlook on life, though: they enjoy it. Italians are in fact lively, cheerful, sociable and passionate about everything they do. They are not afraid to hug, kiss, and give other displays of affection and generally express emotions freely. They are quick to bond and welcome strangers into their homes, and are always ready to share a meal, a joke or a song. This is especially true for people from the south of Italy and particularly Naples, where their passion for music and their ability to share emotions have brought about a vast music production over the years. Canzone Napoletana is what most people think of when they think of Neapolitan music. It consists of a large body of popular and folk music including songs such as 'O sole mio, Torna a Surriento, Funiculì Funiculà, Anema e Core, Maria Marì, Chiove, Resta cu ‘mme, Fenesta ca Lucive, Tarantella napoletana, Comme facette mammeta. Naples has played an important and vibrant role over the centuries not only in the Italian music, but also in the general history of western European musical traditions. Although you can find many records including those songs, the Italian mandolin player Andrea Colombari came at Neapolitan music from his own perspective, bringing a slightly different taste on that rich musical heritage and traditions. Now his new Album titled “’O Sole Mio” is out on label Maxy Sound. The Album includes 10 of the most popular Neapolitan songs which are performed on mandolin by Andrea Colombari together with other great musicians.  Italian music fans will uncover a captivating collection of traditional songs that paint a vibrant portrait of Naples, Italy and their traditions. In particular:

‘O Sole Mio is a globally well-known Neapolitan hit, written in 1898 by  Eduardo di Capua. ’O sole mio is the Neapolitan equivalent of standard Italian Il sole mio and translates literally as "my sunshine". Among the others it was performed by Il Volo, Luciano Pavarotti, Claudio Villa, Enrico Caruso, Elvis Presley "It's Now or Never", Al Bano, Giuni Russo, Dalida, Bill Haley and His Comets "Come rock with me".

Torna a Surriento was composed in 1902 by Ernesto De Curtis with lyrics by his brother, Giambattista. It has become very popular, and has been sung by performers such as Frank Sinatra, Beniamino Gigli, Elvis Presley, Dean Martin, Enrico Caruso, José Carreras, Plácido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti, Ruggero Raimondi, Meat Loaf, Mario Lanza, Franco Corelli, Robertino Loreti, Giuseppe Di Stefano, Muslim Magomayev, Francesco Albanese, Jerry Adriani, Roberto Carlos, Alfie Boe, Anna Calvi, Karel Gott, and Norton Buffalo with George Kahumoku, Jr., Sergio Franchi, Victor Red and Andrea Colombari on mandolin.

Funiculì, Funiculà was composed in 1880 by Luigi Denza, with lyrics by Peppino Turco. It was Turco who prompted Denza to compose the song, perhaps as a joke,to commemorate the opening of the first funicular cable car on Mount Vesuvius. Over the years the song has been performed by many artists including Erna Sack, Anna German, Mario Lanza, Connie Francis, The Grateful Dead,Luciano Pavarotti, Andrea Bocelli, Il Volo and the Italian mandolin player Andrea Colombari.

Anema e Core was first introduced in 1950, sung by the tenor Tito Schipa. It was composed by Salvatore d'Esposito with lyrics by Tito Manlio. This version was sometimes recorded under the Italian title and sometimes under the English title "With All My Heart and Soul". The best-known recording of this song was produced by Dinah Shore. It has also been recorded by Dean Martin among the others.

Maria, Marì is a romantic Neapolitan song that was composed by Eduardo di Capua in 1899. It was made popular by the Italian tenor Beniamino Gigli in the 1920s. Among the others it was performed by Alfredo Kraus  and the 'three tenors' (Domingo, Pavrotti, Carreras) sang it on one of their albums.

Chiove was written in 1923 by Evemero Nardella with lyrics by Libero Bovio. The song was dedicated to a  well-known Neapolitan singer who died of tuberculosis.

Resta cu mewas composed and performed by Domenico Modugno with lyrics by Dino Verde, and published in 1957. Many Italian artists such as Roberto Murolo and Renzo Arbore performed it.

Fenesta ca lucive is a song composed by Guglielmo Cottrau with lyrics by Giulio Genoino. It tells the story of a young man returning to a shining window only to find that it shines no more. He has come to ask about his sweetheart who has been ill. Her sister leans from the window and tells him that she has died and now lies in the church.

Tarantella Napoletana is a traditional Neapolitan song whose author is unknown.  Tarantella is a group of various folk dances characterized by a fast upbeat tempo, usually in 6/8 time.  It is among the most recognized forms of traditional southern Italian music. The specific dance-name varies with every region, for instance pizzica in the Salento region, Sonu a ballu in Calabria. The tambourine is so integral to the music that in Naples (Campania) one kind of tarantella is called the "tammurriata" from the dialect word for a large tambourine. Tarantella is popular in Southern Italy and Argentina.

Comme facette mammeta, was composed in 1906 by Salvatore Gambardella with lyrics by Giuseppe Capaldo. It was performed by singers such as  Antonietta Rispoli, Elvira Donnarumma, Massimo Ranieri among the others. The lyrics are joyful and hilarious: "When your mother made you... Do you know what she did?   To knead that nice flesh. A hundred rosebuds she mixed with a mortar milk and roses, roses and milk. She whisked you up in the blink of an eye!..... The music style is still Tarantella or better “Tammurriata”.

   “’O Sole Mio” is a must-have for all Italian folk music fans, who can appreciate the virtuoso mandolin player Andrea Colombari, while reinterpreting such wide-spread traditional songs from Naples.

Buy on iTunes: https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/album/o-sole-mio-10-most-...?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zzUGbvvAf8