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Funiculì, Funiculà

February 03, 2023

"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.

History

 
Mount Vesuvius funicular in the 19th century

"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][a] The song was sung for the first time in the Quisisana Hotel[b] 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.[citation needed]

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

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.[citation needed]

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

The Christian animated series, VeggieTales used the tune in the silly song, "Larry’s High Silk Hat".[citation needed]

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

The Dutch Carnival song "Handjes, handjes, bloemetjesgordijn" by Lamme Frans is also based on the chorus melody of "Funiculì, Funiculà".[citation needed]

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.[citation needed]

Lyrics

 
"Funiculì, Funiculà"
Sung by tenor Francesco Daddi with piano accompaniment, 1906
MIDI rendition
Problems playing these files? See media help.

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.

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".

 
"A Merry Life" sheet music

Some think the world is made for fun and frolic,
And so do I! And so do I!
Some think it well to be all melancholic,
To pine and sigh; to pine and sigh;
But I, I love to spend my time in singing,
Some joyous song, some joyous song,
To set the air with music bravely ringing
Is far from wrong! Is far from wrong!
Listen, listen, echoes sound afar!
Listen, listen, echoes sound afar!
Tra-la-la-la! Tra-la-la-la!
Tra-la-la-la! Tra-la-la-la!
Echoes sound afar! Tra-la-la-la! Tra-la-la-la!

Some sing the world is set for freedom dancing,
But not so I! And not so I!
Some sing our eyes could keep from finally glancing,
Upon the sly! But not so I!
But all we're so amazing and so charming!
Divinely sweet! Divinely sweet!
And shortly, there's no time for pace and harming,
In nimble feet! In nimble feet!
Listen, listen, echoes sound afar!
Listen, listen, echoes sound afar!
Tra-la-la-la! Tra-la-la-la!
Tra-la-la-la! Tra-la-la-la!
Echoes sound afar! Tra-la-la-la! Tra-la-la-la!

Ah me! 'Tis strange that some should take to sighing,
And like it well! And like it well!
For me, I have not thought it's worth the trying,
So cannot tell! So cannot tell!
With laugh, with dance and song, the day soon passes
Full soon is gone, full soon is gone,
For mirth was made for joyous lads and lassies
To call their own! To call their own!
Listen, listen, echoes sound afar!
Listen, listen, echoes sound afar!
Tra-la-la-la! Tra-la-la-la!
Tra-la-la-la! Tra-la-la-la!
Echoes sound afar! Tra-la-la-la! Tra-la-la-la!

Notes

  1. ^ The funicular was later destroyed by the eruption of Vesuvius in 1944.[3]
  2. ^ According to one source, Denza was the son of the proprietor of the Quisisana Hotel.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b c Meloncelli, Raoul (1990). "Luigi Denza". Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani (in Italian). Retrieved 26 January 2015 – via Treccani.
  2. ^ Fuld, James J. (2000). The Book of World-famous Music: Classical, Popular, and Folk (5th ed.). Courier. p. 240. ISBN 978-0-486-41475-1.
  3. ^ Smith, Paul (March 1998). (PDF). Japan Railway & Transport Review: 10–15. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 October 2006. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
  4. ^ Nuova Antologia di Lettere, Scienze ed Arti (in Italian). Direzione della Nuova Antologia. 1908. p. 576.
  5. ^ Randel, Don Michael (1996). The Harvard Biographical Dictionary of Music. Harvard University Press. pp. 209–210. ISBN 978-0-674-37299-3.
  6. ^ a b Trager, Oliver (1997). The American Book of the Dead. Simon & Schuster. p. 12. ISBN 978-0-684-81402-5.
  7. ^ Catalog of Copyright Entries Series 3. U.S. Govt. Print. Off. June 1960. p. 106. Dick Sherman and Bob Sherman. NM; 'new words to P.D. tune"
  8. ^ "The Cashbox Pick of the Week". Cashbox. 22 (19): 16. 21 January 1961.
  9. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2008). Joel Whitburn Presents Across the Charts: The 1960s. Record Research. p. 22. ISBN 978-0-89820-175-8.
  10. ^ "Annette Funicello Dream Boy Chart History". Billboard. 27 February 1961. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  11. ^ Foreman, Edward (2001). Authentic Singing: The History of Singing. Pro Musica. ISBN 978-1-887-11712-8.
  12. ^ Slonimsky, Nicolas (2004). Slonimsky Yourke, Electra (ed.). Nicolas Slonimsky: Russian and Soviet music and composers. Routledge. p. 17. ISBN 978-0-415-96866-9.
  13. ^ . Schoenberg Archives. Archived from the original on 17 February 2015. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
  14. ^ Get Together Songs.
  15. ^ Hazlewood, Rex; Thurman, John (1957). The Gilwell Camp Fire Book: Songs and yells from fifty years of Scouting.
  16. ^ " "Grateful Dead Archive Online". Grateful Dead Archive Online. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  17. ^ a b Bivona, Mike (2013). Traveling Around the World with Mike and Barbara Bivona. iUniverse. p. 119. ISBN 978-1-4917-1041-8.
  18. ^ Eyles, F.A.H. (1889). Popular Poets of the Period. Griffith, Farran, Okeden, and Welsh. p. 148.

External links

February 03, 2023
funiculì, funiculà, funikuˈli, funikuˈla, english, funicular, funicular, down, neapolitan, song, composed, 1880, luigi, denza, lyrics, peppino, turco, written, commemorate, opening, first, funicular, railway, mount, vesuvius, presented, turco, denza, piedigrot. Funiculi Funicula 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 Funiculi Funicula SongLanguageNeapolitanWritten1880Published1880GenreCanzone NapoletanaComposer s Luigi DenzaLyricist s Peppino Turco Contents 1 History 2 Adaptations and unintentional plagiarism 3 Lyrics 3 1 Original Neapolitan lyrics 3 2 Traditional English lyrics 4 Notes 5 References 6 External linksHistory Edit Mount Vesuvius funicular in the 19th century Funiculi Funicula 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 a The song was sung for the first time in the Quisisana Hotel b 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 Chore 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 Funiculi Funicula 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 EditGerman 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 Funiculi Funicula 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 Funiculi funicula 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 citation needed In 1964 song parodist Allan Sherman s album For Swingin Livers Only included America s a Nice Italian Name which uses the melody citation needed 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 Funiculi Funicula 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 citation needed Earthworm Jim 2 has various bonus levels which use a variation of the tune as backing music citation needed The Christian animated series VeggieTales used the tune in the silly song Larry s High Silk Hat citation needed In the 2002 game Mafia clarification needed a band plays an instrumental version of the tune during the post race celebration in the chapter Fair Play citation needed The Dutch Carnival song Handjes handjes bloemetjesgordijn by Lamme Frans is also based on the chorus melody of Funiculi Funicula citation needed 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 citation needed Lyrics Edit Funiculi Funicula Sung by tenor Francesco Daddi with piano accompaniment 1906 source source MIDI rendition source source source Problems playing these files See media help Original Neapolitan lyrics Edit 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 Nannine me ne sagliette tu saje addo tu saje addo Addo stu core ngrato cchiu dispietto farme nun po Farme nun po Addo lu fuoco coce ma se fuje te lassa sta Te lassa sta E nun te corre appriesso nun te struje sulo a guarda sulo a guarda Coro Jamme jamme ncoppa jamme ja Jamme jamme ncoppa jamme ja funiculi funicula funiculi funicula ncoppa jamme ja funiculi funicula Ne jamme da la terra a la montagna Nu passo nc e Nu passo nc e 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 gue saglie sa Gue saglie sa Coro Se n e sagliuta oje ne se n e sagliuta la capa gia La capa gia E gghiuta po e turnata po e venuta sta sempe cca Sta sempe cca La capa vota vota attuorno attuorno attuorno a tte Attuorno a tte Stu core canta sempe nu taluorno Sposamme oje ne Sposamme oje ne Coro 17 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 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 17 Traditional English lyrics Edit 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 A Merry Life sheet music Some think the world is made for fun and frolic And so do I And so do I Some think it well to be all melancholic To pine and sigh to pine and sigh But I I love to spend my time in singing Some joyous song some joyous song To set the air with music bravely ringing Is far from wrong Is far from wrong Listen listen echoes sound afar Listen listen echoes sound afar Tra la la la Tra la la la Tra la la la Tra la la la Echoes sound afar Tra la la la Tra la la la Some sing the world is set for freedom dancing But not so I And not so I Some sing our eyes could keep from finally glancing Upon the sly But not so I But all we re so amazing and so charming Divinely sweet Divinely sweet And shortly there s no time for pace and harming In nimble feet In nimble feet Listen listen echoes sound afar Listen listen echoes sound afar Tra la la la Tra la la la Tra la la la Tra la la la Echoes sound afar Tra la la la Tra la la la Ah me Tis strange that some should take to sighing And like it well And like it well For me I have not thought it s worth the trying So cannot tell So cannot tell With laugh with dance and song the day soon passes Full soon is gone full soon is gone For mirth was made for joyous lads and lassies To call their own To call their own Listen listen echoes sound afar Listen listen echoes sound afar Tra la la la Tra la la la Tra la la la Tra la la la Echoes sound afar Tra la la la Tra la la la Notes Edit The funicular was later destroyed by the eruption of Vesuvius in 1944 3 According to one source Denza was the son of the proprietor of the Quisisana Hotel 4 References Edit a b c Meloncelli Raoul 1990 Luigi Denza Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani in Italian Retrieved 26 January 2015 via Treccani Fuld James J 2000 The Book of World famous Music Classical Popular and Folk 5th ed Courier p 240 ISBN 978 0 486 41475 1 Smith Paul March 1998 Thomas Cook amp Son s Vesuvius Railway PDF Japan Railway amp Transport Review 10 15 Archived from the original PDF on 8 October 2006 Retrieved 26 January 2015 Nuova Antologia di Lettere Scienze ed Arti in Italian Direzione della Nuova Antologia 1908 p 576 Randel Don Michael 1996 The Harvard Biographical Dictionary of Music Harvard University Press pp 209 210 ISBN 978 0 674 37299 3 a b Trager Oliver 1997 The American Book of the Dead Simon amp Schuster p 12 ISBN 978 0 684 81402 5 Catalog of Copyright Entries Series 3 U S Govt Print Off June 1960 p 106 Dick Sherman and Bob Sherman NM new words to P D tune The Cashbox Pick of the Week Cashbox 22 19 16 21 January 1961 Whitburn Joel 2008 Joel Whitburn Presents Across the Charts The 1960s Record Research p 22 ISBN 978 0 89820 175 8 Annette Funicello Dream Boy Chart History Billboard 27 February 1961 Retrieved 8 April 2018 Foreman Edward 2001 Authentic Singing The History of Singing Pro Musica ISBN 978 1 887 11712 8 Slonimsky Nicolas 2004 Slonimsky Yourke Electra ed Nicolas Slonimsky Russian and Soviet music and composers Routledge p 17 ISBN 978 0 415 96866 9 273 Denza Funiculi funicula Schoenberg Archives Archived from the original on 17 February 2015 Retrieved 26 January 2015 Get Together Songs Hazlewood Rex Thurman John 1957 The Gilwell Camp Fire Book Songs and yells from fifty years of Scouting Grateful Dead Archive Online Grateful Dead Archive Online Retrieved 13 May 2022 a b Bivona Mike 2013 Traveling Around the World with Mike and Barbara Bivona iUniverse p 119 ISBN 978 1 4917 1041 8 Eyles F A H 1889 Popular Poets of the Period Griffith Farran Okeden and Welsh p 148 External links Edit Media related to Funiculi funicula at Wikimedia Commons Funiculi Funicula Denza Scores at the International Music Score Library Project Free scores of Funiculi Funicula in the Choral Public Domain Library ChoralWiki Funiculi funicula 1904 Victor recording by Ferruccio Giannini in Discography of American Historical Recordings at University of California Santa Barbara Performance by The Grateful Dead at Winterland Arena on 1977 06 09 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Funiculi Funicula amp oldid 1135953945, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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