- Composer: Vincenzo Bellini
- Period: Romantic (1820-1869)
Review
Bellini's striking simplicity of musical expression can have an extraordinarily modern feeling to it, and this song, which was in any case influenced by the Neapolitan and Sicilian folk songs of his native Italy, sounds as though it could have come not from the early nineteenth century but from late nineteenth or even the early twentieth, alongside songs by di Capua, Tosti, or de Curtis. Even the morbid imagery could have come from the often overwrought sensibilities of the fin de siècle. That said, the song is still typical Bellini, with its legato, simply structured melodic lines, and mournfully slow pace, reminiscent of a sigh or slow flowing of tears. The accompaniment is somewhat more elaborate than in his other songs, but it, too, is typical of the composer, as it supports and emphasizes the vocal lines without becoming a full partner as in German Lieder.The text is written in the Neapolitan dialect and it most likely drew its inspiration from the folk legend of the princess (or in some tellings, baroness) of Carini.
The song begins with a melancholy, somewhat old-fashioned theme in the accompaniment which suggests the antiquity of the dramatic situation, rather like Ravel's Pavane for a Dead Princess. The vocal lines are mournful and plaintive, with an understated but nonetheless powerful drama. Particularly as the text becomes more and more morbid, as the lover contemplates lifting the tombstone and seeing her mouth full of worms, the melodic simplicity serves to underscore the elements of horror, as do the final two chords, which suggest the coffin lid closing again, or perhaps the last beats of a heart. ~ Anne Feeney, Rovi
Albums with Complete Performances of the Work
| Fenesta che lucive | |
| Fenesta che lucive, song |
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