Pulecenella
Flag Counter

Authors of the Neapolitan songs

Vincenzo Valente
(21st February 1855, Corigliano Calabro – 6th September 1921, Naples)

Vincenzo Valente, Italian composer, was born on 21st February 1855 in the small town of Corigliano Calabro, in the southern Italian region of Calabria. His father, Nicola Fabio Valente, and mother, Maria Teresa Bovio, were landowners.

Vincenzo spent his childhood in his hometown and, thanks to his well-educated parents (his father was passionate about poetry and wrote poems), he grew up in an atmosphere of culture. His father decided to move with his family to Naples to give his son Vincenzo the opportunity to study music at a high level.

There, in Naples, Vincenzo Valente attended the music school of Salvatore Pappalardo, a respected master and supporter of chamber music, where he studied to compose classical and sacred music. He took a great interest in Rossini and Beethoven; portraits of these two great composers hung over his bed. But Vincenzo Valente's greatest love was for song.


The young Vincenzo Valente composed his first Neapolitan song "'Ntuniella" (T'aggi' 'a parlà 'no poco) (Antonella (I have to talk to you a little)), to lyrics by Raffaele De Lillo, in 1870 at the age of fifteen.


In 1881 Vincenzo Valente's first success was the humorous song "Scennite le ccazettelle" (Pull down your socks) to lyrics by Francesco Paolo Leone; this song ridiculed the upturned collars (the fashion of that time), which the author compared to socks (which were also very long at that time, almost to the knees).


In 1883 Vincenzo Valente met the poet Salvatore Di Giacomo. Their first song, "'A capa femmena" (The best woman), was presented at the Piedigrotta Festival and was so successful that the following year, when cholera raged, claiming thousands of lives, in the streets, alleys and squares of Naples the people sang only "'Nzunchete, 'nzù" from the refrain of this triumphant song. Collaboration with Di Giacomo resulted in the creation of other wonderful songs: "'A sirena" (The siren), "Canzona amirosa" (Love song), "'E ccerase" (The cherry), "Matalè!" (Magdalena!), "Tango napulitano" (Neapolitan tango), "Tiempe d'ammore" (Days of love), "'A pizzaria 'e don Saveratore" (The pizzeria of Don Saveratore). Vincenzo Valente was one of the founders of Neapolitan songwriting. Thanks to musicians like Vincenzo Valente and poets like Salvatore Di Giacomo, the Neapolitan song reached the status of a true art at the end of the nineteenth century.


Vincenzo Valente also succeeded in the satirical song, the so-called "macchietta", which he elevated to the rank of art. One of the first of his "macchiettas" was "L'elegante" (The elegant one) to lyrics by Ferdinando Russo. Among the other songs of this genre were also: "Pozzo fà 'o prevete?" (Can I become a priest?), "'O pezzente 'e San Gennaro" (The beggar from San Gennaro) to lyrics by Ferdinando Russo, "Don Saverio", "'O rusecatore" (The envious man) to lyrics by Pasquale Cinquegrana.


Being a Calabrian by birth, with a stubborn and strong-willed temperament, Vincenzo Valente adapted to the city of Naples better than any native Neapolitan and adopted all the passion and cheerfulness of Naples.


In 1879 Vincenzo Valente married Virginia Cavalieri with whom he had six children: Nicola (who also became a famous composer), Vittorio, Valentino, Mario, Federico and daughter Francesca (stillborn). One day Vincenzo Valente was taking a walk with his son Nicola. A lady approached them and, turning to the younger Valente, asked: "Excuse me, are you the famous composer Valente?". "Yes… it's me!" replied Nicola Valente. Vincenzo took the cigar out of his mouth and muttered discontentedly: "Who am I then?"


In his house in Naples, on Cesare Rosaroll Street, Vincenzo Valente gathered the greatest poets and musicians of that time and was the first to recognize the abilities of Giambattista De Curtis, his neighbor who lived in the house opposite. He wrote the music for the first poetry of De Curtis "Che buò fà?" ('A Pacchianella) (What do you want to do? (The commoner)), and then "Ninuccia" (Nina), "Tiempe felice" (Happy time), "Bammenella" (Little girl) and many others. He also collaborated with other great poets of his time, among them: Roberto Bracco "Comme te voglio amà!" (How I want to love you!), Adolfo Genise "Luna curtese" (Dear moon), Pasquale Cinquegrana "Muntevergine" (Montevergine), Giovanni Capurro "Suonno passato" (My dream that passed), Eduardo Nicolardi (in collaboration with Ernesto Murolo) "'O scuitato" (The bachelor), Aniello Califano "Tiempe belle" (Beautiful days) and many others.

Vincenzo Valente sometimes used pseudonyms; for example, in 1893 he signed his song "Mme voglio mmaretà!" (I want to get married!) like Andrea Tulipano. In total, Vincenzo Valente wrote music for about 500 songs.


Popular recognition was not enough for him, and Vincenzo Valente went to seek European fame in France. For five years (from 1909 to 1914) he lived first in Marseille then in Paris. In addition to music for comedies and one-act plays, he wrote ten operettas, among them: "Rosaura rapita" (The stolen Rosaura) to the libretto by Salvatore Di Giacomo, "Signorina Capriccio", "Vertiges d'amour" (Vertigo from love) (in French) and the famous "I granatieri" (The Grenadiers), performed for many years throughout Italy and abroad.


In 1890 he was appointed "Knight of the Order of the Crown of Italy".


All this fame did not bring him much income; Vincenzo Valente was forced to move with his family from a large house on Cesare Rosaroll Street to a modest apartment on Saverio Baldacchini Street, where he lived the last years of his life.


Vincenzo Valente died on 6th September 1921, at the age of 66, on the eve of the Piedigrotta Festival. Between the celebration and the mourning his last song "È Napule!" (It's Naples!), to lyrics by Eduardo Nicolardi, was performed.



"New Illustrated encyclopedia of the Neapolitan Song" by Pietro Gargano,
"Encyclopedia of the Neapolitan Song" by Ettore de Mura,
"A short history of the Neapolitan Song" by Federico Petriccione
Sources: