Tuesday 8 January 2013
Tune of the Day: Te voglio bene assaje
Neapolitan folksong, arranged for flute and piano
This Italian folksong from Naples dates back to at least 1839. The lyrics “Io te voglio bene assaje e tu nun pienze a mme” (“I love you very much and you don't think of me”) are traditionally attributed to poet Raffaele Sacco, while the music was probably composed by Filippo Campanella, although some attribute it to the famous opera composer Gaetano Donizetti. The song was an immediate hit, selling more than 180,000 copies of the sheet music in just a few months.