The lyrics of the song exalt the
Catholic faith and the monarchy, opposing the
atheism and
anti-clericalism of the French revolutionaries. The melody has been attributed to Neapolitan musician
Giuseppe Giordani. The attribution of "
Il canto dei Sanfedisti" to Giordani stems from the testimony of Luigi Picchianti, a 19th-century Florentine music critic and historian. In a 1866 article published in the journal
Archivio Storico Italiano, he wrote that Giordani composed the song's music during the repression of the Neapolitan Republic by Sanfedisti troops. However, some recent sources have debated the accuracy of this attribution; no contemporary documents exist to confirm Giordani's authorship. The song's lyrics were written by various unidentified authors and later adapted to Giordani's melody. "
Il canto dei Sanfedisti" was sung during the battles fought by the Sanfedisti against Napoleonic and revolutionary forces, becoming a symbol of resistance and defence of the Catholic monarchic tradition. The song was revived in the 20th century by numerous popular musical groups (including the
Nuova Compagnia di Canto Popolare), which contains an ironic reference to the
Carmagnole (a French revolutionary song). The success attained by Santa Fede demonstrates that revolutionary and
Jacobin ideas had only been adopted by among the most educated strata of the Neapolitan population. == Lyrics ==