'O surdato 'nnammurato (Napoli FC song) - Neapolitan mandolin, featuring Pulcinella

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'O surdato 'nnammurato is one of the most famous Neapolitan songs, the music was composed by Enrico Cannio in 1915. The title translates as 'The soldier in love'; the song tells the story of a soldier fighting in World War 1 who is thinking of his beloved and wishing they could be together. It was originally published with piano accompaniment. In my version I have tried to stay closer to the original, but also incorporating the classic Neapolitan mandolin together with a typical accompaniment of guitar, acoustic bass and tambourine. I also added a melodica for variety, accordions are common in Italian folk music and the melodica is a similar sound.

Neapolitan songs, much like the original Quatrapuntal material, have elements of both classical and folk music and are traditionally performed either with an orchestra or a more folk accompaniment of mandolin and guitar. 'O surdato 'nnammurato is one of the more lively Neapolitan songs, there are many others which are somewhat melancholy. There are are a number of parallels between Neapolitan songs and Portuguese fado; both have very similar instrumentation (just substitute mandolin for Portuguese guitar which is also a higher pitched metal strung instrument), they often feature the kind of 'oom-pah' accompaniment patterns heard in this song, the structures are similar, the harmony is very similar and both feature characteristic major/minor key shifts. Even the language has similarities in pronunciation and grammar (e.g. the definite articles are 'o and 'a in Neapolitan, just like Portuguese). Both styles have been an important influence on the Quatrapuntal original material.

The character of Pulcinella originated in Commedia dell’arte theatre of the early 17th century. Pulcinella is especially associated with Naples and he is often seen as a Neapolitan symbol, frequently playing a mandolin. He is an exaggerated character with an enormous nose, potbelly and hunchback. Pulcinella’s character is usually either stupid pretending to be clever, or clever pretending to be stupid; either way he is deceitful and selfish, with little concern for others.

There are various videos on the channel featuring the Portuguese guitar, such as this:    • O Mundo Chora - guitarra portuguesa (influ...  

Here is an example of an original song with these influences:    • Daybreak - guitar, Portuguese guitar, acou...  

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