Composer Unknown

Poetic idea tre d3Qrni son ke nina

"My sweetheart is sick; someone Tre giorni son che Nina
please help me rouse her!" This song Three days are that Nina
about a love-sick girl was sung as a in Ift:tO se ne sta
serenade in the opera The Three Silly In letto se ne sta.
Suitors, but no one in the opera is in bed [herself from-there] stays,
named Nina and the song has no
direct connection to the plot. il sQn:no las:sas:sina
II sonno l'assassina­
Background The slumber her-murders­
"Nina" has been popular ever since
it was introduced in London by an zveA:A~tela, per pjet.!!
Italian opera company in 1749. The Svegliatela, per pieHl!
production featured music by various waken-her, for pity('s sake)!
composers, most of them anony­
e tfimbalie timpanie pif:feri
mous, and the book of "favorite E cimbali e timpani e pifferi,
songs" from the opera gave no com­ And cymbals, and drums and shawms,
poser's name for this song. From
other sources the name of Giovanni zveA:A.!!temi nin~t:ta
Battista Pergolesi became attached to Svegliatemi Ninetta
the song, but since he died in 1736 waken-[for-]me little-Nina
there is only the remotest chance that
he had anything to do with it. Ciampi perk~ at:f~ non dQrma PJU
and Resta have been named as possi­ Perche (Accio) non dorma pin.
ble composers, but neither claim is so-that (so-that) not she-may-sleep more.
backed up by documentary proof. e m~ntreil sjor dot:tQre
Source E mentre it sior dottore
And while the sir doctor
The Favourite Songs in the Opera
call'd Li tre cicisbei ridicoli (London: a vizit.!!rla va
Walsh, 1749) copy in British Library, A visitarla va,
G811e(12). Original key: G minor. to visit-her goes,
For voice (treble clef) and strings
with figured bass. The first violin nin~t:ta per amQre
doubles the voice almost exactly Ninetta per arnore
throughout. All appoggiaturas are dear-Nina for love
original, and are performed as six­
in Ift:to se ne sta
teenth-notes. No ornaments have
In letto se ne sta.
been added. For details of the history
in bed [herself from-there] stays.
of "Nina," see the article by Frank
Walker in Musical Times, Dec. 1949.
The source of the familiar ver­
sion is unknown. It has no introduc­
tion, and the melody begins with a
two-note pick-up. The initial 7-mea­
sure phrase of the original is extend­
ed to a more conventional 8-measure after m10 (and m17). Ornamentation
phrase in the familiar version by is included and not distinguished from
means of an extra measure inserted the original notes.
 '72
Nina
Canzonetta
Attributed to
English version by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi­
Dr. Theodore Baker (1710 -1736)

~ I
Andantino
p--"" ..
Voice
-. Tre gior - ni son che Ni - na, che Ni - na, che
For three long days my Ni - na, my Ni - na, my
,
.
~
I

Piano <
\ ...~
p
~ ~ .~

Ni - na in let - to se ne sta,3 in_ let - to_ se ne

~i' - na up - on her bed has lain, up - on_ her_ bed has

}
-~
,
I

...
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:
~ .. ~ ...~
P.P
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I .
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sta. Pit ­ fe- ri, tim- pa-ni, cem ~ ba- Ii, ave ­ glia - te mia Ni­
lain. Loud - er and loud - er, ye play ­ ers alll A - wak - en my Ni­
rJ I

I -, · ·· c; c; ..-15 ____..
~.". ~ ~
< p
f
.
·· ··
-----­ ~ ~ (;.----­
• Although this song was long attributed to Pergolesi, it was composed by Legrenzio Vincenzo Ciampi (1719 -?)

Copyright, 1904, by G. SCAirmtr, Inc.

Copyright reneu'~d, 1932, by IJr. Theodore Baker
COP1lri"ht renewal assigned, 1933, to G. S~ i ,e,., Inc.
 ~ I
------ - - .bY
73

• net - ta,
net - ta,
sve - glia
a - wak
-
-
te mia Ni - net - ta,
en my N'I - net - ta,
ac
that
- CIO
she
' ,
non dor - rna
may sleep no
I

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n n
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fl I ~ -:::--- - ~ . ....-r- ~ r-:;.. ,.,

,
pin!
more,
ac - --
.,
non dor - rna pIll,
CIO
that she may sleep no more,
T
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~
.....
sve-glia-te mia Ni - net
A - wak-en my Ni - net
-
-
ta, sve­
ta, a-

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, - ...... ., ~ liiiiiiiiii"'-l .,
·
glia- te_mia_ Ni - net - ta, ac - CIO n5n_ dor - m~_ pIll.
wak- en_ my_ Ni - net - ta that she may_ sleep no_ more.

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pIll, ac - ClO non dor - - "
rna pm.

-----
more, that she may sleep no more.
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