Lecture: Italy’s Songwriters and their Literary Roots

The Week of the Italian Language in the World promotes Italian as a great language of classical and contemporary culture. Every year the diplomatic and cultural network of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation chooses a theme for this initiative and organizes a series of events in the third week of October. In 2015, Under the High Patronage of the President of the Republic of Italy, for the XV edition of the Week of the Italian Language in the World – October 19 through October 24 – the chosen theme is “Italiano della musica, la musica dell’Italiano.”

In 2015, under the Patronage of the President of the Republic, for the XV edition of the Week of the Italian Language in the World – October 19 through October 24 – the chosen theme is “Italian in music, Music of Italian.” As part of these series of events the Italian Cultural Institute, in collaboration with Georgetown University, presents Italy’s Songwriters and their Literary Roots, a lecture by Francesco Ciabattoni based on his book La ‘citazione’ é sintomo d’amore (Carocci, 2015).

Italian songwriters Roberto Vecchioni, Francesco Guccini, Angelo Branduardi, Fabrizio De André, Francesco De Gregori and Claudio Baglioni are among the most acclaimed artists in their field. Their lyrics are interspersed with quotations of and references to famous writers from Kafka to García Márquez, Salinger and Pasolini. This book unravels the intertextual secrets in some of the most famous Italian songs.

Throughout the lecture the band The i-Talians, will perform lirics by the songwriters.

THE BAND:

• Gianpiero Antonazzo (guitar)
• Francesco Ciabattoni (keyboards)
• Pasquale De Pandi (voice)
• Evangelina Elizondo (voice)
• Fabrizio Papi (drums)
• Gerardo Spatuzzi (bass)

MORE INFO: HERE

LOCATION
Embassy of Italy – Auditorium
3000 Whitehaven Street, NW
Washington, DC 20008

DOORS OPEN AT 6:00PM AND CLOSE PROMPTLY AT 6:30PM  

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