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Bella Ciao

by Paolo Cognetti

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about

I wrote this arrangement of BELLA CIAO for a Ukrainian pianist friend of mine, Genia Chudinovich: for us Italians, the original folk song is the anthem of the resistance movement by the partisans who opposed nazi-fascism during their fight against the occupying forces of Nazis. That's why I chose April 25th, our liberation day, as the date for release.

But whereas the original song is epic and energetic, horrified by what's happening, my version is sad and melancholic. I owe this perspective to a great Italian journalist: Francesca Mannocchi. I’ve been following her work as a war correspondent for quite a while, and she shows with such clarity how the resistance can be joyful only as an event buried in the past and focusing on the values that inspired it, but it is actually as devastating as the very war it opposes.

The final part of the track is a little more hopeful: after all, music, and art in general, is a creative act and, by definition, is the best antidote to war, the destructive act par excellence.

lyrics

Una mattina mi son svegliato,
O bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao! Una mattina mi son svegliato
E ho trovato l'invasor.
O partigiano portami via,
O bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao O partigiano portami via
Che mi sento di morir.
E se io muoio da partigiano,
O bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao, E se io muoio da partigiano
Tu mi devi seppellir.
Seppellire lassù in montagna,
O bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao, Seppellire lassù in montagna
Sotto l'ombra di un bel fior.
E le genti che passeranno,
O bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao, E le genti che passeranno
Mi diranno «che bel fior.»
Questo è il fiore del partigiano,
O bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao, Questo è il fiore del partigiano
Morto per la libertà

***

One morning I awakened,
Oh bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao, ciao! (Goodbye beautiful) One morning I awakened
And I found the invader.
Oh partisan carry me away,
Oh bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao, ciao Oh partisan carry me away
Because I feel death approaching.
And if I die as a partisan,
Oh bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao, ciao And if I die as a partisan
Then you must bury me.
Bury me up in the mountain,
Oh bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao, ciao Bury me up in the mountain
Under the shade of a beautiful flower.
And all those who shall pass,
Oh bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao, ciao And all those who shall pass
Will tell me "what a beautiful flower."
This is the flower of the partisan,
Oh bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao, ciao This is the flower of the partisan
Who died for freedom

credits

released April 25, 2022
Music composed, performed, and produced by Paolo Cognetti

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Paolo Cognetti Florence, Italy

Ciao, I'm happy you found me here!

I just released my album for piano solo Spring Will Come: conceived as an aural space for listeners to feel safe and connect with their own emotions, it's a journey through the first lockdown back in March 2020, when we all experienced fear, boredom and frustration but also courage, strength and hope.

It’s music only when it’s shared: let’s make some together! ... more

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