''Tutti morimmo a stento'' ( is the second album and the third studio release by

Fabrizio De André Fabrizio Cristiano De André (; 18 February 1940 – 11 January 1999) was an Italian singer-songwriter, the most prominent ''cantautore'' of his time. His 40-year career reflects his interests in concept albums, literature, poetry, political pr ...

, issued in

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – " Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Janu ...

by Bluebell Records. The album, whose lyrics are inspired by the poetry of

François Villon François Villon ( Modern French: , ; – after 1463) is the best known French poet of the Late Middle Ages. He was involved in criminal behavior and had multiple encounters with law enforcement authorities. Villon wrote about some of these ...

, is considered one of the first concept albums to be produced in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

Track listing

The English version

In 1969, Italian producer Antonio Casetta had the idea to realize an English version of the record, so De André re-recorded the vocal tracks. This version was never officially released and the only printed copy was thought to be lost until 2007, when a

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

collector revealed that it had been in his possession for almost 40 years.

The songs

"Cantico dei drogati"

The opener of the album is based on a Riccardo Mannerini poem titled "''Eroina''" ("''Heroin''").
The protagonist of the song is a drug addict who, on the verge of death, imagines seeing

glass Glass is a non-crystalline, often transparent, amorphous solid that has widespread practical, technological, and decorative use in, for example, window panes, tableware, and optics. Glass is most often formed by rapid cooling ( quenching ...

pixie A pixie (also pisky, pixy, pixi, pizkie, and piskie in Cornwall and Devon, and pigsie or puggsy in the New Forest) is a mythical creature of British folklore. Pixies are considered to be particularly concentrated in the high moorland areas ar ...

s, the bounds of infinity and the sound of silence. In his last moment, he seems to regret his ways, seeing his drug addiction as a coward's escape from reality.

"Primo intermezzo"

This is the first of three short interludes on the album, all featuring poetical lyrics over the same melody, each of which follows the same lyrical theme as the preceding song. This one continues with the theme of psychedelic visions.

"Leggenda di Natale"

A free rewrite of "Le Père Noël et la Petite Fille", a

Georges Brassens Georges Charles Brassens (; 22 October 1921 – 29 October 1981) was a French singer-songwriter and poet. As an iconic figure in France, he achieved fame through his elegant songs with their harmonically complex music for voice and guitar and a ...

song from 1960, "Leggenda di Natale" is about the loss, destruction and violation of innocence, told through the story of a girl who remembers her childhood, during which she was

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ...

d by an unknown man. All this is expressed in a very resigned, poetical style, without saying anything explicitly.

"Secondo intermezzo"

Similar to the first interlude, this second one continues the theme of the previous song, describing the girl's lost innocence as a dying flower.

"Ballata degli impiccati"

A slow,

dirge A dirge ( la, dirige, naenia) is a somber song or lament expressing mourning or grief, such as would be appropriate for performance at a funeral. Often taking the form of a brief hymn, dirges are typically shorter and less meditative than elegi ...

-like folk ballad, "Ballata degli impiccati" is closely related to a poem,

Ballade des pendus The ''Ballade des pendus'', literally "ballad of the hanged", also known as ''Epitaphe Villon'' or ''Frères humains'', is the best-known poem by François Villon. It is commonly acknowledged, although not clearly established, that Villon wrote it ...

, written in 1462 by French poet

while waiting for his execution. However, while Villon asks for pity for the condemned, those in the lyrics of De André and Bentivoglio express rancor for the ones who judged, buried, and even remembered, all of whom will inevitably also meet their ends. These condemned men are unrepentant, and in death sit in judgment against the cruelty of capital punishment, waiting to restart their "suspended discourse" until joined in death by those who sent them there.

"Inverno"

A heavily orchestrated

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

ballad, alternating soft and loud dynamics between verses and choruses, "Inverno" is against the pursuit of guarantees regarding love, as if love were like an automobile. One must remain open to love, but without trying to condition when it might arise and when it might die.

"Girotondo"

This is a darkly ironical song, including some nonsense lyrics (''marcondiro 'ndera, marcondiro 'ndà'') traditionally used by Italian children during

Ring a Ring o' Roses "Ring a Ring o' Roses", "Ring a Ring o' Rosie", or (in the United States) "Ring Around the Rosie", is a traditional nursery rhyme, folk song and playground singing game. Descriptions first emerge in the mid-19th century, but are reported as ...

playground games, as a refrain. The bulk of the lyrics, though, are all-but-nonsense, in that they describe the impending start of a nuclear war and the consequent annihilation of mankind. At the end of the song, children are implied to be the only survivors and sing about "playing war games", re-starting the loop. De André sings together with the children's choir I Piccoli Cantori.

"Terzo intermezzo"

Like the two preceding interludes, this third one expands on the theme of the previous song, namely war, by painting a bleak and discomforting picture of a post-war scenery, also comparing the devastation of war to disillusionment in love.

"Recitativo/Corale"

As the title says, this piece juxtaposes spoken verses with a chorus sung by an operatic choir - both accompanied by a

chorale Chorale is the name of several related musical forms originating in the music genre of the Lutheran chorale: * Hymn tune of a Lutheran hymn (e.g. the melody of "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme"), or a tune in a similar format (e.g. one of the th ...

orchestral tune composed by

Gian Piero Reverberi Gian Piero Reverberi (born 29 July 1939 in Genoa) is an Italian pianist, composer, arranger, conductor, and entrepreneur. Biography After obtaining Diplomas in piano and composition from the Paganini Conservatory in Genoa, Reverberi worked in ...

in the style of

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wo ...

. The lyrics, first recited by De André with a pointed, accusatory tone and then sung by the choir in a lighter, fairytale style, make the case that a merciful outlook should underpin all human affairs, as death waits patiently for each of us regardless of our station in life.From
Fabrizio De André in English
'.

Personnel

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

, classical guitar. *The Rome Philarmonia Orchestra conducted by

. *All orchestral arrangements by

. *Pietro Carapellucci Choir conducted by

(in "Corale"). *"I Piccoli Cantori" Children Choir (in "Girotondo").

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tutti Morimmo A Stento 1968 albums Fabrizio De André albums Italian-language albums François Villon Bluebell Records albums