music.wikisort.org - Composition

"Funiculì, Funiculà" (IPA: [funikuˈli funikuˈla], English: "Funicular Up, Funicular Down") is a Neapolitan song composed in 1880 by Luigi Denza to lyrics by Peppino Turco. It was written to commemorate the opening of the first funicular railway on Mount Vesuvius. It was presented by Turco and Denza at the Piedigrotta festival the same year. The sheet music was published by Ricordi and sold over a million copies within a year. Since its publication, it has been widely adapted and recorded.

"Funiculì, Funiculà"
Song
Language	Neapolitan
Written	1880
Published	1880
Genre	Canzone Napoletana
Composer(s)	Luigi Denza
Lyricist(s)	Peppino Turco

History

"Funiculì, Funiculà" was composed in 1880 in Castellammare di Stabia, the home town of the song's composer, Luigi Denza; the lyrics were contributed by journalist Peppino Turco.[1] It was Turco who prompted Denza to compose it, perhaps as a joke,[1] to commemorate the opening of the first funicular on Mount Vesuvius in that year.[2][lower-alpha 1] The song was sung for the first time in the Quisisana Hotel[lower-alpha 2] in Castellammare di Stabia. It was presented by Turco and Denza at the Piedigrotta festival during the same year and became immensely popular in Italy and abroad.[5] Published by Casa Ricordi, the sheet music sold over a million copies in a year.[1]

Over the years the song has been performed by many artists including Erna Sack, Anna German, Mario Lanza, Beniamino Gigli, The Mills Brothers, Connie Francis, Haruomi Hosono (with lyrics translated into Japanese), Fischer-Chöre (with lyrics translated into German), The Grateful Dead,[6] Luciano Pavarotti, Andrea Bocelli, Rodney Dangerfield, Alvin and the Chipmunks, The Wiggles, and Il Volo.

In 1960, Robert B. and Richard M. Sherman wrote a new set of English lyrics to the melody of "Funiculì, Funiculà" with the title "Dream Boy".[7][8][9] Annette Funicello included the song on her album of Italian songs titled Italiannette and also released it as a single that became a minor hit.[10]

Adaptations and unintentional plagiarism

German composer Richard Strauss heard the song while on a tour of Italy six years after it was written. He thought that it was a traditional Neapolitan folk song and incorporated it into his Aus Italien tone poem. Denza filed a lawsuit against him and won, and Strauss was forced to pay him a royalty fee.[11] Russian composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov also mistook "Funiculì, Funiculà" for a traditional folk song and used it in his 1907 "Neapolitanskaya pesenka" (Neapolitan Song).[12]

Cornettist Herman Bellstedt used it as the basis for a theme and variations titled Napoli; a transcription for euphonium is also popular among many performers. Modernist composer Arnold Schoenberg arranged a version for ensemble in 1921.[13]

In 1933, Arthur Fields and Fred Hall published a parody of "Funiculì, funiculà" titled "My High Silk Hat".[14] This parody has been republished several times, including in the 1957 Gilwell Camp Fire Book.[15]

In 1947, in the Walt Disney film Fun and Fancy Free, Goofy and Donald sing to the chorus of this song.

In 1964, song parodist Allan Sherman's album For Swingin' Livers Only! included "America's a Nice Italian Name" which uses the melody.

In the late 1970s and in the 1980s the song was performed more than 20 times by the Grateful Dead during tunings.[16]

In 2004, Activision published a video-game version of the Sam Raimi Spider-Man 2 movie. In the movie and in the game, Spider-Man's alter ego Peter Parker has a job delivering pizzas. In the game, the player must deliver pizzas to various places throughout New York City before a shortened accordion and flute version of "Funiculì, Funiculà" finishes playing. As the game version of the song progresses, the tempo increases and the key shifts progressively higher, indicating that the song is nearing its end. Today, it is now known as an internet meme.

Earthworm Jim 2 has various bonus levels which use a variation of the tune as backing music.

The Japanese anime franchise Girls und Panzer uses an adaptation of the song by composer Shiro Hamaguchi as the theme song for Anzio High School, a school based on the Kingdom of Italy.

The Christian animated series, VeggieTales used the tune in the silly song, “Larry’s High Silk Hat”.

In the 2002 game "Mafia," a band plays an instrumental version of the tune during the post-race celebration in the chapter "Fair Play."

The Dutch Carnaval song "Handjes, handjes, bloemetjesgordijn" by Lamme Frans is also based on the chorus melody of "Funiculì, Funiculà".

The song "Vempair Survaivors" from the game Vampire Survivors is an instrumental remix of this song. It was used as the background music for the game's Version 1.0 launch trailer.

Lyrics

Original Neapolitan lyrics

In Turco's original lyrics, a young man compares his sweetheart to a volcano, and invites her to join him in a romantic trip to the summit.

Neapolitan lyrics Aissera, oje Nanniné, me ne sagliette, tu saje addó, tu saje addó Addó 'stu core 'ngrato cchiù dispietto farme nun pò! Farme nun pò! Addó lu fuoco coce, ma se fuje te lassa sta! Te lassa sta! E nun te corre appriesso, nun te struje sulo a guardà, sulo a guardà. (Coro) Jamme, jamme 'ncoppa, jamme jà, Jamme, jamme 'ncoppa, jamme jà, funiculì, funiculà, funiculì, funiculà, 'ncoppa, jamme jà, funiculì, funiculà! Né, jamme da la terra a la montagna! Nu passo nc'è! Nu passo nc'è! Se vede Francia, Proceta e la Spagna... Io veco a tte! Io veco a tte! Tirato co la fune, ditto 'nfatto, 'ncielo se va, 'ncielo se va. Se va comm' 'a lu viento a l'intrasatto, guè, saglie, sà! Guè, saglie, sà! (Coro) Jamme, jamme 'ncoppa, jamme jà, Jamme, jamme 'ncoppa, jamme jà, funiculì, funiculà, funiculì, funiculà, 'ncoppa, jamme jà, funiculì, funiculà! Se n'è sagliuta, oje né, se n'è sagliuta, la capa già! La capa già! È gghiuta, po' è turnata, po' è venuta, sta sempe ccà! Sta sempe ccà! La capa vota, vota, attuorno, attuorno, attuorno a tte! Attuorno a tte! Stu core canta sempe nu taluorno: Sposamme, oje né! Sposamme, oje né! (Coro) Jamme, jamme 'ncoppa, jamme jà, Jamme, jamme 'ncoppa, jamme jà, funiculì, funiculà, funiculì, funiculà, 'ncoppa, jamme jà, funiculì, funiculà!

English translation I climbed up high this evening, oh, Nanetta, Do you know where? Do you know where? Where this ungrateful heart No longer pains me! No longer pains me! Where fire burns, but if you run away, It lets you be, it lets you be! It doesn't follow after or torment you Just with a look, just with a look. (Chorus) Let's go, let's go! To the top we'll go! Let's go, let's go! To the top we'll go! Funicular up, funicular down, funicular up, funicular down! To the top we'll go, funicular up, funicular down! Let's go from here below up to the mountain, A step away! A step away! You can see France, Procida, and Spain, And I see you! And I see you! You rise, pulled by a cable, quick as a wink, Into the sky! Into the sky! We'll rise up like a whirlwind all of a sudden Knows how to do! Knows how to do! (Chorus) Let's go, let's go! To the top we'll go! Let's go, let's go! To the top we'll go! Funicular up, funicular down, funicular up, funicular down! To the top we'll go, funicular up, funicular down! The car has climbed up high, see, climbed up high now, Right to the top! Right to the top! It went, and turned around, and came back down, And now it's stopped! And now it's stopped! The top is turning round, and round, and round, Around yourself! Around yourself! My heart is singing the same refrain: We should be wed! We should be wed! (Chorus) Let's go, let's go! To the top we'll go! Let's go, let's go! To the top we'll go! Funicular up, funicular down, funicular up, funicular down! To the top we'll go, funicular up, funicular down!

—[17]

—[17]

Traditional English lyrics

Edward Oxenford, a lyricist and translator of librettos,[18] wrote lyrics, with scant relationship to those of the original version, that became traditional in English-speaking countries.[6] His version of the song often appears with the title "A Merry Life".

Notes

References

External links

• Free scores of Funiculì, Funiculà in the Choral Public Domain Library (ChoralWiki)
• "Funiculi, funicula" 1904 Victor recording by Ferruccio Giannini in Discography of American Historical Recordings at UC Santa Barbara

На других языках

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- [en] Funiculì, Funiculà

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[es] Funiculì, funiculà

Funiculì, funiculà [funikuˈli funikuˈla] es una célebre melodía napolitana compuesta en 1880 por Luigi Denza con letra del periodista Giuseppe "Peppino" Turco. Conmemora la apertura del primer funicular del Monte Vesubio y se cantó por primera vez en el Quisisana Hotel de Castellammare di Stabia. Tuvo gran éxito, de esa manera Turco y Denza la presentaron en el Festival de Piedigrotta en ese mismo año. Edward Oxenford, un cantautor inglés y traductor de libretos, publicó una versión que se popularizó en países de habla inglesa.

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[ru] Funiculì funiculà

Funiculì funiculà — неаполитанская песня, написанная итальянским журналистом Пеппино Турко и положенная на музыку композитором Луиджи Денца в 1880 году. Песня была сочинена в ознаменование открытия первого фуникулёра на вулкане Везувий.

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