Literally "song" in Italian, a canzone (plural: canzoni) (cognate with English to chant) is an Italian or Provençal song or ballad. It is also used to describe a type of lyric which resembles a madrigal. Sometimes a composition which is simple and songlike is designated as a canzone, especially if it is by a non-Italian; a good example is the aria "Voi che sapete" from Mozart's Marriage of Figaro.

The term canzone is also used interchangeably with canzona, an important Italian instrumental form of the late 16th and early 17th century. Often works designated as such are canzoni da sonar; these pieces are an important precursor to the sonata. Terminology was lax in the late Renaissance and early Baroque music periods, and what one composer might call "canzoni da sonar" might be termed "canzona" by another, or even "fantasia". In the work of some composers, such as Paolo Quagliati, the terms seem to have had no formal implication at all.

Derived from the Provençal canso, the very lyrical and original Italian canzone consists of 5 to 7 stanzas typically set to music, each stanza resounding the first in rhyme scheme and in number of lines (7 to 20 lines). The canzone is typically hendecasyllabic (11 syllables). The congedo or commiato also forms the pattern of the Provençal tornado, known as the French envoi, addressing the poem itself or directing it to the mission of a character, originally a personage. Originally delivered at the Sicilian court of Emperor Frederick II during the 13th century of the Middle Ages, the lyrical form was later commanded by Dante, Petrarch, Boccaccio, and leading Renaissance writers such as Spenser (the marriage hymn in his Epithalamion).

See also[link]

• Chanson, a genre derived from the French version of the word

References and further reading[link]

• "Canzone", in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, ed. Stanley Sadie. 20 vol. London, Macmillan Publishers Ltd., 1980. ISBN 1-56159-174-2
• The New Harvard Dictionary of Music, ed. Don Randel. Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harvard University Press, 1986. ISBN 0-674-61525-5
• "Canzone", in The Shapes of our Singing, a comprehensive guide to verse forms and metres from around the world, by Robin Skelton. EWU, Spokane, WA, 2002. ISBN 0-910055-76-9

Lucio Dalla
Lucio Dalla in 2008
Born	Lucio Dalla (1943-03-04)4 March 1943 Bologna, Italy
Died	1 March 2012(2012-03-01) (aged 68) Montreux, Switzerland
Nationality	Italian
Occupation	Singer-songwriter, musician
Years active	1966–2012 (his death)
Website
Official website

Lucio Dalla Grand Officer OMRI (4 March 1943 – 1 March 2012) was a popular Italian singer-songwriter, musician and actor. He also played clarinet and keyboards.

Dalla was the composer of Caruso (1986),^[1] which has been covered by numerous international artists. A version of Caruso sung by Luciano Pavarotti sold over 9 million copies, and another version was a track on Andrea Bocelli's first international album Romanza, which later sold over 20 million copies worldwide.^[2] This piece is also on Josh Groban's album Closer,^[3] which sold over 5,000,000 copies in the United States. The song is a tribute to the emblematic opera tenor Enrico Caruso. Maynard Ferguson also covered the song on his album "Brass Attitude", after having previously paid tribute to Caruso with his rendition of Vesti la giubba (titled as Pagliacci) on the album "Primal Scream".^[4]

Biography[link]

Beginnings[link]

Dalla was born in Bologna, Italy. He began to play the clarinet at an early age, in a jazz band in Bologna, and became member of a local jazz band called Rheno Dixieland Band, together with the future film director Pupi Avati. Avati said that he decided to leave the band after feeling overwhelmed by Dalla's talent. He also acknowledged that his film, Ma quando arrivano le ragazze? (2005), was inspired by his friendship with Dalla.^[5] In the 1960s the band participated in the first Jazz Festival at Antibes, France. The Rheno Dixieland Band won the first prize in the traditional jazz band category and was noticed by a Roman band called Second Roman New Orleans Jazz Band: with them Dalla performed his first record in 1961, and had the first contacts with RCA records, his future music publisher.

The singer-songwriter Gino Paoli hearing Dalla's vocal qualities, suggested that he attempt a soloist career as a soul singer. However, Dalla's debut at the Cantagiro music festival in 1965 was not successful probably due to both his physical appearance as well as his music, which was considered too experimental for the time. His first single, a rendition in Italian of the American traditional standard Careless Love was a failure, as it was his first album, 1999, that was released the following year. His next album, Terra di Gaibola (from the name of a suburb of Bologna), was released in 1970 and contained some early Dalla classics. His first hit was "4 Marzo 1943", which achieved some success due to the Sanremo Festival. The original title of the song was supposed to be "Gesù bambino", however in those years there was still stiff censorial control over the content of songs, and the title was changed to Dalla's birth date.^[6]. "Piazza grande", which Dalla would sing at another Sanremo Festival, was also a success.

Albums with Roversi[link]

At this point, Dalla made a decisive move in his career, starting a collaboration with the Bolognese poet Roberto Roversi. Roversi wrote the lyrics to Dalla's next three albums Il giorno aveva cinque teste (The Day Had Five Heads) (1973), Anidride solforosa (1975) and Automobili (Automobiles) (1976). Although these albums did not sell in large numbers, they were noted by critics for the unusual mix of Roversi's lyrics with Dalla's improvisations, his sometimes experimental twists and compositional abilities. The duo had already broken up by the time the concept album Automobili was released. Roversi, who had been against the album's release, chose the pseudonym "Norisso" when it was time to register the songs. The album, however, included one of Dalla's most popular songs, "Nuvolari", named after the famous 1930s Italian racer. ^[7]

Singer-songwriter[link]

Affected by the end of the collaboration, Dalla decided to write the lyrics of his next albums himself. This decision proved to be surprisingly good,^{[citation needed]} and he soon emerged as one of the most intelligent and musically cultured of the Italian singer-songwriters.^{[citation needed]} The first album of this new phase was Com'è profondo il mare (1977), in which Dalla was accompanied by members of the future pop band Stadio. The title track was a hit called Quale allegria. In 1979, his popularity was confirmed by the success of the Banana Republic tour and album together with singer-songwriter Francesco De Gregori, his band, and his friend Ron. The hit single Attenti al Lupo (1990) gave him wider success in Europe. He was invited to duet on Pavarotti and friends, singing his own hit Caruso with Pavarotti.^[8]

Death[link]

On the morning of 1 March 2012, three days before his 69th birthday, Dalla died of a heart attack, shortly after having breakfast at the hotel where he was staying in Montreux, having performed in the city the night before.^[9]

Albums[link]

• 1999 (1966)
• Terra di Gaibola (1970)
• Storie di casa mia (1970)
• Il giorno aveva cinque teste (1973)
• Quel fenomeno di Lucio Dalla (1973)
• L'album di... Lucio Dalla (1974)
• Anidride solforosa (1975)
• Automobili (1976)
• 4 Marzo 1943 (1976)
• Come è profondo il mare (1977)
• Lucio Dalla (1979)
• Banana Republic (1979, with Francesco De Gregori and Ron)
• Dalla (1980)
• Lucio Dalla (Q Disc) (1981)
• Torino, Milano e dintorni (1981)
• Gli anni Settanta (1981)
• 1983 (1983)
• Viaggi organizzati (1984)
• Bugie (1985)
• The best of Lucio Dalla (1985)
• DallameriCaruso (1986)
• Dalla/Morandi (1988)
• Cambio (1990)
• Il motore del 2000 (1990)
• Il primo Lucio Dalla (1990)
• Amen (1992)
• Henna (1993)
• Maria Farantouri sings Lucio Dalla (1995,with Maria Farantouri)
• Le origini (1996)
• Canzoni (1996)
• Ciao (1999)
• Luna Matana (2001)
• Live@RTSI – 20 dicembre 1978 (2001)
• Dal vivo – Bologna 2 settembre 1974 (2001)
• Caro amico ti scrivo... (Best of) (2002)
• Tosca. Amore disperato (2003)
• Lucio (2003)
• 12000 Lune (Best of/Box Set) (2003)
• Il contrario di me (2007)
• Angoli nel cielo (2010)
• Questo è amore (2011)

DVD[link]

• Live@RTSI – 20 dicembre 1978 (2001)
• Retrospettiva (2003)
• In concerto (2004)
• Banana Republic (2006)

References[link]

1. ^ "Caruso" lyrics with translation
2. ^ Crossover superstar Andrea Bocelli finds beauty in wide range of music The Columbus Dispatch, 27 November 2011.
3. ^ Josh Groban, Closer, CD (143 Records/Reprise Records, International Inc.)
4. ^ Maynard Ferguson, "Primal Scream", CD (Columbia Records, 1976)
5. ^ La Stampa, "Pupi Avati "L'amicizia con Dalla l'ho girata in un film"
6. ^ repubblica.it: "Lucio Dalla, canzoni camaleontiche tra jazz, Caruso e Gesù Bambino"
7. ^ rai.it: "Nuvolari"
8. ^ youtube: "Caruso (Live). Luciano Pavarotti & Lucio Dalla"
9. ^ "Lucio Dalla Dead: Italian Singer-Songwriter Dies At 68". http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/01/lucio-dalla-dead_n_1313115.html. Retrieved 1 March 2012. 

Eros Ramazzotti
Eros Ramazzotti, April 28, 2004
Background information
Birth name	Eros Luciano Walter Ramazzotti
Born	(1963-10-28) October 28, 1963 (age 48) Rome, Italy
Genres	Adult contemporary, pop, soft rock
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, musician
Years active	1981–present
Labels	DDD, Ariola, Norte Records
Website	www.ramazzotti.com

Eros Luciano Walter Ramazzotti (born October 28, 1963), known simply as Eros Ramazzotti, is an Italian musician and singer-songwriter.^[1] Ramazzotti is enormously popular in Italy, and is well known in most non-English-speaking European countries and in the Spanish-speaking world, as he has released most of his albums in both Italian and Spanish.^[2]

Since 1984, he has released 11 studio albums, one EP, three compilation albums, three live albums, and 37 singles. Ramazzotti has sold over 40 million records in his 25-year career.^[3] His repertory includes duets with artists such as Cher, Tina Turner, Andrea Bocelli, Patsy Kensit, Anastacia, Joe Cocker, Ricardo Arjona, Luciano Pavarotti, Laura Pausini, and Ricky Martin.^[3]

Ramazzotti first gained international success in 1993, with the release of Tutte storie, which amassed six million album sales and occupied the top five in every country where he had previously released albums.^[3] This success led to a BMG International record contract in 1994.^[3] His audience appeal comes from several factors, including his unique voice, which can be described as somewhat nasal but nevertheless forceful and resonant, and his energetic delivery of catchy, melodic tunes which are often passionate mid-tempo autobiographical ballads, with instrumentation that is rich in soft-rock influence.^[4] Most of his albums have been recorded in both Italian and Spanish.

Biography[link]

Childhood and early beginnings (1963–1981)[link]

Eros Ramazzotti was born on October 28, 1963 in Cinecittà, a suburb of Rome, Italy. He was named after Eros, the Greek god of love. He took up playing the guitar at age seven.^[5] As a teenager, he wrote songs with help from his father, Rodolfo, a construction worker and music lover who played piano. He wanted to attend a musical conservatory but failed the admission examination, and started training in bookkeeping, but dropped out.^[3] He occasionally appeared as an extra in films while spending most of his time dreaming of having a career as a pop-star.^[3]

In 1981, Ramazzotti took part in a music contest, Voci Nuove di Castrocaro (new voices of Castrocaro Terme) with the song "Rock 80", which he himself wrote, performing in front of various record label representatives.^[1] Although the contest was won by Zucchero and Fiordaliso, Ramazzotti reached the final and received two votes from Roberto Galanti and Baron Lando Lanni, who represented the recently launched Italian Label DDD (Drogueria di Drugolo). DDD gave Eros his first contract. He moved to Milan with his brother, Marco and his mother, Raffaella, and they initially lived in the same building as the record label company.^[3]

Career breakthrough (1982–1986)[link]

Ramazzotti's first single, "Ad un amico" (To a Friend), was released in 1982, and was not particularly well received.^[6] Soon after, Eros met Renato Brioschi,^[3] who mentored the young artist toward his first success in 1984 at the highly regarded Sanremo Festival. His song, "Terra promessa" (Promised Land) won the Newcomers' category, and was subsequently released widely throughout Europe.

In 1985, Ramazzotti again took part in the Sanremo Festival with his song "Una storia importante" (An Important Story), taken from his debut album Cuori agitati (Troubled Hearts). While only placing sixth at the festival, "Una storia importante" was released as a single and became a huge hit in many European countries, including France where it sold a million units.^[3] His second album Nuovi eroi (New Heroes), released in 1986, earned two Platinum-awards in Switzerland with over 100,000 sales, and Gold status in Germany with over 250,000 sales.^[7][8] At his third Sanremo Festival appearance in 1986 his memorable single, "Adesso tu" (Now You) from Nuovi eroi won the overall competition.^[6]

Popularity established (1987–1994)[link]

Eros Ramazzotti in the early 1990s

In 1987, Ramazzotti went on a nine-month-long tour after releasing his third album In certi momenti (Sometimes), performing in front of more than a million people.^[1] In certi momenti went Gold in Germany with over 250,000 sales and Platinum in Switzerland with over 50,000 sales, and reached more than 3 million copies worldwide.^[1][7][8] As his career developed, he performed "La Luce Buona Delle Stelle" (The Good Light of the Stars) with Patsy Kensit on November 22, 1987, and released a seven-track mini-album Musica è (Music Is) in May 1988.

His fifth album, In ogni senso (In Every Sense), released in April 1990, attracted more than two hundred journalists from around the world to the album's press conference launch in Venice.^[3] An American record producer, Clive Davis, advised Ramazzotti to hold a concert at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City,^[3] and he became the first Italian artist to perform at the renowned concert hall, performing before a sell-out crowd. However, he was later disappointed to learn that most of his audience was of Italian descent, having hoped for a more widespread breakthrough.^[5] During that visit to the USA, Ramazzotti also performed on TV shows like The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Good Morning America.^[5] In ogni senso earned multiple Gold and Platinum album awards around the world, including a Platinum in Germany for over 500,000 sales,^[8] a triple Platinum in Switzerland for over 150,000 sales, and Platinum in the Netherlands for sales of over 100,000 units.^[9][10]

His 1991 double-CD release Eros in Concert was followed by another long tour, including a concert in Barcelona, Spain before 20,000 fans on 4 December, the day of his live CD's release.^[3]

In 1993, he released Tutte storie (All Stories), and he toured in Europe and 15 Latin American countries, where he has released his Spanish language albums. That November, Ramazzotti performed "Cose della vita" (Things of Life) at the MTV Europe Music Awards in Berlin. Tutte storie entered the Top-5 album list in many countries in Europe including Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands, Sweden and Norway.^[11] The album earned Ramazzotti four Platinums in Switzerland for sales of over 200,000 units, a Platinum in Germany for sales of over 500,000 units,^[8][9] and Platinum status in many other counties including the Netherlands, Sweden, Argentina and Austria.^{[12][13][14][15]} Tutte storie eventually sold six million copies worldwide which played a significant role in helping Ramazzotti get his contract with BMG International.^[3]

Worldwide commercial success (1995–2002)[link]

In the summer of 1995, Ramazzotti participated in the European summer festival along with Rod Stewart, Elton John and Joe Cocker. His seven-million-seller album, Dove c'è musica (Where There Is Music) was released on May 13, 1996,^[3] his first completely self-produced album.^[3] On December 5 of the same year, his companion of several years and future wife Michelle Hunziker (Swiss model and television host) gave birth to their daughter, Aurora Sophie.^[3]

In October 1997, he released Eros – Greatest Hits, which contained two new songs, "Quanto amore sei" (How Much Love Are You) and "Ancora un minuto di sole" (Just One More Minute of Sunshine), as well as reworked versions of previous hits including "Musica è" (duet with Andrea Bocelli) and "Cose della vita - Can't Stop Thinking of You" in a duet with Tina Turner. This collection entered the Top-5 in France, Belgium, Sweden and Finland, and reached No. 1 in several countries including Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands and Norway, selling 1.2 million units in its first week of release according to BMG International.^{[16][17][18][19]} The album was certified five times Platinum by IFPI (Europe) for selling well over five million units in Europe alone.^[20] The album also attained two Latin-type Platinum certifications by RIAA for sales of over 400,000 units in USA.^[21] That year, Ramazzotti was awarded "Best International Male Artist of the Year" at Germany's Echo Music Awards.^[22]

In 1998, he released the live CD Eros Live, which included two duets recorded during the world tour, "Cose della vita-Can’t Stop Thinking of You" featuring Tina Turner, and "That's All I Need to Know-Difenderò" with Joe Cocker, performed in Munich. In 1999, Ramazzotti again collaborated with Italian superstar Andrea Bocelli, singing "Nel Cuore Lei" (In Your Heart) for Bocelli's album, Sogno (Dream). The album sold over 10 million albums worldwide, gaining more recognition for Ramazzotti. In 1999, he was again awarded as "Best International Male Artist of the Year" at Germany's Echo Music Awards.^[23] Throughout his career, Ramazzotti has done duets with some very well known artists such as Cher, Andrea Bocelli, Joe Cocker, Carlos Santana, Tina Turner, Anastacia, Luciano Pavarotti, and Laura Pausini.^[3]

Ramazzotti gained a reputation as a seasoned producer with the album Come fa bene l’amore (Feels good to love) by Gianni Morandi in the beginning of 2000.^[3] That October, he delivered his eighth studio album Stilelibero (Freestyle), which contained a duet with the American diva, Cher, in the song "Più che puoi" (As Much As You Can). The album, the result of a collaboration of several producers including Celso Valli, Claudio Guidetti, Trevor Horn and Rick Nowels, reached the Top-5 album charts throughout Europe and was certified two times Platinum by IFPI (Europe) for sales of over two million units in Europe alone.^[20][24] In the course of the international tour for Stilelibero, Ramazzotti also appeared in eastern European countries including Moscow, Russia where he gave a three-day sold out concerts at Kremlin Palace.^[3]

Continued success (2003–present)[link]

Eros Ramazzotti at Sommarkrysset 2009

On May 30, 2003, Ramazzotti released his ninth studio album, entitled 9. The first single, "Un'emozione per sempre" (An Emotion Forever) was released on 9 May, and was number one in Italy's official single chart for 14 consecutive weeks.^[3] The album, produced along with Claudio Guidetti and Eros’s longtime musical friend Celso Valli, stayed at the No. 1 position for nine weeks in Italy's official album chart.^[3] 9 went on selling 3.5 million copies, 1.1 million of which were sold in Italy alone.^[3] He began his world tour in Ancona, Italy which was set to have 100 dates in front of audiences of up to one million people (56 dates of which were done in Europe in front of 550,000 people).^[3]

On October 28, 2005, Ramazzotti's 10th album Calma apparente (Apparent Calm) was released on the day of his birthday, which he produced together with Claudio Guidetti. The album Calma apparente, which was certified Platinum within a period of just one month after its release for selling over one million copies in Europe,^[25] contains the duet hit single "I Belong to You" with American singer Anastacia, the single went No. 1 in several countries including Italy, Germany and Switzerland.^[26] Throughout the years, Eros has gained popularity especially in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Argentina, Venezuela, and most Spanish-speaking countries.^[4]

More than ten years after Ramazzotti's first compilation album Eros, which has sold total of 7.5 million copies worldwide and has reached No. 1 in many countries including Germany,^[3][19] Ramazzotti released a new double-CD compilation-album e² on October 26, 2007; the first CD contained four new tracks and 14 original songs in a remastered format, and the second CD had 17 redone tracks, and feature artists such as Carlos Santana, Wyclef Jean, Steve Vai, Jon Spencer. The four unreleased pieces on the e² album include a new international duet "Non siamo soli" (We're Not Alone) which Eros sings along with Latin pop star Ricky Martin. This became the first single taken off the album, and was available for sale on October 5, 2007, reaching the top spot in Italy and entering the top-5 in Switzerland and Spain.^[27][28] In Spain, the Spanish-language version "No estamos solos" was certified four times Platinum for having been downloaded over 80,000 times in Digital format, whereas it was certified six times Platinum for having been downloaded 120,000 in Original Tone format (equivalent to US Master Ringtone).^[28] The single, available both in Italian and Spanish, was written by Ramazzotti and his longtime songwriting partner Claudio Guidetti.^[29]

Ramazzotti's 11-track album, Ali e radici (Wings and Roots), was released on May 22, 2009, produced by Eros himself as well as his long time musical partner Claudio Guidetti; in addition, six tracks on the album are co-produced by Michele Canova who has previously worked with artists such as Laura Pausini, Tiziano Ferro and Jovanotti.^[30] The first single "Parla con me" ("Talk to Me"), released on 17 May 2009, off his 11th studio album, is a catchy pop song which has peaked at No. 1 in Italy and No. 8 in Switzerland.^[31] The album was available both in a standard-edition as well as in a deluxe-edition, which includes 64-page booklet of photographs, and it entered the Top-5 in Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, France, Sweden, and was number-one in Italy and Switzerland.^[19][32]

During his 25 year career he has sold over 40 million records worldwide.^[3]

Personal life[link]

In his personal life, Ramazzotti remains with only few good friends, mostly due to his conspicuous personality.^[33] Ramazzotti had a poor childhood, and recalls having had limited access to books and general guidance as he grew up:

As a child growing up, there were no books in my parents' home, no suggestions were ever made how to even have a decent conversation, no guidance was provided in search of oneself. The only source of information that I would get from my father was the inappropriate photos of women. The first thing as a support that I received from my father was a guitar after he recognized my passion for music. Nowadays, I try to self educate myself by purchasing good books which I almost never read because I become lazy after glancing at a football game on TV.^[33]

Ramazzotti recalls being extremely shy in the early 1980s before achieving fame:

When I went to Milan to further develop my musical skills, I remember being so shy at the time that I would simply get terrified of going to restaurants all by myself, so I would go without eating throughout my time in Milan.^[33]

Ramazzotti was married from 1998 to 2002 to Swiss model and actress Michelle Hunziker. They have a daughter together, Aurora, who was born on December 5, 1996. His 320-page autobiography, co-written by Luca Bianchini, was published April 13, 2006.^[34]

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

• Cuori agitati (Troubled Hearts) (1985)
• Nuovi eroi (New Heroes) (1986)
• In certi momenti (At Certain Times) (1987)
• Musica è (Music Is) (1988)
• In ogni senso (In Every Sense) (1990)
• Tutte storie (All Stories), (1993)
• Dove c'è musica (Where Music is) (1996)
• Stilelibero (Freestyle) (2000)
• 9 (2003)
• Calma apparente (Apparent Calm) (2005)
• Ali e radici (Wings and Roots) (2009)

Live albums[link]

• Eros in Concert (1991)
• Eros Live (1998)
• 21.00: Eros Live World Tour 2009/2010 (2010)

Compilation albums[link]

• Eros (1997)
• e² (2007)

Awards and nominations[link]

[edit] Echo Awards

[edit] Italian Music Awards

Premio Italiano della Musica[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Ali e Radici.com
• erosramazzotti.TV international website
• German Official Website
• Eros Ramazzotti Fan Page (USA~Unofficial)
• Biography of Eros Ramazzotti, from RAI International
• Eros Ramazzotti Polish/English Site
• Eros Ramazzotti Russian Site
• Eros Ramazzotti photos and videos
• CZ & SK fanclub
• Label Website

Lucio Battisti (5 March 1943 – 9 September 1998) was an Italian singer-songwriter (cantautore). He is considered to be one of the best-known and most influential musicians and authors in Italian pop/rock music history.^[1]

Battisti started his career in 1966 and from 1969 to 1994 he released 18 albums in his home country. A significant part of his production was translated into Spanish (various albums) and English (one album). He was renowned to be an extremely reserved artist: during his successful career he performed only a small number of live concerts, and in the early 1980s he announced he would communicate only through his studio albums, completely disappearing from the Italian public scene.

Biography[link]

Musician and composer[link]

Battisti was born in Poggio Bustone, a town in the province of Rieti (northern Lazio), and moved with his family to Rome in 1950. A self-taught guitarist, Battisti made his debut as musician in the 1960s, performing in local bands in Rome, Naples and later in Milan where he joined I Campioni (The Champions), the support band of then famous singer Tony Dallara. He also travelled abroad as a working musician, in Germany and England, where he absorbed the music of Bob Dylan, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Animals, Jimi Hendrix, blues and soul - among others - which he later introduced into Italian Pop music.

In Milan he found the support of the French talent scout, Christine Leroux, who worked for the Ricordi music label. Under Leroux's wing Battisti penned three sizeable hits in 1966 for other artists ("Per una lira" for Ribelli, "Dolce di giorno" for Dik Dik, and "Uno in più" for Riki Maiocchi). Leroux also introduced Battisti to lyricist Giulio Rapetti, better known as Mogol: though not impressed at first by Battisti's music, Mogol later declared to have started the collaboration after recognizing Battisti's humble, though determined, desire to improve his work. Mogol also pushed Ricordi to allow Battisti to sing his own songs: Battisti's voice became the focal point of his strength and originality. As a singer, he made his debut with the song "Per una lira" in 1966: despite the song's poor success (only 520 copies sold throughout Italy!^[2]), it allowed him to begin building his career as a singer.

Battisti continued to write for others, in the late 1960s: the US rock group The Grass Roots scored a hit stateside with one of Battisti's compositions, "Balla Linda", translated as "Bella Linda". With the same song, Battisti classified fourth in the Cantagiro, a then popular Italian Pop music competition. 1969 saw another one of Battisti's compositions, "Il Paradiso", become a hit in the UK when it was covered by the group Amen Corner as "(If Paradise Is) Half as Nice", hitting the number one spot on the singles chart. In the same period another English band, The Hollies - featuring Graham Nash - recorded a Battisti song in Italian, "Non prego per me".

Success as a solo singer in 1970s – The Mogol-Battisti duo[link]

	La luce dell'est noicon La luce dell'est (1972)
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In the same year Battisti took part in the Festival of Sanremo, with the song "Un'avventura", and his popularity began to increase. His first great hit was "Acqua azzurra, acqua chiara", which won the Festivalbar. The same year, Ricordi issued Battisti's self-titled debut album. During this successful year he met Grazia Letizia Veronese, who later married and lived with Battisti until his death.

Forming a strong and highly successful duo with lyricist Mogol, Battisti continued to issue solo albums on a regular basis throughout the 1970s: in almost every case they reached the highest places in his country's charts, and are regarded as classics of Italian Pop Music ("musica leggera"). He also became a popular TV presence.

In 1970 Battisti won Festivalbar for the second time in a row, with the song "Fiori rosa, fiori di pesco", and started to collaborate with Mina, who sang some of Mogol-Battisti's finest tunes. In December, Ricordi issued Battisti's second LP, "Emozioni", which was a compilation of previously released singles. Battisti was really angry about this, as he had composed a concept album called Amore e non amore, but his label chose to release the compilation rather than the album, which was considered to be too experimental and advanced for the Italian audience.

Amore e non amore was eventually released in July 1971, but in order to preserve their creative freedom, Battisti and Mogol moved over to Numero Uno, one of Italy's first independent record labels, founded by them in the fall of 1969.

The new label released Umanamente uomo: il sogno (1972) followed by the even more successful Il mio canto libero (1972). The latter topped the Italian charts for 8 weeks: one of its songs - "Io vorrei, non vorrei, ma se vuoi" - was later recorded by Mick Ronson with lyrics translated by David Bowie, as "Music Is Lethal" (on the album Slaughter on 10th Avenue). The song "Il Mio Canto Libero" has remained one of the most popular songs ever among Italians. Another successful album was Il nostro caro angelo (1973).

Anima Latina (1974) is considered Battisti's most complex and multi-layered work, a new personal approach to Prog Rock music with an increased attention to rhythms and increasingly cryptic lyrics by Mogol; nonetheless, their work enjoyed a good success, remaining for 13 weeks at number one in Italian charts.

Lucio Battisti, la batteria, il contrabbasso, eccetera, released in 1976 and including the hit "Ancora tu" was an even bigger success; many of the songs clearly showing the artist's interest in the then-emerging Disco sounds and production values that would have a large influence on his three subsequent albums.

	Amore mio di provincia noicon Amore mio di provincia (1980)
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In 1977 he released Io tu noi tutti. He also relocated to Los Angeles, and issued an album, Images, that featured some of his biggest hits re-recorded in English. However, the attempt to equal his European success in the United States failed. In 1978 Battisti released Una donna per amico: recorded in London and produced by Geoff Westley, it was his best-selling LP ever. This was followed in 1980 by Una giornata uggiosa, produced by the same team. It contained Battisti's last great success, "Con il nastro rosa". Considered one of the duo's best compositions ever, it featured a very fine (and long) guitar solo by Phil Palmer. Battisti's songs written with Mogol continue to be covered by artists with an international reputation; a more recent example is Tanita Tikaram's "And I Think of You" ("E penso a te").

Battisti, a rather shy person, had always been reluctant to talk about himself and his work. In the early 1980s he declared he would no longer make public appearances nor release any interviews: in his words "[he was going to] speak no more, since an artist must communicate with the public only through his work". In some very rare occasions, though, he appeared as a TV guest in other countries such as France, Switzerland and Germany, and only after 1982 his vow can be considered completely fulfilled, with a perseverance similar to that of J. D. Salinger and other famous recluses.

The "Second period"[link]

	Potrebbe essere sera noicon Potrebbe essere sera (1990)
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In 1981 Battisti broke the partnership with Mogol, switching to a more experimental, sometimes weird inspiration, based often on electronic instruments. The LPs of his "second period", starting from E già of 1982 (with lyrics by his wife), received a mixed reception from both critics and audiences. Mogol started to work with Riccardo Cocciante; in 1990, he declared he had not listened to Battisti's LPs for many years.

From 1986, starting with Don Giovanni, to 1994, the lyrics on Battisti's albums were written by the poet Pasquale Panella. Don Giovanni combined a return to classic "Battistian" melodies with lyrics which some felt were weird and often seemingly meaningless. Others, however, understood the lyrics to be cryptic: an intellectual mind game of sorts. Don Giovanni had a reasonable success in Italy.

The following L'apparenza (1988), however, again contained rather impervious lyrics; its success was worse than the one had by Don Giovanni, in chart position as well as in sales volumes. La sposa occidentale (1990) was released for CBS, and marked another fall in sales and success. The declining sales were hardly a concern for Battisti: it was rumoured that in the 1990s he was earning 4-5 billion lire a year (approximately 3 million Euro in 2006) solely from author rights of his 1970s songs.

Battisti's last albums were Cosa succederà alla ragazza (1992) and Hegel (1994).

On 9 September 1998, Battisti died in a Milan hospital. The New York Times said the cause was cancer.^[1] The news was immediately reported by the media and spread quickly throughout the country, generating an unprecedented wave of emotion for the singer-songwriter. He was later buried in the cemetery of Molteno, the town where he had spent his last years with his family, far from the show business circus.

Several compilations of his best tracks have surfaced after Battisti's death, including 2000's Battisti and 2001's Canzoni d'amore. His catalogue is published by BMG Music Publishing.

Influence and praise[link]

Through the years, Battisti consolidated his status as one of the most well-known Italian singers. His songs remain immensely popular in Italy, and are often performed live by other notable musicians.

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

Singles[link]

English language recordings[link]

A few of his songs were translated into the English language. The album Images was the only official worldwide release, however in Britain a single was published with two other translations: "Baby It's You"("Ancora tu") and "Lady" ("Donna selvaggia donna"). A full translation of the album Una donna per amico, to be called Friends, which had the above songs, was recorded but never published. The two songs and the album were translated and produced by Frank Musker.^[19][20][21]

Full list of Battisti's English recordings:^[19]

Released

• Images
• "Baby It's You" ("Ancora tu")
• "Lady" ("Donna selvaggia donna")

Unreleased

• "My Father Told Me" - instrumental of "Nel sole, nel vento, nel sorriso, e nel pianto"
• "Wake Me I'm Dreaming - "Mi ritorni in mente"
• "You and Your Tomorrow" - "Acqua azzurra, acqua chiara"
• The following were considered for Images, translated not by Peter Powell but by Marva Jan Marrow:

• "Star in a Film" - "L'interprete di un film"
• "Since I Have Forgotten About You" - "Eppur mi son scordato di te" with different accompaniment melody and an acoustic guitar
• "Our Dear Angel" - "Il nostro caro angelo"
• "Freedom Song" - An alternate translation of "Il mio canto libero", sung solo and with guitar
• "The Sun Song" - An alternate translation of "La canzone del sole", set to the original Italian version's melody
• "To Love a Bit" - "Amarsi un po'", the words were changed into "To feel in love" for the album

• Friends - A translation of the album Una donna per amico, replacing the song "Maledetto gatto" with translations of two of his other hits. All the songs were translated by Frank Musker.

1. "Baby it's You" - shorter version
2. "I Think of You" - previous hit "E penso a te", different from the tribute by Tanita Tikaram
3. "Take it as it Comes" - "Prendila così"
4. "Lady" - slightly different from released version
5. "Day to Day" - "Perché no"
6. "Afraid of Falling" - "Aver paura di innamorarsi troppo"
7. "Pain is Gone" - "Nessun dolore"
8. "A Woman as a Friend" - "Una donna per amico"
9. "Goin' to the Movies" - "Al cinema"

• "Pain is Gone" and "A woman as a Friend" were recorded twice. The first version of "Pain is Gone" places an emphasis on bongos and the chorus sings "Nessun dolore" in the background; the second version has an English repetition in the background. The only major difference between the two "A Woman as a Friend" versions is the second verse.

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Lucio Battisti

• (Italian) www.luciobattisti.info - Discography and others information about the singer
• (Italian) Full discography

Emma Marrone
Background information
Birth name	Emmanuela Marrone
Born	(1984-05-25) 25 May 1984 (age 28)
Origin	Firenze, Italia
Genres	Pop Pop rock
Occupations	Singer
Years active	2003–present
Labels	Universal (2003-2006, 2010-present) Dracma (2007)
Associated acts	Lucky Star
Website	emmamarrone.net

Emma Marrone (born 25 May 1984 in Florence, Italy) is an Italian singer. On 18 February 2012 she achieved first place at the annual televised Sanremo Music Festival with her song Non è l'inferno.

Early life[link]

Born in Florence, Marrone lived in Aradeo in the province of Lecce. She acquired her passion for music from her father Rosario, guitarist of a band from Aradeo called "Karadreon" which was formed when Marrone was about 10–11 years old, performing in festivals and in clubs. She graduated from Classical High School.

[edit] Lucky Star

She started her professional musical career in 2003, when she took part in the second Italian edition of Popstars (later renamed Superstar Tour); Emma won the talent show, and with Laura Pisu and Colomba Pane she formed the Lucky Star. The group released a single in 2003 called Stile. The single was released on the Universal label and achieved good success. In 2006 the group recorded the soundtrack of the cartoon W.I.T.C.H and a dance album was released, called LS3, which was a commercial failure. The group disbanded after the failure of the album.

[edit] Mjur, Amici and first solo record Oltre

In 2009, after that she released a second album with another group, the M.J.U.R., in 2008 for Dracma Records, she took part to another talent show, Amici di Maria De Filippi, winning this competition too. In march 2010 Universal Music released her first EP, Oltre, that was very successful in Italy, peaking number one for two weeks in the Italian album chart.^[1] In the same month was released her first single too, Calore, that peaked at number one for two weeks too.^[2]

The EP has been certified triple platinum for its sales in Italy.^[3]

In June, she began her first concert-tour: Ahi ce sta passu tour. She toured throughout Italy accompanied by her band. The tour ended at the end of summer. In the same month, she also took part to the Amici Tour 2010 with all the contestants of the talent show. On July 2010, the second single from Oltre was released: Un Sogno A Costo Zero. After the tour, she also released the video for the third single Sembra Strano.

[edit] Second solo record: A me piace così

On 24 September 2010, a new single called Con le nuvolewas released. On October 19 her second solo record was released, also from Universal, A me piace così which debuted at # 2 on the Italian chart and was certified platinum. Also in November, the second single from the album "Cullami" was released.

On 30 November 2010, a special edition which included both the albums (Oltre and A me piace così) with two new songs: L'Amore Che Ho (written by Neffa) and (Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay (duet with Craig David) was released.

She finished second in the Sanremo Music Festival 2011, where she sang the song Arriverà, with the Italian group Modà. In 2011 she also opened the Italian date of Taylor Swift's tour and she was nominated for the TRL Awards 2011 in the category "Best Talent Show Artist". In 2012, she won the Sanremo Music Festival singing “Non è l’inferno”.

[edit] Sarò libera

On 20 September 2011 she released her third solo record, Sarò libera.^[4]

Personal life[link]

Emma Marrone began a relationship with dancer Stefano De Martino at the end of 2009. Following a brief separation, Stefano announced in March 2011 that he and Emma were back together. In April 2012 they broke up again after he began a highly-publicised relationship with Argentine showgirl Belén Rodriguez.

Emma was born in Florence, graduated in Aradeo, and now lives in Frascati (near Rome).

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

Singles[link]

• 2003 - Stile (with Lucky Star)
• 2010 - Calore
• 2010 - Un sogno a costo zero
• 2010 - Sembra strano
• 2010 - Con le nuvole
• 2010 - Cullami
• 2011 - Arriverà (feat. Modà)
• 2011 - Io son per te l'amore
• 2011 - Sarò libera
• 2011 - Tra passione e lacrime
• 2012 - Non è l'inferno
• 2012 - Cercavo amore

Music Videos[link]