from L'amor contrastato lamQr kontrastflto

Poetic idea

"Why don't I feel as well as usual? Love is driving me crazy!" The per­son who sings this is Rachelina, "a rich mill-owner and imprudent in love," according to the libretto. She is being pursued by three lovers, so it is no wonder that she is confused.

The scene of the opera is Rache­lina's rustic home in the countryside near Naples. When the curtain rises, Rachelina is working, something that women in earlier operas seldom did.

Background

Paisiello was the most popular comic composer of his time. While he served at the court of Catherine the Great of Russia, he composed The Barber of Seville, which was beloved for over 30 years, until it was replaced by Rossini's Barber of Seville. Paisiello's graceful melodies influenced many other composers, even Mozart.

"Nel cor piu non mi sento" comes from L'Amor contrastato (The Hard­Won Love), produced in Naples in 1789, and performed throughout Europe for many years. In other cities the opera was sometimes titled La molinara or La bella molinara (The Beautiful Miller-Woman). This aria became enormously popular; famous stars sang elaborate orna­mentations, and Beethoven wrote piano variations on it.

Audiences remembered "Nel cor ... " not only because it is simple, but also because they heard it several times in the scene. It is sung by Rachelina, then by a tenor suitor, Col­loandro, and the ending is repeated as a duet. After a recitative it is sung by a baritone suitor, Pistofolo, with the ending again repeated as a duet.

Source

L'amor contrastato, autograph score

132 • 2 6 I t a Ii a n Son gsa n dAr i a s

nel k~r pju non mi s£nto Nel cor pin non mi sento In-the heart more not myself I-feel

bril:l~r la d30venty Brillar la gioventn. sparkle [the] youth.

kad3Qn del mio torm~nto Cagion del mio tormento, Cause of[ -the] my torment,

amQr tJ~i kQlpa tu Amor, ci hai colpa tu. Love, there have gUilt you.

mi styt:siki mi m~stiki Mi stuzzichi, mi mastichi, Me you-excite, me you-bite,

mi pynd3iki mi pit:siki Mi pungichi, mi pizzichi; me you-prick, me you-pinch;

ke k~za~ kw~sta~im£ Che cosa e questa, ohime? What thing is this, alas?

pjet~ Pieta, pieta, pieta! Pity!

amQfcun tJ£rto ke Amor e un certo che, Love is a certain something

ke delif~r Che delirar

mi fa mi fa!

which be-delirious me makes!

of the opera, in the library of the Con­servatorio di Musica, San Pietro a Majella, Naples, Rari 3.1.3.4; this would be the most authoritative source, but most of the aria is missing from it. Manuscripts in other libraries have been consulted, but because of the lack of a complete primary source, this edition conforms to the published score of the opera: La M olinara ossia

Giovanni Paisiello d30vfln:ni paizj~l:lo

L'amor contrastato, edited by A. Roc­chi (Florence: Maggio Musicale, 1962).

The familiar version, made by Parisotti in Arie Antiche, Vol. 1 (Milan: Ricordi, 1885), consists of ml-m28 only. The ornaments given are acceptable in style, but not unique nor authoritative. The singer should feel free to explore many possible ornaments.

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Giuseppe Palomba English version by James P. Dunn

Nel cor pin non mi sento My heart ne'er leaps with gladness

Andantino, J.= 56 - 63

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(Text for a female singer:) Nel .,

c;)r PlU non (Text for a male singer:) Ti SEn - to,

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Giovanni Paisiello (1 740-1816) Edited by John Glenn Paton

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"" . --• • r-- • ". .-II I - r mi SEn - to Bril -ti SEn - to, BEl

My heart ne'er leaps with glad - ness, Youth' s

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In the opera, a woman sings the first stanza and a man sings the second, then both singers sing the conclusion, m30-m45. The alternate vocal line provides examples of appropriate ornaments which the singer may use in singing the melody (the two lines are not to be sung simultaneously!). The aria may also ·be performed as a solo, ending at m28. Idiomatic translation: (Female:) No longer do I feel youth sparkle in my heart. (Male:) I hear you, yes, I hear you, lovely flower of youth.

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26 Italian Songs and Arias. 133

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134 • 26 Italian Songs and Arias

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26 Italian Songs and Arias. 135

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136 • 26 Italian Songs and Arias