Vesti la giubba

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"Vesti la giubba" ("Put on your costume", often referred to as "On With the Motley", from the original 1893 translation by Frederic Edward Weatherly) is a famous tenor aria from Ruggero Leoncavallo's 1892 opera Pagliacci. "Vesti la giubba" is sung at the conclusion of the first act, when Canio discovers his wife's infidelity, but must nevertheless prepare for his performance as Pagliaccio the clown because "the show must go on".

The aria is often regarded as one of the most moving in the operatic repertoire of the time. The pain of Canio is portrayed in the aria and exemplifies the entire notion of the "tragic clown": smiling on the outside but crying on the inside. This is still displayed today, as the clown motif often features the painted-on tear running down the cheek of the performer.

Enrico Caruso's recordings of the aria, from 1902, 1904 and 1909, were among the top selling records of the 78-rpm era and reached over a million sales.

This aria is often used in popular culture, and has been featured in many renditions, mentions, and spoofs.

Video Vesti la giubba

Lyrics

Maps Vesti la giubba

In popular culture

• Both the melody of the aria and dramatic points of the opera from which it comes are referenced by Homer and Jethro in the 1953 Spike Jones song "Pal Yat Chee" on RCA Victor
• The melody of the song was used by the rock band Queen in their 1984 single "It's a Hard Life" when frontman Freddie Mercury sang that song's opening lyrics "I don't want my freedom, there's no reason for living with a broken heart."
• The opera is performed in The Simpsons episode "The Italian Bob" in which Sideshow Bob sings the final verse of the aria.
• Verses from the aria are used in both Italian and English in the song "A Metaphor For The Dead" by the metal band Anaal Nathrakh.
• In S1:E7 of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, "Kimmy Goes to a Party," the aria is performed twice by Titus. The episode revolves around suspicions of infidelity, so the lyrical content thematically links to the plot. The first performance is during the dinner party, when it appears that evidence of cheating will be revealed, and the second performance is the soundtrack to the credits (which immediately follow the exposition of the "true" proof).

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References

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External links

• Pagliacci, "Vesti la giubba": Scores at the International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP)

Source of the article : Wikipedia