University Missourian., 1915-08-12
WAR SONGS IN ROME
COMPOSED OFF HAND
Improvisatores ReapCash and
Popularity From Sweet
hearts of Soldiers.
SOR CAPANNA LEADS
For Did He Not Introduce
the Song, big William, P"
and Spread Its Famei
SOR CAPANNA LEADS
By Alice Robe

united Press Staff Correspondent
ROME, July l6 tBy MaiD There is
moonlight in Rome, the sound of a
guitar, a singers voice declaiming
deeds OF war. of love. of partings and
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
dor. But he is quite as picturesque,
quite as romance-laden as though he
had lived hundreds of years ago. For
he is an improvisatore 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 to the
other for is he not the composer of
that modern satirical song big Will
liam? He is singing it now and for
one solda you may buy the same po-
etc narration of the improvisatores
estimation of the Kaiser
Much Music ImprOyised.
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 a rain. They sing,
most of them, songs of love, farewells
of soldiers departing to the war, ad-
monishing 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 win
dow 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
singer, recount the sorrows and the
yearnings of the departing soldiers.
But Rome stops to listen. The serv-
ant girl, brushing tear from her eye.
surreptitiously buys a copy of the
touching 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 i'm
provisatores strumming their plan
tive tunes on the guitars use ballads
of other days brought up to date. And
if the improvisatores collect couple
of lire from one concert and sale of
librettos they are more than satisfied.
Soldiers I'm High Favor.
One of the songs heard most fire.
quently in Rome has a highly eugenic
fiayor-even in its dialect.
40 scarto di Vittorio non 10 voglio
QudnuO TlNle ii hiiO oiiioiS ihS ~
piglio"
Which is to say
Those refused by Victor Emmanuel
do not want;
when my love returns from the
war will marry him"
Another ballad which brings tears
to the eyes of the girls left behind is
"Ti salute, amorosa mia
Il salute you, my love. l am going
away, but | will return. When | re-
turn. l will bring you flower. Long
live love. When | return, bring you
a flower. Long live love and he who
knows how to love-"
II is needless to say that this song
Is one of the hits of the day and al
ways gets many a damp eye from the
listening throng.
And there are many others quite too
tragic and love laden to degrade
through inferior translation. AS for
the improvisatores, they reap their
small harvest off the loves and sor-
rows of the soldiers sweethearts.