[Monday Notes no. 162] Franco Califano was a singer-songwriter and poet and wrote dozens of songs, often for other singers. Among those interpreted by him personally, we analyse Un tempo piccolo, a song very refined both in its lyrics and music.Continue readingFranco Califano, Un tempo piccolo. A popular poet out of the mainstream
Category: Monday Notes
A music analysis column dedicated to the great classics of jazz and rock music: every Monday a song with technical notes and curiosities. To start the week on a good note… and learn more about music.
[Monday Notes no. 39] Many songs in the jazz repertoire derive from musicals and films, and cartoons are no exception. In the 1937 cartoon, Snow White sings Someday My Prince Will Come to an audience of dwarves and forest animals.Continue readingSomeday My Prince Will Come, from Snow White to Jazz
My students often ask me when to use sharps and when to use flat when writing a note or chord. The answer to this question is not so simple, what is true for single notes is not always true for scales and chords. So let’s see how to use sharps and flats to write notes,…Continue readingSharps, flats and circle of fifths. How to write alterations
[Monday Notes no. 161] Kiss of Life is a song by British singer Sade Adu that has a typical 90s sound. This piece is very peculiar because it apparently does not even contain a cadence. Let’s try to analyze it to find out if there really can exist a pop song without cadences.Continue readingSade, Kiss of Life. A song without cadences?
[Monday Notes no. 160] Samba della rosa is a song by Toquinho and Vinicius De Moraes, performed by Ornella Vanoni on her album La voglia la pazzia l’incoscienza l’allegria. The recording is one of the most successful encounters between Italian music and bossanova.Continue readingSamba della rosa, Ornella Vanoni and bossa nova
[Monday notes no. 159] Mo Better Blues is the title track of the soundtrack for the film of the same name directed by Spike Lee, who commissioned the music to his father Bill Lee. Mo Better Blues is has a funky feel but in many ways falls in the tradition of the more archaic blues.…Continue readingMo Better Blues, a soundtrack to understand the blues
[Monday Notes no. 158] Deborah’s Theme is the main piece written by Ennio Morricone for the soundtrack of Once Upon a Time in America, one of Sergio Leone’s most important films. I have tried to analyse this masterpiece in film music.Continue readingDeborah’s Theme by Ennio Morricone. Analysis of a masterpiece
[Monday Note 157] The soundtrack of the film Schindler’s List has been created by one of the greatest masters of film music, John Williams. The American composer has written music for all kinds of films, from the science fiction of Star Wars and E.T. to the adventures of Indiana Jones. In this case, his music…Continue readingSchindler’s List by John Williams, all the secrets of a great soundtrack
[Monday’s Notes No.156] A beautiful love song, is there anything more classic? Perhaps only sung with a good guitar accompaniment, with simplicity. Such is the case with this performance by Eva Cassidy singing Fields of Gold, a song composed by Sting.Continue readingEva Cassidy sings Fields of Gold by Sting. A cover that surpasses the original
[Monday Notes no. 155] Bruno Lauzi was inspired by great Italian songwriting, but also by jazz and bossa nova, genres that he played and sang with ease. In 1976, he recorded an entire album for children from which is taken Il leprotto Zip (The hare Zip), a very witty song in samba – bossa nova…Continue readingBruno Lauzi, Il Leprotto Zip. Bossa nova explained to children