Scheuggio Campaña

Scheuggio Campaña is the title of a play written by Emanuele Canesi for Gilberto Govi, in order to expand his repertoire, as, ever since the great actor had turned professional, he had had at his disposal only three manuscripts by Bacigalupo, I manezzi pe maiâ unna figgia, Piggiâse o mâ do Rosso o cartâ and Ciù a poia che o mâ. Scheuggio Campaña was a success, so much so that in 1928 plans were made to turn it into an opera, which was staged at the Carlo Felice theater on the twelfth of May of that year, with music by Domenico Monleone, verses by poet Aldo Martinelli and Emanuele Canesi himself. It seems that the experiment was successful. The only previous examples of opera in Genoese were Ariodante by G. A. Spinola in the 17th century and, in the 19th century, a version of Molière’s Le Médecin malgré lui, via De Franchi, put into verse by Bacigalupo with music by Michele Novaro (composer of the anthem Fratelli d’Italia). In the plot, three old Garibaldians solemnly swear an oath on the Campana rock, as was once the custom at the time of challenging each other to a due. The first of them to die will come back to take one of the other two away, within a month; from here numerous farcical situations develop. Note how, while Canesi’s original play was about three Garibaldians, in the opera, backdating the action by fifty years, it is instead about three soldiers of Napoleon, perhaps so as not to run into hassles with the censors of the time of fascism. In fact, between the premiere of Govi’s play and that of the opera, the March on Rome had taken place, and since the Fascists considered themselves as heirs of the Garibaldians, some might have perceived satirical allusions in this story.

Scimon

Mi propoño un zuamento:
che o primmo de noiatri ch’o partià
pe l’atro mondo, o zue de tornâ
drento de chinze giorni…

Ostin

Oh, che allegria

Ciccia

Scimon, cöse ve gia?

Scimon

À piggiâse o segondo e in compagnia,
aspëtian l’atro ch’o l’anià à trovâ
con so còmodo, quande ghe parrià.

Ostin

Ciccia, cöse ve pâ?

Ciccia

Pe mi, o l’é da ligâ!

Scimon

E femmo zuamento, a-a vegia usansa,
comme quande, pe fâse un euggio a-a pansa,
de veddise i zeneixi s’intendeivan
là, da-o scheuggio Campaña, e se dixeivan:
«Bruttô chi ammanca!»

Ostin

Ciccia, gh’allögemmo?

Ciccia

Adaxetto, veddemmo
un pö se s’intendemmo…
veu dî che, quande Ostin ò donca voî…

Scimon

V’ò dito o primmo de noiatri trei.

Ciccia

D’accòrdio.
(spazientito, a Simone) Sitto, no m’interrompî!
Veu dî che, quande Ostin ò voî…

Scimon

… ò voî

Ostin

(o fava mostra d’accapî da-e naixe)

Ciccia

… o sâ anæto à sentî cantâ e bugaixe,
un di voiatri doî

Scimon

… ò donca voî…

Ciccia

Se dixe…

Ostin

O dovià fâ e valixe e anâ con lê

Scimon

Accettæ?… Scì?

Ciccia

Scusæ, Scimon, ma mi…

Ostin

Pe conto mæ, mi zuo…

Scimon

E donca zuo mi ascì

Ciccia

Mah, quande a l’é coscì…

Scimon

Avanti, zu! Finî…

Ciccia

Se i primmi à anâ saiei voiatri doî…

Ostin

E dagghea! Fæ o messê?

Scimon

Eröe da perrucchê

Ciccia

Ah, scì, e ben, mi zuo!

Ostin

Bäsiga, che òsso duo

Scimon

Aloa, vëgna i bicchieri!

Ciccia

Attenti! Crociatet! Arditi e fieri!

Scimon

Bruttô!

Ostin

Bruttô!

Inta trei

Bruttô!… Bruttô chi ammanca!

Scimon

Oua che a çerimònia a l’é finia…

Ostin

Porriëscimo anâ via.

Scimon

Se donca da-a moggê…

Ostin

Baccæ da strapontê

Ciccia

Voî no ve ne dæ breiga