Adam Guettel (pronounced "Gettle"; b. 1965), son of Mary Rodgers and grands… Read Full Bio ↴Adam Guettel (pronounced "Gettle"; b. 1965), son of Mary Rodgers and grandson of legendary composer Richard Rodgers, is an American musical theater composer and lyricist best known for 2005's The Light in the Piazza, for which he won a Tony Award.

Guettel grew up in New York City's Upper West Side and performed as a boy soprano in operas including Pelléas et Mélisande at the Metropolitan Opera and The Magic Flute at the New York City Opera. Around the time his voice changed, Guettel began composing music, including one piece that Richard Rodgers overheard and asked Guettel to play louder. (Guettel has qualified the compliment, noting that "He was literally on his deathbed on the other side of the living-room wall.") The composer attended Phillips Exeter Academy and graduated from Yale in 1987.

His early works include 1996's Floyd Collins, Love's Fire, and Saturn Returns (which was recorded as Myths and Hymns). Guettel's music was almost immediately characterized by its complexity and use of various strings. He is perhaps one of the modern musical theater composers most heavily influenced by the work of Stephen Sondheim (for his part, Sondheim has referred to Guettel's work as "dazzling".) Guettel's songs have been recorded by such artists as Audra McDonald and Brian d'Arcy James.

After six years working on the project, Guettel's musical The Light in the Piazza opened on Broadway in 2005. The show, which starred Victoria Clark and Kelli O'Hara, was met with critical acclaim, and on June 5, 2005, Adam Guettel won the Tony Award for Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre for The Light in the Piazza. He also took home the award for Best Orchestrations for the same show.

In 2003, one of Guettel's future projects was said to be "a shockingly ambitious concert piece for Audra McDonald." The composer also spent much of 2006 working on a musical adaptation of The Princess Bride with original screenwriter William Goldman. As of January 2007, Guettel had completed several songs for the project. An orchestral suite from the score was performed at the Hollywood Bowl in November 2006, and Lincoln Center conducted a workshop of Bride in January 2007. The project was abandoned when Goldman reportedly demanded 75 percent of the author's share, even though Guettel was writing both the music and the lyrics.

Passeggiata
Adam Guettel Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Vuoi fare una passeggiata con me?

Cosa?

Do you want to make... to walking, to walking with me on the road in a circle?

Si!

Bene.

Come with me
Walk with me
Walking in my city
Una passeggiata
You and I

See the faces
From the daytime
Talking in the evening
See the churches shining
See the sky

Now is
I am
Happiness
Never
I am
Unhappiness
Now is I am happiness
With you

Come with me
Walk with me in the place that I know
La passeggiata

Now is
I am
Happiness
Never
I am
Unhappiness
Now is I am happiness with you

Walk with me in the place that I know
La passeggiata

Your milk... your milk is...[spoken] eh.

My milk is what? What milk?

Not milk, is like milk

Like snow

Eh, si, but no
I know snow
Non e snow
Is here. Come si dice?
Here?
And here?
And also here...

My skin!

Your skin is like milk!

I am work here
In the tie shop
Next to Arno River
Even though I know is not big size
See palazzi
On the hilltp
Maybe one day live there
Maybe if I sell too many ties!
Ah...
Now is I am happiness with you
Walk with me in the place that I live from a child
The place that I know
La passeggiata

Overall Meaning

The song "Passeggiata" by Adam Guettel is a beautiful piece that speaks of the joy of walking and exploring the city with a loved one. The song starts with an invitation to walk, with the singer asking "Do you want to make...to walking, to walking with me on the road in a circle?" The other person eagerly agrees, and they set off on their journey together.

As they walk, they take in the sights of the city, admiring the faces and buildings that they pass. The singer is filled with happiness, declaring "Now is I am happiness / With you." They continue on their journey, with the singer revealing that they work in a tie shop near the Arno River. They dream of one day living in the palaces on the hilltop, perhaps if they sell enough ties.

The lyrics of "Passeggiata" are full of imagery, painting a vivid picture of the city and the joy of walking through it with someone special. The song captures the simple pleasures of life and the happiness that comes from being in the company of a loved one.

Line by Line Meaning

Vuoi fare una passeggiata con me?
Do you want to walk with me on the road in a circle?

Si!
Yes!

Come with me
Walk with me

Walking in my city
Let's walk in my city

Una passeggiata
A walk

You and I
Together

See the faces
Observe the people

From the daytime
During the day

Talking in the evening
Converse during the night

See the churches shining
Notice the illuminated churches

See the sky
Observe the sky