L'Italo-Americano

PAGE 22 L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2012 It Came in a Dream SALVATORE D IVITA CONTRIBUTOR that you were flying? Most peo- ple will answer "yes" to this question. The incident, of which I am about to tell you, entered the world in just this way, through a dream. Our story begins somewhere in Italy around June of 1957. A young man named Franco Migliacci tinkered with the lyrics for a new song after hav- ing been inspired by a couple of paintings by the Russian painter Marc Chagall. Several prints of Chagall's paintings covered the walls of Franco's home and he stared at them, often mesmerized by them. Franco and his friend, Domenico Modugno, had planned to spend the day at the seashore. As Franco waited at home for his friend to arrive, he stared at the paintings and sipped a glass of wine. The time for Domenico to arrive had come and gone and as Franco con- tinued to wait, he took a second glass of wine and then a third until eventual- ly he fell asleep with visions of Chagall's paintings in his head blending into his dreams. Franco's dreams turned into Have you ever had a dream nightmares and, when he awoke, he stared at the Chagall prints: "Le coq rouge" (The Red Hen) and "Le peintre et la modelle" (The Painter and the Model) hanging on his wall. He noted that in Le coq rouge, a yellow man was suspended in midair, while in "Le peintre et la mod- elle," half of the painter's face was colored blue. In this state of mind, began to write lyrics about a man who he dreams of painting himself blue before taking flight into the heavens. It was much later the same evening that Domenico finally arrived. Although Franco was quite angry with Domenico for standing him up, he could not contain his excitement. He felt that he had to share with his friend the first few lines of the new song he had written. Domenico, a musician and song writer, took an immediate interest in what he was hear- ing. Together, for several days after, they continued to work on the song which they titled, "Sogno in Blu" (Dream thought Domenico. He was not satisfied with the lyrics. He gave it much thought and as he pondered the missing ele- ment, a storm suddenly blew open windows of his in Blue). But something was missing, Domenico Modugno it was recorded by a wide range of performers, including Dean Martin, Al Martino, David Bowie, the Gipsy Kings, and Barry White. Franco's desire to narrate his dream experience in a lated into several languages and home. It was that sudden gust of wind which brought the inspiration he needed to modify the chorus: It was the introduction of the word "Volare" (To Fly), which also became the song's title. The song was later trans- song can be described as poetry set to music. Unfortunately, per- haps because of the translator's desire for rhyme, much of its original meaning is lost. Poetry has been defined as having met- ric form and verse or prose with poetic qualities intended to stim- ulate the imagination. Both Italian and English lyrics make for an interesting comparison of imagery. But unlike the Italian version, below. A sweet sound of music played For me alone. To fly. To sing. Volare was hailed an instant higher still. While the world slowly, slowly Disappeared in the distance the English version does not introduce the song with the nar- ration of a dream, but merely invites another person to fly. Volare. Cantare. Let's fly way up to the clouds Away from the maddening mind Let us leave the confusion and all disillusion behind Just like birds of a feather, a rainbow together we'll find. Italian lyrics of Volare have been translated as closely as possible to its original meaning, of course, without rhyme: I think that a dream such as Volare Cantare. Now compare: The following this will never return. I have painted my hands and nite sky. rapid wind. And I began to fly into the infi- my face the color blue. Then suddenly there came a crowds We can sing in the glow of a star that I know of Where lovers enjoy peace of To fly, To sing, In blue painted blue, Happy just staying aloft. And I flew and I flew happily beyond the sun and again success in Italy, selling more than 20,000 copies in the first 12 days. It became an international hit, selling in the United States and the United Kingdom as well as the rest of Europe. The song which originated from a place far beyond the shores of the United States of America was destined to make musical histo- ry. it of Volare has not faded, because it truly flies and sings in the hearts of those who have experienced the dream of flying, those who sing along with per- haps the only words they know: Volare, Oh! Oh! Cantare, Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Nel blu, dipinto di blu, Felice de stare lassù. Amedeo Modigliani: a great artist who never forgot his country Amedeo had a close relation- TONY GHEZZO CONTRIBUTOR lungs were in such a sad condi- tion that within a few years Amedeo had many close calls with pneumonia, suffered an attack of pleurisy, followed by a case of typhoid fever and by the time he was 16 years old he con- tracted the tuberculosis that finally would claim his life. He died young at 36. Amedeo Modigliani's life was a continuous struggle against poverty and chronic ill health. the disastrous financial collapse of his father's business, but his birth practically saved the family from ruin: according to an ancient law, creditors couldn't seize the bed of a pregnant woman or a mother with a new- born child. Unfortunately the poor baby's of the greatest artists of the 20th century. Born in Livorno (Leghorn), Italy, he was the fourth son of Eugenia Garsin and Flaminio Modigliani. Both the Garsins and the Modiglianis descended from the Sephardic Jews that were expelled from Spain in 1492. In the 20th centu- ry Jews in Italy lived in freedom and prosperity. Amedeo's moth- er Eugenia at the age of 15 mar- ried Flaminio Modigliani and together they moved to Livorno. For several years Flaminio was a successful merchant and a respected banker; the family prospered and enjoyed a period of affluence. Amedeo's birth coincided with Amedeo Modigliani was one ship with his mother, a very tal- ented and well educated woman who taught him at home until he was 10. His mother was also instrumental in his ability to pur- sue art as a vocation. Amedeo started drawing and painting from a very early age. At 14, since Livorno's local museum housed only a limited number of paintings by the Italian Renaissance masters, he begged his mother to take him to Florence where he could see the paintings in the Palazzo Pitti and the Uffizi Galleria. The tales he moment he was recovered from the typhoid fever. His mother not only fulfilled this promise, but convinced of her son potential, enrolled him with the best paint- ing master Guglielmo Micheli. With Micheli, Amedeo studied not only landscape, but also portrai- ture, still life and the nude. In 1901, while in Rome, he became also acquainted with the "Macchiaioli" in Leghorn, Domenico Morelli, a painter of religious scenes. But Amedeo's style was not influenced by any of the mentioned styles and themes of 20th century Italian art.Amedeo developed his own style consisting mostly of por- traits and elegant nudes with almond eyes, thick red mouths, twisted noses and elongated necks. Through the influence of the Rumanian style by Awards held on May 4, 1959, at Hollywood's Beverly Hilton Hotel, "Nel blu dipinto di blu" received two awards, for "Record of the Year" and "Song of the Year." Volare was the only foreign-language recording to achieve this honor. Somehow, to this day, the spir- During the first Grammy city of Nice, Jeanne, the daugh- ter of Amedeo & Jeanne was born. Modigliani was the typical Amedeo Modigliani (1884-1920) Constantin Brancusi, he fell under the spell of primitive sculpture, mostly African; but a couple of years later he dropped sculpting and dedicated himself totally to painting. At age 18 Amedeo enrolled in sculptor Self Portrait by Amedeo Modigliani had heard about the great mas- terpieces held in Florence intrigued him. His mother promised that she would take him to Florence herself, the the Accademia di Belle Arti (Free School of Nude Studies) in Florence and a year later he reg- istered at the Istituto di Belle Arti in Venice. In the city of the romantic lagoon Modigliani fre- quented the nightlife. After such an experience he was ready for something more innovative and invigorating. He was 22 when he moved to Paris where he met Cezanne, Picasso, Toulouse- Lautrec and other famous artists. He often visited their stu- by the German air force and the School of Paris, including Modigliani, was compelled to move to the South of France, where a few days later, in the dios. The well known artists were rather jealous of him because he was always surround- ed by attractive young ladies; in fact Amedeo never had difficulty in finding beautiful models because they willingly posed for him gratis for a chance to look at the handsome painter and to be near him. Soon he joined the "School of Paris" that was com- posed of a group of 100 plus international artists, mostly Jewish, escaped from their native countries (central and eastern Europe) during the pre- WWII period. In 1918 Paris was bombarded Latin lover: charming, hand- some, irresistible to women. Amedeo had many short-time love affairs but his true love was Jeanne Hebuterne, who soon became his wife. They met in 1916 when Jeanne was 19 and Amedeo 32. They lived together four years until their death, on January 24, 1920. That day Amedeo died of tuberculosis while Jeanne tragically took her life. He was 36, she was 23. Amedeo's last words were "Cara Italia" (beloved Italy). Although Modigliani spent most of his life in France, his love for Italy never diminished. A few days ago a friend who lives in Livorno went on a vaca- tion to Paris. There she decided to put a flower on the tomb of her famous "paesano" (fellow countryman) Modigliani, who is buried in the Pere Lachaise Cemetery near Paris. Although at the front office at Amedeo the entrance she was given a map of the cemetery, she had difficulty in locating Amedeo's tomb. She passed the mausoleum of Picasso, Max Jacob, Cezanne, La Fontaine, Moliere and finally, almost hidden behind a large pine tree she discovered Amedeo Modigliani's tomb. On the tomb she laid the long stem rose that she had brought along, she knelt and said a prayer for dear Modi's Soul. May his soul rest in peace.

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