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 trattato dei miracoli
Angelo Branduardi Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
si votò a Francesco e si svegliò cantando.
Il giovane Mancino era in punto di morte,
di Francesco chiamò il nome e fu guarito.
Il mendicante Bartolomeo
All’ombra di un noce si era addormentato,
quando si destò che più non camminava,
per grazia di Francesco fu guarito.
Bonomo di Fano era lebbroso,
la bella Ubertina soffriva il mal caduco,
nel nome di Francesco furono guariti.
Ed a Foligno il buon Nicolò,
straziato dal dolore che più non sopportava,
si votò a Francesco e con le sue gambe
ed il cuor contento a casa fece ritorno.
Un bambino a Capua cadde nel fiume,
alla vita ritornò chè era già morto.
Un giovane di Sessa fu travolto da un muro
Ma Francesco lo svegliò prima dell’alba.
Maria di Gagliano che aveva sete
Trovò una fonte che era prodigiosa.
Una donna di Narni che era indemoniata
Nel segno della croce fu liberata.
Per le febbri ardeva Gualtiero d’Arezzo
A Francesco fece voto e fu guarito.
Ed un figlio maschio ebbe Giuliana
Che di malinconia si consumava.
In terra di Spagna a San Facondo
Un grande ciliegio si era inaridito,
la gente del paese lo affidò a Francesco
e, fiorito, a Primavera stupiva il mondo.
The song "Il trattato dei miracoli" by Angelo Branduardi tells the story of several miracles that occurred thanks to the intervention and intercession of St. Francis of Assisi. The lyrics describe specific cases in which people with different afflictions – a mute child, a man on the brink of death, a blind woman, a leper, a woman suffering from dementia, and many others – were cured or saved through the saint's blessing. The song suggests that St. Francis' miraculous powers were not derived from any supernatural source, but rather from his deep love and compassion for all living beings, which made him a true divinely-inspired figure.
The lyrics of "Il trattato dei miracoli" are imbued with a sense of awe and wonder at the power of faith and the miraculous events that it can bring forth. They also convey a message of hope and redemption, suggesting that even in the darkest and most hopeless situations, there is always a possibility for grace and healing, provided that we have enough trust and faith. Overall, the song is a beautiful ode to St. Francis and to the enduring power of faith in our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Villa era un bambino ed era muto,
Villa was a child who couldn't speak.
si votò a Francesco e si svegliò cantando.
He devoted himself to Francesco and woke up singing.
Il giovane Mancino era in punto di morte,
The young Mancino was on the brink of death.
di Francesco chiamò il nome e fu guarito.
He called out Francesco's name and was healed.
Il mendicante Bartolomeo
The beggar Bartolomeo
All’ombra di un noce si era addormentato,
He had fallen asleep in the shade of a walnut tree.
quando si destò che più non camminava,
When he woke up, he could no longer walk.
per grazia di Francesco fu guarito.
Thanks to Francesco's grace, he was healed.
La povera Sibilla era cieca e triste,
Poor Sibilla was blind and sad.
Bonomo di Fano era lebbroso,
Bonomo di Fano was a leper.
la bella Ubertina soffriva il mal caduco,
The beautiful Ubertina was suffering from a wasting disease.
nel nome di Francesco furono guariti.
They were healed in the name of Francesco.
Ed a Foligno il buon Nicolò,
And in Foligno, the good Nicolò,
straziato dal dolore che più non sopportava,
Tormented by pain he could no longer bear,
si votò a Francesco e con le sue gambe
He devoted himself to Francesco and, with his own legs,
ed il cuor contento a casa fece ritorno.
Returned home with a happy heart.
Un bambino a Capua cadde nel fiume,
A child in Capua fell into the river.
alla vita ritornò chè era già morto.
He returned to life even though he had already died.
Un giovane di Sessa fu travolto da un muro
A young man in Sessa was crushed by a wall.
Ma Francesco lo svegliò prima dell’alba.
But Francesco woke him up before dawn.
Maria di Gagliano che aveva sete
Maria di Gagliano, who was thirsty,
Trovò una fonte che era prodigiosa.
Found a miraculous fountain.
Una donna di Narni che era indemoniata
A woman in Narni who was possessed by a demon.
Nel segno della croce fu liberata.
Was freed by the sign of the cross.
Per le febbri ardeva Gualtiero d’Arezzo
Gualtiero d'Arezzo was burning with fever.
A Francesco fece voto e fu guarito.
He made a vow to Francesco and was healed.
Ed un figlio maschio ebbe Giuliana
And Giuliana had a baby boy.
Che di malinconia si consumava.
Who was wasting away from sadness.
In terra di Spagna a San Facondo
In San Facondo, in Spain,
Un grande ciliegio si era inaridito,
A big cherry tree had withered away.
la gente del paese lo affidò a Francesco
The people in the town entrusted it to Francesco
e, fiorito, a Primavera stupiva il mondo.
And, blooming, it amazed the world in spring.
Contributed by Lincoln B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
elena latry
Bellissima ♡
Edoardo de Caro
Molto bella
anninanapoli Margherita
💖🙏
johan boden
who else recognizes belfast child from simple minds in the intro?
Andrea Castani
That's absolutely possible.. Both of this songs are inspired by traditional folk songs that - though they are beautiful - are quite similar one another..
Michele Calandriello
Commovente