Branduardi was born in Cuggiono, a small town in the province of Milan, but early moved with the family to Genoa. He was educated as a classical violinist in the local school of music. At the age of 18 he composed the music for the Confessioni di un malandrino (Hooligan's Confession) by Sergei Yesenin, still one of his finest songs.
He is married to Luisa Zappa, who wrote the lyrics for many of his songs. Luisa and Angelo have two daughters, Sarah and Maddalena, both musicians.
Angelo's first album was never released, and resulted from a co-operation with Maurizio Fabrizio, composer and gifted performer. The first released album, Angelo Branduardi '74 was arranged with Paul Buckmaster.
La Luna ("The Moon"), including "Hooligan's Confessions" and the fine, delicate song giving the LP its name, is a prelude to the success of the following works. Alla Fiera dell'Est (English edition: Highdown Fair, 1976) was Angelo's first vastly popular album, followed by La Pulce d'Acqua ("The Water Flea", 1978) and Cogli la Prima Mela (English edition, Life is the Only Teacher, 1979). In those albums Branduardi exploits themes and patterns from ancient music, mostly Renaissance and early Baroque. The very song Alla Fiera dell'Est ("At the Eastern Fair") is still popular among Italians of every age, who test themselves to send in memory all the fable-like, repetition-based lyrics.
Lyrics have a broad spectrum of inspiration: a Danse macabre, the theme of Satan's mistress, Chinese, Native American and Druidic tradition, the apocryphal Gospels. Concertation owes much to the talents of Maurizio Fabrizio, and exploits unusual instruments for pop music: dulcimer, Pan flute, lute, clarinet, among others - mixed with more standard guitar-bass-and-drums.
Subsequent albums are mark by an increasing desire towards experimentation and differentiation. Branduardi (1981) has a more intimate tone, Cercando l'oro ("Searching for Gold", 1983), has very sophisticated and delicate arrangements (starts with a String Quartet), Branduardi canta Yeats (1985) is a tribute to William Butler Yeats. Pane e rose ("Bread and Roses", 1988) is a still inspired, but increasingly dark picture of life and death. Though similar in style to the early ones, 1980s Branduardi's songs seemed to have lost the strong, rythmical energy that backed masterpieces like "Ballo in Fa Diesis Minore" or "Cogli la prima mela". Il Ladro (1991) marks a very delicate point of Branduardi's life, edging on depression, echoed in a dark, almost cemeterial, style of singing.
The album Si puó fare 1993 brings back Branduardi to normality, but the artist is now struggling to evade the minstrel character which is now too strict for him. In 1994 he publishes Domenica e Lunedì ("Sunday and Monday"), dedicated to Franco Fortini.
In 1996, during the celebrations for the restoration of the Duomo of Spilimbergo after the catastrophic 1976 earthquake, he records the extraordinary album Futuro Antico, in which he poses as an early Baroque musician, reusing, mixing, wording pre-existing material along with his own. This experience, together with musicians and musicologists, will continue with Futuro Antico II and Futuro Antico III.
In 1998 Branduardi teams with Italian stand-up comedian and writer Giorgio Faletti for Il Dito e la Luna ("The Finger and the Moon").
He reworks earlier musical themes with writings of and about St. Francis to produce L'Infinitamente Piccolo; he writes a musical on the same topic (Francesco).
In 2003 a new album, Altro ed Altrove ("Other and Elsewhere"), in a time period marked by a rise of racism and intolerance, brings together (mainly) love stories from several cultures.
Discography
* 1974 Angelo Branduardi
* 1975 la luna(France: Confession d'un malandrin, 1981)
* 1976 Alla fiera dell'est (France: A la foire de l'est - UK: Highdown Fair, 1978)
* 1977 La pulce d'acqua (UK: Fables and fantasies, 1980)
* 1979 Cogli la prima mela (France: Le demoiselle)
* 1980 Gulliver,la luna e altri disegni
* 1980 Concerto
* 1981 Branduardi '81
* 1983 Cercando l'oro (France: Tout l'or du monde)
* 1983 State buoni se potete (Soundtrack for the movie with the same name)
* 1986 Branduardi canta Yeats
* 1988 Pane e rose (France: Du pain et des roses)
* 1990 Il ladro
* 1992 Musiche da film
* 1992 Si può fare France: Ça se fait)
* 1994 Domenica e lunedì (France: La menace, 1995)
* 1996 Camminando camminando (Live collection)
* 1996 Futuro antico I
* 1998 Il dito e la luna (Lyrics by Giorgio Faletti)
* 1998 Studio Collection (Collection)
* 1999 Futuro antico II
* 2000 L'infinitamente piccolo
* 2002 Futuro antico III
* 2003 Altro ed altrove
* 2005 The Platinum collection (Collection)
==LINKS==
*http://www.angelobranduardi.it/
*[http://www.branduardi.info Branduardi.info
*[http://guide.supereva.com/angelo_branduardi/ Guida di Angelo Branduardi
*[http://www.angelo-branduardi.com ABcom - Il sito internazionale di Angelo Branduardi
*[http://www.europamici.com EuropAMICI di Angelo Branduardi
*[http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/branduardi-ans/ Branduardi-ans -Mailing List Ufficiale- Gruppo di discussione su Angelo Branduardi e la sua musica.
Francesco
Angelo Branduardi Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Che ci fossero cieli più belli
Al di là delle mura di casa
Oltre il giardino in fondo alla strada
Che cosa ti ha fatto pensare?
E quando hai passato il cancello
Sulla strada che sale ad Assisi
Senza un soldo e senza le scarpe
Francesco, uomo santo e felice
E così te ne vai con i tuoi pochi
Tanto ricco nella tua povertà
Così saggio da parlare anche col lupo
Tanto sapiente da non volere niente
Che cosa mi ha fatto pensare
Questa sera a cieli più belli
Al di là delle mura di casa
Oltre il mare in fondo al tramonto
Che cosa mi ha fatto pensare?
E quando mi sento già stanco
Sulla strada che va poco lontano
Io, il figlio di un padre qualunque
Con le scarpe, ma con poco coraggio
Francesco, mi sento già vecchio
E così me ne vado da solo
Sulla strada che sale ad Assisi
Così solo da cercare ad ogni passo
La tua voce che ancora muove il grano
Francesco, uomo Santo e felice
The song Francesco by Angelo Branduardi is a tribute to the life and journey of the Italian saint Francis of Assisi, also known as Francesco. In the first part of the song, Branduardi wonders about what led Francesco to believe that there could be more beautiful skies beyond the familiar walls of his home and the garden at the end of the street. When Francesco passes the gate that leads to the road to Assisi, he sets out on a journey of self-discovery that takes him away from his wealthy merchant family and towards a life of voluntary poverty and service to others. Despite his lack of material wealth, Francesco is described as a man who is rich in spirit, wisdom, and joy.
In the second part of the song, Branduardi reflects on how Francesco's story inspires him personally. He imagines himself as a tired traveler on a road that leads only a little way, feeling the weight of his mundane existence as the son of an average father, wearing shoes but lacking courage. Yet, he is also a seeker who hears Francesco's voice calling out to him over the wheat fields. Like Francesco, he is drawn towards a better, more meaningful existence, even if that means embarking on a solitary journey towards an elusive goal.
Line by Line Meaning
Che cosa ti ha fatto pensare
What made you think
Che ci fossero cieli più belli
That there were more beautiful skies
Al di là delle mura di casa
Beyond the walls of your home
Oltre il giardino in fondo alla strada
Past the garden at the end of the street
Che cosa ti ha fatto pensare?
What made you think?
E quando hai passato il cancello
And when you passed through the gate
Sulla strada che sale ad Assisi
On the road that leads to Assisi
Tu, il figlio del ricco mercante
You, the son of a wealthy merchant
Senza un soldo e senza le scarpe
Without a penny and without shoes
Francesco, uomo santo e felice
Francesco, a holy and happy man
E così te ne vai con i tuoi pochi
And so you go with your few possessions
Tanto ricco nella tua povertà
So rich in your poverty
Così saggio da parlare anche col lupo
So wise as to even talk to the wolf
Tanto sapiente da non volere niente
So knowledgeable as to want nothing
Che cosa mi ha fatto pensare
What made me think
Questa sera a cieli più belli
Tonight of more beautiful skies
Al di là delle mura di casa
Beyond the walls of my home
Oltre il mare in fondo al tramonto
Across the sea at sunset
Che cosa mi ha fatto pensare?
What made me think?
E quando mi sento già stanco
And when I already feel tired
Sulla strada che va poco lontano
On the road that doesn't go very far
Io, il figlio di un padre qualunque
Me, the son of an ordinary father
Con le scarpe, ma con poco coraggio
With shoes, but with little courage
Francesco, mi sento già vecchio
Francesco, I already feel old
E così me ne vado da solo
And so I go alone
Sulla strada che sale ad Assisi
On the road that leads to Assisi
Così solo da cercare ad ogni passo
So alone that I search at every step
La tua voce che ancora muove il grano
For your voice that still moves the wheat
Francesco, uomo santo e felice
Francesco, a holy and happy man
Writer(s): Angelo Branduardi
Contributed by Jordyn Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
diacono Gianpiero
Dieci anni dopo... mi son reso conto della TUA GRANDEZZA, caro Angelo Branduardi ! <3
RPL
San Francesco, prega per il mondo!
Michael Josef Rittel
Wunderschön ... mein ❤️ öffnet sich, die Tränen spülen den Schmutz & den Schmerz fort. Danke Meister!
Silvana Gili
La piu' bella , la piu' commovente!!!più forte!!!! Non ci sono parole ...Francesco ..un esempio per tutti e per sempre!!grazie angelo!!!!
Marie-Thérèse WILMART
j'aime bcp François d'Assise - belle interprétation d'Angélo Branduardi
José Rafael
¡Qué gran obra!
GMSirLawrence
Santa memoria liturgica di San Francesco d'Assisi!
lisa santomaso
...grazie Don Stefano di averci insegnato questa canzone....
..ora che non ci sei più, ci da la forza per andare avanti...
...proteggi tutti noi da lassù'...
Claretta Santomaso
Ciao Don Stefano!
webmastergioia
È tutto il giorno che l'ascolto...ora scopro chè dedicata ai Santi Francescani.....oggi è la festa.. che dire😊Pax et bonum