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.
Nelle paludi di venezia francesco si fermo' per pregare e tutto tacque
Angelo Branduardi Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
E in compagnia di un altro frate
Le attraversò
Fu tornando dall'Oriente
Che in quel luogo si fermò,
venne la sera e tempo fu di pregare.
Stormi di uccelli neri
Sui rami stavano
Pareva che quel fragore
Fosse a lode
Del loro Creatore.
Così Francesco in quelle paludi
Con gli uccelli volle pregare
Ed in mezzo a quella folla
Si incamminò
Svaniva tra quelle grida
L'eco dei suoi passi,
la voce della sua preghiera
"Vi prego di volere tacere"
Ed il silenzio sulle paludi calò.
E nessuno più cantò
Sinchè Francesco smise di pregare
E se ne andò
The song "Nelle paludi di Venezia" by Angelo Branduardi narrates a story about St. Francis of Assisi's stopover in the marshy lands of Venice with another friar on their way back from the East. When they arrived, it was evening time, and they decided to pray. As they began praying, they noticed a flock of black birds on the trees singing loudly, seemingly praising their Creator.
Francesco, moved by the beauty of nature, wanted to pray along with the birds. So he walked towards them and started praying amidst their flock. The sound of his prayer could barely be heard over the loud singing of the birds. However, he politely asked them to be silent, and to his surprise, the birds obeyed, and their singing stopped. The song ends with Francesco leaving the place after his prayers.
The lyrics of the song show the close relationship between St. Francis and nature and how he saw everything as a manifestation of God. It also highlights the power of humility and how it can cause even animals to obey.
Line by Line Meaning
Alle paludi di Venezia poi Francesco arrivò
Francesco arrived at the marshes of Venice
E in compagnia di un altro frate
He was accompanied by another friar
Le attraversò
And they crossed the marshes
Fu tornando dall'Oriente
He was returning from the East
Che in quel luogo si fermò,
He stopped at that place,
venne la sera e tempo fu di pregare.
And when evening came, it was time to pray.
Stormi di uccelli neri
Flocks of black birds
Sui rami stavano
Were perched on the branches
Ad alta voce cantando
Singing loudly
Pareva che quel fragore
It seemed that this noise
Fosse a lode
Was in praise
Del loro Creatore.
Of their Creator.
Così Francesco in quelle paludi
So Francesco in those marshes
Con gli uccelli volle pregare
Wanted to pray with the birds
Ed in mezzo a quella folla
And in the midst of that crowd
Si incamminò
He began to walk
Svaniva tra quelle grida
His footsteps were drowned out
L'eco dei suoi passi,
Amidst all the noise
la voce della sua preghiera
And the sound of his prayer
"Vi prego di volere tacere"
"I ask that you please be quiet"
Ed il silenzio sulle paludi calò.
And silence fell upon the marshes.
E nessuno più cantò
And no one sang anymore
Sinchè Francesco smise di pregare
Until Francesco stopped praying
E se ne andò
And left.
Writer(s): angelo branduardi
Contributed by Eli L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.