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.
La ragazza e l'eremita
Angelo Branduardi Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
E cammina ad occhi bassi,
L′eremita canta il Gloria
Per le pietre e per i sassi.
La ragazza ha un coltello
E di lacrime lo bagna,
L'eremita parla ai lupi
Chiusi dentro alla montagna.
E l′ortica li ha tagliati,
L'eremita sul rosario
Conta i giorni ritrovati.
La ragazza è sulla riva
E si pettina i capelli,
L'eremita beve l′acqua
Dei dolore nei ruscelli.
La ragazza si addormenta
Per sognare il primo amore, l′antico amore,
L'eremita prende un sasso
E si balle forte il cuore, rintocca il cuore
Ma il cielo resta muto.
La ragazza è tutta bianca
Sotto il cielo che s′abbruna,
L'eremita sul suo corpo
Coglie il fiore della luna.
La ragazza grida un nome
E si sveglia all′improvviso, lo guarda in viso;
L'eremita non risponde
Lentamente china ll capo, nasconde il viso
E il cielo si fa scuro.
La ragazza apreil coltello
E lo affonda dentro ll petto
L′eremita coglie spighe
E le scioglie sul suo letto.
La ragazza vola in cielo
Sulla nuvola più chiara,
L'eremita accende un fuoco
E la fiamma la rischiara.
Ma la pioggia spegne il fuoco
Nella notte fredda e nera,
L'eremita sotto il cielo
Grida forte una preghiera.
The song La ragazza e l'eremita by Angelo Branduardi tells a story about a girl who is beautiful but seems troubled. She walks with her eyes cast down, crying and carrying a knife. The hermit that she encounters sings praises to the stones and rocks. As they journey through the mountains, the girl walks barefoot on nettles, while the hermit counts his days on a rosary. The girl stops to brush her hair on the riverbank, while the hermit drinks from the stream of sorrow. She falls asleep, dreaming of her past love, and the hermit takes a stone to his heart, causing it to ring, but there is no response from the sky. The girl wakes up, yelling a name, and the hermit bows his head without responding, as the sky turns dark. The girl takes her knife and stabs herself. The hermit picks flowers and lays them on her bed. She flies to the clear sky on a cloud, while the hermit lights a fire, but the rain puts it out in the cold and dark night. The hermit screams a prayer to the sky.
The song is melancholic and tells a story of pain, loss, and solitude. It is a reflection of the complexity of human emotions and thoughts. Like many of Angelo Branduardi's songs, it is known for its poetic lyrics and unique musical instruments.
Line by Line Meaning
La ragazza è molto bella
The girl is very beautiful
E cammina ad occhi bassi,
And walks with her eyes lowered,
L′eremita canta il Gloria
The hermit sings the Gloria
Per le pietre e per i sassi.
For the stones and the rocks.
La ragazza ha un coltello
The girl has a knife
E di lacrime lo bagna,
And wets it with tears,
L'eremita parla ai lupi
The hermit speaks to the wolves
Chiusi dentro alla montagna.
Closed inside the mountain.
La ragazza hai piedi nudi
The girl is barefoot
E l′ortica li ha tagliati,
And the nettle has cut them,
L'eremita sul rosario
The hermit on the rosary
Conta i giorni ritrovati.
Counts the days found.
La ragazza è sulla riva
The girl is on the shore
E si pettina i capelli,
And combs her hair,
L'eremita beve l′acqua
The hermit drinks the water
Dei dolore nei ruscelli.
Of pain in the streams.
La ragazza si addormenta
The girl falls asleep
Per sognare il primo amore, l′antico amore,
To dream of the first love, the ancient love,
L'eremita prende un sasso
The hermit takes a stone
E si balle forte il cuore, rintocca il cuore
And beats his heart hard, rings his heart
Ma il cielo resta muto.
But the sky remains silent.
La ragazza è tutta bianca
The girl is all white
Sotto il cielo che s′abbruna,
Under the darkening sky,
L'eremita sul suo corpo
The hermit on her body
Coglie il fiore della luna.
Picks the flower of the moon.
La ragazza grida un nome
The girl cries out a name
E si sveglia all′improvviso, lo guarda in viso;
And wakes up suddenly, looks at him in the face;
L'eremita non risponde
The hermit does not answer
Lentamente china ll capo, nasconde il viso
Slowly lowers his head, hides his face
E il cielo si fa scuro.
And the sky grows dark.
La ragazza apreil coltello
The girl opens the knife
E lo affonda dentro ll petto
And plunges it into her chest
L′eremita coglie spighe
The hermit picks ears of grain
E le scioglie sul suo letto.
And loosens them on his bed.
La ragazza vola in cielo
The girl flies into the sky
Sulla nuvola più chiara,
On the clearest cloud,
L'eremita accende un fuoco
The hermit lights a fire
E la fiamma la rischiara.
And the flame illuminates her.
Ma la pioggia spegne il fuoco
But the rain puts out the fire
Nella notte fredda e nera,
In the cold, dark night,
L'eremita sotto il cielo
The hermit under the sky
Grida forte una preghiera.
Loudly cries out a prayer.
Writer(s): Angelo Branduardi
Contributed by Hunter D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Santiago Garcia
Cada vez me atrae y me convence más éste monstruo de artista, poeta, músico y cantautor, que es Angelo Branduardi. Grande, enorme, monumental. Qué originalidad en sus líricas y qué preciosas sus melodías e interpretaciónes.
Cris Brugno
capolavoro
Pasquale Marra
bellissima
Giuseppe Perri
great steeler performing solo
Manuel Alonso
Pocas veces tan comedido
Ferdinando Candotti
Si