Fabrizio De André

Fabrizio De André Cristiano ( born February 18, 1940 in Genoa, † 11 January 1999, Milan ) was an Italian singer-songwriter ( Cantautore ).

Career

During his career, which lasted from 1958 to 1998, De André was called by his friends Faber, due to the high literary quality of his lyrics and the masterful interpretation into one of the most popular singers in Italy. Some of his writings are now part of the school teaching. He told mostly stories of the marginalized and the disinherited.

De André was from an upper middle class family of entrepreneurs, after high school he attended some courses in literature and medicine at the University of Genoa, before he finally decided to study law. He left the study nearing completion, in order to devote himself entirely to music.

His passion for music was awakened by the intense friendship with Luigi Tenco, Gino Paoli, Umberto Bindi and Paolo Villaggio, with whom he later wrote some songs. He first studied violin, then guitar and devoted his attention to the French cabaret singer, in particular Georges Brassens ( whom he had never met in person ), whose songs he also translated into Italian. He was in Italy nationally known, however, in 1968 with one of his own lyrics: La canzone di Marinella. He accompanied his singing on the guitar and was partly influenced by Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen. He sang love songs, treated in his lyrics but also social problems and the war, as in his famous ballad La guerra di Piero.

For his album Tutti morimmo a stento he was inspired by poems by the French poet François Villon. De André goes with this album the first Italian musician who attempted a concept album. In Non al denaro non né al cielo all'amore adapted and he extended poems by the American Edgar Lee Masters Spoon River Anthology from its. De Andrés album La Buona Novella, in turn, treated the Christian Apocrypha. The album Storia di un impiegato is his political of and addresses the '68 movement and terrorism. For his album Canzoni him covered songs by Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen and Georges Brassens.

Early in his career audience shy, he undertook his first tour in 1975. In 1978 he played with the then very popular rock group PFM, the rearranged his songs. Two successful live albums of the concerts were released. From the 80s he toured with his own band, which he repeatedly reinforced with well-known musicians.

De André was assisted on his albums over and over again by other famous composers and songwriters. By his own testimony De André has the texts given in the course of his career in his compositions, more important than the music or referred to his own melodies as unfinished and expandable. He collaborated with Francesco de Gregori (on Volume 8 1975), with Massimo Bubola ( at Rimini in 1978 and album Dell'Indiano 1981), Mauro Pagani (on Creuza de moderate in 1984 and Le Nuvole 1990) and Ivano Fossati with (on Anime Salve, 1996).

In 1979, he was kidnapped along with his partner and later wife Dori Ghezzi in Sardinia and released after four months and pay a very high ransom. His experiences in captivity he processed later in a LP untitled, which was known as " l' indiano " because the picture on the cover of an Indian was mapped. He moved into these songs parallels between the Native Americans and the situation of the Sardinians, who had in the course of history also repeatedly defend against various occupiers.

In 1984 Fabrizio De André as " de CREUZA moderate " a masterful album of songs in the Genoese dialect of his hometown. Musically, he led it together traditions from around the Mediterranean.

Fabrizio De André had two children: son Cristiano from his first marriage and the daughter Luisa Vittoria ( luvi ). Both accompanied him on his last tour in 1998 as members of his band.

In the summer of 1998, a tumor was diagnosed as suffering from heavy smokers de André, and he had to cancel the tour. He died on 11 January 1999 from lung cancer.

He is still regarded as one of the best Italian singer and composer and is especially revered in his hometown of Genoa. In Genoa, an exhibition about his life took place from December 2008 to 2009 at the Palazzo Ducale. All of his 13 studio albums were placed in the Italian top 10 album charts, three of them on the top position. Published after his death Compilation In direzione Ostinata e contraria also debuted at number 1

In November 2012 appeared in Italy under the name " Fabrizio de André, I Concerti " a collection of 16 CDs with live performances from 1975 to 1998. Was supplemented the collection with a 192seitigen book with many previously unpublished photos.

Discography

Songs ( selection ) ( with composers specification)

• Amore che vieni, amore che vai ( Music / Lyrics: F. De André ) 1966
• La canzone di Marinella ( Music / Lyrics: F. De André ) 1963
• La guerra di Piero (Text: F. De André, music by F. De André / V. Centanaro ) 1963
• Andrea ( Music / Lyrics: F. De André / M. Bubola ) 1978
• Bocca di rosa ( Music / Lyrics: F. De André ) 1967
• Via del Campo (Text: F. De André, music by F. De André / E. Jannacci ) 1967
• Amico fragile ( Music / Lyrics: F. De André ) 1975
• La ballata del Miche ( Music / Lyrics: F. De André / C. Petracchi ) 1961
• Rimini ( Music / Lyrics: F. De André / M. Bubola ) 1978
• Coda di lupo ( Music / Lyrics: F. De André / M. Bubola ) 1978
• La domenica delle salme ( Music / Lyrics: F. De André / M. Pagani ) 1990
• Il Pescatore (Text: F. De André, music by F. De André / F. Zauli / G. Reverberi ) 1970
• Anime salve ( Music / Lyrics: F. De André / I. Fossati ) 1996
• Don Raffael (Text: F. De André / M. Bubola, music by F. De André / M. Pagani ) 1990
• CREUZA de moderate (Text: F. De André, Music: M. Pagani ) 1984
• Il testamento di Tito (Text: F. De André, music by F. De André / C. Castellari ) 1970
• Fiume Sand Creek ( Music / Lyrics: F. De André / M. Bubola ) 1981
• Canzone per l'estate ( Music / Lyrics: F. De André / F. De Gregori ) 1975
• Il suonatore Jones (Text: F. De André / G. Bentivoglio, music by F. De André / N. Piovani ) 1971

Albums

STUDIO ( with Italian chart position )

COMPILATION

LIVE

Posthumously