napoli in musica – a sonic journey into neapolitan tradition

The “canzone” form was born in Naples. Art song, singer-songwriter music, popular song, a song destined to travel the world and represent an entire city and nation… The verse-and-refrain structure took hold in Naples, the result of a creative spirit in which distinguished poets met illustrious composers, while popular talents—untrained and often illiterate—also worked together on words and music, singing the city’s beauty or easing the burdens of everyday life. Neapolitan song is a musical and cultural heritage known and appreciated throughout the world. Its extraordinary international reach is also reflected in Japan, where there is a museum dedicated to it and where, in elementary schools, the study of the musical form known as “canzone” begins with five great classics of the Neapolitan tradition, including “’O sole mio” and “Funiculì Funiculà”.