O MIO BABBINO CARO

Nadine van Dyk 16379322

APRIL 23, 2015
MUSICOLOGY 212
Lecturer: Prof. S. Muller
Table of Contents
O Mio Babbino Caro ................................................................................................................................ 2
O Mia Babbino Caro: Text and Translation ............................................................................................. 2
Recording 01: 1965 by Maria Callas ........................................................................................................ 3
Recording 02: 2009 by Anna Netrebko ................................................................................................... 5
Recording 01 vs. 02: Comparison............................................................................................................ 6
References .............................................................................................................................................. 7
In the following essay I will be doing a comparative study of Giacomo Puccini's (1858-1924)
"O Mio Babbino Caro". I will be using one recording from 1965, sung by Maria Callas and
performed by The Orchestre National de France. The other recording is from 2009 and is sung
by Anna Netrebko.

O Mio Babbino Caro

Is an aria written for a soprano voice part. It is from Puccini's opera Gianni Schicchi which
premiered on the 14th of December 1918. It is a comic opera in one act and is set to an Italian
libretto by Giovacchino Forzano. According to Linda Cantoni (2000), the opera is based on
Canto XXX of Dante's Inferno. The opera is set in the year 1299 and plays out in Florence. In
the story the very well off aristocrat Buoso Donati had recently passed away and his family
members are gathered around to mourn his passing. In secret though each one of them longs to
inherit his very large fortune. O Mio Babinno Caro in English translates to Oh My Beloved
Father and is sung by Gianni Schicchi's daughter Lauretta. The aria is very short consisting of
only 32 bars and before that a 5 bar orchestral prelude is played. The piece is written in A-flat
major and has a vocal range of Eb major to Ab.

O Mia Babbino Caro: Text and Translation

Italian:
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!
English:
My dear father,
I like him, he's beautiful, beautiful;
I want to go to Porta Rossa
and buy the ring!
Yes, yes, I want to go!
And if my love is in vain,
I would go upon Ponte Vecchio
only to jump in the Arno
I long for him and torment myself
O God, I'd like to die!
Father, have pity, have pity!
Recording 01: 1965 by Maria Callas
Maria Callas (1923-1977) was an opera singer that made her
debut at the very young age of sixteen in the opera
Boccaccio by Franz von Suppe. She sang her first major role
at the age of twenty in Giacomo Puccini's opera Tosca.
During the 1960's Callas started having vocal problem and
in the end she lost the strength of her voice. Because of the
problems that Callas experienced with her voice and failing
health a lot of her shows were being cancelled more and Figure 1: Maria Callas Preforming
“O Mio Babinno Caro”
more frequently. Callas formally retired from the stage and
moved away from singing in the early 1960's. She moved on to conduction master classes at
The Juilliard School in New York. The reason I choose this recording of Callas singing O Mio
Babinno Caro is because Callas was already well into her retirement years when she performed
it. Callas briefly returned to preforming with the Metropolitan Opera from 1964-1965. It was
during this brief return that she performed O Mio Babbino Caro with The Orchestre National
de France one night (Say Media, 2014).

The piece consists out of large melodic intervals, which can present a challenge for even the
most experienced singer. The singer here has the opportunity to show off her vocal range and
ability to take the music and make it her own. The Aria itself occurs at a crucial moment when
the character Lauretta undergoes a dramatic transformation. Lauretta is pleading with her father
to stay and help the Donati family. Because of this the singer must take into consideration what
is being sung. The aria itself is indicated to be sung in a moderately slow and childlike or naïve
manner (Andante ingenuo). Throughout the piece pp dolce and frequent crescendos and
decrescendos are seen. It is a song of longing and begging, Lauretta is trying to persuade her
father to listen to her (Shifres, 2009).

The first five bars at the beginning of the aria sets the mood for the beauty that is to come. The
orchestra sets the pace and then fades into the background at the end of bar five. The conductor
indicated to the orchestra that they should soften their sound and fall silent. This sets the stage
for the singer. There is absolute silence when Callas starts to sing. From the beginning the
attention is on her and what she is singing about. Callas sings her first not and the orchestra
immediately falls in after her. You get to hear the purity of her voice from the first note without
it being interrupted by the sounds of the orchestra. Being a more experienced singer I noticed
that Maria Callas played around with the music.
What I liked about this recording was the fact that Callas took the piece and made it her own.
The way she interpreted it had special meaning, which came through in the recording. Her body
language and voice expresses the longing that one expects to hear with this aria. She projects
her voice very well, even through the high Ab her voice still carries and has power. It does not
fade away or falter.

As a music student with my main instruments being the voice, we are always taught to use our
vowels. The most important part of reaching and successfully maintaining a high note is how
well you have placed the vowel in the word. Vowels are easier to form and projects better. The
thing that I noticed the most is how well Maria Callas places her vowels. With all of her high
notes she uses the vowel to maintain the note. This helps to be on pitch and not scoop your way
up to the note. The following is an extract from the aria and indicates an example where Callas
uses the lo in the word bello to reach a maintain the pitch on the high Ab.
Figure 2: The use of bel-lo (3rd bar)

Another characteristics that I associate with Maria Callas and her singing style is the fact that
she plays around with score. She does not necessarily sing the rhythm that is written down. She
adds a few extra to a particular note and listens to what works best. She will add staccato notes
where there is no indication to do so or a rapid crescendo to decrescendo, with a passing note
in between. This is her way of taking the music to the next level without changing or adding to
much to it. Being a professional and at her level of experience I would strongly recommend
that more singers should do this. If the music calls for it why not experiment and find out what
works and what does not. This piece is unique to her because no one else will sing it in the
same manner or why that she does and that is what makes it special.

Another important aspect that I listen for in vocal music is how well a singer pronounces their
words. It is important to know exactly what you are singing about and be clear about the
pronunciations of the words. Being the professional that she is Maria Callas had no difficulty
with her words. Each sentence was sung clearly and with feeling.
Recording 02: 2009 by Anna Netrebko
Anna Netrebko (1971- present) is a Russian opera singer and
was a student at the St. Petersburg Conservatoire. She made
her debut in 1995 at the age of 24 with her role as Lyudmila
in Mikhail Glinka’s (1804-1857) Ruslan and Lyudmila.

The first thing I immediately noticed was that Netrebko has

a darker tone color than Maria Callas. Even though both
pieces were performed in the same key, it sounded like
Netrebko was singing in a lower key than Callas. Netrebko’s
voice carried a lot more weight on her top notes and she Figure 3: Anna Netrebko preforming
resonated her voice more naturally. Where Callas tends to “O Mio Babinno Caro”

keep her mouth in a more natural position and rather uses her body to form her sounds,
Netrebko overuses her mouth. The problem with this is that it sounds like she is not forming
her words correctly.

Throughout the piece there where several instances that I could not clearly make out what she
was singing. She swallows some of her letters and tends to take the ending of one word and
add it to the next. That changes the whole meaning of the next word. The overall piece is meant
to be sung in a sweet and soft manner. Netrebko had a very aggressive approach to the piece.
Everything was sung in f or ff which then takes away the meaning and the idea behind the aria.
Her high notes were however spot on but she does tend to scoop into her notes and uses the
previous note to reach the next one.
Recording 01 vs. 02: Comparison

Recording 01: 2009 by Anna

Recording 01: 1965 by Maria Callas
Netrebko
Timbre: Timbre:
I found the sound to be very sharp. It almost A fuller quality to the sound. It had less sharp
had a sort of on the edge quality to it. With that edges to it. I felt like I could actually sit back
being said I would have to add that the sound and relaxing without being on edge and
was in no way hampered by the technology anticipating the next note. The sound was rich
limitations of the time. I could clearly hear each and had a full quality to it. The singers voice
note that was being sung. The sound had a very resonated more clearly and was not drowned
pure quality to it. out by the orchestra.
Tempo: Tempo:
References
Cantoni, L. 2000. Gianni Schicchi. [online] Available at :
http;//www.reginaopera.org/Schicchi.htm. [Accessed 2nd April 2015].

Shifres, F. 2009. Movement and the Practice of Meaning in Song. [online] Available at:
https://jyx.jyu.fi/dspace/bitstream/handle/123456789/20920/urn_nbn_fi_jyu-
2009411321.pdf?sequence=1 [Accessed 10 April 2015].

http://www.mariacallas4ever.org/1965_discography.html