Ch'ella mì creda libero

Ch'ella mì creda libero is a tenor aria from Act III of the opera La fanciulla del West by Giacomo Puccini. It is the final tenor aria sung by Dick Johnson (a.k.a the bandit "Ramerrez") before his death sentence. In the aria, he was hoping for the Sheriff and the miners not to tell Minnie, his lover about his ill-fated destiny. He wishes Minnie to be told that he has gone far away and will never return.

It is said that during World War I, Italian soldiers going away to the front would sing this aria as they marched.

Libretto

Italian	Translation in English
Ch'ella mì creda libero e lontano sopra una nuova via di redenzione!… Aspetterà ch’io torni… E passeranno i giorni, E passeranno i giorni, ed io non tornerò… ed io non tornerò… Minnie, della mia vita mio solo fiore, Minnie, che m’hai voluto tanto bene!… Tanto bene! Ah, tu della mia vita mio solo fior!	Let her believe I’m far away and free Ahead to a new life of redemption!… She will wait for me to return… And the days will pass, And the days will pass, and I would not be coming back.. and I would not be coming back.. Minnie, the only flower of my life, Minnie, you who love me so much!… So much! Ah, you’re the only flower of my life!

External links

• La fancuilla del West vocal and music score
• Indiana University's Online Library Catalog
• List of noted arias from aria-database.com