Se tu m'ami by A. Parisotti
Madi R.
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The song I chose for my performance is Se tu m'ami. The composer was Alessandro Parisotti and the lyricist is Paolo Rolli. The song was first published in 1885 but it was written in a poem form in the 1700s. However there is some controversy on who actually wrote it.
Se tu M’ami is an Italian Operatto and was the first song I have attempted to sing in Italian. This was a challenge to me on many levels learning the words and accents as well as a very different musical style.This song is about a woman who has a young man in love with her and while she likes the attention she doesn’t want to only be with him.
The translation of the lyrics are below:
If you love me, if you
sigh for me, gentle shepherd,
your pain hurts me,
yet I delight in your love.
But if you think that
I must return my love only to you,
then, shepherd boy, you are
easily deceived.
A beautiful purple rose
Silvia will choose today -
because of its thorns,
she will despise it tomorrow.
But men's advice
I will not follow.
Just because I love the lily,
I will not despise the other flower.
As I learned the song I tried to imagine myself in Italy in the 1700s as a flirtatious young Italian woman. I would try to invent in my mind who the woman was and how she would act. Then I thought of people that I know who act similar to the woman as a way to better relate to her. Her personality is nothing like my own which made the experience of becoming her fun and enjoyable.
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Creativity means expressing one’s self and showing your own way of life. Letting your inner colors shine not only on the inside, but for everyone to see. I express my creativity when I’m singing and experience a wonderful rush of joy when I share a small piece of myself with my audience.
