L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2020 www.italoamericano.org 14 L'Italo-Americano W hen Ovid attempted t o w r i t e an epic in p r o p e r hexameters, complete with arms and strife, Cupid flew into his study and with a snicker lopped off one foot from each alternate line. The p o e m ' s r h y t h m c h a n g e d from a grim march to a play- ful canter. Every war song is potentially an erotic scherzo. R o m a s p e l l e d b a c k - wards is Amor. L o v e s i n g s a d i f f e r e n t tune on the Seven Hills. Let Venetians croon barcarolles o n t h e G r a n d C a n a l a n d N e a p o l i t a n s s t r u m s e r e - nades below Vesuvius. We R o m a n s , c h i l d r e n o f t h e She-Wolf, by nature randy, snide, and fierce, howl stor- nelli in the streets. T h e s t o r n e l l o g e t s i t s name from the custom of singing "a storno," that is, b o u n c i n g t h e v o i c e f r o m place to place. Born of pass- ing inspiration, these impro- vised quips were first sung in taverns and trattorias, then spread from balcony to balcony, alley to alley, and prison cell to prison cell in Rome's Trastevere district. Circulated by carters, ven- dors, and waiters, the rough tunes were adapted and per- formed by street singers and transcribed and polished by folklorists. Stornelli romansechi d a t e b a c k t o a t l e a s t t h e eighteenth century but did not become truly popular until after World War II. Broadcasting and tourism m a i n s t r e a m e d t h e s e f o l k s o n g s , t h a n k s t o s u c h s i n g e r s a s A l v a r o A m i c i , G a b r i e l l a F e r r i , Lando Fiorini, Nino Manfredi, and Claudio Villa, who intro- duced elements of cabaret, jazz, and pop in their inter- pretations. Their recordings s t i l l s e r v e a s a b a l m f o r Roman boomers. But what exactly is a stor- nello? Giggi Zanazzo, the dialect poet and folklorist, said it best: "a sigh of love, an accent of hatred, a whim of fantasy." Accompanied by a guitar or an accordion, the singer announces a topic and apos- trophizes his or her beloved as a flower. Not a rose or g a r d e n i a b u t s o m e t h i n g wilder and coarser plucked f r o m t h e f i e l d s , g a r d e n s , parks, and greenways in or near Rome, such as pigweed or sow-thistle. The remain- ing lyrics, whether tradition- al or extemporaneous, form a n e q u a l l y p u n g e n t a n d thorny bouquet of double- entendres, complaints, and insults. The effect is funny and provocative but also h a u n t i n g a n d h e a r t - breaking. Gabriella Ferri's melis- matic runs transport you to a café in Seville or Tangier. H e r c l e a r , c u t t i n g v o i c e , however tender or playful, is always ready to flow into the ancient Roman sneer, with a l a u g h l i k e t h e j e t s o f t h e Trevi Fountain, but with a sigh of melancholy whenev- er she twists and suffocates a note. Left with a void in your stomach, you hunger for more, even if it means enduring ridicule and abuse. Stornelli amorosi are often indistinguishable from stornelli dispetti, a popu- lar way for Romans to dis each other in public. The basis of this musical game is to wait until the end of a v e r s e t o r e a c t a n d t h e n return the courtesy. A match b e t w e e n L a F e r r i a n d Claudio Villa, televised in 1973 on RAI, lasted ten min- u t e s . B u t a n e v e n b e t t e r example is the opening scene of Pier Paolo Pasolini's Mamma Roma (1962). M a m m a R o m a , a n e x - prostitute played by Anna Magnani, marries off her former pimp Carmine to a c o u n t r y g i r l n a m e d Clementina. At the recep- tion, held in a stark banquet hall in a borgata, a public housing complex on Rome's periphery, Mamma Roma arrives with three leashed a n d b e r i b b o n e d p i g s — a n allusion to the love triangle a n d a c o m m e n t o n t h e groom's swinish past. The wedding guests, aware of the ménage à trois, ask for a song. As the snuffling pigs eat scraps off the cement floor, Mamma Roma and the newlyweds trade sarcasms. M A M M A RO M A : "Fior de gaggia! When I sing, I sing with joy. But if I told all, I'd ruin this party." CARMINE: "Fiore de sab- bia! You laugh, joke, and play the saint, and all the w h i l e r a g e b u r s t s y o u r chest." MAMMA ROSA: "Fiore de menta! Hold your tongue for this innocent girl's sake. It's best she doesn't see or hear." C L E M E N T I N A : " F i o r d e cocuzza! Once a woman was crazy for this mustache, and now that she's lost him, she makes a stink!" MAMMA ROMA: "Fiore de merda! I freed myself from that noose. Now it's anoth- er's turn to be his servant!" Every verse a bullet, every bullet a bull's eye. W h y c a n ' t R o m a n s express affection without hostility? Why must love and hate be so entangled? Blame the gods. Cupid, the son of Venus and Mars, was con- ceived when the adulterous couple was caught in fla- grante in Vulcan's net and made the laughingstock of O l y m p u s . E v e r s i n c e , t h e brat has avenged his parents by wounding and humiliat- ing his cousins: us Romans. T a r g e t s o f a s p i t e f u l a n d petty archer, we are fated to be snipers in love. Pasquino's secretary is Anthony Di Renzo, professor of writing at Ithaca College. You may reach him at diren- zo@ithaca.edu. ANTHONY DI RENZO LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE Stornello Pasquino sings the same old song The stornelli tradition is tied into the history and heritage of Rome itself (Photo:Wikimedia)

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