"Santa Lucia" (, ) is a traditional Neapolitan song. It was translated by Teodoro Cottrau (1827âÂÂ1879) from Neapolitan into Italian and published by the Cottrau firm, as a barcarola, in Naples in 1849, during the first stage of the Italian unification. Significantly, it is the first Neapolitan song to be translated to Italian lyrics. Its transcriber, who is often miscredited as its composer, was the son of the French-born Italian composer and collector of songs Guillaume Louis Cottrau (1797âÂÂ1847). Various sources credit A. Longo with the music, 1835.
The original lyrics of "Santa Lucia" celebrate the picturesque waterfront district Borgo Santa Lucia in the Gulf of Naples, with an invitation (sales pitch) from a boatman to take a ride in his boat to better enjoy the cool evening.
Perhaps the definitive 20th century recording of the song was that of Enrico Caruso, the great Neapolitan opera singer. Mario Lanza recorded this song in this album "Mario Lanza sings Caruso favorites", RCA Victor LSC-2393.
In the United States, an early edition of the song, with an English translation by Thomas Oliphant, was published by M. McCaffrey, Baltimore.
In Sweden, Finland, Denmark, the Faroe Islands, and Norway, "Santa Lucia" has been given various lyrics to accommodate it to the winter-light Saint Lucy's Day, at the darkest time of the year. The three most famous lyrics versions in Swedish are LuciasÃÂ¥ngen, also known by its incipit, Sankta Lucia, ljusklara hägring ("Saint Lucy, bright illusion"); Natten gÃÂ¥r tunga fjät ("The night walks with heavy steps"); and the 1970s "kindergarten" version, Ute är mörkt och kallt ("Outside itâÂÂs dark and cold"). The more common Norwegian version is Svart senker natten seg ("Black the night descends"), whereas the version commonly used in Denmark is titled Nu bæres lyset frem ("Now light is carried forth"). There also exists a Sámi version, Guhkkin Sicilias dolin lei nieida ("In faraway Sicily, long ago was a girl").
In the Czech Republic (or former Czechoslovakia), it was made famous with the words Krásná je Neapol ("Naples is beautiful") sung by Waldemar Matuà ¡ka.
In Austria, it is famous under the title "Wenn sich der Abend mild". It is sung by Austrian fraternities.
In Thailand, Silpakorn Niyom (), the anthem of Silpakorn University, borrowed the turn of Santa Lucia; the founder of the university, Silpa Bhirasri, was Italian. A Thai translation of Santa Lucia (itself was adapted from Italian version) was composed in 2017 by Professor of the university's faculty of Archaeology to mark Bhirasri's 125th birthday anniversary. The translated lyrics was first premiered on 15 September of that year.