Caruso: Vesti la giubba recorded from original 78 shellac

Aria from the opera Pagliacci, by Leoncavallo.
Recorded from an original 78 shellac, played on a 1918 Victrola.
Kindly provided by Donald "Skip" Lockhart of Needham, Ma, USA.
Complete with needle noise. No attempts to "improve" the sound.

Caruso recorded it on 17. March 1907. He had made two recordings of the aria previously - in 1902 and 1904.

LIBRETTO:
Recitar! Mentre preso dal delirio,
non so più quel che dico,
e quel che faccio!
Eppur è d'uopo, sforzati!
Bah! Sei tu forse un uom?
Tu se' Pagliaccio!

Vesti la giubba e la faccia infarina.
La gente paga, e rider vuole qua.
E se Arlecchin t'invola Colombina,
ridi, Pagliaccio, e ognun applaudirà!
Tramuta in lazzi lo spasmo ed il pianto
in una smorfia il singhiozzo e 'l dolor, Ah!

Ridi, Pagliaccio,
sul tuo amore infranto!
Ridi del duol, che t'avvelena il cor!

TRANSLATION:
Act! While in delirium,
I no longer know what I say,
or what I do!
And yet it's necessary... make an effort!
Bah! Are you even a man?
You are a clown!

Put on your costume and powder your face.
The people are paying, and they want to laugh here.
And if Harlequin steals away your Columbina,
laugh, clown, and all will applaud!
Turn your distress and tears into jokes,
your pain and sobs into a smirk, Ah!

Laugh, clown,
at your broken love!
Laugh at the grief that poisons your heart!

More information here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vesti_l...