Lyrics: Francesco Petrarca (1304-1374)
Music: Michele Ansani & Francess Harris (@pianofran)
Piano: Francess Harris
Vocals, keyboards and electronic strings: Michele Ansani

[Eng lyrics below]

It would actually be a cover, but I do not know whether Petrarch (or others to him contemporary) had also given musical form to the sonnet. For him, the compositions of the Canzoniere (late title) were actually 'Rerum Vulgarium Fragmenta'. Modest, the poet. The literature about this introductory sonnet is endless, one can easily start from Wikipedia.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, I had taken this and other texts from the italian vernacular lyric tradition of the origins, giving them some melodic texture: a normal operation for a student of Literature oriented towards medieval studies and a lover of medieval tunes.
I proposed to Francess (@pianofran - please visit her SC page, full of great piano performances) to play a piano base for this song, and she went much further (as I imagined), with her usual delicate and unmistakable touch, helping to generate a melody and an atmosphere that seemed to me perfectly suited to this very famous poetic composition.

Englsh lyrics (translation by A S. Kline)

You who hear the sound, in scattered rhymes,
of those sighs on which I fed my heart,
in my first vagrant youthfulness,
when I was partly other than I am,

I hope to find pity, and forgiveness,
for all the modes in which I talk and weep,
between vain hope and vain sadness,
in those who understand love through its trials.

Yet I see clearly now I have become
an old tale amongst all these people, so that
it often makes me ashamed of myself;

and shame is the fruit of my vanities,
and remorse, and the clearest knowledge
of how the world's delight is a brief dream.

Original poem

Voi ch’ascoltate in rime sparse il suono
di quei sospiri ond’io nudriva ’l core
in sul mio primo giovenile errore
quand’era in parte altr’uom da quel ch’i’ sono,

del vario stile in ch’io piango et ragiono
fra le vane speranze e ’l van dolore,
ove sia chi per prova intenda amore,
spero trovar pietà, nonché perdono.

Ma ben veggio or sì come al popol tutto
favola fui gran tempo, onde sovente
di me medesmo meco mi vergogno;

et del mio vaneggiar vergogna è ’l frutto,
e ’l pentirsi, e ’l conoscer chiaramente
che quanto piace al mondo è breve sogno.

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Cover picture: Anonymous, 'Francesco Petrarca in the Studium', wall fresco, last quarter of the 14th century, Reggia Carrarese, Sala dei Giganti, Padua.

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Posted on SoundCloud: 2024, September 24.

In rime sparse il suono [Petrarch, Canzoniere - Introductory Sonnet] **

Hello people of music! Let's connect, exchange beautiful(dark) tunes, feelings, positivity, happy vibes! Let's make the most of our little time here on this earth :) I m sorry but I really don't like AI music, I wanna hear your soul :)

all composed and performed by me
https://vascoribeiromorais.bandcamp.com/album/wild-gristle
https://vascoribeiromorais.bandcamp.com/album/fios-de-azeite

slow down , breathe deep , and let a forest guide you to peace ..

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This is not just a remix — it’s the heartbeat of the original reborn for the dance floor. The night is yours!

Thank You For Listening - If you like a song or 2 please Like, Repost, and Follow — your support is fuel. ✨🙏

ZEMANDAN has crafted relentless sonic odysseys for over 25 years — blending progressive psytrance, techno, dubstep, cinematic orchestral anthems, and brutal metal with hypnotic vaporwave and cyberpunk chill. Since 1993, rooted in death metal, ZEMANDAN’s music fuses glitchy grooves, distorted bass, and haunting melodies into immersive soundscapes of apocalyptic intensity and euphoric darkness. Each track pulses like a dark ritual, designed to captivate dancefloors and minds alike.

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Welcome to my page.

I appreciate all the comments, likes and repost that you leave me in my compositions.

I make music for fun and to get away. I have multiple styles, although my biggest influence is in electronic music.

I am self taught and learned with Music Studio 2 on a first generation ipad 11 years ago. I have never composed before. Perform more than 80 songs a year for the first 6-7 years to learn about the program and develop creativity to compose. I have listened to different types of music throughout my life and maybe that has helped me.

I still compose only with an ipad (last generation), but I no longer work only with native MS2 instruments since I have expanded my instrument library with programs such as Audiokit, Digital D1, kv331, Sunrizer, etc ...

My music can be downloaded, but not used for commercial purposes (my authorization is required).

During the last two years I have encouraged myself to collaborate with professional or self-taught musicians like me. Are these:

Annie Smart

Dan DT

Loue ghazi

Lukowig

Mirjam Keijnemans

Nathalie B20

Subzero

Vicent

Winkanwoo

Wypernet

Thanks to them for their generous timeshare and patience.

You can contact me by sending me a message through SC.

Thanks for visiting.

Main DAW :  Studio one pro 7    Mixcraft pro 10 studio    Ability pro 5

Hello! I’m a university professor of history who enjoys playing guitar and piano/keyboard, and occasionally composing — unpretentiously, just for fun.
Most of my recordings (made with a KorgD8, Audacity, and more recently Reaper for MIDI and the Spitfire Audio libraries) are entirely homemade and decidedly imperfect.
My music includes old songs (all written back in the last century; here I’ve only shared the ones I’ve reworked in recent years) as well as both old and new instrumentals — usually in several versions, some of which eventually disappear because they’re simply unlistenable.

Thanks for stopping by and giving something a listen; in the description you’ll often find explanatory notes or translations of the lyrics.
Here I’ve discovered a community of talented musicians and songwriters, and plenty of beautiful music to enjoy. Whenever I like, comment, or repost a track, it’s always the result of attentive listening. For the same reason, I’m not interested in trading empty “likes” without real engagement, and I won’t reply to messages from would-be promoters — follower counts don’t matter to me in the slightest.

By popular demand (well, actually just my daughter’s — she insists it’s the “cooler” platform), I’ve finally started putting some of my music on Spotify too...

Update (2024, September 9). Completed the "AI & (fake) songwriting project". Here: https://soundcloud.com/mick-hansan 

P.S.: A prayer, a humble request to those who publish songs: use the description area to make the lyrics available... This would make listening to them more complete and enjoyable!

I've posted some 'live' homemade performance here: https://www.instagram.com/michele_ansani/