Florence: A city renowned for its baroque architecture, medieval alleys and brilliant atmosphere, undoubtedly one of the most beautiful cities in Italy (if not the whole Europe). The city of Renaissance with a very unique and original identity; in fact it was a pioneer. Many other European cities have been influenced by Florence and its cultural heredity is very rich. Famous residents were Leonardo DaVinci, Michelangelo Buonaroti, Galileo Galilei, Sandro Botticelli, the modern fashion designers Roberto Cavalli, Guccio Gucci and the list goes on.
As far as music in concerned, it is well known that the achievements of Florence are mainly focused in classical music (it was home of the Florentine Camerata which experimented with the first operas in the 16th century, Bartolomeo Cristofori invented the pianoforte in 1711), what is more interesting, however, is the least famous music profile of Florence, its folk, jazz and modern music that lives and thrives under the skin of the city.
Is there such a thing as Tuscan folk?
Folk music is sung by the people and for the people and the elaborate Tuscan choir ensembles are a marvel for the ears, proving where all the famous classical composers drew their inspiration from. The Tuscan folksong “Maggio Serenata” arranged for choir is not at all inferior to an opera aria or chorus. Songs about love, spring, the river Arno, and beautiful Firenze (Florence in Italian), happy songs that reflect the prosperous society the songwriters lived in. The Renaissance was an ideal era for music (and all the arts) to flourish.
The Florentines are not like the passionate Neapolitanians or the pompous tralalleri of Genova (both marvelous examples of the diversity of Italian folk). The Florentine folk is like the city itself; jolly, pleasant, amorous, like its painting is delicate, its architecture and sculpture gracious.
The research and documentation of folk music in Tuscany (and all over Italy in general) is limited due to the domination of the religious/baroque music which was patronized by the Florentine elite and therefore saved. Visiting Florence you are overwhelmed by the prestigious atmosphere of the city and the appropriate classical music heritage is everywhere; you do feel, however, that behind the magnificent face of Florence, in the hearts and minds of the people lives the folk culture. It is worth mentioning that many folk songs are today documented due to the personal extensive research of singer/songwriter Riccardo Marasco.
The only, perhaps, exception of folk-oriented music that is well documented is the songs of the pionneer of the Italian Ars Nova, Francesco Landini. Landini is most famous for leading the breakthrough of polyphonic music in the 14th century in Florence and Italy in general. Although his songs are performed during concerts of classical or “early” music, they definitely have folk foundations refined by an intelectual approach.
Jazz made in Italy.
Although nearby Umbria is most famous for its jazz tradition and festivals (and quoted as “Europe’s New Orleans”) Florence is not overshadowed. Tuscany was one of the first regions where jazz arrived after WWII and it was accepted as an art more quickly than in its homeland, the US.
Florence is passionate about jazz and the variety of jazz bars, bands and festivals prove it. Top Italian and international jazz musicians frequent the city all year round and they don?t just reproduce the American jazz; they experiment, they present swing, Cuban, Brazilian, funk of high quality to satisfy even the most demanding listener.
Prestigious festivals attract high-profile musicians (Bill Holman, Giovanni Maier, Steven Bernstein, the Dorado Schmitt Quintet, the Don Byron Quartet, Elvis Costello just to name a few).
List of Festivals
Jazz/Blues/Latin
Toscana Jazz Festival
Metastasio Jazz Festival
Musicus Concentus Concert Series
Jazz in Piaza SS Annunciata
Oriente Occidente
Classical
Maggio Musicale Fiorentino
Florence international music festival
Opera Festival
Toscana Classica
Florence Youth Festival
Folk
Musica dei Popoli
Irlanda in festa (Celtic music, dance, crafts and drink)
Firenze Tango Festival
Itinerari Musicali (Pistoia)
Modern/Various
Creativita Festival
Fabbrica Europa
Sesto d’Estate
Settembre in Piazza Della Passera
Nextech Festival (electronic)
Oriente Occidente
Network Sonoro
Notable musicians from Tuscan
Riccardo Marasco (folk)
InChanto (folk)
Riccardo Tesi (folk)
Banditaliana (folk)
Tempus Floridum (choir)
Litfiba (rock)
Marco Masini (pop)
Irene Grandi (pop)
Jovanotti (pop-rap)
Paolo Amulfi band (blues/ rock)
Andrea Bocelli
Study music in Florence
Scuola di Musica e Arte Il Trillo
Accademia Europea di Firenze
Summer Jazz Institute (for NYU students)
Associazione di Musica Vincezo Galilei
Accademia Musicale di Firenze
Conservatorio Luigi Cherubini
Scuola di Musica di Fiesole
University of Florence
Florence Photo Gallery:
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February 4th, 2010 at 1:51 pm
Beautiful post! Toscana its incredible… such a nice place! the most beutiful of all Italy!
im from Argentina, I created a wordpress page with all my material of my travels to Toscana check it if you want:
Leave your comment!!
Marco “Toscandme” Rossi
April 30th, 2009 at 7:27 pm
Hi Luca. I had a wonderful time in Italy especially Florence, Ferrara and Verona. I wish I could live there… excellent music, very friendly people…
Well that’s my top 5
1)Florence
2)Stockholm
3)Berlin
4)Bern
5)Vancouver
and the list goes on….
April 30th, 2009 at 7:13 pm
Grande sito….good blog!Firenze is one of the most beautiful cities in the world!If you like italian food visit my blog,on the right you can find thousands italian recipes
April 12th, 2009 at 5:01 pm
Thanks for this….
March 31st, 2009 at 12:16 pm
Nice post. Florence is a lovely city which I discovered last year. I haven’t look into it’s musical background.
March 29th, 2009 at 3:13 pm
Very nice blog, Florence looks very nice from the picture. I hope to visit some day. I wonder how much a room is? Has anyone visited Florence lately?
March 28th, 2009 at 11:54 pm
I like music and I like this blog