Nel cor più non mi sento

"Nel cor più non mi sento" (Why feels my heart so dormant) is a soprano aria from act 2 in Giovanni Paisiello's 1788 opera L'amor contrastato, ossia La molinara, usually known as it.

This aria was immortalized by Beethoven who composed six variations in G major for piano, WoO 70, in 1795. Other composers who wrote variations based on Paisiello's work include Johann Nepomuk Hummel, Giovanni Bottesini (for double bass), Johann Baptist Wanhal, and notably, Paganini ("Introduction and variations in G major" for violin, Op. 38, MS 44, 1827).

Lyrics

Nel cor più non mi sento brillar la gioventù; cagion del mio tormento, amor, sei colpa tu. Mi pizzichi, mi stuzzichi, mi pungichi, mi mastichi; che cosa è questo ahimè? Pietà, pietà, pietà! Amore è un certo che, che disperar mi fa.

Why feels my heart so dormant No fire of youth divine? Thou cause of all my torment, O Love, the fault is thine! He teases me, he pinches me, He squeezes me, he wrenches me; What tortures I must bear! Have mercy, have mercy, have mercy! Thou, Love, art surely one Will drive me to despair!

Music

The aria, or rather arietta, is very short, 20 bars; it is bracketed by a short introduction and a postlude. A typical performance last for about 1:20 minutes. It is written in the time signature of 6/8 and the key signature of F major. The vocal range covers the interval of an octave plus a minor third, from D₄ to F₅.

In concert performances of this aria, it is often performed with a complete da capo where the interpreter applies ornaments and embellishments during the repetition.

External links

• Free scores by La Molinara at the International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP)
• Free scores by Six variations on "Nel cor più non mi sento" by Beethoven at the International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP)
• Free scores by Seven variations on "Nel cor più non mi sento" by Paganini at the International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP)

Interpretations

• "Nel cor più non mi sento" on YouTube sung by Renata Tebaldi, with orchestra, 1973
• "Nel cor più non mi sento" on YouTube sung by Eglise Gutiérrez, with piano accompaniment
• Six variations by Beethoven on YouTube played by Wilhelm Kempff in 1962
• Seven variations by Paganini on YouTube played by Julio Zoppi