"Core 'ngrato" (Neapolitan:[ˈkɔːrəŋˈɡrɑːtə]; "Ungrateful Heart"), also known by the first words "Catarì, Catarì" (short and dialectal form forCaterina, a female first name), is a 1911Neapolitan song by emigrant American composerSalvatore Cardillo with lyrics byRiccardo Cordiferro (real name Alessandro Sisca).[1]
| "Core 'ngrato" | |
|---|---|
| Song byEnrico Caruso | |
| Language | Neapolitan |
| Released | 1911 (1911) |
| Genre | Canzone Napoletana |
| Composer(s) | Salvatore Cardillo |
| Lyricist(s) | Riccardo Cordiferro |
| Audio sample | |
Performance by theUnited States Air Force Band's Singing Sergeants | |
It was adopted byEnrico Caruso but it is not known whether he commissioned Cardillo and Sisca to write it.[2] It is the only well-known standard Neapolitan song to have been written in America.[3]
In the song, Catarì's lover reproaches the girl for thoughtlessly and heartlessly rejecting his abiding love for her; he implores her not to forget that he has given her his heart and that his soul is in torment; and he says he has confessed his feelings to a priest, who advised him to let her go.
The song's title comes from the heartfelt passage,Core, core 'ngrato, te haie pigliato 'a vita mia! Tutt' è passato, e nun nce pienze cchiù!, which approximates in English to "Ungrateful heart, you have stolen my life! It's all over and you don't think about it any more!".
The song was sung in the season three finale ofThe Sopranos byDominic Chianese in character asCorrado "Junior" Soprano Jr.
Covers
edit- xxxx -Enrico Caruso (78 rpm) (Disco "Grammofono" – D.B. 142); 1960 albumAddio mia bella Napoli (Goodbye my beautiful Naples) (RCA Victor – LM 20080)
- 1937 -Tino Rossi (78 rpm) with the titleCatarì! Catarì! (Columbia Records – BF 39); 1963 albumChansons de mes films (Songs from my movies) (Columbia Records – FSX 146)
- 1943 -Carlo Buti (78 rpm) (Columbia Records - D 13001); albumA life for the song vol. 1 (TIMA Club)
- 1951 -Claudio Villa (78 rpm) (Parlophon – TT 9513); albumClaudio Villa (Parlophon – PMDQ. 8008)
- 1952 -Roberto Murolo (78 rpm) (durium, AI 9908); 1963 albumNapoletana from 1909 to 1915 (durium, ms AI 77074)
- 1953 -Giuseppe Di Stefano (78 rpm) (His Master's Voice – D.A.2043); albumNeapolitan Songs (His Master's Voice – BLP 1052)
- 1955 -Mario Del Monaco (78 rpm) (London Records – P.18214); albumItalian Song Recital (RCA Victor – LM 20080)
- 1955 -Tito Schipa albumChansons napolitaines (Neapolitan songs) (Vogue Durium – DVM 90005)
- 1957 -Beniamino Gigli album 'na sera 'e maggio (One evening in May) (La voce del padrone - QALP 10186)
- 1958 - Rinus Van Essen (single) with the titleCatari, Catari text by De Vos, (CNR – UH 9773)
- 1959 -Franco Corelli (EP) (Angel Records - AA-4014); albumNeapolitan Songs (Angel Records - ANG. 35852)
- 1961 -Luciano Tajoli (Odeon Records - MSOQ 5290); 1963 albumLuciano Tajoli (Odeon Records - MOCQ 5010)
- 1965 - Burt Blanca (single) (Hebra Records - 329); albumBurt Blanca and The King Creole's – Vol. 3 (Epn – EPN 3220)
- 1967 - The Maze (single) in English with titleCatari Catari text by G. Fields (MGM Records – MGM 1368)
- 1985 -Luciano Pavarotti albumNapoli: Tre voci un'anima Vol. 1 (Naples: Three voices one soul) (G & G Records – TGGK 72)
- 1977 - Giancarlo Pica (single) (Dig-It International Records – DG 1147)
- 1978 -José Carreras (single) (Philips – 422 936-2); albumJosé Carreras (Philips – 95 00 584)
- 1996 -MinaNaples (PDU – PMA 790)
- 2005 -Renata TebaldiArie da opere-III e canzone (Arias from operas-III and song) (Hobby & Work Hobby & Work Publishing – ORT004)
- 2006 -Plácido Domingo albumItalia, ti amo (Italy, I love you) (Deutsche Grammophon – 00289 477 6086), released in Germany and Ukraine
- 2016 -Il Volo withPlácido DomingoNotte magica (Magic night) (Sony Masterworks – 0889853519620)
- 2016 -Jonas Kaufmann with the titleCatarì, Catarì in the double albumDolce vita (Sweet life) (Sony Classical – 88875183631)
- xxxx - Sam Le Cuisinier Troubadour with Pierre Spiers Trio (EP) with the titleCatari (Century – 6934)
References
edit- ^Joseph Sciorra, “Diasporic Musings on Veracity and Uncertainties of ‘Core ‘ngrato’,” Neapolitan Postcards: The Canzone Napoletana as Transnational Subject, Ed. Goffredo Plastino and Joseph Sciorra. (Lanham, MD: The Scarecrow Press, 2016), 115-150.
- ^Kati's Story: Recollections of Two Worlds - Page 84 Catherine Veres - 2009 "Core 'ngrato, a Neapolitan song written in 1911 for Enrico Caruso by Salvatore Cardillo (1874 - 1947)"
- ^Mary J. Phillips-Matz Rosa Ponselle: American diva 1997 - Page 54 "Marziale's brother wrote the lyrics to the classic Neapolitan song «Core 'ngrato» with its passionate plea to «Catarì, Catarì»".