Concert for Priest and Bells

Don Silvestro needs wood to build an ark so he can save the inhabitants of the village. As it happens, Clementina’s father the Mayor is also a lumber dealer and has plenty of wood, but he refuses to believe that God has spoken to Don Silvestro and demands proof – a miracle, in fact.

Don Silvestro causes all the bells in the village to ring by simply pointing at them.

Avete veduto, avete sentito, suono’ le campane col gesto di un dito.		You saw, you heard, he played the bells with the gesture of a finger.
Abbiamo veduto, abbiamo sentito,		We saw, we heard
suono’ le campane col gesto di un dito,		he played the bells with the gesture of a finger.
col gesto di un dito, col gesto di un dito, il gesto di un dito.		with the gesture of a finger…
din do do din don di di do do din don…		[bell sounds]
Don Silvestro:
Ma il campanaro non sono io il campanaro é Domine Iddio		But the bell-ringer isn’t me, the bell-ringer is Lord God
che vuole farvi sapere tramite mio		who wants to show you by way of me
ch’é proprio vero quel che vi dissi io.		that what I said is really true.
coro:		chorus [townspeople]:
Che meraviglia, che cosa strana din don dan do do din don dan		What a marvel, what a strange thing [bell sounds]
questo concerto per prete e campana din don dan do do din don dan		this concert for priest and bells
il Sindaco:		the Mayor:
Ma se tutto sto scampanamento piu’ che un miracolo		But what if all this ringing rather than a miracle
fosse uno stupido scherzo – di chi? – del vento;		was a stupid joke – by whom? – of the wind
ma se tutto questo mistero piu’ che un miracolo		What if all this mystery rather than a miracle
fosse una gabola fatta, inventata – da chi? – dal clero.		was a trick done, invente – by whom? – by the priest
coro: Riprova un po’, riprovaci un po’, fagli vedere se é miracolo o no.		chorus: Try again, try it again, show himn whether it’s a mircale or not
Che meraviglia, che cosa strana questo concerto per prete e campana;		What a marvel, what a strange thing this concert for priest and bells
che cosa stupenda che musica strana questo concerto suona cosi’		What a stupendous thing, what strange music, this concert that sounds like this:
din don din dan din don din dan din don din do do din dan		[bell sounds]
Che gran solista sono io!		What a great soloist I am!

In spite of this miraculous proof that Don Silvestro is in contact with God – and heavy pressure from his family and the villagers (in the song Buttalo Via – “throw it away, it’s no good to you now”) – the mayor refuses to give up his wood for the cause. He is eventually tricked by Don Silvestro (with some help from God) into believing that all his purchasers have cancelled their contracts for the wood.

 Still smelling a rat somewhere, the mayor threatens to contact the authorities to have Don Silvestro arrested for fraud or declared insane. God has warned Don Silvestro that it is imperative that no one outside the village know of the impending flood. The villagers lock up the mayor to keep him from spreading the news.

next: Buttalo Via

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