Mama Lisa's World
International Music & Culture
Kid Songs and Rhymes of
Italy
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Jeff Gilpin sent this lullaby with the following note, "Here is a song I wrote after visiting my...

Italian

English

A Be Bow (Counting Out Rhyme)
Aulì ulè (Counting-out Rhyme)
Clap Your Hands (Fingerplay)
Bobo the Scale (Nursery Rhyme)
Goat, Little Goat (Nursery Rhyme)
One Hundred and Fifty (Counting-out Rhyme)
There Once Was a King (Nursery Rhyme)
Chimney, Chimney (Nursery rhyme)
The Thumb Says (Finger Play)
Go to Sleep, Go to Sleepy (Lullaby)  MP3 Midi  
Ambarabai ciccì coccò (Nonsense Rhyme)  
Frère Jacques   MP3  
Baby Jesus (A Carol)  
The Child's Horse (Lap Rhyme)
The Befana Comes at Night (Befana Rhyme)  
The Pretty Washerwoman (Children's Game Song)  
The Hen   Midi  
The Moon (Counting-out Rhyme)
Firefly, Firefly (Nursery Rhyme)
Mom, Give Me A Hundred Pounds (Traditional song)  Midi  
Maramao (Nursery Rhyme)
Milan Turin (Counting-out Song)
Brother Simon's Lullaby (Lullaby)  MP3
Infant Jesus' Lullaby (Lullaby)  MP3 Midi
Lullaby, Lullaby, ooh (Lullaby)  Midi
Oh, What a Fine Castle (Circle Game Song)  
Peppina, Get a Comb (Tongue Twister)
Plaza, Pretty Plaza (Finger Play)
Santa Lucia (Santa Lucia Song) Midi  
Chair, Little Chair (Lap Rhyme)  
Silk Money (Lullaby)  
Silk Money (Counting-out Rhyme)
Under the Malacca Bridge (Counting-out Song)  
Staccia Minaccia (Lap Rhyme)
Star, Little Star (Lullaby)  Midi  
Tacci and Taccin (Nursery Rhyme)
A Lot of Wishes for You (Birthday Song)
Mousie, Mousey Zum Ba Ba (Handclapping Rhyme)  
Thirty Days Has November (Nursery Rhyme)
Trot, Trot Horsey (Lap Rhyme)  
Trucci Trucci Cavallucci (Nursery Rhyme)
You Come Down from the Stars (A Carol)  Midi  
A Piece of Pizza (Tongue Twister)
Gentle Wind (Round)  

Italian Dialect

English

Giddy-up, Giddy-up Horsey (Nursery Rhyme)
Dong Dong Dalena (Nursery Rhyme)
Funiculì, Funiculà (Traditional Song)  
Coo-roo, Coo-roo (Nursery Rhyme)
My Sun (Traditional Song)
Saint Nicholas of Bari (Saint Nicholas Day Rhyme)  
Saw Saw, Master Ciccio (Nursery Rhyme)  
You Little Finger (Finger Play)
Trot, Trot, Little Horse (Nursery Rhyme)

Latin

English

Give Us Peace (Round)  MP3 Midi
Sleep Son, Sleep! (Christmas Song)
This Day Resounds (A Carol) MP3
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (Advent Hymn) MP3

Sicilian Dialect

English

How Beautiful is this Hat (Nursery Rhyme)  
Oh Come Sleep (Lullaby) MP3
Spring Has Come (Folk Song)  
 
KEY TO SYMBOLS
  •   - this song has sheet music
  • Midi - this song has a Midi tune
  • MP3 - this song has an MP3 recording
  •   - this song has a Video recording

Some Comments About Italian Nursery Rhymes

In Italy, the older, traditional filastrocche (nursery rhymes) and songs for children are an endangered species; many of them are not in "official" Italian (which is based on the dialects of Tuscany), but in one of the regional dialects. These dialects, mainly used in the home and in small rural communities, have been handed down orally. But in many regions the use of dialect is declining even within the family, especially among TV-hungry 6-10 year olds(1), so the collective memory of these traditional filastrocche and songs in dialect risks fading with it(2). A few scholars have painstakingly and lovingly collected and studied them(3) but most of these collections and studies of traditional rhymes are for interested adults rather than for children(4).

Italian children don't all grow up knowing and loving the same nursery rhymes in the way that most children growing up in an English-speaking environment do. However, many of the filastrocche do exist in more or less similar versions in different dialects (and some in other European languages - e.g., the Scottish "Pippety Pew" and the French "Frère Jacques").

Traditional Italian filastrocche reflect Christian tradition (many lullabies are about the Infant Jesus and the holy family), and, more obscurely and symbolically, pre-Christian rites, the Moon, the Tarot, magic, the labyrinth, the spirit of corn, the cycle of life - birth, marriage and death - and of the year - seasons, harvest, Lent, Carnival, etc.

-Commentary by Ernestine Shargool

1) According to surveys carried out by Istat, the Institute of Statistics, in 1987-88 and 1995.
2) The use of dialects may be declining, but interest in them (perhaps as a consequence) seems to be increasing. There are many Italian publishers and web sites collecting and publishing traditional filastrocche, proverbs, songs, sayings, poems and prose in different dialects.
3) E.g., the books I have used for reference: Carlo Lapucci, Il libro delle filastrocche, Garzanti, 1987; A. Mari, A.V. Savona, M.L. Straniero: Sotto la Cappa del Camino, Arnoldo Mondadori, 1985; Silvia Goi, Il segreto delle filastrocche, Xenia Edizioni, 1991.
4) Some much-loved modern children's authors have written and published their own very popular collections of filastrocche.

Ernestine Shargool is a professional translator with an Anglo-Italian background and a lifelong interest in children's rhymes and folk tales from Italy, England and Scotland. She has translated many traditional nursery rhymes from English into Italian.

Click Here for bibliography of Italian selections.

Many thanks to Ernestine Shargool for taking the time to write commentary about Italian nursery rhymes and songs. -Grazie!

Here are some of Mama Lisa's recent posts about the music, culture and traditions of Italy:
  • Rachel wrote looking for help with an Italian song: My Italian grandmother used to sing to me a song that went something like. Peter peter pastela. canavane canela canela cususi felule mascule di... Read more »
  • Cristina wrote asking for help with a childhood song her grandma sang to her.  Here’s her note: Mama Lisa, I am trying to figure out the name of a song my Nonna used to sing to me as a baby. She is from Bari and I cannot find the song anywhere. It went something like "chic de... Read more »
  • Charleen wrote asking for help with the exact wording and spelling of a Sicilian version of "This Little Piggy" that sounds like "Ucchellino fonda notte".  Here’s her email... I have been trying to figure out a little finger play my Sicilian grandmother used to say…it is like "this little piggy went to market"    You make a... Read more »
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    Maryann Serra was kind enough to contribute her recipe for Anise Cookies... Anise cookies are a popular tradition for Italians and other families around the world, especially during the holidays. This light fluffy cookie tastes much like licorice cake, so people who like the flavor licorice especially enjoy them. Making Italian anise cookies is fun and... Read more »
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    I found this article about wedding superstitions in a very unlikely place:  an American journal from 1906 called, Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers.  It was written by Memphis Scimiter... Wedding Superstitions The old rhyme that had to do with the days of the week still holds considerable power in the choice of the wedding day in some... Read more »
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    Emanuela wrote to me from Italy about how they eat chestnuts there in the fall.  She's a teacher and they cook them at the school.  Here's what she wrote: Hi Lisa, We eat chestnuts in November for autumn.  Grandfathers and their friends come to cook the chestnuts. (1st they need to have an x cut into... Read more »
  • Mama Lisa Home Image
    Open Culture has a page of free language learning links covering 40 languages. Here are some of the languages you can find links for… Arabic, English, Chinese, French, Spanish, Bulgarian, Catalan, Danish, Dutch, Esperanto, Finnish, Gaelic, German, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latin, Lithuanian, Luxembourgish, Maori, Norwegian, Portuguese, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Swahili,... Read more »
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    My daughter’s class had a multicultural celebration recently where each kid interviewed a relative about a recipe that’s been handed down in the family.  My daughter interviewed my Mom about her manicotti recipe. Here’s part of what she learned: "Manicotti is from Italy, and it’s been in my family since 1810.  It was passed down from... Read more »
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    Candlemas is a Christian holiday that takes place on February 2nd each year. In France they eat crepes for Candlemas. Monique wrote, "…you have ‘la chandeleur – les crêpes’ for Candlemas.  From mid January till early February in stores they sell "crêpières" (flat, low frying pans to cook crêpes) and all the stuff necessary (or... Read more »
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    We’ve just released a new eBook for the Kindle – Italian Kids Songs and Rhymes. We’ve gathered over eighty Italian songs and rhymes, presented in their original language and with translations into English. Many have commentary sent to us by our correspondents around the world. It’s an ideal resource for teachers of the Italian language, parents... Read more »

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