# Here Come... the Dons



## itywltmt (May 29, 2011)

En français 

Originally a title reserved for royalty, select nobles, and church hierarchs, the honorific title "Don" is now often used as a mark of esteem for a person.

As a style, rather than a title or rank, it is used with, and not instead of, a person's name. Think of it as "Sir" for Italioans, Spaniards and Portuguese.

In North America, Don has also been made popular by films depicting the Mafia, such as_ The Godfather _series, where the crime boss would claim for himself the signs of respect that were traditionally granted in Italy to nobility.

In pop culture, we know quite a few Dons: *Don Diego de la Vega *(AKA Zorro), *Don Corleone *(The Godfather, though proper etiquette would rather refer to him as _Don Vito_)... In this week's _YouTube _playlist, I retained quite a few Dons made famous in opera: *Don Pasquale*, *Don Carlo*, *Don José *(Carmen's suffering beau), *Don Rodrigo* (_El Cid_), and less well-known chaps like *Don César de Bazan* and *Don Procopio*.








Of course, we cannot forget that great lover of women, *Don Juan* (in Italian, _Don Giovanni_) who inspired *Richard Strauss*, *Mozart *and *Liszt*. As for Don Quixote, you'll have to wait to this coming Friday's montage (read the teaser below…)

Happy listening!

PLAYLIST​
*Gaetano DONIZETTI (1797-1848)*
Overture to _Don Pasquale_ (1843) 
NBC Symphony Orchestra
Arturo Toscanini, conducting

Ju*les MASSENET (1842-1912)*
"Sevillana" from _Don César de Bazan_ (1872-88) 
Amelita Galli-Curci , soprano
(Unspecified accompaniment)

"Ah! tout est bien fini! Ô souverain, ô juge, ô père" from _Le Cid _(1895) 
Enrico Caruso, tenor
(Unspecified accompaniment)

*Giuseppe VERDI (1813-1901)*
"Il Grand' Inquisitor" from _Don Carlo_ (1866) 
ROH 2010 Production Cast featuring Rolando Villazon and Eric Halfvarson
Orchestra and Chorus of the Royal Opera, Covent Garden
Antonio Pappano, conducting

*Georges BIZET (1838-1875)*"
"Sulle piume dell'amore" from _Don Procopio _(1858-59) 
Alain Vanzo and Mady Mesple 
Orchestre Lyrique de l'O.R.T.F. 
Bruno Amaducci, conducting

"La fleur que tu m'avais jetée" from _Carmen _(1873-74) 
José Carreras, tenor
(Unspecified accompaniment)

*Richard STRAUSS (1864-1949)*
_Don Juan_, op. 20
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Fritz Reiner, conducting

*Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791)*
Overture to _Don Giovanni_, K. 527
Orchestra of the Národní divadlo v Praze
Karl Böhm, conducting

*Franz LISZT (1811-1886)*
_Réminiscences de Don Juan_ (after Mozart's Don Giovanni), S.418
Marc André Hamelin, piano

*Nino ROTA (1911-1979)*
Love Theme from _The Godfather_ (1972)
André Rieu and the Johann Strauss Orchestra.

_Youtube _URL: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6swnss9F7SGAB87xDF1srpW4a8U6-6yl

*June 14 2013, "I Think You Will Love This Music Too" will feature a new podcast "Don Quixote" at its Pod-O-Matic Channel . Read more June 14 on the ITYWLTMT Blogspot blog.*


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