Italiano With Jodina

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Mina – Bio info

(Links to music & video below)

Anna Maria Mazzini, born 25 March 1940, known simply as Mina, is an Italian pop singer with Swiss citizenship. Born to a working class family in Busto Arsizio, Mina grew up in Cremona and was college educated in accounting. She went on to become one of Italy’s great modern female vocalists. Distinguished by the great extension and agility of her soprano voice and her image as an emancipated lady, she was a staple of the Italian television variety shows and a dominant figure on the Italian charts in the 1960s and 1970s. Mina combined several modern styles with the traditional Italian melody and swing music, making her the most versatile pop singer in Italian music. She dominated the Italian charts for fifteen years and reached an unsurpassed level of popularity in Italy.

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Mina’s first TV appearances in 1959 presented the first female rock and roll singer in Italy. Her loud syncopated singing earned her the nickname Queen of Screamers (La Regina degli urlatori). For her wild gestures and body shakes, the publicity also labeled her the Tiger of Cremona (La Tigre di Cremona).

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Mina’s pregnancy and relationship with a married actor (Corrado Pani) caused her to be banned on the public Italian channels in 1963, because her lifestyle did not agree with the dominant catholic and bourgeois morals. After the ban, the Italian broadcasting service RAI continued, unsuccessfully, trying to prohibit her songs, which were forthright in dealing with subjects such as religion, smoking, and sex. To her ’bad girl’ image, Mina added sex appeal and a cool act, featuring public smoking, dyed blond hair, and shaved eyebrows.

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Mina’s voice had distinctive timbre and great power. Her main themes were anguished love stories interpreted in a dramatic way. The singer combined classic Italian pop with features of blues, R&B and soul music in the late 1960s. Top Italian songwriters created material with large vocal range and unusual chord progression to showcase her singing skills.

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Around 1978, the singer went into a sort of self-imposed exile in Switzerland. On March 30, 2001, after 23 years of reclusion, Mina’s made her last public appearance, on video showing her in a recording studio. Mina remains somewhat of an enigma, and in these years of ‘voluntary exile’, she has declined to give interviews and has communicated with her fans only by way of her records and her columns in magazines such as Vanity Fair and contributions to Italian newspapers.

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Here, a few Mina tunes I like (links to music & video):

• Tintarella di Luna, a light upbeat tune considered ‘surf pop’, was Mina’s first Italian #1 hit (1959). The name, “Tintarella di luna,” means “Moon Tan”, which was performed in her first musicarello (musical comedy film) “Juke box – Urli d’amore.”

• Io Sono il Vento, (I am the Wind), a song of a more dramatic flavor. Good collection of pictures here.

• Le Mille Bolle Blu, (The Thousand Blue Bubbles), clip from the film “Mina… Fuori la Guardia”     — check out the hair, the set, etc…  Lady Gaga’s got nothing on Mina! 😉

New song selections added 3/11/2010: “Donne” by Zucchero–

–3/12/2010: “Essere una Donna,” Anna Tatangelo

–Scroll down!

In honor of  International Women’s Day (La Giornata Internazionale della Donna, or La Festa Donna), all this week I will be featuring various Italian songs dedicated to women, le donne.

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This list will grow as the days go by. Remember that you can easily find lyrics to the songs by doing an internet search using the song title followed by the word ‘lyrics’. And if you are unable to find a translation, you might consider using iGoogle.

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Le Canzone Dedicated alle Donne / Italian Songs dedicated to Women:

1. Quello che le donne non dicono, by Fiorella Mannoia
2. Donne, by Zucchero Sugar Fornacciari
3. Essere una donna, Ana Tanangelo (Modern commentary on the objectification of women… “essere una donna e` piu di una minigonna, ecc”…)
   

Auguri per la Festa della Donna!

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Happy International Women’s Day! (La Giornata Internazionale della Donna).

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On the 8th of March, International Women’s Day is celebrated widely around the World. The origins and history of this celebration are varied and date as far back as the 1800’s. (For more information, see the Wikipedia link below.)

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In 1945 (when the Italian Republic was born, after the period of Musolini and Fascism) the Union of Italian Women declared that March 8th – also known as “Festa della Donna”- should be dedicated to the celebration of womanhood across the country.

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Men and women (but especially men) offer bunches of yellow mimosa flowers (the yellow fragrant spring flower from the acacia tree) to all the important women in their lives. It is common to give flowers to family members, friends and co-workers.

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This day is an important opportunity that provides the chance to consider and discuss women’s rights and their role in society.

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Here, a few links to info and commentaries on la Festa della Donna. Some are in Italian… if you need help, you might try the URL/webpage translator at iGoogle.

1. Current Events:  Italy Celbrates Women’s Day
2. Info at Wikipedia
3. Words & phrases for the occasion:  Frasi di auguri Festa della Donna
4. Video: Mimose
   
5. Article in an Italian newspaper: Free Museum Admission
   
6. The OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) just published this report: “Aid in support of gender equality and women’s empowerment 2007-2008”

Buondì! (Good day!)

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“La Musica di Mercoledì” means “The Music of Wednesday” (or Wednesday’s Music).

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This will be a regular weekly installment on my web/blog-site, and will feature different Italian songs, music, and musical artists.

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Any Italian songs/musicians you really love?

Send ’em my way — they might just end up in a future Musica di Mercoledì post! 

~Your comments are always welcome~

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This week’s Italian musical picks arrive compliments of some of my friends in Italia who sent their favorite Italian love songs for my Valentines Day series of blog posts.

(Links to those here:  Post 1…Post 2…Post 3)

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There was such a surplus of good songs that I couldn’t post them all… so, since love / l’amore is always in season, here are the rest of the canzoni d’amore:

• – Buonanotte A Te, by Fabio Concato
• – Vorrei incontrarti tra cent’anni, by Ron
• – Resta cu’mme, Domenico Modugno (Yes! The same guy who sang “Volare”)

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Grazie e baci ad Emmanuele & Claudio!

Hi there!

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“Il detto della domenica” means “The Sunday Saying” (or expression).
This will be a regular weekly feature on my web/blog-site, and will be a showcase for Italian proverbs, idioms, and tongue twisters.

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This week’s “La fame viene mangiando”, meaning Hunger comes (while) eating, refers to that curious phenomenon whereby you may not feel hungry (‘avere fame’) until you’re actually in the act of eating or seeing the food… and then ‘boom’ out of nowhere, you’re suddenly ravenous!

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While often used in reference to eating, this expression or proverb is also often used in other situations where one might not really feel like doing some thing or activity until actually midstream in the act… calling to mind the English (American) expression “Fake it ’til you make it!”

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Practicing “sciolingue,” the Italian equivalent of tongue twisters, is an amusing way to practice and improve your pronunciation.

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Here is this week’s sciolingua/tongue twister:

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“In un piatto cupo poco pepe cape.”

In a dark plate little pepper fits.

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This tongue twister, as with last week’s [“Sora la panca la capra campa…”], seems not too difficult when pronounced slowly, but becomes much more challenging as you pick up the pace! Pay attention, again, to the double ‘t’ by placing extra emphasis on it.

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Buon divertimento! (Have fun!)

Have you ever wondered about the origin or meaning of an Italian last name? Or how many people there are in Italy with your last name? Or perhaps the most common first names for Italian men and women? And how to pronounce them? Looking for an Italian name for the baby,  the pet, or your sweetie?

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Check out this fun and useful site for this and other useful Italian name- and surname-related information.  ~ITALIAN NAMES~

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This link goes to the page in English. (There’s a button on the top right you can click to choose the Italian version of the page.) See the lists along the left side from the top of Name and Last Name menu choices.

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Buon apprendimento!
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N.B. (This means ‘Nota Bene’, or ‘take note’):  Plenty of the choices on this site are links to advertisements. A bit of weeding might be necessary. But the bulk of choices in the Names and Last Names on the top left side are good sources of name info.

Pronto?

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From the Dept. of “Don’t Believe Everything You Read in a Translator,” here is a mini compendium of goofy translations by various online translators that students and friends have reported on.

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LOL & Enjoy!

• “Secondo piatto” ==> translated as “according to plate”… No kidding! {True meaning: Second course or ‘plate’ in a meal}
• “Pamela” ==> translated as “wide-brimmed straw hat” {Intended meaning: the woman’s name}
• “Quanto costa? ==> “How much coast?” {True meaning: How much does it cost?}

For learners of Italian, or any language for that matter, listening to and singing along with children’s songs is an excellent way to pick up pronunciation, rhythm, and cadence of a language.

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Their simple melodies make these songs easy to master — in no time you’ll find yourself humming and singing them!

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The song “Ci Vuole un Fiore,” sung by Sergio Endrigo, is from the Italian children’s poem by Gianni Rodari. The tune has an eco-conscious, all-are-connected theme.

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Lyrics to “Ci Vuole un Fiore” (It Takes a Flower):

Le cose di ogni giorno raccontano segreti

Everyday things tell secrets

A chi le sa guardare ed ascoltare

To he who knows  how to look and listen

Per fare un tavolo ci vuole il legno

To make a table it takes wood

Per fare il legno ci vuole l’albero

To make the wood it takes the tree

Per fare l’albero ci vuole il seme

To make the tree it takes the seed

Per fare il seme ci vuole il frutto

To make the seed it takes the fruit

Per fare il frutto ci vuole il fiore

To make the fruit it takes the flower

Ci vuole un fiore, ci vuole un fiore

It takes a flower, it takes a flower

Per fare un tavolo ci vuole un fiore

To make a table it takes a flower

Per fare un tavolo ci vuole il legno

To make a table we need the wood

Per fare il legno ci vuole l’albero

To make the wood it takes the tree

Per fare l’albero ci vuole il seme

To make the tree it takes the seed

Per fare il seme ci vuole il frutto

To make the seed it takes the fruit

Per fare il frutto ci vuole il fiore

To make the fruit it takes the flower

Ci vuole un fiore, ci vuole un fiore

It takes a flower, it takes a flower

Per fare un tavolo ci vuole un fiore

To make a table it takes a flower

Per fare un fiore ci vuole un ramo

To make a flower it takes a branch

Per fare il ramo ci vuole l’albero

To make the branch it takes the tree

Per fare l’albero ci vuole il bosco

To make the tree we need the woods

Per fare il bosco ci vuole il monte

To make the woods it takes the mountain

Per fare il monte ci vuol la terra

To make the mountain it takes earth(land)

Per far la terra ci vuole un fiore

To make earth it takes a flower

Per fare tutto ci vuole un fiore

To make everything it takes a flower

Other related links:

1. Sergio Endrigo bio (in Italian)
2. Sergio Endrigo bio (inEnglish)
   
3. Gianni Rodari bio (in Italian)
4. Gianni Rodari bio (in English)

Yes, can you believe it??!  Even more Italian love songs !

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Ecco a few late entrants for the title “La più bella canzone d’amore”:

1. Notte di luna calante, recorded by Domenico Modugno (“Volare”) in 1960
2. Perdere l’amore, Massimo Ranieri, San Remo ’88
3. La cura, Franco Battiato ~~ I think this one is my favorite– so tender!

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Grazie agli amici che mi hanno mandato le sue canzoni d’amore preferite: Ninuzzo, DebP, Cugi, Ema, Claudio e Max.