Volume ! La revue des musiques populaires

14 : 1 | 2017 Varia

Franco FABBRI & Goffredo PLASTINO (eds.), Made in Italy: Studies in Popular Music

Rachel Haworth

Electronic version URL: https://journals.openedition.org/volume/5467 DOI: 10.4000/volume.5467 ISSN: 1950-568X

Publisher Association Mélanie Seteun

Printed version Date of publication: 13 December 2017 Number of pages: 238-241 ISBN: 978-2-913169-43-2 ISSN: 1634-5495

Electronic reference Rachel Haworth, “Franco FABBRI & Goffredo PLASTINO (eds.), Made in Italy: Studies in Popular Music”, Volume ! [Online], 14 : 1 | 2017, Online since 13 December 2017, connection on 29 July 2021. URL: http://journals.openedition.org/volume/5467 ; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4000/volume.5467

L'auteur & les Éd. Mélanie Seteun Fuarros and Ana Castell. López Cano but also offers the international reader a stresses that throughout the 20th century vision of Spanish music as told by indigenous and to the present day, Latin mass phenom- researchers, which allows for the dismissal ena have involved Spanish artists, singers of unfounded stereotypes and a reflection and actors, which has served to introduce on the notions of centre and periphery in Spanish songs to the circuit of Cuban shows academia. This is an extraordinary step or Argentine and Mexican cinema and rein- towards the consolidation of popular music force stereotypes associated with the rural, studies in Spain. naive and noble Spanish character. Thus, musical processes of transnationalisation seeking to forge shared imaginaries take place. Sometimes these are not fully achieved, Franco Fabbri & as in the case of transatlantic rock scenes, yet in some cases they are very successful, Goffredo Plastino as with singer-songwriters and performers of romantic ballads. (eds.), Made in Italy. The book ends with a selected bibli- ography of Spanish popular music, which is Studies in Popular very useful for researchers and enthusiasts. As a bonus track, it includes an interview Music, New York & with the legendary Joan Manuel Serrat, in which he is invited to look back on his London, Routledge, contribution to Spanish popular music in a way that will undoubtedly touch on the 2014 controversy surrounding his Eurovision participation. By Rachel Haworth Academically speaking, we sense, except in a few chapters, a continuation of the perspective imposed by Anglo-Saxon This collection of seventeen essays cultural studies, which provide a somewhat constitutes a fundamental contribution to simplistic view and recreate the stereotypical Italian popular music studies outside of the narrative of the cultural products heavily Italian-speaking community. It is edited by influenced by the ideology of the Franco Franco Fabbri and Goffredo Plastino, two regime. However, there are several exam- leading voices in popular music studies and ples in this book of products which escaped important figures forIASPM . The volume is this influence, perhaps because they were part of Routledge’s Global Popular Music not as important in the eyes of the regime, Series, also edited by Fabbri and Plastino, and in which, therefore, many “modern” which aims to provide specialist and non-spe- features are present. In short, Made in Spain cialist audiences alike with a well-informed not only provides us with the first compre- and up-to-date introduction to different 238 hensive overview of Spanish popular music, world popular music scenes. The series thus 14 1 popular music soundscape. popular the Italian for significance haveto lasting and continue havethat had figures and res gen the understand and access to reader the allows and speakers, non-Italian to useful is particularly that field this to introduction Together, acomprehensive provide they music in of popular texts con and social styles, cover major figures, contributions Italy. music The in Italian of journalists and scholars by leading are in chapters All write. they which in countries the in working and living by those have written been series this volumes in the aims, of these aresult As object of study. an music as American North and British privilege to tended has which field, the in balance the re-dress to begins Made in Italy Made XX th century Italy. , then, then, , - - examples of different ways approach to ofexamples different it offersof amore or country: less ‘remote’ music popular on the aperspective provide […]book is simply to than more ambitious of this goal “the explain, Fabbri Plastino and As amere introduction. beyond offering Franco Fabbri analyses the Italian Italian the Fabbri analyses Franco and 1960s. the 1950s during Italy in song” way of “doing aparticular establishing in role its and Festival Sanremo the examines Agostini Roberto period. this during sumed were con and were popular that musics the the during unification reference of process the to particular with Italy” of a “musical existence the traces Keller Sorce Marcello concerned. music is popular as as far specificity Italian tion music studies” popular music and popular for Italian identity an of creation the to have contributed that conventions stereotypes and with “deal themes Thechapters on and genres. figures, themes, on significant focus which sections, history. cultural and studies star analysis, discourse sociology, musicology, of frameworks ical crit wider the with interact thus Italy” in up music “made make that of genres types the Italy, and in academia within place its it, refer to how music, Italians popular Italian about what constitutes volume constructs context” international an to related strictly “been have always music studies popular Italian that demonstrates volume,of which the chapters all permeate that approaches nary of discipli variety here the is important scenes” and genres other to applied be can which music, popular However, volume of the moves aim the The volume itself is divided into three three into divided is volume itself The ( Ibid .) . The narratives that the the that narratives . The XIX (13) (xiv) th century and to to and century and thus ques thus and . What is also also is . What bitt bitt (beat) (beat) - - - - 239 Notes de lecture Made in Italy. Studies in Popular Music movement and the extent of its relationship The third section of the volume with and independence from 1960s Anglo- focuses on stories which “all share a peculi- American music. Goffredo Plastino focuses arity that has made and makes them instantly on 1970s Neapolitan music, demonstrating recognizable in Italian popular music” (149). the exchanges, influences and collaborations The case studies here are diverse yet they that were taking place as part of the Naples again pick up on some of the geographi- power music scene. And Francesco D’Amato cal and cultural specificities about Italian highlights the specificities of the music popular music that the previous chapters markets in Italy, tracing the changes that highlight. For example, Carlo Pestelli’s have taken place in recent years from the chapter outlines the impact in 1960s Italy point of view of consumption of recorded of the Cantacronache, a group of musicians, music, live performance, new businesses, singers, novelists, and poets who sought to funding, and practice. revolutionise the Italian popular music scene In the section on singer-songwriters, by writing “serious” songs. Here, aspects the writers focus on the canzone d’autore of the previous analyses of the Sanremo genre and on its key proponents. The genre Festival and of the political potential of itself plays “a special role in the history of the cantautori are contextualised further. both Italian music and popular music stud- Questions about what it means to be popu- ies” and can “be identified with the renewal lar, which emerge in the analyses of specific of Italian culture that took place during singer-songwriters and of the Italian music and after WWII in literature, cinema, industry, are the focus of Paolo Prato’s theatre, visual arts, and modern classical chapter. He examines the careers of two music” (83). Jacopo Tomatis sets the scene of the most successful and popular Italian with his chapter on the conceptualisation of pop singers, Mina and Adriano Celentano. the singer-songwriter as an artist, and the Alessandro Brutus expands on the ideas significance of ideology, authenticity and about Italian progressive rock presented in style within the genre rules of the canzone part I in his chapter on the presence of this d’autore. Luca Marconi then focuses on music in the UK during the 1970s. Elena Luigi Tenco, and offers a semiotic analysis Boschi adds to our understanding of sing- of a selection of his songs that illustrates er-songwriters in Italy by analysing the the singer-songwriter’s new and individual film Radiofreccia to examine how the rock approach to songwriting. Individuality is singer-director Luciano Ligabue uses music also key in Jacopo Conti’s reading of Lucio in this film to discuss issues of cultural iden- Battisti as an (un)orthodox singer-song- tity. Vincenzo Perna’s chapter then revis- writer. Errico Pavese then analyses the its the Naples music scene, but moves the stylistic features of the late collaborative analysis to the present-day by considering work of Fabrizio De André and Ivano the depiction of contemporary Neapolitan Fossati, “two of the most representative neo-melodic music as “problem music”. Italian cantautori” (123). Finally, Alessandro The volume then features a coda, Carrera examines the works and career of which examines how “Italian” Italian music 240 Franco Battiato. actually is. Here, Dario Martinelli analyses 14 1 and non-specialist readers alike. readers non-specialist and researchers, for students, reading damental fun be will and audience English-speaking music an to popular of Italian introduction volume the for asignificant is volume. This well-researched ment or of appreciation this reader’s enjoy the not does impede but this English the on syntax of Italian influence some is there that means this Occasionally, chapter. each come through styles individual writers’ The readable. and well-written is volume the Overall, more in depth. areas explore to these begin to alike researchers and students to useful be covered will here, topics on the reading additional suggests which bibliography, detailed a of inclusion The passing. mentioned in only are that movements and individuals, genres, are there more, and know to wanting leaves reader the here often included chapters of the length the course, Of here. introduced are scape music land popular Italian of the features and movements, figures, important Many volume one is of strengths. its this topics in this area. in research future inform to continue will popular Italian about constitutes what debate the up opens further and Morricone, Ennio composer, and musician Italian renowned the with interview an then is chapter ing volume’s chapter. conclud The opening the in introduces Keller Sorce that identity music and between relationship up on the Italian of what constitutes conceptualisations influence of outside Italy and from within stereotypes cultural which to extent the abroad” marketed and portrayed music is “Italian which way in the The wide range of contributors and and of contributors range wide The music. These are both key ideas that that key ideas both are These music. popular music. His chapter picks chapter His music. popular (209)

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241 Notes de lecture Waves and Forms : Electronic Music Devices and Computer Encodings in China