Here are two musical ramblings to disprove the stereotype that Italians are always happy.
Meant as soundtrack music I have no idea if they have an independent life. Certainly, heavy they are.
I was younger when I could have fun with my Korg 01/W synthesizer and my Protei 1 & 2 and I certainly miss those days for such ability I’ve later lost but, as the Poet wrote:
Ehmals und jetz
In jüngeren Tagen war ich des Morgens froh,
des Abends weint’ ich; jetzt, da ich älter bin,
beginn’ ich zweifelnd meinen Tag, doch
heilig und heiter ist mir sein Ende.
Once and Now
In my younger years I had joy in the morning,
tears in the evening; now that I am older,
I start doubtful my day
but it is sacred and serene its end.
I find these verses by the Poet so full of beauty.
ψ
The final part of a much longer Fantasia I spare you.
An autumnal piece, based on improvisation.
I kept thinking of Fellini while listening to your Fantasia, could have made a sound track for his films. The impro brought up Respighi’s Pines of Rome from his Pictures from an Exhibition suite.
The Fellini like atmosphere is understandable but Respighi? You were not even a glimmer in your parents eyes when he died.
LikeLike
Paul,
I listened to this music for too long to decipher its connotations. It makes me curious why you mention Fellini & Respighi. Perhaps Italian (or Canadian, English etc.) traits are easier to be perceived from the ‘outside’.
In any case Bach influenced me quite a lot and he died much earlier than Respighi 🙂
I couldn’t ‘sell’ these 2 pieces. Another one was instead used as soundtrack during a nightly stars-watching show conducted by Piero Angela, a well known TV science ‘popularizer’.
I know it’s hard to believe, but my music provoked the death of dozens of ostriches! Gosh, can you believe that?? Dozens of big beefy ostriches!
Someone up there definitely didn’t like my sounds (a very funny – funny? – story I gotta tell some day)
LikeLike
There is such life in your non-happiness, MoR
LikeLike
Grazie amico. Although it’s hard to believe the above-said ostriches would agree.
LikeLike
I have to hear about the ostriches.
I would actually play these with delight in my massage room. I like to play music of a more complex character than is usually promoted for that kind of “soundtrack,” and it can be anything from acoustic guitar to Debussy to Josquin Des Pres to Ray Lynch.
LikeLike
Sled,
The massacre, I only learned many years later, when I met by chance the person who made a BIG mistake, my music only indirectly having been the cause. But, no music, no massacre: that is certain.
I have a few autumnal pieces like that, if Fall is what you prefer 🙂
Some browser plug-in might allow you to download them, or a stream ripper software. Alternatively, Filezilla, or a FTP server I can set up here. Let me know.
LikeLike
Oh, I heard Respighi in there too. Before I read what anyone else had said. There must be something to it.
LikeLike
Well, we send messages whether we like it or not. Music conveys a lot, and voice, aspect and non verbal communication even more. I now know you better from your videos.
LikeLike
Ostriches? Pshaw! What do they know?
LikeLike
They look pretty stupid in fact, but birds might be smarter than we think. Crows are. I’ll never forget ‘The Birds’ by Alfred Hitchcock.
LikeLike
I think crows know things we don’t,
LikeLike
That’s for sure. For example 2 of them spy on me on a tree out my window.
LikeLike
MoR, I love both. Thank you.
The second piece ‘autumnal’ immediately brought to mind the classic film “Breakfeast at Tiffany’s” with Audrey Hepburn. I have no idea why.
LikeLike
Now you people confuse me: Breakfeast at Tiffany’s, Respighi, Fellini … 🙂
Thank you for listening dear Geraldine.
LikeLike
Giovanni, we are the sum of all the influences we have been submitted to. So why should you be confused because some of us have connected with some of our common inflences?
Listening to music is purely subjective and aesthetic experience and each sees and hears what his unconcious reveals to her or him.
I’m somehow flattered that Sledpress also heard Respighi, she is quite a music connoisseur.
LikeLike
She is. And confusion is sometimes existential Paul.
LikeLike
Man, without some confusion life would be boring.
LikeLike
Man, then my life is not boring at all.
LikeLike
Paul, you are quite right about “we are the sum of all the influences we have been submitted to”. Hence everyone can hear things or make associations while listening to a piece of music that vary according the to person. I had bypassed your interesting point because I am often autistically lost in my thoughts.
LikeLike
Luigi Barzini wrote in ‘The Italians’ that “la dolce vita” was a front to the truth that Italians were in fact a sorrowful people.
Wonderful book by the way. Not meant to be more serious than it stated.
LikeLike
Yes, I also liked that book. I bought ‘The New Italians’ by Charles Richards but I could read only a few pages here and there: things I know too well. I guess he invented ‘la bella figura’ notion.
Parlando solo della mia esperienza, quindi limitata, gli Italiani erano più felici quando nel dopo guerra (dopo la seconda guerra mondiale) morivano di fame. Allora la famiglia aveva un valore, le case erano piene di bambini che gridavano, di nonne zie cugini.
Ora sono più ricchi ma hanno preso i difetti (e non i pregi) degli americani – individualismo, carriera -, le famiglie non ci sono più (mentre gli Americani fanno ancora figli), e sono tristi.
Berlusconi e la crisi economica hanno dato il colpo di grazia, la mazzata finale. Adesso siamo *molto* infelici, a parte quei porci politici e vip che si scopano le ragazzine ma che secondo me sono infelici anche loro, e pure di più.
LikeLike
I have been meaning to tell you that THE song that played constantly in Leningrad in the mid-80s was Toto Cutugno’s Lasciatemi Cantare.
“…con troppa America sui manifesti…con piu’ donne sempre meno suore…”
There is not a single American who studied in Russia in those years who does not associate this song with Russia.
C’est rigolo. For sure.
LikeLike
Speaking of happiness, “Felicita” was the other song that accompanied our youthful experiences in Soviet Russia.
🙂 No kidding.
LikeLike
@Jenny
C’est vraiment rigolo (et curieux).
Italian songs penetrate enough in the Mediterranean (north and south shores plus middle east), East Europe and South Germany. France and Spain. Not much in Anglo lands.
You mean Felicità by Lucio Dalla? Toto Cutugno’s Lasciatemi cantare I like very much, maybe more than Dalla’s one (I adore Dalla’s Caruso tho and liked to play it when I played the piano).
Commentator is an Italian-Canadian, one of my ‘original’ commenters. He introduced me to Paul. I like to speak in Italian to him so he doesn’t forget his roots. I meant that we took some faults from Americans, like excessive individualism and career mania, but not their virtues.
You are very sweet to say these words to me Jenny. I like you very very much. I found this version for you in Youtube and I dedicate it to you (best seen in Youtube than here because of the beautiful pictures):
PS. And don’t forget you have something to do with the Mediterranean too Jenny 😉
LikeLike
Yes, in case I had forgotten, what a beautiful place Italy is!
And you, Giovanni, are so natural and easy and generous with kind words. Who doesn’t like that? It’s a gift, really.
Thank you for the clip. 🙂
LikeLike
You too are kind Jenny. And not only Italy is beautiful, all the world is. I hope reincarnation is true. I’ve got many plans for my future lives 🙂
LikeLike
Life is all about trade-offs.
LikeLike
It is, Commentator. Getting adapted also to things we don’t like and being patient.
LikeLike
@Jenny
I want you to know that when I was in Russia (year 2000) I was ALWAYS listening to Russian songs, absolutely superb, even if I understood nothing. I also listened quite a lot to ‘My song’ by Keith Jarret and Jan Garbarek. Those songs (which I cannot find any more, dunno their titles), and ‘My Song’: they ARE to me Russia.
Here’s ‘My Song’, in all its aching beauty.
LikeLike
Lovely. Lovely.
Starting my Sunday morning, now, so to speak (tying the two songs together), con gli occhi pieni di malinconia.
🙂
LikeLike
@Jenny
So you are in the more mature, pensive phase according to Hölderlin the Poet.
Keith Jarret is a genius imo. Here below he’s getting baroque in Paris. He well conjugates Jazz, baroque, late romanticism, classical, blues, gospel and rock, a blend terribly inspired and “flowing with human warmth”.
Among the american jazz pianists & composers Chick Corea may have a more refined touch but Jarret is a greater musican, his results being luscious and most of all he being imo the most effective in phrasing melodies.
LikeLike
Tomorrow people. It took too long to write Manius’ *new chapter*.
LikeLike