Motettu de tristura

"Motettu de tristura" (Sardinian language; "sad ditty") is a traditional Sardinian folk song composed by an anonymous author and rewritten by Luciano Berio for voice (mezzo-soprano), flute, clarinet, harp, percussion, viola and cello.

Motettu de tristura
Genre	folk
Language	Sardinian, Campidanese Sardinian

Setting and arrangements

The music and words of the piece, known as Tristu passirillanti (Sad nightingale), were collected by Berio in the village of Guasila (Province of South Sardinia). The text in Campidanese sardinian is composed of two stanzas of five septenary lines each.

Luciano Berio set it for soprano and ensemble as part of his Folk Songs in 1964: the song cycle was composed for, and recorded by, Cathy Berberian.

Lyrics and meaning of the song

It is the desperate song of a woman who, overcome with grief over the loss of her lover, perhaps because he is dead, turns to a nightingale, and asks him why he advised her to cry for her lover. She is probably convinced that it is completely useless; in fact in the following verses he asks him to sing this song to him after she is dead.

Sardinian	Literal English Translation
Motettu de tristura Tristu passirillanti Comenti m'assimbillas Tristu passirillanti E poita mi cunsillas A prangi po s’amanti? Tristu passirillanti Candu apu a essi interrada Tristu passirillanti Fai-mi' custa cantada Candu apu a essi interrada	Sad ditty Sad nightingale, how you look like me. Sad nightingale, because you advise me to cry for my lover? Sad nightingale, When I am buried, Sad nightingale, sing me this song when I'm buried"

Other recordings

• 2005, Osvaldo Golijov in the CD Ayre, with Dawn Upshaw & The Andalucian Dogs, Deutsche Grammophon GmbH, Hamburg

Covers

• Stella Doufexis
• Orna Arania
• Eleonora Noga Alberti with the Conjunto de Música Contemporánea
• Laure Delcampe with the Ensemble 21