The music and artists of Italy
So much can be said about Italian music that a page like this could only list some of the most influential styles of music that Italy has been known for.
From classical to opera, folk and pop, progressive rock and crossover, Italian composers and performers can all be included in the World Hall of Fame.
The classical music of Italy is considered to be melodic and romantic as heard in Puccini and Verdi's works, but it can also stretch to experimental and the base of the early Neapolitan songs.
Opera dates back to 1500, Venice and Naples were the first to showcase the works of Claudio Monteverdi, Domenico Scarlatti, Gioacchino Rossini, Gaetano Donizetti and Vincenzo Bellini.
Italian folk music is as varied as its regions. In the northern regions you will find music that has influences from the bordering countries such as France, Austria and Slovenia. In the south the music is clearly more Mediterranean with Arabic, Greek and African beats and music.
Among the best-known Italian pop musicians of the last few decades are Domenico Modugno, Mina, Gianni Morandi, I Pooh, Adriano Celentano and, more recently, Zucchero, Vasco Rossi and Eros Ramazzotti.
Musicians who compose and sing their own songs are called cantautori (singer-songwriters). Their compositions typically focus on topics of social relevance and are often protest songs: this wave began in the 1960s with musicians like Fabrizio De André, Giorgio Gaber, Gino Paoli and Luigi Tenco.
Social, political, psychological and intellectual themes, mainly in the wake of Gaber and De André's work, became even more predominant in 1970s through authors such as Pino Daniele, Francesco De Gregori, Francesco Guccini, Antonello Venditti and Roberto Vecchioni.
At the same time Lucio Battisti, Angelo Branduardi and Franco Battiato pursued careers more oriented to the tradition of Italian pop music.
So much can be said about Italian music that a page like this could only list some of the most influential styles of music that Italy has been known for.
From classical to opera, folk and pop, progressive rock and crossover, Italian composers and performers can all be included in the World Hall of Fame.
The classical music of Italy is considered to be melodic and romantic as heard in Puccini and Verdi's works, but it can also stretch to experimental and the base of the early Neapolitan songs.
Opera dates back to 1500, Venice and Naples were the first to showcase the works of Claudio Monteverdi, Domenico Scarlatti, Gioacchino Rossini, Gaetano Donizetti and Vincenzo Bellini.
Italian folk music is as varied as its regions. In the northern regions you will find music that has influences from the bordering countries such as France, Austria and Slovenia. In the south the music is clearly more Mediterranean with Arabic, Greek and African beats and music.
Among the best-known Italian pop musicians of the last few decades are Domenico Modugno, Mina, Gianni Morandi, I Pooh, Adriano Celentano and, more recently, Zucchero, Vasco Rossi and Eros Ramazzotti.
Musicians who compose and sing their own songs are called cantautori (singer-songwriters). Their compositions typically focus on topics of social relevance and are often protest songs: this wave began in the 1960s with musicians like Fabrizio De André, Giorgio Gaber, Gino Paoli and Luigi Tenco.
Social, political, psychological and intellectual themes, mainly in the wake of Gaber and De André's work, became even more predominant in 1970s through authors such as Pino Daniele, Francesco De Gregori, Francesco Guccini, Antonello Venditti and Roberto Vecchioni.
At the same time Lucio Battisti, Angelo Branduardi and Franco Battiato pursued careers more oriented to the tradition of Italian pop music.