Aria from the opera Madama Butterfly, composed by Giacomo Puccini
"
Un bel di, vedremo
" (
Italian pronunciation:
[um
b?l
di
ve?dreːmo]
; "One fine day we'll see") is a
soprano
aria
from the
opera
Madama Butterfly
(1904) by
Giacomo Puccini
, set to a
libretto
by
Luigi Illica
and
Giuseppe Giacosa
. It is sung by Cio-Cio San (Butterfly) on stage with Suzuki, as she imagines the return of her absent love, Pinkerton. It is the most famous aria in
Madama Butterfly
, and one of the most popular pieces in the entire soprano repertoire.
Dramatic setting
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]
Early in act 2, three years after her marriage to
U.S. naval officer
B. F. Pinkerton, Cio-Cio San ("Butterfly") awaits the return of her long-absent husband to
Japan
. Her maid, Suzuki, does not believe that Pinkerton will come back, but Butterfly is optimistic. Trying to convince Suzuki of Pinkerton's loyalty, Butterfly sings of an imaginary scene in which a thread of smoke on the far horizon signals the arrival of a white ship into
Nagasaki
harbour, bringing her long-lost love back to her. The imagined scene culminates in a romantic reunion.
[1]
[2]
The aria is noted for its lyrical beauty. It is of particular dramatic importance, as Butterfly's yearning expressed in the song is later met with tragedy. Butterfly's longed-for "beautiful day" is heralded at the end of act 2 by the arrival of Pinkerton's ship, but it proves to be her last; Butterfly learns that Pinkerton has married another woman, and at the end of the opera, Butterfly, distraught, takes her own life.
[3]
"Un bel di, vedremo" is especially significant as it appeals to audiences with its emotive melody but also encapsulates the tragedy at the heart of the opera, foretelling Cio-Cio San's inevitable demise.
[4]
Performance and recordings
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]
The aria was first performed by the soprano
Rosina Storchio
at the premiere of
Madama Butterfly
on 17 February 1904 at the
Teatro alla Scala
in Milan. In the revised version of the opera (28 May 1904 at the
Teatro Grande
, in Brescia) it was sung by the Ukrainian soprano
Solomiya Krushelnytska
. During the early recording era, soprano
Agnes Kimball
achieved popularity in the United States with her English language recording of the aria under the title "Some day he'll come" which was released by the
Victor Talking Machine Company
in 1910.
[5]
[6]
Deanna Durbin
performed the English translation of the aria in the 1939 musical film
First Love
.
In 1984, the pop musician
Malcolm McLaren
adapted the aria for his
single
"
Madam Butterfly (Un bel di, vedremo)
", a
synth-pop
remix
of opera and 1980s
R&B
. The song, which appeared on McLaren's album
Fans
, reached No. 13 in the
UK Singles Chart
.
[7]
[8]
Lyrics
[
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]
"Un bel di, vedremo" occurs in act 2 in both the original and the revised versions of the opera. This Italian text is taken from the first version of the libretto, published by Ricordi in 1904.
[9]
Un bel di, vedremo
levarsi un fil di fumo sull'estremo
confin del mare.
E poi la nave appare.
Poi la nave bianca
entra nel porto, romba il suo saluto.
Vedi? E venuto!
Io non gli scendo incontro. Io no. Mi metto
la sul ciglio del colle e aspetto, e aspetto
gran tempo e non mi pesa
la lunga attesa.
E ... uscito dalla folla cittadina
un uomo, un picciol punto
s'avvia per la collina.
Chi sara? Chi sara?
E come sara giunto
che dira? Che dira?
Chiamera "Butterfly" dalla lontana.
Io senza dar risposta
me ne staro nascosta
un po' per celia ... e un po' per non morire
al primo incontro, ed egli alquanto in pena
chiamera, chiamera:
"Piccina mogliettina,
olezzo di
verbena
,"
i nomi che mi dava al suo venire.
(
a Suzuki
)
Tutto questo avverra,
te lo prometto.
Tienti la tua paura – io con sicura
fede l'aspetto.
|
One fine day we'll notice
a thread of smoke arising
on the sea, in the far horizon,
and then the ship appearing;
Then the trim white vessel
glides into the harbour, thunders forth her cannon.
See you? Now he is coming!
I do not go to meet him. Not I.
I stay upon the brow of the hillock, and wait there
and wait for a long time, but never weary
of the long waiting.
From out the crowded city crowd
there is coming a man, a little speck
in the distance, climbing the hillock.
Can you guess who it is?
And when he's reached the summit,
can you guess what he'll say?
He will call: "Butterfly" from the distance.
I, without answ'ring,
hold myself quietly conceal'd.
A bit to teaze him and a bit so as to not die
at our first meeting; and then, a little troubled,
he will call, he will call:
"Dear baby wife of mine,
dear little orange blossom!"
The names he used to call me when he came here.
(
to Suzuki
)
This will all come to pass,
as I tell you.
Banish your idle fears, for he will return,
I know it.
[10]
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References
[
edit
]
- ^
Beck, Charles R. (2014).
What to Listen For in Opera: An Introductory Handbook
. McFarland. pp. 156?7.
ISBN
9781476617145
. Retrieved
18 May
2018
.
- ^
Singher, Martial
; Singher, Eta (2003).
An Interpretive Guide to Operatic Arias: A Handbook for Singers, Coaches, Teachers, and Students
. Penn State University Press.
ISBN
0271023546
. Retrieved
18 May
2018
.
- ^
"Accessible arias: Madama Butterfly's Un bel di"
.
www.roh.org.uk
. Retrieved
18 May
2018
.
- ^
"Puccini's
Madama Butterfly
musical highlight: "Un bel di, vedremo"
"
.
The Royal Opera
.
Archived
from the original on 19 May 2018
. Retrieved
19 May
2018
.
- ^
"Mrs. E. T. Affleck Dies: As Agnes Kimball, Soprano, Won National Reputation".
Detroit Free Press
. January 6, 1918. p. 14.
- ^
Flury, Roger (2012).
Giacomo Puccini: A Discography
.
Scarecrow Press
. p. 553.
ISBN
9780810883291
.
- ^
Gilbert, Pat (2011).
Passion is a Fashion: The Real Story of the Clash
. Aurum Press.
ISBN
9781845138028
. Retrieved
19 May
2018
.
- ^
"Malcolm McLaren ? Madam Butterfly (Un nel di, vedremo)"
.
Discogs
. Archived from
the original
on 19 May 2018
. Retrieved
19 May
2018
.
- ^
"
Madama Butterfly
libretto"
(in Italian).
G. Ricordi & C.
p. 40.
- ^
"Un bel di"
.
Madame Butterfly
(
piano?vocal score
by
Carlo Carignani
[
it
]
) (in Italian and English). Translated by Rosette Helen Elkin. New York: Ricordi. c. 1905. pp. 133?137
. Retrieved
21 February
2024
– via
William and Gayle Cook Music Library
,
Indiana University School of Music
.
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