The art of Italian serenades

“La luna rossa mi parla di te, / io le domando se tu aspetti me, / e lei mi risponde: ‘Se lo vuoi sapere / qui non c’è nessuno’” (“The red moon tells me about you, / and I ask her whether you are waiting for me, / and she answers: ‘If you want to know / nobody’s here’”).

This dismal dialogue between a man in love and the moon is taken from one of the most famous Italian serenades, “Luna rossa” (1950), with lyrics in Neapolitan dialect by Vincenzo De Crescenzo and music by Antonio Vian.

The song enjoyed a growing success over the years, in and beyond Italy, with performances by Claudio Villa, Renato Carosone, Mario Merola and Massimo Ranieri, as well as Frank Sinatra (who came up with the English version titled “Blushing Moon”) in the United States, Noa in Isreal, Caetano Veloso in Brazile, and George Dalaras in Greece.

To the lonely lover who longs for his beloved, an anonymous chorus replies, moved to pity, “E io chiamo il tuo nome per vederti / ma tutta la gente che parla di te / risponde: ‘È tardi, che vuoi sapere? / Qui non c’è nessuno…’” (“And I call your name to see you / but all the people who talk about you / say: ‘It’s late, what do you want to know? / Nobody’s here…’”).

Here is a gallery of musical scores dedicated to Italian serenades. Most of them are booklets from the first half of the 20th century; some were illustrated by famous artists like Umbero Onorato, Carlo Cossio, and Giuseppe Migneco.

While we wait for our lovers’ answers, let’s enjoy the beauty of these beautiful nocturnal covers.