The Anonymous Neapolitan: Song Anthology from the 13th to the 19th Century

This album, The Anonymous Neapolitan, is a continuation of Calandra’s journey to Naples of old, that inexhaustible font of timeless stories, melodies and poetry. Composer: Anonymous Artists: Letizia Calandra soprano Valerio Celentano guitar 🎵 Purchase or streaming (Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music): 💎 More Information: 🎬🎮 These tracks are available for sync licensing in videos, films, tv-shows, games, advertising and more. For more information and to request a license go to: From its earliest origins the Neapolitan canzona or song has been bound up with the life of the people of Naples and their innate desire to express their deepest feelings through song and poetry. For at least three centuries, the songs were only ever handed down orally and many of them were lost in the city’s alleyways and taverns, disappearing into the very air of Naples. It wasn’t until the mid-19th century that all this material was collected, transcribed and organized for the first time and Neapolitan song became fashionable among all classes of Neapolitans as well as with broad swathes of visiting tourists who also fell in love with them. For this Neapolitan anthology, Calandra and Celentano have selected 21 pieces, all by anonymous authors, including a brief instrumental insert from the very distant past, namely the Seikilos epitaph, likewise, of course, anonymous. Following the thread of feeling, Calandra and Celentano have gone back in time all the way to Ancient Greece with this musical fragment discovered in Anatolia in 1883, whose dating ranges from the 2nd century BC to the second century AD, making it the oldest complete piece of music that has found a place in their repertoire. This age-old melody has an innate, almost indescribable beauty, solidifying Calandra and Celentano’s decision to feature it as an introduction to the song that’s believed to be the oldest in the Neapolitan tradition, the ‘Ritornello delle Lavandaie del Vomero’ (Song of the Washerwomen of Vomero). To close the CD: an authentic masterpiece of the Neapolitan dialect repertoire from the 18th century, ‘Lo Guarracino’, whose text describes various characters with abundant invention and sophistication. Nonetheless this can only be attributed to the work of an anonymous poet, whose geniality and refinement are all we know about him or her. There is a sense of continuity between this project and Calandra’s previous Naples-related albums for Brilliant Classics: Scarlatti and the Neapolitan Song, Donizetti: Nuits d’été à Pausilippe and Erotica Antiqua: Neapolitan Villanellas. But most of all it represents a sentimental journey across the centuries and through our fresh imaginings of a hugely important musical heritage that must not be lost. With this album The Anonymous Neapolitan Letizia Calandra’s continues her journey into ancient Naples, an inexhaustible source of timeless stories, melodies and poems. Recorded December 2021 in Trieste, Italy. Tracklist: 00:00:00 La fata dello scodillo 00:03:04 Raziella 00:07:12 Cannetella 00:10:11 La ricciolella 00:13:22 Serenata amalfitana 00:16:03 La serpe a Carolina/Statte bbona e governate 00:18:47 Te voglio bene assaje 00:21:43 Barcarola napoletana 00:24:08 Lu cardillo 00:27:49 La festa di piedigrotta 00:29:44 Cicerenella 00:33:21 Donna Sabella 00:36:32 La favola dell’uccello grifone 00:40:11 Epitaffio di Sicilo 00:42:58 Ritornello delle lavandare del vomero 00:45:27 Michelemmà 00:46:42 Fenesta vascia 00:49:12 Fenesta che lucivi 00:54:58 Fenesta co sta nova gelosia 00:59:02 No quarto d’ora 01:00:21 Lo guarracino 👉 Social media links: Instagram: Facebook: TikTok: Spotify Playlists: Brilliant Classics Spotify: New Classical Releases: The Best of Liszt: The Best of Bach: Most Popular Piano Music: Beautiful Classical Music: Classical Music For Dinnertime: Thank you for watching this video by Brilliant Classics, we hope you enjoyed it! Don’t forget to share it and subscribe to our YouTube channel. We upload daily with complete albums and compilations with the best classical music.