© by Eugenio Montale (1896 - 1981)
Keepsake
Language: Italian (Italiano)
Fanfan ritorna vincitore; Molly [ ... ]
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In the Notes to the various editions one reads the following: "Ridotti a pura esistenza nominale, flatus vocis, tornano qui i personaggi delle seguenti operette: Fanfan la Tulipe, La Geisha, Surcouf, Le campane di Corneville, La Cicala e la Formica, Fatinitza, La Mascotte, I briganti, Il marchese del Grillo, Primavera scapigliata, Il campanello dello speziale, I moschettieri al convento, La principessa dei dollari, La figlia di Madama Angot, Robinson Crusoe." One curiosity. In v. 9, "giocano al convento" has been corrected, by recent authoritative editions, to "giocano al castello". It cannot be "convento" (maybe, wrongly borrowed from seven verses below) due to the clear the reference to Offenbach's operetta Les brigands, involving the palace of the Duke of Mantova (that of Verdi's Rigoletto). This is the place where the "brigands" appear disguised as Spanish people ("falsi spagnoli"), hoping to receive the money due to the Princess of Granada: but they are overcome by the venue of the (authentic) Spanish people they had robbed just before. Meanwhile, the money due to the princess has disappeared in the hands of the treacherous treasure-keeper...
Notes provided by Alberto Pedrotti
In the Notes to the various editions one reads the following: "Ridotti a pura esistenza nominale, flatus vocis, tornano qui i personaggi delle seguenti operette: Fanfan la Tulipe, La Geisha, Surcouf, Le campane di Corneville, La Cicala e la Formica, Fatinitza, La Mascotte, I briganti, Il marchese del Grillo, Primavera scapigliata, Il campanello dello speziale, I moschettieri al convento, La principessa dei dollari, La figlia di Madama Angot, Robinson Crusoe." One curiosity. In v. 9, "giocano al convento" has been corrected, by recent authoritative editions, to "giocano al castello". It cannot be "convento" (maybe, wrongly borrowed from seven verses below) due to the clear the reference to Offenbach's operetta Les brigands, involving the palace of the Duke of Mantova (that of Verdi's Rigoletto). This is the place where the "brigands" appear disguised as Spanish people ("falsi spagnoli"), hoping to receive the money due to the Princess of Granada: but they are overcome by the venue of the (authentic) Spanish people they had robbed just before. Meanwhile, the money due to the princess has disappeared in the hands of the treacherous treasure-keeper...
Notes provided by Alberto Pedrotti
Text Authorship:
- by Eugenio Montale (1896 - 1981), copyright © [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Goffredo Petrassi (1904 - 2003), "Keepsake" [text verified 1 time]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 22
Word count: 118