Map of the Italian music
It is common for people to make generalizations about people from other countries using stereotypes. The Swiss, for instance, are generally considered to be very precise and punctual, the Germans fussy and strict, and the English formal and boring. What about Italians? Italians are thought to be romantic lovers, creative people who are sociable and full of life. Words often associated with the country as a whole are “pizza,” “mafia,” or “mandolin.”
Let’s focus on this last word, mandolin, referring to a musical instrument. Indeed, music has been a traditional cultural marker of Italian national identity. Throughout the centuries Italian musicians have played a central role in musical innovations ranging from classical music and symphony, to opera and popular music that is well-known and appreciated all over the world. (See http://www.lifeinitaly.com/music)
The SUF Italian Department offered two workshops about Italian music and its history to students in introductory level of the Italian language. http://www.italianculture.net
Here some students share their impressions:
“During my study abroad experience in Florence, Italy, I have been lucky enough to practice the Italian language because it is everywhere in my surroundings. Music has always been a part of my life, and it is a blessing to know that no matter what language it is in, music is something that can be shared and listened to around the world. Music is a universal language–even if you cannot understand the lyrics, you can feel what the song is trying to convey just by the sound of the instruments”. Gabriela Perez
“It’s difficult for American students studying abroad to fully experience contemporary Italian music because more often than not, the places we go to outside of class tend to play American music. Therefore, being exposed to contemporary Italian music in class was a great introduction to the music that we are completely unaware of. Having the lyrics in front of us allowed us to try and translate the songs and gain a more concrete grasp of the message the artists were trying to comunicate”. Hillary Sounders
“A key reason why I liked the workshop was because of the music videos. I liked how the videos constantly flashed many symbols, possibly with underlying messages, across the screen. Both the songs and the videos reminded me of modern music. The song that I really liked was “It is my Song” with James Blunt and Laura Pausini. (Watch the video here: http://youtu.be/gYKEFEZZ2ZI) I think it is cool how the song incorporates both Italian and English. It was really neat to see both languages present in one song” . Nicholas Southart
Talent Show
“At dinner I talked with my host mother about some of the songs that we heard during the presentation. It was fun singing along to them!” Jack Lynch
“Not only can we bring this knowledge back to the U.S., but we can go beyond contemporary American music and broaden our musical horizons to other countries and languages that we may not have known about otherwise”. H. Sounders
Live music in Florence – Check out the following venues:
TEATRO VERDI – via Ghibellina, 99 – Firenze Info tel. 055 213496 – 055 667566 www.bitconcerti.it – www.teatroverdionline.it (pop music concerts)
VIPER — Via Pistoiese/Via Lombardia-Le Piagge http://www.viperclub.eu/ (new musical trends and Indie music)
MANDELA FORUM – Viale Malta, 6 50137 Firenze
055 678841 www.mandelaforum.it (Famous singers play concerts here)
