[Trombone-l] Italian lessons (Tom Izzo)

[Derrick Parker]

Ciao Giorgio

At the start of my 11 years sojourn in Italy I too found that my knowledge
of Italian musical terms put me in good stead for learning Italian which is,
as you so rightly said, perhaps the most beautiful language in the world. Of
course one finds out the little differences - usually embarrassing! For
example sordino in non musical Italian does not mean "a mute" but rather a
little deaf. And when asked to say something "piu piano" it doesn't help if
you say it quieter as "piu piano" also means slower. I'll not go on to admit
to the problem I had once had between "una culla" (a crib) and that other
similar sounding Italian word!

However, being a trombonist, I found the most important words were - una
birra grande per favore! That doesn't need translating.

But honestly the really great thing is that being a musician, good or in my
case, not so good, means that you don't need a foreign language at all.
Those simple five little lines with dots on bring immediate friendship -
language follows on. I have musician friends in all parts of the world
because of the language of music. We're so lucky! 

All the very best

Saluti a tutti

Derrick Parker

-----Original Message-----
From: George Butler [mailto:georgebutler2003 at yahoo.com] 
Sent: 08 July 2007 22:53
To: Trombone List
Subject: [Trombone-l] Italian lessons (Tom Izzo)

Ciao Tutti,
   
  Italian is a wonderful language, and useful language for musicians to
learn.  Music printing, like everything else, started in Italy, so we all
know what con sordino and senza sordino mean.  Maybe we even know piu mosso
or meno mosso.  I'm always amazed to hear quasi mangled.  QWAEYS-EYE?  Oh,
you mean QUAs-ee.  It's a nice, soft word, meaning "almost." 
   
  I'm in the third day of rehearsals for a "La Pellegrina" project here in
Tallinn, music from the 1589 Medici wedding in Florence.  The Estonian
Philharmonic Chamber Choir (mama mia!) are the singers, and Andrew
Lawrence-King (of Harp Consort fame) is the director.  As good as the choir
is, Andrew still goes over every phrase, using the text to shape not only
the phrasing, but the shape of every note.  We wind players are asked to do
the same, and we read from the same scores the singers use.  Early music
folks do this all the time.
   
  I guess Charlie Vernon does the same thing when, on his Elmer Fudd Ride,
he's thinking "KILL-me-a wab-bit, KILL me a wab-bit."  And, listen to George
Roberts play a ballad.  Words ooze out the bell.
   
  From 1980 through 1984, I was co-principal trombonist at Teatro Regio di
Torino, the opera house in Turin.  When I got off the plane, I didn't know
si from no.  I was the only American in the orchestra.  I signed up for
Italian lessons, and fell asleep in my grammar book.  Things didn't start to
click until I bought a TV and watched Dallas every week, dubbed into
Italian.  Chi ha sparito Jay-Err?  Who shot J.R.?  Ti amo, Sua Aye-len.  I
love you, Sue Ellen.  (Yeah, don't we all...)
   
  At the deli or bakery, when the girl behind the counter asked, "Basta
cosi?", I learned to answer "di piu," or "meno, meho," or  even "un meTA"
(half, a form of mezzo.)  Those everyday tasks made the musical terms
clearer for me.  Da Capo becomes clearer when you realize that it's "from
the head, from the top" and dal segno is "from the sign."  Fermata?  At
first you learn that that's the bus stop; later, you figure out that fermare
is the verb "to stop."  Unfortunately, at the end of my first year, I fell
for a Polish viola player, and my Italian never got as good as it should
have.  (I think you all know to avoid falling for a Polish viola player...)
   
  Besides surviving in Italy, what else is Italian good for?  You can read
early baroque treatises on wind playing.  Girolamo dalla Casa, Giovanni
Bassano, Giovanni Battista Bovecelli, Francesco Rognoni, Antonio Brunelli,
and others had method books on diminution.  These guys were the Aebersolds
of their day.  Castiglione is good too, just for attitude and grace.  
   
  What else?  You can listen to Verdi or Puccini and actually know what's
going on, and laugh or cry at the right places.  You can understand
everything on the menu at the Olive Garden.  
   
  You can apply for the job opening at La Fenice, the opera house in Venice.
(Ricordi?  Massimo e andato a Cleveland.)  Just download il bando della
concorso per primo trombone and see what happens.  
   
  You can also buy parts for your Fiat Spyder or even a leather jacket, by
haggling with Tony,  who sells items of questionable provence from the trunk
of his Alfa.
   
  I learned by jumping into into the deep end of the pool.  If you're still
in school and have language requirements to get out of the way, Italian is a
good choice.  So much of the pronunciation transfers to other European
languages.  It's not hard, it's lyrical, it's fun.  It's real handy for
music history.   I understand that the Rosetta Stone software packages are
pretty good.  (I wish they offered Estonian!)
   
  Here's a quick lesson:  We all know that trombone means big trumpet.  Il
trombone:  [Eel trrrom-BOn-nay]  Il--that's the letters "i" and "L", not
sure how this looks in your font--is the masculine definite article.  It's
pronounced like eel, the long, snakey fish.  
   
  With indefinite article, it's un trombone, a trombone.  The u in un is
like the one in la luna, the moon.
   
  The plural with definite article is I tromboni [pronounced EEE
trrom-BOn-ee], the trombones.    Due tromboni, tre tromboni, quattro
tromboni...
   
  When folks I met in Italy asked what I did for a living, I never answered,
"Sono Professore d'orchestra del Teatro Regio."  I always answered, "Sono
trombonista."  [SOn-o trrom-bon-EEEst-ta.]  Rhymes with Sandanista, and
definitely hipper.  The plural is I trombonisti [pronounced EE
trrom-bon-EEEst-ee], the trombonists.
   
  For rehearsal, these may help:  If il maestro (literally, teacher) says,
Tromboni, siete troppo forte, he thinks your section is too loud.  Play
louder the next time, and he won't bother you anymore.
   
  If il maestro thinks that you guys are behind the beat, he'll say,
Tromboni, siete indietro.  Get with it, it's only Guglielmo Tell.
   
  I can't think of anything else you need to know, except maybe Riposo,
break time.  Prendiamo un caffe.  
   
  George Butler [Giorgio BOOT-layer]
  Tallinn, Estonia
   
    
   
   

       
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