If you’ve ventured outside at all since Thanksgiving, you may already be tired of Christmas music! Don’t despair – spice up your seasonal listening with some Italian singers and composers. There are plenty of charming Italian songs of all genres that aren’t well known outside of Italy, as well as Italian singers interpreting American classics in their native language.
For opera lovers, one of our favorite Christmas albums bar none is Sergio Franchi’s Cuore di Natale – virtuosic singing of beautiful classic holiday favorites, as well as the more popular Buon Natale, a song about Christmas in Italy sung in English – vino in the glasses, pasta on the platters/ people that you love that’s all that really matters – you get the drift, very charming.
Adeste Fedeles and Tu scendi dalle stelle (You descend from the stars) have been recorded by both soprano Renata Tebaldi and Luciano Pavarotti and Mille cherubini in coro based on Shubert’s Wiegnelied is available by many different singers including Beniamino Gigli and Pavarotti.
There is a whole slew of “rat packish” popular singers like Nilla Pizzi with Buon Natale and White Christmas first in Italian accented English and then Italian; Buon Natale a tutto il mondo by Domenico Modugno, the man who brought us Volare; Buon natale all’italiana by Nicola Arigliano or Gloria Christian; Buon Natale amore from Renato Carusone and Ninna, nanna picoletta by Renato Rascel. Tati Casoni singing Il valzer delle candele (Auld Lang Syne) is also a treat – doesn’t Walz of the candles just sound so much more… oh, just better!
Let us not forget the extraordinary Christmas albums of Frank Sinatra (of New Jersey with Sicilian father and Ligurian mother) or Dino Paul Crocetti of Steubenville, Ohio (otherwise known as Dean Martin whose parents were from Abruzzo) or Perry Como (Pittsburgh via parents from Abruzzo) and the great Mario Lanza (Philadelphia with parents from Abruzzo and Molise).
Finally, if you have kids or you’ve been hitting the eggnog a little hard, Dominick the Christmas Donkey by Lou Monte is an excellent choice. Santa may not need a Christmas donkey where you live but one comes in handy if you live in an Italian hilltown.
Buon Ascolto! (Happy listening)
A complete list of our recommendations (region of the artist’s birth):
Bianco Natale – Irene Grandi (Toscana) current Italian Pop/Rock star
Buon Natale – Nilla Pizzi (Emiglia-Romagna) there is also a recording of her singing White Christmas first in Italian accented English and then Italian.
Buon Natale – Sergio Franchi (Lombardia) – the whole album Cuore di Natale gets a lot of play in our house this time of year.
Buon Natale a tutto il mondo – Domenico Modugno (Puglia) from the man who brought us Volare.
Buon natale a all’italiana – Nicola Arigliano (Puglia) or Gloria Christian (Emiglia-Romana)
Natale mi portera’ - Nicola Arigliano
Buon natale amore – Renato Carusone (Campania)
Il valzer delle candele (auld lang syne) – Tati Casoni (Lombardia)
Ninna, nanna picoletta – Renato Rascel (Piemonte)
Adeste Fideles – the hymn may be of English origin but these Italians do it justice: Renata Tebaldi (Le Marche), Beniamo Gigli (Le Marche), Luciano Pavarotti (Emiglia-Romagna), or Franco Corelli (Le Marche)
Tu scendi dalle stelle – Renata Tebaldi, Pavarotti or also from the “I magi randagi” soundtrack/Ennio Morricone
Mille cherubini in coro based on Shubert’s Wiegnelied
Gesu’ Bambino – Pietro Yon (Piemonte) – look for Pavarotti with the Vienna Boys Choir
Astro del Ciel (Silent Night) – Andrea Bocelli (Toscana), he has a pleasant new Christmas album this year - just don’t call him an opera singer, please.
PS – Italians have been in the Christmas music business for hundreds of years. Below is a short list of Baroque and Renaissance compositions:
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (Lazio) – Motet - Hodie Christus natus est and Messa – Hodie Christus natus est
Arcangelo Corelli (Emiglia-Romana) – Concerto grosso in g minor “fatto per la notte di natale” (written for Christmas Eve)
Francesco Manfredini (Toscana) – Concerto in C Op. 3 N. 12 Christmas Concerto
Antonio Vivaldi (Veneto) - Concerto Il riposo, concerto per il Santissimo Natale
Alessandro Scarlatti (Sicilia) – Cantata pastorale per la nascita di Nostro Signore
Alessandro Stradella (Lazio) – Cantata per il Santissimo Natale
Giovanni Francesco Anerio (Umbria) – Nell’apparir del sempiterno sole
