Giovanni Rota Rinaldi (3 December 1911 – 10 April 1979), better known as Ni… Read Full Bio ↴Giovanni Rota Rinaldi (3 December 1911 – 10 April 1979), better known as Nino Rota, was an Italian composer, pianist, conductor and academic who is best known for his film scores, notably for the films of Federico Fellini and Luchino Visconti. He also composed the music for two of Franco Zeffirelli's Shakespeare films, and for the first two films of Francis Ford Coppola's Godfather trilogy, receiving the Academy Award for Best Original Score for The Godfather Part II (1974).

During his long career, Rota was an extraordinarily prolific composer, especially of music for the cinema. He wrote more than 150 scores for Italian and international productions from the 1930s until his death in 1979—an average of three scores each year over a 46-year period, and in his most productive period from the late 1940s to the mid-1950s he wrote as many as ten scores every year, and sometimes more, with a remarkable thirteen film scores to his credit in 1954. Alongside this great body of film work, he composed ten operas, five ballets and dozens of other orchestral, choral and chamber works, the best known being his string concerto. He also composed the music for many theatre productions by Visconti, Zeffirelli and Eduardo De Filippo as well as maintaining a long teaching career at the Liceo Musicale in Bari, Italy, where he was the director for almost 30 years.

Rota was born Giovanni Rota Rinaldi on 3 December 1911, into a musical family in Milan. Rota was a renowned child prodigy—his first oratorio, L'infanzia di San Giovanni Battista, was written at age 11 and performed in Milan and Paris as early as 1923; his three-act lyrical comedy after Hans Christian Andersen, Il Principe Porcaro, was composed when he was just 13 and published in 1926. He studied at the Milan conservatory there under Giacomo Orefice and then undertook serious study of composition under Ildebrando Pizzetti and Alfredo Casella at the Santa Cecilia Academy in Rome, graduating in 1930.

Encouraged by Arturo Toscanini, Rota moved to the United States where he lived from 1930 to 1932. He won a scholarship to the Curtis Institute of Philadelphia, where he was taught conducting by Fritz Reiner and had Rosario Scalero as an instructor in composition. Returning to Milan, he wrote a thesis on the Renaissance composer Gioseffo Zarlino. Rota earned a degree in literature from the University of Milan, graduating in 1937, and began a teaching career that led to the directorship of the Liceo Musicale in Bari, a title he held from 1950 until 1978.

Rota had one daughter, Nina Rota, from a relationship with pianist Magda Longari. He died, age 67, from a coronary thrombosis in Rome.

Parla piú piano
Nino Rota Lyrics

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Parla più piano e nessuno sentirà,
Il nostro amore lo viviamo io e te,
Nemeno sa la verità,
Neppure il cielo che ci guarda da lassù.
Parla più piano e vieni più vicino a me,
Voglio sentire gli occhi miei dentro di te,
Nessuno sa la verità,
è un grande amore e mai più grande esisterà

Insieme a te io resterò,
Amore mio, sempre così.
Parla più piano e vieni più vicino a me,
Voglio sentire gli occhi miei dentro di te,
Nessuno sa la verità,
è un grande amore e mai più grande esisterà

Insieme a te io resterò,
Amore mio, sempre così

Overall Meaning

In "Parla piú piano," Nino Rota beautifully expresses the depth and secrecy of a love between two individuals. The lyrics convey a sense of intimacy and a desire to keep their love hidden from the world. The first verse, "Parla più piano e nessuno sentirà, Il nostro amore lo viviamo io e te," urges the lover to speak softly so that no one else can hear. It emphasizes their private world and the special connection they share, where they can fully experience their love without interference.

The second verse, "Nessuno sa la verità, Neppure il cielo che ci guarda da lassù," further emphasizes the clandestine nature of their love. It suggests that even the heavens above are unaware of the truth they hold. This line adds a sense of mystique and reinforces the idea that their love is unique and hidden from the rest of the world.

As the song continues, the chorus repeats the plea to speak softly and come closer: "Parla più piano e vieni più vicino a me, Voglio sentire gli occhi miei dentro di te." It conveys the yearning to truly understand and feel each other's emotions. This particular line showcases the intense desire to connect on a deeper level and emphasizes the importance of closeness in their relationship.

The chorus also declares, "È un grande amore e mai più grande esisterà, Insieme a te io resterò, amore mio, sempre così." These lyrics communicate the profound magnitude of their love, suggesting that it is an extraordinary and unparalleled connection. The vow to remain together signifies a commitment to their love and a belief that no other love could ever surpass its significance.

Overall, "Parla piú piano" captures the intensity and secrecy of a love that exists in its own private world. It delves into the desire to be close and intimately connected, while emphasizing the uniqueness and immensity of their love. The song beautifully portrays the idea that their love is an extraordinary bond that surpasses any other and will endure through time.

Line by Line Meaning

Parla più piano e nessuno sentirà
Speak more slowly and no one will hear

Il nostro amore lo viviamo io e te
Our love is lived by you and me

Nessuno sa la verità
No one knows the truth

Neppure il cielo che ci guarda da lassù
Not even the sky that watches us from above knows

Parla più piano e vieni più vicino a me
Speak more slowly and come closer to me

Voglio sentire gli occhi miei dentro di te
I want to feel my eyes inside of you

È un grande amore e mai più grande esisterà
It's a great love and there will never be a greater one

Insieme a te io resterò
I will stay with you

Amore mio, sempre così
My love, always like this

Parla più piano e vieni più vicino a me
Speak more slowly and come closer to me

Voglio sentire gli occhi miei dentro di te
I want to feel my eyes inside of you