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.
Lullabye to Sarah
Angelo Branduardi Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Upon the ocean
You are a sailboat
And I will steer you
Across the sea to dreamland
To where there’s white sand…
Across the sea in dreamland
To where a soft breeze
And moves the palm trees…
And you will lie there
And hear the birds sing
And they will bring you presents
Of a hundred gold rings
And if you count them slowly
They’ll change to wishes
So sleep my little sailboat
With stores of milk and honey
And sixpences for money
And safe beneath a great moon
I’ll sing this rockabye tune,
So shut your pretty eyes
And I’ll steer you to the white sand
For we’re on our way to dreamland
Until the morning…
The song "Lullabye to Sarah" by Angelo Branduardi is a soothing lullaby that serves to calm and comfort Sarah, who is depicted as a sailboat on the vast ocean. The singer promises to guide her safely to the land of dreams, where there is white sand and a gentle breeze moves the palm trees. This dream world is depicted as magical and full of wonder, where the birds can bring Sarah gifts of 100 gold rings that can turn into wishes if counted slowly. The song suggests that in the world of dreams, anything is possible and that the most precious and valuable things can be obtained with ease.
The lyrics also reveal the tender love and affection that the singer feels for Sarah. He promises to protect her with stores of milk and honey, sixpences for money, and his comforting presence. The lullaby's melody is gentle and soothing, making it a perfect choice for sending a child off to sleep. In essence, the song's message is that true love and care can create a safe and magical world for the ones we love.
Line by Line Meaning
You are a sailboat
I see you as a sailboat on the vast ocean, strong and beautiful.
Upon the ocean
You are constantly moving and sailing through life, exploring new horizons.
And I will steer you
I will guide you and be there for you, helping you navigate through challenges.
Across the sea to dreamland
Together we will travel to a place of peace and tranquility, where anything is possible.
To where there’s white sand…
We will journey to a place where the beach is serene and the sand is white and pure.
And where a soft breeze
In this dreamland there is a gentle breeze that teases your skin softly and carries away your worries.
Blows in a deep blue sky
The sky is a deep shade of blue, giving you a sense of calm and serenity.
And moves the palm trees…
The palm trees sway gracefully in the wind, dancing to the beautiful music of nature.
And you will lie there
In this peaceful place, you will lie down and rest, enjoying the beauty around you.
And hear the birds sing
The birds will sing sweet melodies that fill your heart with happiness and joy.
And they will bring you presents
The birds will bring you gifts to show their love and appreciation for you.
Of a hundred gold rings
These gifts are the most precious treasures, more valuable than gold, that you can ever receive.
And if you count them slowly
If you take the time to appreciate these gifts from the birds and count them slowly, something magical will happen.
They’ll change to wishes
These gifts will turn into wishes that will come true, bringing you more joy and happiness.
So sleep my little sailboat
Now it is time to rest and relax, to sleep and dream of even more beautiful things.
With stores of milk and honey
You will have an abundance of comforting and nourishing things to sustain you as you sleep.
And sixpences for money
You will have enough money to live comfortably and without worry.
And safe beneath a great moon
You will be protected and safe under the watchful eye of a bright and beautiful moon.
I’ll sing this rockabye tune,
I will sing you a soothing lullaby to help you fall into a deep sleep.
So shut your pretty eyes
Let your eyes rest and enjoy the peace and tranquility around you.
And I’ll steer you to the white sand
I will guide you to the place of calm and serenity that we talked about earlier.
For we’re on our way to dreamland
Together, we are going to reach the ultimate state of bliss and achieve all of our dreams.
Until the morning...
We will remain in this beautiful dreamland until the morning comes and it is time to journey back to reality.
Contributed by Lincoln S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.