"Dormi pure" (romance)

Overview

An Italian romance ("Sleep on, then") that Marie calls "ma romance, celle que j'ai chantée à Saint-Jean et chez nous et partout" (050.0756). The composer is not established.

• The earlier LAN/RSR comments (048.0383) say it is from Bellini's La sonnambula. No aria "Dormi pure" has been found in that opera, so that attribution is doubtful and should not be repeated as fact.
• A song with the title exists: a serenata "Dormi pure" by S. Scuderi (Salvatore Scuderi), recorded in the Biblioteca Nazionale di Napoli catalogue (https://dl.bnnonline.it/handle/20.500.12113/1740) and later recorded by Emilio de Gogorza (UCSB Discography of American Historical Recordings, matrix Victor C-3494). The BNN record gives «Dormi pure, serenata», Salvatore Scuderi, Milano, Ricordi, [1872]; G. Schirmer of New York published it in 1873 as «Sleep On! (Dormi pure)», a serenade with Italian, French and English words (Levy Sheet Music Collection, Johns Hopkins, levysheetmusic.mse.jhu.edu/node/40834). So it was a new, widely printed drawing-room serenade in 1872–73, which fits a romance Marie sings everywhere in 1875 and a tenor inserts in the lesson scene of the Barber at Nice (050.0756) (0.7). The words have not been seen, so whether they contain «gioia» (034.0020) is unchecked; not confirmed.

Not linked as a full text for the same reason.

Marie and this work

• 034.0020 (7 Jun 1875, Nice): "J'ai chanté Dormi pure et bien même, sans doute en appuyant sur le mot Gioia", with a pointed double meaning (Gioia is also the name of Audiffret's former mistress); then Rosina's serenade "Se il mio nome" from the Barber.
• 034.0114 (9 Jun 1875): her aunt reports that Girofla (Audiffret) has been thinking since Monday about the words of the song she sang, Dormi pure.
• 048.0383 (1 Nov 1875): Audiffret, across the street, identifies "Mignon" and "Dormi pure" from her singing (see Connais-tu le pays).
• 050.0756 (14 Dec 1875): the tenor sings "Dormi pure", "ma romance", during Rosine's lesson.

Sources

• Diary paragraphs as cited; BNN catalogue record and UCSB DAHR as above.