I’m sure you’ve noticed… I really fell in love with opera during my experiences this fall playing for The Dallas Opera.

I listened to this music a lot, and it seemed like a natural step to arrange it for The Pan-Tones– to create the sounds myself. I love this aria from L’elisir d’amore, by Donizetti.

It’s called “Quanto è bella, quanto è cara,” in English: How beautiful, how dear she is. It’s sung by Nemorino, one of the suitors of the female lead Adina, singing about how much he adores her, but also expressing his lack of confidence.

Lyrics:

Quanto è bella, quanto è cara!
Più la vedo, e più mi piace…
ma in quel cor non son capace
lieve affetto ad inspirar

Essa legge, studio, impara…
non vi ha cosa ad essa ignota…

Io son sempre un idiota,
io non so che sospirar

Chi la mente mi rischiara?
Chi m’insegna a farmi amar?

Translation:

How beautiful she is, how dear she is
the more I see her, the more I like her
but in that heart I’m not capable
to inspire her affections

She reads, studies, learns
There is nothing she ignores

I’m always an idiot
I can’t do anything but sigh

Who will enlighten my mind?
Who will teach me to make myself beloved?

---

I wanted to put the vocals on something other than the flutes, which seemed a little too obvious. Then it occurred to me that Robert could probably mimic a voice with a lap steel guitar! That was my stroke of inspiration.

I added some backup vocals, an extra harmony part in the second verse, and an ending. Otherwise, the arrangement is very true to what Donizetti wrote. It’s interesting how simply changing some of the sounds really changes the vibe of the music.