This rather playful salon-type song tells the story of Paolo Malatesta and

Francesca da Rimini's first kiss, while they were reading a love story

together. The more tragic consequences of this love were most famously

told in Dante's Inferno, and have been set to music by countless

composers in opera and orchestral works.

The light mood of this particular song is first set by the very title,

which translates as "little story." The voice and piano parts are light

as well, which sets up a strong contrast between the growingly passionate

text and the listener's knowledge of how this affair ends in the deaths

of both Paolo and Francesca. The music hints at the sensuality of the

moment, with pianissimos on the word "sospir" (sigh), and the repeated

"Ah, ah, " with its hints of both delight and sorrow.

The text is by Ghislanzoni, a noted poet and librettist, and this song

was Puccini's first published work.

© All Music Guide