Passacaglia della Vita (Bisogna Morire) sung by Marco Beasley

October is nearly over, so what better send-off than a song about death!

A passacaglia is a musical form originating in Spain then elaborated in Italy in the early 17th century. Imagine a funeral march at the same pace as this song.

It is very difficult to translate a song and almost miraculous to try and maintain rhyme and rhythm, hence the English translations lose something of the double entendres spread throughout the song. On the surface it may seem like a paean to Death, but also takes a few swipes at those who feel superior - death comes to all of us. Paul Archer's translation is better than the one in the video.

Just as an example of trying to make it singable in English:

Si muore danzando,
bevendo, mangiando;
con quella carogna
morire bisogna.

My translation:

Death comes while we're dancing,
or drinking or eating;
we're stuck with that stiff,
death comes, oh what grief.

Well, at least it scans!

The word "carogna" has a double meaning in Italian; yes, it means a rotting corpse but is also an insult, similar to a "stinker" or "rotter". However, I don't know if this was true in the 1600s.

Enjoy.