O mio babbino caro

"O mio babbino caro" ("Oh My Beloved Father") is a soprano aria from the opera Gianni Schicchi (1918), by Giacomo Puccini, to a libretto by Giovacchino Forzano. It is sung by Lauretta after tensions between her father Schicchi and the family of Rinuccio, the boy she loves, have reached a breaking point that threatens to separate her from Rinuccio. It provides a contrasting interlude expressing lyrical simplicity and single-hearted love in the atmosphere of hypocrisy, jealousy, double-dealing and feuding in medieval Florence of Puccini's only comedy, and it provides the only set-piece in the through-composed opera.

Florence Easton as Lauretta at the world premiere of Gianni Schicchi, 14 December 1918.

The aria was first performed at the premiere of Gianni Schicci on 14 December 1918 at the Metropolitan Opera in New York by the popular Victorian English soprano Florence Easton. It has been sung subsequently by many sopranos. Dame Joan Hammond won a Gold Record in 1969 for 1 million sold copies of this aria.^[1]

The aria is frequently performed in concerts and as an encore in recitals by many popular and crossover singers; it is used in films and several bands cover the aria in their own style.

Music

The short aria consists of 32 bars and takes between 2 1/2 and three minutes to perform; it is written in A-flat major with the time signature of 6/8 and a tempo indication of andantino (=120). The vocal range extends from E♭₄ to A♭₅ with a tessitura of F₄ to A♭₅. The 5-bar orchestral prelude consists of octave tremolos by the strings, but many recital arrangements start with a presentation of the melodic theme; the remaining accompaniment uses strings and a harp playing broken chords.

Lyrics

Italian	Literal translation	Singable English
O mio babbino caro, mi piace, è bello, bello. Vo'andare in Porta Rossa a comperar l'anello! Sì, sì, ci voglio andare! e se l'amassi indarno, andrei sul Ponte Vecchio, ma per buttarmi in Arno! Mi struggo e mi tormento! O Dio, vorrei morir! Babbo, pietà, pietà! Babbo, pietà, pietà!	Oh my dear papa, I love him, he is handsome, handsome. I want to go to Porta Rossa To buy the ring! Yes, yes, I want to go there! And if my love were in vain, I would go to the Ponte Vecchio And throw myself in the Arno! I am anguished and tormented! Oh God, I'd like to die! Papa, have pity, have pity! Papa, have pity, have pity!	Oh my beloved father, I love him, I love him! I’ll go to Porta Rossa, To buy our wedding ring. Oh yes, I really love him. And if you still say no, I’ll go to Ponte Vecchio, And throw myself below. My love for which I suffer, At last, I want to die. Father I pray, I pray. Father I pray, I pray.

References

1. ^ Hammond, Joan (1970). A Voice, a Life. Victor Gollancz. p. 238. ISBN 0 575 00503 3. 

External links

• "O mio babbino caro": Free scores at the International Music Score Library Project.
• "O mio babbino caro" at The Aria Database
• "O mio babbino caro", score (piano and voice)
• "O mio babbino caro" on YouTube, sung by Sissel Kyrkjebø at a Royal Gala in the London Coliseum, May 1995.