The Venice Redentore Feast Love Songs

La Biondina in Gondoleta

The Festa del Redentore, the Redeemer Feast Celebration in Venice and its Fireworks

Festa del Redentore The night of the Redeemer was “la Notte Famosissima”, the famous and fantastic summer night spent on the water, under the light of colourful lanterns, with music and love songs.

The “Biondina in Gondoleta” (literally the blonde in Gondola) was one of the great classics.

Because women and love were linked to the gondola, which is always a partner in love life in Venice: “l'andar in gondola”, the gondola ride, was the invitation par excellence!

Johann Simon Mayr set to music the text of the poet Antonio Maria Lamberti, “La Biondina in Gondoleta”.

Johann Simon Mayr, born in Bavaria, played the viola at the La Fenice Opera Theater and was Gaetano Donizetti's teacher.

Festa del Redentore Mayr married a Venetian woman and wrote thirty-one works for Venetian stages; her work was also performed at La Scala in Milan, with thirteen premieres in Naples, Rome, Turin, etc.

Despite this intense artistic activity, he found time to set to music Anton Maria Lamberti's poem, about this blonde woman in a gondola that the poet had dedicated to the noble Marina Querini Benzon by presenting her as a light woman and easy to seduce, which earned him the anger of the beautiful Marina, but also the fame to this day of this poem set to music by Mayr.

Giovanni Simone Mayr was buried in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, where a monument was erected for him (one of the subscribers was Giuseppe Verdi), a memorial that stands next to his most famous student, Gaetano Donizetti.

The song of the “Biondina in Gondoleta”

“La Biondina in gondoleta
L’altra sera gò menà,
Dal piacer la povereta
La s’à in bota indormenzà.

Festa del Redentore La dormiva su sto brazzo,
Mi ogni tanto la svegiava;
Ma la barca che ninava
La tornava a indormenzar.

Fra le nuvole la luna
Gera in cielo meza sconta,
Gera in calma la laguna,
Gera el vento bonazzà.

Una sola bavesèla
Sventolava i so caveli,
E faceva che dai veli
Sconto el sen no fusse più.

Festa del Redentore Contemplando fisso fisso
Le fatezze del mio ben,
Quel viseto cussì slisso;
Quela boca e quel bel sen,

Me sentiva drento al peto
Una smania, un missiamento;
Una spezie de contento
Che no so come spiegar.

So’ stà un pezzo rispetando
Quel bel sono, e ò soportà,
Benche Amor de quando in quando
El m’avesse assae tentà;

Festa del Redentore E ò provà a butarme zozo
Là con ela a pian pianin;
Ma col fogo da vicin
Chi averia da ripossar?

M’ò stufà po’ finalmente
De sto tanto so dormir,
E gh’ò fato da insolente,
Nè m’ò avudo da pentir;

Perchè, oh Dio, che bele cosse
Che gh’ò dito, e che gh’ò fato!
No, mai più tanto beato
Ai me’ zorni no son sta”
Anton Maria Lamberti

“La Biondina in Gondoleta” by Umberto Da Preda
“La Biondina in Gondoleta” by il Pomo d'Oro

Festa del Redentore And “il cantagiro sull'acqua”, the singing tour on the water, took place precisely during the night of Redentore, which had become, over time, a major gastronomical-pagan-religious festival for Venetians.

It was the night when singers and musicians took advantage of this vast floating audience to present their new compositions, which could be immediately adopted if they pleased them.

“Battei, barche e peotte
L'è tute iluminae
Co feràli e baloni
Se sente canti e suoni
Andamo tuti a goder
sto mezo bacanal”

Visit-Venice-Italy.com translation:

Festa del Redentore

“Boats, boats and Peottes,
are all illuminated,
With lanterns and balloons,
You can hear the music and the songs
Let's all have fun
In the middle of this bacchanal.”

Hundreds of airs were composed in this way in the 18th and 19th centuries.

They were then heard for many years and disappeared at the bottom of the canals without anyone having ever thought of publishing them.

Fortunately, some were transcribed by amateurs; generally, only a few titles or words remain from those who had the good fortune to escape oblivion.

Festa del Redentore Here is one dating from the 18th century:

Nina, let go of your scruples

“Nina, da bando i scrupoli,
No dirme, via, de no,
Se compagnarte in gondola
Sta note mi vorò.

La note xè belissima
Le stele brila in ciel
Xè un specio l'acqua, e l'aria
Xè un balsamo, xè un miel.

Festa del Redentore La note famosissima
Del nostro Redentor,
Nina, via, persuàdete
Lé fata per l'amor.

Varda che festa splendida
La Zueca xè un bisù
Tuti se sente in gringola
Nina no posso più.

Vien qua, mia bêla còcola
In barca vien co mi
Fra canti soni e ciàcole
Sina che spunta el di.

La note famosissima…”

Festa del Redentore Here is our translation of this simple song, but so beautiful because of the language's music, to offer you an image of a lifestyle George Sand may have heard!

“Nina, let go of your scruples,
Come on, don't say no to me tonight
I want to go with you on a gondola.

The night is magnificent,
The stars are shining in the sky,
Water is a mirror,
And the air is a perfume,
Sweet as honey.

Festa del Redentore The famous night of our Redeemer,
Come on, Nina, believe me,
It's made for love.

Look at this splendid celebration!
The Giudecca is a jewel,
All are filled with joy,
Nina, I can't take it anymore!

Come here, sweetie, sweetie,
In the boat with me among the voices,
The music and the songs,
Until sunrise.

Festa del Redentore The famous night (chorus) of our Redeemer,
Come on, Nina, believe me,
It's made for love.”

In the past, after the fireworks, people rowed to the Lido to wait for the sunrise, which was greeted by singing the beautiful Venetian anthem:

“Mia cara Venèssia,
Mia sposa dillèta,
Tu fosti Regina,
Possente sui mari.

Festa del Redentore Tu fosti Regina
Possènte sui mari
Cità di Glorie, Sperànse e d'Amor.

Viva Venessia!
Viva Samàrco!
E viva le Glorie del nostro Leon!
Viva le Glorie del nostro Leon!

Visit-Venice-Italy.com translation:

Festa del Redentore

“My dear Venice,
My beloved wife,
You were queen,
Power of the seas.

You were queen,
Power of the seas,
City of Glory, Hope and Love.

Long live Venice!
Long live Saint Mark!
And long live the Glories of our Lion!
Long live the Glories of our Lion!”