“’O sole mio” e l’habanera: napoletanità e cosmopolitismo nella prima era della <i>popular music</i>

Abstract

“’O sole mio” is considered the quintessential Neapolitan song, a widely popular musicalicon of ‘Neapolitanness’. And yet, the song also raises questions about the nature of‘Neapolitanness’ in music, as it is based on a habanera pattern, a rhythm originated inCuba which became very popular in Europe in the late XIX century. The article reflectson how music could sound ‘Neapolitan’ (and thus ‘Italian’), and how these features areestablished, observing the case of “’O sole mio” from a cultural historical perspective.