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 violinista di Dooney
Angelo Branduardi Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
balla la gente quando suono il mio violino.
Mio cugino è prete a Kilvarnet,
mio fratello è prete a Mocharabuiee.
Ma io ho fatto più di mio fratello e mio cugino:
leggono nei libri di preghiere,
io leggo nei miei libri di canzoni
che ho comperato alla fiera di Sligo.
Quando alla fine dei tempi
noi ci presenteremo a Pietro,
andremo da lui seduto in maestà,
allora lui sorriderà ai nostri tre vecchi spiriti,
ma chiamerà me per primo oltre il cancello.
Perchè sempre allegri sono i buoni,
salvo che per cattiva sorte,
e la gente allegra ama il violino,
la gente allegra ama ballare.
Quando mi vedono arrivare,
corrono da me tutti gridando:
"Ecco il violinista di Dooney!
Vengono a ballare come le onde del mare.
In the song 'Il violinista di Dooney', Angelo Branduardi describes how people dance to the sound of his violin, like waves in the sea. He remarks that his cousin is a priest in Kilvarnet and his brother in Mocharabuiee, but he has achieved more than them by reading books of songs he bought at the fair in Sligo. Branduardi believes that when he and his family spirits face St. Peter at the end of time, he will be called first because he knows how to make people happy with his violin. The good always seem to be happy even in misfortune, and people love the sound of the violin and enjoy dancing to it.
Branduardi's lyrics seem to reveal that while his brother and cousin may have chosen the religious life, he chose music, and has found joy in it. The song expresses Branduardi's confidence in his talent and his belief that he will be rewarded for bringing happiness to others. 'Il violinista di Dooney' can be seen as a celebration of the fulfillment found in making music for others.
Line by Line Meaning
Come le onde del mare, come le onde del mare
People dance like waves of the sea when I play my violin, just like waves of the sea dance.
Mio cugino è prete a Kilvarnet,
mio fratello è prete a Mocharabuiee.
My cousin is a priest in Kilvarnet, my brother is a priest in Mocharabuiee.
Ma io ho fatto più di mio fratello e mio cugino:
leggono nei libri di preghiere,
io leggo nei miei libri di canzoni
che ho comperato alla fiera di Sligo.
I have accomplished more than my brother and cousin. They read prayer books, while I read my song books that I bought at the Sligo fair.
Quando alla fine dei tempi
noi ci presenteremo a Pietro,
andremo da lui seduto in maestà,
allora lui sorriderà ai nostri tre vecchi spiriti,
ma chiamerà me per primo oltre il cancello.
At the end of times, when we present ourselves to Saint Peter and he welcomes us to his throne, he will smile at the three of us, but he will call me first beyond the gate.
Perchè sempre allegri sono i buoni,
salvo che per cattiva sorte,
e la gente allegra ama il violino,
la gente allegra ama ballare.
Good people are always happy except when bad luck strikes. Happy people love the violin and love to dance.
Quando mi vedono arrivare,
corrono da me tutti gridando:
"Ecco il violinista di Dooney!
Vengono a ballare come le onde del mare.
When people see me approaching, they all run to me, shouting 'Here comes the violinist of Dooney!' They come to dance like waves of the sea.
Contributed by Aiden Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Corrado Orbi
Angelo è ipnotico e magico..... Ha la capacità di trasportati in un mondo parallelo un altro mondo fatto di poesia magia bellezza
Mario Rossetti
Ammetto di aver colpevolmente scoperto l’album solo ora.
Da 4 giorni lo sto ascoltando a ripetizione, anche in cuffia quando esco.
milena parcianello
Album magnifico davvero
susanna rossi
Non si trova più in C. D. È unico.
Mario Rossetti
@susanna rossi come no, l’ho preso su Amazon pochi mesi fa pagandolo 7€ se ben ricordo
Alessandra M.
eheh, stesso effetto, anche se qualche anno prima
susanna rossi
Da innamorata di Yeats è forse l' album del Nostro che amo di più. Che meraviglia, e si rinnova ogni volta. Magia pura...😻😻😻😻😻😻😻🌹🌹🌹
Nicole Deloeil
Un regal il fait corps avec son violon magique qui nous enchante merci
Pierluigi Fresi
Un straordinario Maestro. È meraviglioso per me aver vissuto questa epoca con un musicista come Angelo Branduardi. Mi reputo fortunato. Grazie Maestro. 🎩🙏🏽
Angelo Mazzola
Sempre attuale e poetico Angelo... Sei stato la colonna sonora nella nostra magica vanza tra le 5 terre grazie.