THE

TALE
TALES
OF
program program OCTOBER 29, 2018
8:00 pm
HELICONIAN HALL

Istituto Italiano di Cultura Toronto presents:

THE TALE OF TALES

Part I
Vardiello Songs:
Tiempo mancante
(Traditional from Campania)

Aggio girato lu munno

(Traditional from Campania)

Fateve ‘nnanze
(Traditional from Campania)

Part II
La Mortella (The Myrtle) Songs:
Quanno io te veco a sta fenestra
(Traditional from Campania)

Parzunarella mia
(Traditional from Campania)

A spuntunera
(Traditional from Calabria)

Please hold your applause till the end of each story, thank you!
The instrumental music (arranged or improvised by the performers) is
based on seventeenth-century models.

VESUVIUS ENSEMBLE SPECIAL GUESTS

storyteller
Francesco Pellegrino Naghmeh Farahmand
voice, chitarra battente percussion
Marco Cera Romina di Gasbarro
winds, mandolin, guitars voice, chitarra battente
AND
Lucas Harris
lute, guitars, chitarrone Mariella Bertelli
storyteller
Francesco, Marco and Lucas welcome you to the first concert of
Vesuvius Ensemble 2018/19 season.
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program notes
A NOTE FROM LUCAS HARRIS
Hello, friends!
For years, Marco & Francesco and I have been
interested in Giambattista Basile’s Pentamerone
and curious to see if we could create a concert that
included some of its amazing tales.
The Pentamerone is remarkable for a few
different reasons: First, it was composed entirely
in Neapolitan dialect. Secondly, it was the first
literary collection to be made up of only fairy tales.
It includes the first recorded versions of famous
tales such as Cinderella, Rapunzel, Puss in Boots,
Sleeping Beauty, and Hansel & Gretel. Thirdly,
it was published posthumously in two volumes
(1634 &1636) by Basile’s sister Adriana, who was a
virtuosa singer. Adriana worked for the Gonzagas in
Mantua, was a favourite of Claudio Monteverdi, and
sang in a famous trio with her daughters Caterina
and Leonora. (Leonora’s singing inspired a volume
Adriana Basile of poetic praise from some of Italy’s finest poets and
nobles, plus a series of epigrams by John Milton.)
The Pentamerone might have fallen into obscurity
but for the Brothers Grimm who discovered it
in the nineteenth century and adapted many of
the tales into their own work. Their Romantic
nationalist viewpoint considered the work as perfectly
representing the spirit of the Neapolitan people.
The name Pentamerone is a reference to Boccaccio’s
famous Decamerone. In a “set up” story, fifty tales are
then presented over the course of five days. The title
of our concert is taken from the work’s second title, Lo
cunto de li cunte, “The Tale of Tales.” There is also a
subtitle, Trattenemiento de li peccerrille, “Entertainment
for little ones,” though the tales contain so much sex and
violence that it’s hard to imagine many parents wanting
to read them to their children before being cleaned up!
We are thrilled to be collaborating with our new friend
Mariella Bertelli on this project, and also so happy to
be welcoming guest percussionist Naghmeh Farahmand
as well as our dear friend Romina di Gasbarro
(please check out her new CD release Risorgimento).
4 Vesuvius Ensemble
A NOTE FROM SPECIAL GUEST MARIELLA BERTELLI
Giambattista Basile’s writing style combines
outlandish metaphors with playfully colloquial
expressions, mixing folk themes and language with
courtly literary mannerism.
The Pentamerone’s world is filled with fools and
bold folks, villains and fairies, kings and poor
people, all protagonists in their own lives, though,
more often than not, fate decides their fortune or
doom. Basile in his collection paints a world where,
in spite of unfair and unpleasant situations, horrors
and sorrows, things are not always what they
appear to be and all can be turned upside down
and transformed in a heartbeat. Strange things can
happen and magic does exist.
Tonight’s program provides a tiny taste from this
exuberant and extravagant collection. Two tales will
come alive through a storyteller’s voice combined
with traditional music: “Vardiello” and “The Myrtle”.
A note on the character known as ‘O
Munaciello, who appears in both of tonight’s
tales: O Munaciello in Neapolitan means
“little monk.” He is a little boy dressed like
a monk with a broad brimmed hat. Often
he lives in old or abandoned palaces, but
he has access to any house in Naples by
means of the underground aquaduct system
constructed in Roman times. Sometimes
he is depicted as a mischievous sprite and
at other times as a beneficent spirit. He is
annoying when he hides or breaks things, or
disturbs people in their sleep by pulling off
their covers or blowing into their ears. Yet he
is kind and welcome when he brings good
fortune to those in need, often appearing to
save you only when all other human aid has failed. The proverb “O munaciello:
a chi arricchisce e a chi appezzentisce” means that the little monk sometimes
brings riches and sometimes misfortune. So, beware of ‘O Munaciello!
2018-2019 Concert Season 5
 song translations
Tale of Vardiello jette ‘o miereco e ‘a visitaje, the doctor came to visit,
synopsis jette ‘o prevete e ‘a cunfessaje, the priest came to confess her,
jette ‘a morte e s’a pigliaje. and Death came to take her.
Grannonia has a son, Vardiello, who is simple in mind and actions. When
she leaves him in charge of the house, he makes a mess of everything. Aggio girato lu munno I have traveled the world
When Grannonia gives him another chance, Vardiello shows once again that heis
incapable of doing the right thing. Yet in the end it is Vardiello who brings good Dint’ a nu vico ce voglio fa’ n’arco In a street I want to build an arch
fortune to his mother, though his mother’s cleverness is necessary to preserve tutto de rose e de sciure cuperto, covered completely with roses and flowers,
that fortune. oi palummè! O little dove!

Tiempo Mancante
Nuje simmo povere
e venimmo da Casoria
da Casoria e da Messina
simmo ‘e povere pellerine.
Mastu Mineco fujette
rimanette ‘a port’aperta
po’ venette ‘o mariuolo
s’arrubbaie ‘e raffiuole.
Sagliette cchiù ‘ncoppa
e truvaie ‘na gatta morta,
scennette cchiù abbascio,
e truvaie ‘nu mastedascio.
Mastedascio che fai lloco?
Faccio casce cu’ cascione,
cascette e casciulelle,
pe’ Maria ‘a piccerella.
Maria mariola
port’a bevere ‘e galline
‘e galline fanno ll’ova
e Maria mariola.
E Maria dint’o ciardino
jeva cuglienno ‘o petrusino,
petrusino nun ce ne steva
e Maria se ne fujeva.
Jette ‘a casa e se cuccaie,
mastu Mineco scetaie,
jette ‘a mare e se lavaje,
jette ‘o sole e s’asciuttaie.
Po’ s’ammalaie,
‘Na fenestella posta ‘a meglia parte It will have a little window in a perfect place
addo’ s’appoia ‘stu gentile pietto, for you to lean your tender breast upon,
Lost Time oi palummè! O little dove!
We are poor Site cchiù janca vuie ca nce lu latte You are whiter even than milk;
and we come from Casoria. la luna de Jenaro ve sponta ‘mpietto, a January moon rises from your breast,
We are poor pilgrims oi palummè! O little dove!
from Casoria and from Messina.
Tenite l’uocchie de prete d’aniello You have eyes shining like a precious stone
Sir Minneco ran away, ‘sta vocca quanno parla mena sciure, Your mouth emits flowers when you speak,
and the door remained open. oi palummè! O little dove!
Then thieves came
and stole everything. Aggio girato lu munno ‘mparte I have traveled the world
ma una comm’ a vuje n’ ‘a trovo certo, but will certainly never find another like you,
He went upstairs oi palummè! O little dove!
and found a dead cat.
He went downstairs
and found a carpenter. Fateve ‘nnanze Come forward!
Sir Carpenter, Ora su, Masto, veccoce allestute, Here we are, Sir, well dressed;
what are you doing there? e ca volimmo correre e fa’ danze we want to run and dance,
I build large and small vuie mò, sonanno cetole e liute now we play citerns and lutes,
boxes for little Maria. fateve ‘nnanze! so come forth!
Maria the mischievious one O tu, de st’uocchie visciola e popella Here are your dancing eyes
brings the hens something to drink. Vicenza cara, affacciate da ‘lloco, My dear Vincenza, have a look at this,
The hens make eggs while e sta ‘ndrezzata sbrenneta tu bella come with us and let’s do
Maria makes mischief. vide ‘no poco. this dance together.
Maria was in the garden Mo vecco comme zompo e comme saùto I see instruments playing happily!
wanting to gather some parsley, de chisto calascione ad ogni trillo With each little trill from the colascione
But as there was no parsley there, che faccio saùte miezo miglio ad auto we jump half a mile,
she went away. cchiù de no grillo... leaping higher than a cricket.
She went home and went to bed, Stienne ‘ssa mano, scotola ‘ssa gamma Stretch that arm and shake that leg,
but Sir Mineco woke her up. fa’ repolune, e botate a l’ampressa spin around and turn quickly,
She went to the sea and washed herself Nina, te dico : “Sienteme madama, Nina, I tell you: “Listen to me, dear
then went out in the sun to dry herself off. vocca de sguessa”. big-mouthed lady!”
Later she got sick, Oh bravo affe! De trinca nuie mò jammo Great job! Now we’re going drinking,

6 Vesuvius Ensemble 2018-2019 Concert Season 7

 song translations
passa tu priesto, Mineco, pe’ sotta
sbatte ‘sti piede, Tontaro,
e nuie ‘ntrammo tutt’a ‘na botta.
Ora su basta! Scompase stu juoco
Sia tutto chesto a gloria de Vicenza.
Vicenza ‘st’arma schiaccola
de fuoco dancell’ ‘e renza....
Come on down, Mineco! Move those
feet,
Tontaro, and we’ll jump in all together.
Now that’s enough! This game is finished.
Everything here was for the glory of Vicenza.
Vicenza has celebrated with fireworks
and dancing!
Figliulo mio, io so’ parzunarella,
ma so’ guardiana de lo mio ciardino
nun songo femmena ca s’arruvina.
Damme sti purtualle malandrine,
dammelle presto si me le vuo’ dare,
sinnò tu me arreduce a pazziare.
“My boy, I am Parzunarella,
but I am the guardian of my garden
and not a woman who will fall into ruin.”
“Give me your big oranges,
and give them to me soon if you will,
otherwise you’ll drive me crazy.”

Nun tengo purtualle e ceraselle “I don’t have oranges nor cherries

ca non se ponno cogliere o ‘mprestare,
Tale of La Mortella (The Myrtle) agge pacienza, senza pazziare.
synopsis
Si tu nun me vuo’ da’ sti ceraselle,
After wanting to have a child for a very long time, a woman finally gives birth to a ‘mpriestame l’uorto e nun te dare
sprig of myrtle. She is thrilled, and the plant grows beautifully under her care. affanno,
When a Prince sees the myrtle, he is charmed by its beauty and convinces the ca te l’arracquo senza fare danno.
woman to sell him the plant. He brings it home and tends to it lovingly.
For several nights, the Prince is visited in bed by a mysterious lady, who turns out Chiss’uorto mio nce tene uno frutto
to be the gorgeous fairy who comes out of the myrtle plant. e me lo guardo e me lu tengo caro,
When the Prince is away, the myrtle suffers terribly at the hands of several ca si se coglie po’ nun c’è reparo.
vengeful women. But, through the actions of a loyal servant, the plant is restored
Lu frutto tuoio me face sfrennesiare,
to health, and the prince and the fairy are joyfully reunited. parzonarella mia vide ca moro,
si nun me fai ‘sta ‘ràzia, faccia d’oro!
that can be picked or borrowed,
so have patience and don’t go crazy.”
“If you do not want to give me those
cherries,
just lend me your garden and don’t worry -
I’ll water it without doing any damage.”
“This garden of mine has only one fruit
and I will guard it and keep it dear,
for if you harvest it, there is no return.”
“Your fruit drives me insane,
My Parzunarella, don’t you see that I’ll die
if you won’t do me this favour, golden
face!”

Quanno io te veco a sta fenestra a stare
Tanto e tanto si bella tu.
Pare ‘ca vulisse ll’uommene ammazzare
E tu, e tu te lo credi tu.
C’e` vo l’auto che culore bello avere
Tanto e tanto si bella tu.
When I see you at that window,
you look so beautiful.
It seems like you want to kill all men,
and you believe it.
It would take a rainbow of colours to
surpass your beauty, for you are indeed
so beautiful.
Farte ‘sta ‘ràzia a me me piaciarria,
ma si ce perdo po’ la massaria,
tu me vuò fà’ murire, arrassusia!
A spuntunera
Nanzi ’sta ruga c’è na spuntunera
jettare ci la vuogliu na canzuna.
“I’d like to do you this favour,
but if I lose all my land,
you’d make me die and disappear!”
At the Corner
Opposite this alley is a corner
at which I want to sing a serenade.

‘A chi nun vo` sulo ‘nzipeto parere
e tu, te lo credi tu.
Te credive tutte ll’uommene ingannare
Tanto e tanto si bella tu.
Ma st’amico nun se vole fa ‘ncappare
e tu, e tu, te lo credi tu.
You outshine anyone you are near,
and you know it.
You think you can deceive all men,
and you are indeed so beautiful.
But this guy does not want to be taken
by you, and you know it.
Ca c’è na ronna cuomu na bannera
chi la guverna lu sul’e la luna.
Quannu se curca nun ce vo’ lumera
ca ccu li carni sue s’alluda sula.
Ohi quantu è bella ’sta figlia ’e massaru
tanti ch’è bella ch’è na figlia d’uoru.
For a lovely woman, tall and slender,
lives there, governed by the sun and by
the moon.
On her way to bed she needs no lamp,
for her flesh alone provides light.
How lovely is this wealthy farmer’s
daughter,
precious for her beauty as well as her virtue.

Parzunarella mia, parzunarella, “Oh my Parzunarella, Ca si la vidi ntrha chillu tilaru If she is at her loom, you’ll see her
si ammore scioscia ‘mmocca a lu destino, if love is our destiny fa jire la ravetta cu nu trhuonu. working the shuttle until it thunders.
damme duie frutte de lo tuo ciardino. give me two fruits from your garden.”

8 Vesuvius Ensemble 2018-2019 Concert Season 9

 song translations
Amaru io chi signo core luntanu
sientu la ravettella e thriemu e muoru.
Affaccia bella mia de ’sta finestra
jettame nu garofanu re ’sta grasta.
Si mi lu jetti iu me thruovu lestu
pe nu cadire ’n terra sinnò se guasta.
E mi lu stipe pe’ la meglio festa
garofalu d’amure e tantu basta.
A bonanotte ta’ rugnu cantannu
a te saluta a tia parma d’argientu.
Statti bona giujuzza iu mi nne vaju
addio quant’u fa jornu pummo ti viju.
CREDITS;
COVER, BACK COVER, ABOVE: illustrations by George Cruikshank (1792 1878)
Graphic design by Giorgia Pellizzari www.giorgiapellizzari.com
10
I’m sad that I am only a distant lover;
hearing the shuttle I tremble and
weep.
Come, my beauty, to the window,
and pluck a carnation from that flower
pot.
If you throw it to me, I’ll be ready
to catch it before it falls and is spoilt.
I’ll keep it for the most important feast,
the flower of love, and that will be
enough.
I wish you goodnight in song
and bid farewell, luminous treasure.
Take care of yourself, my love, I must
go now;
farewell until the dawn when I’ll see
you again.
Vesuvius Ensemble
biographies
Mariella Bertelli
storyteller
Mariella Bertelli is a Toronto-based
storyteller who performs fluently in
English and/or Italian.
Mariella tours in Canada and
internationally with a wide
repertoire ranging from longer
narratives to tiny tales, narrating to
audiences of all ages.
She is particularly known for
introducing Italian literature
to Canadian audiences, from
Boccaccio’s Decameron to Ariosto’s
Orlando Raging Mad to traditional
fairy tales. For over a decade she has
worked with the Italian storytelling
group Raccontamiunastoria which
performs in various Italian venues.
For the last four years she has been
directing ensemble storytelling
shows both in Canada and in Italy.
2018-2019 Concert Season
Naghmeh Farahmand
percussion
Naghmeh Farahmand is a Persian
percussionist and the daughter
of one of the leading percussion
masters of Iran, Mahmoud
Farahmand. She has traveled with
many well-known Iranian traditional
bands to Germany, Switzerland,
Japan (Min On Festival), France (La
fête de la musique), Italy, Kuwait
(Women’s Festival), Austria, and
London. She was honored to
perform with Hassan Nahid, an
Iranian master of the ney as well
as with Hengameh Akhavan, a
famous singer of traditional music.
In 2010 Naghmeh moved to Canada
and expanded her repertoire with
Arabian, Bulgarian, Turkish, and
Indian music, as well as jazz. She
is a skilled player of the darbuka
(doumbek), dayereh, cajon, udu and
drumset. Naghmeh founded the
percussion ensemble Sharghi which
collaborated with Iran’s national
TV, producing many recordings and
live performances over a decade.
Naghmeh’s book Helheleh includes
pieces for the daf and she is
currently releasing a percussion CD
entitled Drums & Dreams.
11
 VESUVIUS ENSEMBLE OFFERS HEARTFELT
THANKS TO
OUR SEASON SPONSORS:

PRESENTING SPONSORS PATRONS

John & Angela Caliendo
Paul & Rebecca Elia
Valerie Elia
John Donald & Linda Chu
Fabio & Ivano Varlese
Al & Jane Forest
Nicola Casciato

UPCOMING
AT H E L I C O N I A N H A L L

Christmas
in
Southern Italy
Saturday, December 22 @ 8:00pm and
Sunday, December 23 @ 5:30pm (NEW TIME!)

Vesuvius Ensemble will transport you

to the Italian countryside with folk
music celebrating the Messiah’s
joyful birth.

www.vesuviusensemble.com