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.
Il Marinaio
Angelo Branduardi Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
che torna domani, se il cielo vorrà...
cerchi il sorriso
con cui ti lasciò
fra i solchi scuri
che il tempo disegna sul viso
di chi naviga il mare,
ed è sempre domani
Te l'ha giurato e sai tornerà
l'uomo che amavi non mentiva mai.
Aspetti serena ogni uomo che torna
dal mare lontano verso il quale partì...
Forse da anni
lui naviga già
lungo correnti
che non porteranno ai tuoi fianchi
il suo amore, mai più...
ed è sempre domani
e se il cielo vorrà.,,
Te l'ha giurato e sai tornerà;
l'uomo che amavi non mentiva mai.
The song "Il Marinaio" by Angelo Branduardi is a beautiful and melancholic ballad about a woman who is waiting for her sailor lover to return. The lyrics describe her sitting calmly and patiently, waiting for him to come back from his journey at sea, hoping that he will return tomorrow if fate allows it. She remembers the smile with which he left her, etched on his face despite the wear and tear of time and hardship at sea, and hopes to see it again.
The lyrics evoke a sense of longing and uncertainty, as the woman waits for her lover's return, not knowing if he will ever come back, or if he has already sailed away to some distant and unknown place, leaving her alone forever. Yet, she remains serene and faithful, waiting patiently for the moment when he will finally return to her arms. The song is a poignant reminder of the power of love and the pain of separation, and it captures the essence of the human condition in its most vulnerable and fragile state.
Overall, "Il Marinaio" is a touching and heartfelt song that speaks to the universal themes of love, loss, and hope. Its simple yet powerful lyrics and haunting melody create a poetic and emotional atmosphere that will resonate with anyone who has ever experienced the pain of waiting for someone they love.
Line by Line Meaning
Siedi serena e aspetti il tuo uomo
Sit calmly and wait for your man
che torna domani, se il cielo vorrà...
He will return tomorrow, if fate permits
cerchi il sorriso con cui ti lasciò
You search for the smile he left you with
fra i solchi scuri che il tempo disegna sul viso
Amongst the dark wrinkles that time draws on the face
di chi naviga il mare, ed è sempre domani, e se il cielo vorrà...
Of one who sails the sea, and tomorrow is always uncertain, and subject to fate
Te l'ha giurato e sai tornerà
He promised you and you know he will return
l'uomo che amavi non mentiva mai.
The man you love never lied
Aspetti serena ogni uomo che torna dal mare lontano verso il quale partì...
You calmly wait for every man who returns from the far-away sea from which he departed
Forse da anni lui naviga già lungo correnti che non porteranno ai tuoi fianchi il suo amore, mai più...
Perhaps for years he has been sailing along currents that will never bring his love to your embrace again
ed è sempre domani e se il cielo vorrà...
And tomorrow is always uncertain, and subject to fate
Te l'ha giurato e sai tornerà;
He promised you and you know he will return;
l'uomo che amavi non mentiva mai.
The man you love never lied.
Contributed by Bella K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Samuele Collovà
La sentii per la prima volta a 6 anni.. Oggi che son passati 8 anni la ascolto e mi emoziono come fosse sempre la prima volta che la sento. E' di una dolcezza incredibile, credo che la musica di Branduardi andrebbe riscoperta perché è davvero originale e... magnifica!!! :)
Alessandro Bellini
Che meraviglia... poesia pura
Antonella Florindi
In un' epoca di canzoni che sono solo rumore queste note rinfrancano lo spirito.Complimenti per il video.
antonio42117
C'è da perdersi con questa musica e queste parole. Grazie Angelo
burliven tizio
Hai fatto un vero capolavoro ! Grazie per le emozioni che hai saputo donare
Alessandro Derosas
Branduardi è così, sembra che ti voglia raccontare una bellissima storia, e tu, ascoltatore, non puoi far altro che sederti, ascoltare e sognare. Capolavoro di un grandissimo Artista.
farfallablu42
this song always reminds me of the the days when my husband was away at sea. suggestive video, good presentation. Great!
Massimo antonelli
Video e brano meravigliosi, la vita e il mare rappresentati in un acquarello colorato di musica su un foglio di poesia.
ariacurva
Questo brano, intriso di tanti ricordi, mi ha sempre emozionato.
A L
Wonderful song and this video was amazing.