East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1915-08-13
BY AYIcE RoHE.
Omitted Press staff Correspondent

Omitted Press Staff Correspondent
ROME. July Icy Mai)-
Moonlight in Rome, the sound of a
guitar, a singers voice declaimine
deeds of war, OF love, of partings, of
promised returns. In ancient pal
aces heads are silhouetted against
yellow squares Of light. In the Piazza
crowd gathers about the singer
Yes. this is twentieth century Rome
and the singer is no medieval truba-
dor. But he is quite as picturesque
quite as romance laden as though he
had lived hundreds Of years ago. For
he is an improvisation and he repre-
sents a custom as old as the ancient
palaces under whose broad portals he
is singing.
His name is Sor Capanna and he
is known from one end of Rome tc
the other for is he not the composer
Of that modern satiracal song 'BiG
William" He is singing it now and
for one solda you may buy the same
poetic narration of the improvisatore' s
estimation of the kaiser.
Sor Capanna is one of many impro-
visatores in Rome today. for the en-
trance of Italy into the war has
brought them all out again like mush-
rooms-or perhaps one should say
flowers after rain. They sing, most
of them. songs of love. farewells OF
soldiers departing to the war, admon-
ishing their sweethearts to be brave
and true during their absence. Many
of them sing the compositions of Sor
Capanna. peer of improvisatores but
the majority of them improvise. All
improvise the music so that the words
you hear sung under your window at
night may be the same YOU heard the
morning in the piazza but the music
is altogether different.
Sometimes a group of improvisa-
torres. with harp and violin and sing
er. recount the sorrows and the yearn-
ings of the departing soldiers. But
Rome stops to listen. The servant
girl brushes a tear from her eye sur
reptitiously buys a copy of the touch
ing ballad for a penny. Others crowd
forward to listen to the words. From
morning until night you may run
across them, these singers in the
squares, beside the spanish steps, near
the churches. Some of the improvisa-
torres strumming their plaintive tunes
on the guitars use ballads of other
days brought up to date. And if the
improvisatores collect a couple Of lire
from one concert and sale of ligrettos
they are more than satisfied.
One Of the songs heard most re-
quently in Rome has highly Eugenic
flavor-even in its dialect.
''Lo scarto di Vittorio non 10 voglic
"Quando rivie il mia amore me 10 pig
lio."
Which is to say
Those refused by Victor Emanuel
do not want;
when my love returns from the war
l will marry him."
Other famous songs beloved of i'm
provisatores and populace are "Addia
mia bella, addia,' which unpoetically
translated from poetic Italian ballads
OF the people is Good by, my love
good by. The army is departing and
If | did not depart would be viii
lian. But I am not leaving you alone,
leave you a little son who will con-
sole you, the son of our first love.
So that Italy is commemorative its
war babies in ballad form.
Another ballad which brings tears
to the eyes Of the girls left behind is
I'll salute. amorosa mia.
Il salute you my love. ! am going
away but l will return. When l re-
turn l will bring you flower. Long
live love. When return l bring you a
flower. Long live love and he who
knows how to love"
1t is needless TO say that this song
is one of the hits of the day and al
ways gets many damp eye from the
listening throng.
And there are many Others quite
too tragic and love laden to degrade
through inferior translation. AS fol
the improyisatores. they reap thelI