Angelo Branduardi (born February 12, 1950), is an Italian folk singer and c… Read Full Bio ↴Angelo Branduardi (born February 12, 1950), is an Italian folk singer and composer who scored relevant success in Italy and European countries such as France and Germany.

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 redonda
Angelo Branduardi Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Voluntiers faria
Tal chanso novella
Que fos agradiva
Si far la podia
Mas razor capdella
Mon chant e l'abriva
Per qu'ieu tant quant viva
Vuelh servir la bella

Que de grat sagella
So faitz gent aiziva
Humils ez esquiva
Plazens ez ysnelha.
Quar de gent badiva
E de la senada
Conquer benevolensa
Tant esta celiva
Que nulla vegada
Voler non la vensa
Endreg de fallensa
Bona l'ai amada
Quar s'amors m'a dada
De trobar sabensa
Don gent de velensa
Ai ab grat privada.

Doncx ma caramida
Mos Behls Deportz sia
El reys de Castella
N'Anfos que grazida
Valor ten a tria
On pretz renovella
Cuy devers gragella
Lay chanson tey via
Pero not daria
Tornad' e revella

Qu'om no t'escantella
Quel compas mentria.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of La redonda by Angelo Branduardi are in Old Occitan, a romance language that originated in southern France in the 8th century. The song tells a story of a troubadour who is trying to compose a beautiful new song for his beloved lady but is struggling with finding the right words. He is interrupted by a group of people who are bad-mouthing his lady, but he dismisses them and continues to focus on his love for her. He mentions a few geographic locations, such as Castile and Anfos, which might suggest a specific time and context for the song.

The troubadour sings about how he wishes to create a new song that would be pleasing to his lady, but his mind is cluttered and he can't seem to find the right words. He uses poetic language to describe his struggles, saying that "razor capdella" (a razor-sharp head) is hindering his ability to create. Despite this obstacle, he wants to continue to serve his beloved lady, whom he describes as gentle and shy but also pleasing and quick-witted. He mentions that there are people who speak poorly of her, but he loves her nonetheless and has gained knowledge from his love for her.

Overall, the song is a beautiful example of troubadour poetry, with its intricate language, structure, and themes of love and devotion. It gives us a glimpse into the medieval world of courtly love, where men would sing songs of praise and adoration for their ladies, often in hopes of winning their favor.

Line by Line Meaning

Voluntiers faria
I would gladly do it

Tal chanso novella
If such a new chance

Que fos agradiva
Were agreeable

Si far la podia
If I can make it happen

Mas razor capdella
But reason stops me

Mon chant e l'abriva
My singing reveals

Per qu'ieu tant quant viva
That as long as I live

Vuelh servir la bella
I want to serve the beautiful one

Que de grat sagella
Who with gratefulness seals

So faitz gent aiziva
My deeds with gentle prudence

Humils ez esquiva
Are humble and shy