Sheet Music: Va', pensiero

TitleVa', pensiero
from Nabucco
Alternate titlesCoro di schiavi ebrei (Chorus of Hebrew Slaves)
ComposerGiuseppe Verdi (1813–1901)
InstrumentationFlute solo
KeyF-sharp major
RangeC#4–E#5
Time signature4/4
Tempo48 BPM
Performance time3:10
Difficulty levelintermediate
Download printable scorePDF Sheet Music (69 kB) (preview)
Download audio tracksMIDI (change tempo/key) MP3 (1.5 MB)
Date added2009-09-09
Last updated2009-09-09
Download popularity index☆☆☆☆☆ 0.3 (below average)
Categories
Choruses, Opera excerpts, Romantic

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Wednesday 9 September 2009

Tune of the Day: Va', pensiero

from Giuseppe Verdi's opera “Nabucco”

Arguably the best-known number ever written by Giuseppe Verdi, the “Chorus of Hebrew Slaves”, Va', pensiero, sull'ali dorate (“Fly, thought, on golden wings”), is regularly given an encore when performed today; indeed, it is the only encore Metropolitan Opera conductor James Levine has ever allowed.

This chorus from the third act of Nabucco (1842), inspired by Psalm 137. recollects the story of Jewish exiles from Babylon after the loss of the First Temple in Jerusalem. The opera, with its powerful chorus, established Verdi as a major composer in 19th century Italy.

Some scholars initially regarded it as an anthem for Italian patriots, who were seeking to unify their country in the years up to 1861 and free it from foreign control. The chorus' theme of exiles singing about their homeland, and its lines like O mia patria, si bella e perduta (“O my country, so beautiful and so lost”) was thought to have resonated with many Italians. However, much of modern scholarship has refuted this concept, and fails to see connections between Nabucco and Italian nationalism.

Other Movements from the same Work

Overture Flute solo