Graham Trout!11.3.13!!

Song Prep for "O cessate di piagarmi"!!I. Song Info!

A. O cessate di piagarmi!B. Alessandro Scarlatti!C. Alessandro Scarlatti!D. Italian Baroque Arietta!E. 1683 when Il Pompeo, an opera composed by Scarlatti, was first performed !F. Baritone D#4-D5!G. Scarlatti was able to allow his music to flourish once in Rome, Florence, and

Venice. Il Pompeo was one of his earliest operas, but contains some of his more popular pieces, including “O cessate…”. !

H. Transliteration below !II. Description!

A. In the version I copied, there was an “English version” by Theodore Baker which translates the song title as “O no longer seek to pain me”. By reading Baker’s translation, the singer talks about how he wants to be left alone and begs his “scene partner” to let him die. It’s a very depressing song about letting this person die rather than letting the pain go on and on. We see a similar meaning when we transliterate the text, but instead of “pain me” it is translated as “wounding me”. In my opinion, that is a stronger word that might lend to the idea that this person being attacked. Another interesting difference spotted when you compare the Baker version with a transliteration, is the word “martir”. In Baker’s version, it is defined as “cry” but it was transliterated as “martyrdom” which furthers the idea of someone being attacked, perhaps for their beliefs. !

III. Notable Performances/Recordings!A. Listening Examples!

1. Cecilia Bartoli!a) Beautiful performance; she heavily rolls her “r’s” which I can definitely

learn from!2. Ramon Vargas!

a) I really enjoyed this version compared to #1. His tone is so smooth and easy to listen to. He also creates beautiful lines through the entire piece and adds the perfect amount of legato in those lines.!

3. Jose Carreras!a) I prefer Ramon Vargas’s performance over this one. Carreras chose to

scoop several notes which I, personally, did not find to be beneficial to this piece. He has a wonderful voice though with incredible technique behind it. !

B. This song has been a challenge from me from the beginning. I've had to work on pure vowels, open space, and placement. It's definitely been a great song that I have learned from, but it was most definitely a struggle. As much as I do enjoy the style and melody of the song, I'm glad to say I'm done with it.!

“O cessate di piagarmi”!Alessandro Scarlatti!!!

O ! cessate! di! piagarmi,!O ! cease!! of! wounding me!!O! lasciatemi! morir!O! let me!! die!!Luc’ingrate, dispietate,!Lights ungrateful, ruthless!!più! del! gelo! e! più! del! marmi!More! the! frost! and! more! the! marble!!fredde! e! sorde!! a! miei! martir!Cold! ! and! deaf! ! to ! my! martyrdom!!