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Ezio Cuppone
A Life for Folk Singing
Ezio Cuppone, born in 1942, spent his early childhood in Nardò, in the heart of a poor Puglia, stricken by tuberculosis but rich in traditions and folklore. In Nardò, he experienced the hardships of working in the fields, picking tobacco, but also had the opportunity to meet figures such as Ernesto de Martino and Luigi Stìfani, the barber-musician, one of the most important violinists and therapists of the rituals related to Salento's tarantism, one of the most significant phenomena in Italian folk anthropology.
His father, after fighting in Spain in the Duce's army in support of Franco, embraced socialist ideas and was forced to flee from a conservative Nardò, still heavily influenced by fascism and its power structures. The family moved to Cusano Milanino, where they found a more progressive and open environment. Here, gradually, Ezio's passion for music was born. Away from his father's eyes, he began to take his first steps as a musician in the cold cellar at home, playing a guitar bought by his mother.
After debuting in a light music group, Cuppone discovered, thanks to Carmen Pelucchi, the scene of Milanese folk music, coming into contact with "sacred monsters" like Gianni Bosio and Ivan Della Mea. However, it was with Dario Fo's show "Ci ragiono e canto" that he experienced a true revelation for this musical genre. Soon, his first collaborations emerged, the most notable being with Il Nuovo Canzoniere Italiano, for the production of "Il Bosco degli Alberi," a double album and a show centered on Italian folk music.
The narrative continues with a rich repertoire of events involving leading figures from the Italian musical and cultural scene, with whom Ezio built fruitful partnerships and collaborations. Among these, the most notable is the project of the Coro Ingrato of Milan, founded on May 24, 2000, in San Vincenzo, Toscana.
Video table of contents
- I was born and died on the same day
- In Nardò people died of TB
- Tobacco harvesting
- The socialist father and the move to Cusano Milanino
- The "taranta"
- Luigi Stìfani, taranta "therapist".
- The meeting with Ernesto de Martino
- Fausto Cigliano's concert and the desire to play the guitar
- My father was against my musical commitment
- The purchase of the first guitar and the first music group
- The first live experiences and pop music
- Carmen Pelucchi and the Milanese popular music scene
- "Ci ragione e canto" by Dario Fo, a shock!
- Franco Coggiola and the proposal to work on the "Bosco degli alberi"
- The show in Biella with Carlo Petrini
- The "Canzonieri" period
- Michele Straniero and Trino Vercellese's rice weeders
- The weeders of Opera and Giuliana Ceccherini
- The "Musical Experimentation Group" of Cusano Milanino
- Paolo Pietrangeli and Contessa
- Giovanna Marini
- The Canzoniere of Sesto San Giovanni and Alessio Lega
- The "Coro Ingrato"
- Today people no longer sing
- The sense of singing together
- You need to know the history behind popular songs to be an authoritative interpreter
- What is "folk song"?
- The influences of classical music in popular singing
- The popular song in an advert with Ivan della Mea
- Ivan della Mea
Interview information
Country: IT
Region: Lombardia
City: Milano
Ezio Cuppone
Date of birth: 06-24-1942
City: Nardò
School: High school or Secondary
Profession: Employee
Languages: Italiano
Document by: Luca Ghiardo
Video by: Luca Ghiardo, Monica Trabattoni, Yuki Kumagawa
Created: 28-05-2024
Questo video fa parte del seguente archivio
Life Stories
Life Stories
This section contains life stories: autobiographies and stories that don’t belong to any specific project. It is an archive where you can find recounts of completely different kinds of lives, which are virtually united by the fact that every human cycle finds its individual worth in the comparison with another. The narration becomes an experience for the interviewed subject, who finds himself through storytelling. Archive made with the contribution of the Piedmont Region.