Sorabji Resource Site: Programmatic Indications in Concerto da suonare da me solo

Programmatic Indications in Concerto da suonare da me solo

This page lists the humoristic programmatic indications that Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji inserted here and there in the first movement (and only this one) of the Concerto da suonare da me solo e senza orchestra, per divertirmi (1946; 70 pp.). His often imperfect Italian is corrected by inserting missing letters in brackets or by providing the correct form after the word recte. Translations are offered without attempting to reproduce all the odd capitalizations and the abbreviated forms.

References are given, separated by a slash, to the pages of the manuscript (MS) and of the edition (ED) prepared under the general editorship of Jonathan Powell. The bar numbers printed in this edition are not used because they are off by one starting on p. 6.

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Page (MS/ED)	Indication	Translation
Page (MS/ED)	Indication	Translation
1/1	Incomincia l’Orchestra arrogante e pomposa: 4 o 5 battute	The orchestra begins in an arrogant and pompous manner for four or five beats
1/1	L’Orchestra riprende la parola per alcuni [recte alcune] battute	The orchestra takes up the word again for a few beats
1/1	Esclamazione dall’Orchestra. !!Macchè!	The orchestra shouts: Certainly not!!
1/1	Ragionevole: quindi perdendo pazienza	Reasonable: then losing patience
2/2	L’Orchestra dice: Davvero?	The orchestra says: Really?
2/2	L’orch.: Così?	The orchestra: How?
2/2	L’Orchestra: Che peccato!	The orchestra: How sad!
3/3	Orch. Che bella cosa!	The orchestra: What a nice thing!
4/4	Orch. Jesu-Maria!	The orchestra: Jesus Maria! [O Lord!)
5/5	Orch: Per carita! [recte carità]	The orchestra: For goodness’ sake!
6/6	L’orchestra: Molto gentile!	The orchestra: Very nice!
7/7	L’Orchestra[:] Ma per l’Amor di Dio lasciatemi una parola...!	The orchestra: But, for God’s sake, allow me to speak a word...!
8/8	L’orchestra: Meraviglio!! [recte Meraviglia]	The orchestra: What a marvel!
9/9	L’Orchestra: Gesù-Maria!	The orchestra: Jesus Maria! [O Lord!])
10/9	L’Orchestra. Comè [recte com’è] gentile!	The orchestra: How nice he is!
10/10	L’Orchestra: Che prepotenza!	The orchestra: What an arrogance!
12/12	L’Orchestra: Corraggio! Bravo!	The orchestra: Courage! Bravo!
12/12	L’Orchestra: Che <catinà>!	The orchestra: What a harlot! {Sorabji’s undecipherable word looks like “catina”, which may be his coinage from the French “catin” (harlot, trollop).}
12/12	L’Orchestra: carino piccolo scherzoso!	The orchestra: nice, short, amusing! {Sorabji could also have meant “nice little scherzo-like passage”}
13/13	L’Orchestra: Ugh!	The orchestra: Ugh!
16/16	L’orch: bello! bello!	The orchestra: nice! nice!
19/19	L’Orchestra: Che agil[i]tà	The orchestra: What a nimbleness!
25/25	L’Orchestra: Che fegato[,] che virtù	The orchestra: What guts, what ability