Bartoli is considered a coloratura mezzo-soprano with an unusual timbre. She is one of the most popular (and one of the top-selling) opera singers of recent years. Bartoli is much liked by the concert-going public for her lively, vivacious on-stage persona, while her lyric voice and investigations of Baroque music have given her considerable recognition even among the non-opera-going public.
Early career:
Cecilia Bartoli's parents, Silvana Bazzoni and Pietro Angelo Bartoli, were both professional singers and gave her her first music lessons. Her first public performance was at age eight as the shepherd boy in Tosca. Bartoli later studied at the Conservatorio di Santa Cecilia in Rome.
In contrast to most opera singers, Bartoli came to prominence in her early twenties, unusual in a profession where vocal maturity is typically not achieved until the thirties. She made her professional opera début in 1987 at the Arena di Verona. The following year she undertook the role of Rosina in Rossini's The Barber of Seville at the Cologne Opera, the Schwetzingen Festival and the Zurich Opera earning rave reviews. She was soon invited by Herbert von Karajan to sing at the Salzburg Festival, and she worked with von Karajan on Bach's Mass in B minor. At this time, she also came to Daniel Barenboim's attention when he saw her performing on a French television tribute to Maria Callas. Working with the conductors Daniel Barenboim and Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Bartoli focused on Mozart roles, such as Zerlina in Don Giovanni and Dorabella in Così fan tutte, and from then on her career has developed internationally.
In 1990 she made her début at the Opéra Bastille as Cherubino in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro and her debut at the Hamburg State Opera as Idamantes in Mozart's Idomeneo. This was followed by her La Scala début as Isolier in Le comte Ory in 1991, a performance which solidified her reputation as one of the world's leading Rossini singers.
Broad success:
In 1996, she made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera as Despina in Così fan tutte and returned the following year to sing the title role of La Cenerentola. On this occasion, there was much speculation that she had been secretly miked to boost her volume (as the Met is one of the largest opera houses in the world), but such rumours were steadfastly denied by the Met management. As a result of her acclaimed performance, the role of Angelina has become somewhat associated with her name.
In 2000 she triumphed in another Mozart soprano role, Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, at the Deutsche Oper Berlin. In 2001 she made a long-awaited Royal Opera House début, taking the roles of Euridice and the Genio in the London stage première of Haydn's L'anima del filosofo.
Work in Baroque music:
In addition to Mozart and Rossini, Bartoli has spent much of her time performing and recording baroque and early classical era music of such composers as Gluck, Vivaldi, Haydn and Salieri. In early 2005, she sang Cleopatra in Handel's Giulio Cesare, a role written for a soprano, but which is in mezzo-soprano range. As her voice has matured it has gained the fullness and "largeness" it was earlier criticized for lacking. She often performs with the baroque Ensemble Il Giardino Armonico.
Work in bel canto:
In 2007/08 Bartoli devoted her time to studying and recording the early 19th century repertoire – the era of Italian Romanticism and bel canto – and especially the legendary singer Maria Malibran, the 200th anniversary of whose birth was celebrated in March 2008. The album Maria was released in September 2007 and was number one in the Classical Billboard Charts in the U.S as well as achieving Gold status in Belgium and the Netherlands. In May 2008, Bartoli played the title role written for Malibran in a revival of Fromental Halévy's 1828 opera Clari at the Zurich Opera. In June 2010 she sang the title role of Bellini's Norma for the first time with conductor Thomas Hengelbrock in a concert in the Konzerthaus Dortmund. In March 2011, Bartoli toured five Australian cities with two programs, drawn from Sacrificium and Maria.
Awards and position today:
Generally considered one of the best mezzo-sopranos of the present day, Cecilia Bartoli was honored as a Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 1995 and received the Léonie Sonning Music Prize in 2010. She becomes artistic director of the Salzburg Whitsun Festival, succeeding Riccardo Muti, in 2012. Cecilia Bartoli is married to the Swiss bass-baritone Oliver Widmer. In 2011, she won the Grammy Award for Best Classical Vocal Performance for Sacrificium.
Discography - Opera:
Rossini:La Scala di seta (1988)
Rossini: Il Barbiere di Siviglia (1989)
Mozart: Lucio Silla (1991)
Rossini: La Cenerentola (1993)
Puccini: Manon Lescaut (1993)
Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro (1994)
Mozart: La Clemenza di Tito (1995)
Haydn: Orfeo ed Euridice (1997)
Rossini: Il Turco in Italia (1998)
Mozart: Mitridate (1999)
Haydn:Armida (2000)
Handel: Rinaldo (2000)
Mozart: Don Giovanni (2001)
Bellini: La Sonnambula (2008)
Halevy:Clari (2008)
Recitals with orchestra:
Rossini Arias (1989)
Mozart Arias (1991)
Rossini Heroines (1992)
Mozart Portraits (1994)
The Vivaldi Album (1999)
Cecilia and Bryn (1999)
Gluck Italian Arias (2001)
The Salieri Album (2003)
Opera Proibita (2005)
Maria (A Tribute to Maria Malibran) (2007)
Sacrificium (Arias written for Castrati) (2009)
Recitals with piano:
Rossini Recital (1990)
If You Love Me – "Se tu m'ami": Eighteenth-century Italian Songs (1992)
Arie Antiche (1992)
Italian Songs (1993)
Chant D'Amour (1996)
An Italian Songbook (1997)
Live in Italy (1998)
Sacred:
Mozart: Requiem (1992)
Scarlatti: Salve Regina
Pergolesi: Stabat Mater, Salve Regina (2000)
Cantatas:
Rossini Cantatas Volume 2
Collections:
Cecilia Bartoli Rossini Heroines (1992)
A Portrait (1995)
The Art of Cecilia Bartoli (2002)
Sospiri (2010)
Se tu m'ami
Cecilia Bartoli Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sol per me, gentil pastor
Ho dolor de' tuoi martiri
Ho diletto del tuo amor
Ma se pensi che soletto
Io ti debba riamar
Pastorello, sei soggetto
Pastorello, sei soggetto
Facilmente a t'ingannar
Facilmente a t'ingannar
Bella rosa porporina
Oggi Silvia sceglierà
Con la scusa della spina
Doman poi la sprezzerà
Doman poi la sprezzerà
Ma degli uomini il consiglio
Io per me non seguirò
Non perché mi piace il giglio
Gli altri fiori sprezzerò
Se tu m'ami, se tu sospiri
Sol per me, gentil pastor
Ho dolor de' tuoi martiri
Ho diletto del tuo amor
Ma se pensi che soletto
Io ti debba riamar
Pastorello, sei soggetto
Facilmente a t'ingannar
Pastorello, sei soggetto
Facilmente a t'ingannar
Facilmente a t'ingannar
The song "Se tu m'ami" by Cecilia Bartoli is a beautiful and romantic piece that has been popular for centuries. The lyrics speak of a love between a shepherd and his beloved, who shares his pain and delights in his love. The shepherd urges his love to be faithful and warns her of the dangers of being easily deceived. He also contrasts their love with the fickleness of a woman who chooses a rose only to discard it the next day. The song ends with the shepherd asking his love to be true and not easily fooled, repeating the warning that she is easily deceived.
The language used in the song is Italian and the poetic style is Baroque. The lyrics are full of metaphors and poetic devices such as alliteration, repetition, and rhyme. The beauty of the language and the emotions it conveys are what make the song so timeless and memorable. The Baroque period was a time of great artistic and literary creativity, and this song is a testament to its beauty and legacy.
One interesting fact about the song is that it was composed by an Italian Baroque composer named Giovanni Battista Pergolesi in the late 18th century. Pergolesi was known for his operatic works, and this song is one of his few surviving solo vocal pieces. Another interesting fact is that the song has been recorded and performed by numerous artists over the years, including Cecilia Bartoli, who is famous for her interpretations of Baroque music.
The chords for "Se tu m'ami" are as follows: G, Am, D7, G, C, D7, G, Am, D7, G. The song is in 3/4 time and has a simple melody that is easy to memorize and sing along to. It is a great example of the beauty and simplicity of Baroque music, and it continues to capture the hearts of listeners around the world.
Line by Line Meaning
Se tu m'ami, se tu sospiri
If you love me, if you sigh for me
Sol per me, gentil pastor
Only for me, gentle shepherd
Ho dolor dei tuoi martiri
I feel the pain of your sufferings
Ho diletto del tuo amor
I take pleasure in your love
Ma se pensi che soletto
But if you think that I alone
Io ti debba riamar
Should love you back
Pastorello, sei soggetto
Little shepherd, you are likely
Facilmente a t'ingannar
To be easily deceived
Bella rosa porporina
Beautiful purple rose
Oggi Silvia sceglierà
Today Silvia will choose
Con la scusa della spina
Under the pretext of thorns
Doman poi la sprezzerà
Tomorrow she will then despise it
Ma degli uomini il consiglio
But I will not follow the advice of men
Io per me non seguirò
I will not follow them for myself
Non perché mi piace il giglio
Not because I like the lily
Gli altri fiori sprezzerò
But I will despise the other flowers
Pastorello, sei soggetto
Little shepherd, you are likely
Facilmente a t'ingannar
To be easily deceived
Pastorello, sei soggetto
Little shepherd, you are likely
Facilmente a t'ingannar
To be easily deceived
Lyrics © Tratore
Written by: Giovanni Battisti Pergolesi, Alessandro Parisotti
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@beautynightfoxy9820
Se tu m'ami, se tu sospiri
Sol per me, gentil pastor,
Ho dolor de' tuoi martiri,
Ho diletto del tuo amor,
Ma se pensi che soletto
Io ti debba riamar,
Pastorello, sei soggetto
Facilmente a t'ingannar,
Pastorello, sei soggetto
Facilmente a t'ingannar,
Facilmente a t'ingannar.
Bella rosa porporina
Oggi Silvia sceglierà,
Con la scusa della spina
Doman poi la sprezzerà,
Doman poi la sprezzerà.
Ma degli uomini il consiglio
Io per me non seguirò.
Non perché mi piace il giglio
Gli altri fiori sprezzerò.
Se tu m'ami, se tu sospiri
Sol per me, gentil pastor,
Ho dolor de' tuoi martiri,
Ho diletto del tuo amor,
Ma se pensi che soletto
Io ti debba riamar,
Pastorello, sei soggetto
Facilmente a t'ingannar,
Pastorello, sei soggetto
Facilmente a t'ingannar,
Facilmente a t'ingannar.
@ChelseaLyons
A common mistake that is made by people who sing this song is the interpretation that the lyrics are sad. They're not! It is much more effective when the singer portrays the character as a sassy woman who doesn't feel like committing to anyone. If you know what the poem in this song means, think about it that way. :)
@binabella9658
lol wut
@rainashay
I used to sing this in an Italian restaurant- I would tell my customers it is about a slut having her fun with a poor boy. People like scandal. It was my most requested tune.
@joebloggs619
Italian teenage girls were often taught this song by mothers, partlyfor the sheer joy of singing but also because the words contain a kind of advice or message for young teens as they approach womanhood, courting, love etc and men paying attention to them. The message, basically, is that you don't have to love a young man simply because he fancies you. Justbecause you happen to like one particular beautiful male flower doesn't mean you have to dismiss all the rest of the masculine flowers... It's actually a female flirtatious song, with a bit of a cruel sting in it, warning young suitors to beware because the girl singing this song, in the first person, is desired by many and so she is under no obligation to love you in return, just because you have feelings for her. Actually, it is subtly derogatory because she is singing her song to a young shepherd who is in love with herand basicay saying that, if he thinks sheshould love him back, simply because he loves her, then he must be a very gullible fool, an absolute sucker for pain and emotional misery and she feels sorry for him. Italian society has no need for finism because, even when this old song was composed, it was a very matriarchal society, where women call the shots inlove, but the guys can always try their luck and, maybe, someone might accept them as their lover. But, I suspect thelady inthis song was hoping to do better than a humble shepherd, for a suitor.... Maybe she was a gold digger? But most likely, just young and flitatious and wanting to sample love's smorgasbord of suitors.
@joebloggs619
@@rainashay It would be great for a flirty pretty female who could put on all the flirty airs and graces.... Preferably blonde and sexy, showing a bit of cleavage, with long skirt, heaps of frills and lace and waving a fan... The kind a woman holds in her hand, not her fanny, though...
@orlando098
I agree it should be flirty and playful not solemn. The dark gloomy lighting here doesn't help much either but I guess it was part of a recital.
@YunusNadiErdal
Today Youtube banned in Turkey by authoterian prime minister but no matter what they do they cant prevent us from listening these great musics and share the same values with the world. This is the first song after I changed my VPN and access to youtube....
Greetings from Istanbul with hope of freedome for all of us
@LiradeTerpsichore
!!!
@retn5989
I do indeed hope you get your freedom friend. Maybe one day it won't be like this. Oppressive and destructive. Maybe one day freedom will be everywhere.
@PronunciationManualy
Yunus Nadi Erdal give cyprus back, asses