Puccini was born in Lucca, Italy into a family with a long history of music. After the death of his father when he was only five years old, he was sent to study with his uncle Fortunato Magi, who considered him to be a poor and undisciplined student. Later, he took the position of church organist and choir master, but it was not until he saw a performance of Verdi's Aida that he became inspired to be an opera composer. He and a friend walked an entire 18.5 miles (30 Kilometers) to see the performance in Pisa. In 1880, Puccini travelled to the Conservatory of Music in Milan to begin his career by studying composition with Amilcare Ponchielli.
In 1880, the Messa composed at the age of 21, marked the end of Puccini's apprenticeship as a composer and the culmination of his family's long association with church music in his native Lucca. (Note: This name normally applies only to a "Gloria" mass, setting the opening two prayers of the Catholic Mass, the Kyrie and the Gloria. However, the Messa is a setting of the full Catholic Mass.) The work offers fascinating glimpses of the dramatic power that Puccini was soon to unleash on Milan's stages; the powerful arias for tenor and bass soloists are certainly more operatic in feel than is usually encountered in church music. The orchestration and the overall feeling of drama conveyed by his music establish a dialogue with Verdi's Requiem and perhaps already constitute a prediction of the future operatic career Puccini would embrace for life.
From 1880 to 1883 he studied at the Milan Conservatory under Ponchielli and Antonio Bazzini. In 1882, Puccini entered a competition for a one-act opera. Although he did not win, Le Villi was later staged in 1884 at the Teatro dal Verme; it also caught the attention of Giulio Ricordi, head of G. Ricordi & Co. music publishers, who commissioned a second opera, Edgar (1889).
From 1891 on, Puccini passed more and more of his time at Torre del Lago, in the Tuscan countryside. In this place on the border of the Massaciuccoli lake, where he passed lots of time hunting, he found refuge from the crowded city. Later he built a villa and moved there definitively in 1900. It was to remain his home and workplace until the very last years of his life. He is buried in the villa's chapel.
Turandot: Act 3: Nessun Dorma
Giacomo Puccini Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tu pure, o, principessa
Nella tua fredda stanza
Guardi le stelle
Che tremano d′amore
E di speranza
Ma il mio mistero è chiuso in me
No, no, sulla tua bocca lo dirò
Quando la luce splenderà
Ed il mio bacio scioglierà il silenzio
Che ti fa mia
Il nome suo nessun saprà
E noi dovrem, ahimé morir
Dilegua, o notte
Tramontate, stelle
Tramontate, stelle
All'alba vincerò
Vincerò, vincerò
The song "Nessun Dorma" is from Act 3 of Giacomo Puccini's opera "Turandot". The main character, Calaf, sings this aria in a desperate attempt to win the heart of the famously cold-hearted Princess Turandot. The first line, "Nessun dorma" (No one sleeps), is a command for all to be awake and alert, as something important is happening. Calaf addresses Princess Turandot, saying that she too must be awake in her cold room, looking at the trembling stars with love and hope. However, he declares that his own mystery is locked inside him and no one will know his true identity. He further goes on to say that he will reveal his name only when the light shines and his kiss releases the silence that makes her his own.
The song speaks about the courage to face challenges, to take risks, and to attain love by fighting against all odds. The aria shows Calaf's determination to win Turandot's love even though she has already vowed to never love any man. The music is beautiful, with powerful crescendos and soft, tender moments, reflecting the emotions that Calaf is feeling.
Line by Line Meaning
Nessun dorma!
No one shall sleep!
Tu pure, o, principessa
You too, oh princess
Nella tua fredda stanza
In your cold room
Guardi le stelle
You gaze at the stars
Che tremano d'amore
Which tremble with love
E di speranza
And with hope
Ma il mio mistero è chiuso in me
But my secret is locked within me
Il nome mio nessun saprà
No one will know my name
No, no, sulla tua bocca lo dirò
No, no, I will tell it to you on your lips
Quando la luce splenderà
When the light will shine
Ed il mio bacio scioglierà il silenzio
And my kiss will break the silence
Che ti fa mia
That makes you mine
Il nome suo nessun saprà
No one will know his name
E noi dovrem, ahimé morir
And we will have to, alas, die
Dilegua, o notte
Disappear, oh night
Tramontate, stelle
Fade away, stars
Tramontate, stelle
Fade away, stars
All'alba vincerò
At dawn, I will win
Vincerò, vincerò
I will win, I will win
Writer(s): Giacomo Puccini, F. Alfano, G. Adami, R. Simoni
Contributed by Tyler G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@colinward51
God took his sight away so he could give him the voice of an angel.
@BasicYTHandle
In front of my computer, giving a standing ovation, eyes filled, arms & legs covered in goose bumps. Magnificent!
@conniecivita5744
Same❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥
@skeeterblanton5226
It does the same to me every time I play it
@noyester-bo9rp
Only a few tenors can even sing this song with the right intensity & presence. Only Andrea can add the emotion it deserves. Thank you for blessing us with your voice. ❤️
@brokervc1
Very few can hit that high C.
@saramangari2220
Francesco me robaronmi Me.robo y me quiere 5whttps://youtu.be/HljSXSm6v9M
@saramangari2220
Me cortan y borran tan lindas cosas qkue le puse a BOCLLI
@saramangari2220
Bocelli cada vez tu voz es mas linda felicidades para toda tu familia
@saramangari2220
Francesco