Italian Art Song

O del mio dolce ardor by Christoph Willibald Gluck (1714–1787), Poetry by Ranieri de’ Calzabigi (1714-1795) Performed by Angelo Silva Faculty Mentor: Dr. Melanie Emelio O del mio dolce ardor is an Italian art song that was written by German composer named Christoph Willibald Gluck. This song first appeared in the opera named Paride ed Elena that was published by Gluck and the famous Italian librettist Ranieri de’ Calzabigi in 1769. The aria was actually sung by a male soprano (or countertenor) in the first act of the opera. The opera was performed in Vienna the same year it was published, but due to its long winded plot, the opera was not favored by many audiences in that area. With its beautiful cantilena and elegant lyric line, O del mio dolce ardor has become a standard in numerous collections of Italian songs that were compiled much later and remains a favorite to this day. Stornello by Pietro Cimara (1887-1967), Poetry by Arnaldo Fratelli (1888-1965) Performed by Ryan Murphy Faculty Mentor: Dr. Louise Lofquist Cimara wrote Stornello while he was a young student at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome. Set to poetry by Arnaldo Fratelli, the song itself is very sensual, as the singer reminisces about things he misses from his lover like “velvet and vermillion lips”. The piece is written in a sustained legato style that helps characterize the love and remembrance of the lover. Other characteristics that help portray the emotion of the piece are the constant shifts between the subdivisions in the pulse and the sweeping accompaniment, which brings to mind the swirling emotions of the singer. La pastorella dell’ Alpi by Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868), Poetry by Carlo Pepoli (1796-1881) Performed by Natalie Leonard Faculty Mentor: Dr. Henry Price La pastorella dell’Alpi comes from Rossini’s set of twelve songs entitled Soirée musicales. These songs are called “drawing room songs” because Rossini performed these songs in his home as entertainment for colleagues and friends. The text is by Carlo Pepoli, who is most well-known for writing the libretto for Bellini’s opera I puritani. Rossini sets Pepoli’s text to a lilting Alpine waltz. With a melody suggestive of a Tyrolean yodel, the song depicts the dance of the youthful shepherdess as she flirts with passers-by. Rossini marvelously weaves the lively accompaniment and the merry and cheerful vocal melody to create one of the most charming art songs ever written