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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I’m Calm

Having sent Clementina home from the confessional, Don Silvestro returns to his evening milk. The telephone rings. The voice on the line is God, who says that he is not happy with the way things are going on Earth, and has decided to send another flood. Don Silvestro is to build an ark… At the end of conversation, after the Lord has hung up, Don Silvestro freaks out.

Calmo, mantenere la calma		Calm, maintain calm
Perché se non mi calmo		Because if I don’t calm myself
Mi viene il cardiopalma		I’ll have a heart attack
Calmo!		Calm!
Con la mente tranquilla		With a tranquil mind
Adesso mi preparo		Now I’ll prepare
Un po’ di camomilla*		A bit of camomile [tea]
Eppure il telefono ha squillato		And yet the telephone rang
La voce del Signore m’ha parlato		The voice of the Lord spoke to me
M’ha detto, m’ha detto esattamente		He said to me, he said to me exactly…
Si m’ha detto esattamente		Yes, he said to me exactly…
Che m’ha detto esattamente???		What did he say to me, exactly?
Aiuto! non ricordo un accidente!		Help! I don’t remember a darn thing!
Calmo! ipersuperstracalmo		Calm! hypersuperextracalm
E per restare piu’ calmo		And to stay calmer
Ora recito un salmo		I’ll recite a psalm
Qui facit misericordiam		…
Calmo io, é una parola		I’m calm, it’s a word
Il Dio che atterra e suscita che affanna e che consola		The God who strikes down and revives and causes to pant and consoles
Ha parlato con me		spoke to me.
Si, vabbé lo so che prima di me, fece un discorso simile a Noé		Yes, okay, I know that before me he made a similar speech to Noah
No eh?		No, eh?
Signore, scusami		Pardon me, Lord.
Grazie, il cuore é regolare		Thank you, the heart is regular [in its beats]
Il polso? Benissimo, cammina		The pulse? Just great, it goes [on]
Adesso, mi posso addormentare		Now I can go to sleep
E venga ben venga domattina		And tomorrow morning will be welcome
Calmo		Calm
Calmo come una salma		Calm as a corpse
Son contento e felice		I’m contented and happy
Son felice e contento		I’m happy and contented
Oramai m’addormento		Now I’ll go to sleep
in una mare di calma		in a sea of calm
Ecco, si m’addormento		See, yes, I’m going to sleep
in un mare di calma		in a sea of calm
Oddio!		Oh, God!
Ho parlato con Dio!		I talked with God!
* camomilla – camomile tea, frequently used as a soothing decoction to help people, particularly children, go to sleep.

next: Concerto Per Prete E Campane

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Throw It Away

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