Bandiera Rossa

Last updated
Bandiera Rossa

Political Song of Italy
Lyrics Carlo Tuzzi, 1889
Audio sample
Bandiera Rossa performed by Corale Verdi Milano between 1900 and 1959

Bandiera Rossa (Italian for "Red Flag"), often also called Avanti Popolo after its opening words (also to avoid any confusion with Le tre bandiere, another socialist song), is one of the most famous songs of the Italian labour movement. It glorifies the red flag, symbol of the socialist and communist movements. The text was written by Carlo Tuzzi in 1908; the melody is taken from two Lombard folk songs.

Contents

Versions

Apart from the first Italian text, there are several variants which are identified with certain socialist or communist parties. The last two lines "Evviva il comunismo e la libertà" were put in the text after the rise of Benito Mussolini; at the same time the original beginning "Compagni avanti alla riscossa" was changed to "Avanti o popolo, alla riscossa". Also, the word "comunismo" at the end of the chorus is often replaced with "socialismo", especially in more recent renderings of the song.

Influence on other works

Art music

Bandiera Rossa was notably quoted in Frederic Rzewski's piano works The People United Will Never Be Defeated! and No Place to Go but Around .

Notable covers of the song were made by the Slovenian punk-rock band Pankrti in 1984 on the Rdeči album (Red album), [1] [2] as well as the Croatian punk-rock band KUD Idijoti in 1990, on their album Mi smo ovdje samo zbog para (We are only here for the money). Scottish band, Tarneybackle released a version of the song as part of a medley of Spanish Civil War music. [3] The song also appears on UK punk band Angelic Upstarts' 2002 album Sons of Sparticus.

The title of the 1986 Israeli film Avanti Popolo is taken from the song. The film's protagonists – Israeli and Egyptian soldiers, particularly unheroic in their attitudes and actions, wander the Sinai Desert in the aftermath of the 1967 War. In one notable scene, the soldiers facetiously sing the song.

Excerpt from the text

First verse:
Avanti popolo, alla riscossa,
Bandiera rossa, Bandiera rossa.
Avanti popolo, alla riscossa,
Bandiera rossa trionferà.

Refrain:

Bandiera rossa trionferà
Bandiera rossa trionferà
Bandiera rossa trionferà
Evviva il comunismo e la libertà.
Literal Translation:
Forward people, towards redemption
Red Flag, Red Flag
Forward people, towards redemption
Red Flag will triumph.
Red Flag will be triumphant,
Red Flag will be triumphant,
Red Flag will be triumphant,
Long live communism and freedom.

This version was translated for marxists.org by Clara Statello and Mitchell Abidor. [4]

Foreign-language versions

One of the most widely known Italian songs, Bandiera Rossa has been rendered in several languages including: English, [5] Serbo-Croatian, Slovenian, German, [6] French, [7] Swedish, [8] Norwegian, Danish, [9] Turkish, [10] Kurdish, [10] Finnish, [11] Icelandic, Maltese, [12] Russian, [11] Esperanto, [13] Japanese, [14] Arabic, [15] Hindi, [16] Punjabi, [16] Vietnamese [17] and Filipino. [18]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of Vatican City</span> National flag

The flag of Vatican City was adopted in 1929, the year Pope Pius XI signed the Lateran Treaty with Italy, creating the new independent state of Vatican City governed by the Holy See. The flag is a vertical bicolour of yellow and white, with the white half charged with the coat of arms of Vatican City. It was modeled after the 1808 flag of the Papal States, a yellow-and-white bicolour defaced with the tiara and keys in the centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bella ciao</span> Italian anti-fascist folk song

"Bella ciao" is an Italian song dedicated to the partisans of Italy who fought against the invading forces of Nazi Germany and the fascist collaborationists of the Italian Social Republic between 1943 and 1945 during the Italian resistance and the liberation of Italy.

"54-46 " is a song by Fred "Toots" Hibbert, recorded by Toots and the Maytals, originally released on the Beverley's label in Jamaica and the Pyramid label in the UK. A follow-up version released a year later, "54-46 Was My Number", was one of the first reggae songs to receive widespread popularity outside Jamaica, and is seen as being one of the defining songs of the genre. It has been anthologised repeatedly and the titles of several reggae anthologies include "54-46" in their title.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Propagandhi</span> Canadian punk rock band

Propagandhi is a Canadian punk rock band formed in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba in 1986 by guitarist Chris Hannah and drummer Jord Samolesky. The band is currently located in Winnipeg, Manitoba and completed by bassist Todd Kowalski and guitarist Sulynn Hago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atheist Rap</span> Serbian punk rock band

Atheist Rap is a Serbian punk rock band from Novi Sad, formed in 1989, which has released six studio albums, one compilation album and one live DVD. Their music is often characterized as "fun punk" due to its cheerful music and vocals. Their lyrics are usually critical of society and politics and are often humorous accounts of everyday events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Call Me (Blondie song)</span> 1980 single by Blondie

"Call Me" is a song by the American new wave band Blondie and the theme to the 1980 film American Gigolo. Produced and composed by Italian musician Giorgio Moroder, with lyrics by Blondie singer Debbie Harry, the song appeared in the film and was released in the United States in early 1980 as a single. "Call Me" was No. 1 for six consecutive weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, where it became the band's biggest single and second No. 1. It also hit No. 1 in the UK and Canada, where it became their fourth and second chart-topper, respectively. In the year-end chart of 1980, it was Billboard's No. 1 single and RPM magazine's No. 3 in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pankrti</span> Musical artist

Pankrti are a punk rock band from Ljubljana, Slovenia, active in the late 1970s and 1980s. They were known for provocative and political songs. They billed themselves as The First Punk Band Behind The Iron Curtain. They are one of the most important former Yugoslav punk groups and one of the first punk rock bands ever formed in a communist country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KUD Idijoti</span>

KUD Idijoti was a punk rock band from Pula, Croatia. The name of the band translates to Cultural Artistic Society "Idiots" The word Idijoti is deliberately spelled wrong, the correct Croatian form of the word being idioti. The prefix 'KUD' is a common designation for amateur folklore dance and music groups in the ex-Yugoslav countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Šarlo Akrobata</span> Serbian new wave/post-punk band

Šarlo Akrobata were a seminal Serbian new wave/post-punk band from Belgrade. Short-lived but extremely influential, in addition to being one of the most important acts of the Yugoslav new wave scene, the three piece left an indelible mark on the entire music scene of former Yugoslavia.

"Fischia il vento" is an Italian popular song whose text was written in late 1943, at the inception of the Resistance. The tune is based on the Russian song Katyusha. Along with Bella ciao it is one of the most famous songs celebrating the Italian resistance, the anti-fascist movement that fought the forces that occupied Italy during World War II.

Punk rock in Yugoslavia was the punk subculture of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The most developed scenes across the federation existed in the Socialist Republic of Slovenia, the Adriatic coast of the Socialist Republic of Croatia, the Socialist Autonomous Province of Vojvodina and Belgrade, the capital of both Yugoslavia and the Socialist Republic of Serbia. Some notable acts included: Pankrti, Paraf, Pekinška patka, KUD Idijoti, Niet, Patareni and KBO!.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Found Glory discography</span>

The discography of New Found Glory, an American rock band. Consists of twelve studio albums, 34 singles, three extended plays (EPs), four cover albums, one live album, and two greatest hits compilation albums.

<i>Lost Highway: The Concert</i> 2007 live album / Video album by Bon Jovi

Lost Highway: The Concert is the fourth live DVD from American rock band Bon Jovi. The DVD shows the band performing the Lost Highway album in its entirety to an audience of approximately 2,000 people in Chicago Illinois. It is the first time in the band's history that they have performed an entire album in sequence live. After they completed performing the album in its entirety, the band played three of their hits: "It's My Life", "Wanted Dead or Alive" and "Who Says You Can't Go Home". The concert was released as a bonus audio disk with the German and UK version of Lost Highway on May 16, 2008, under the name Lost Highway: Tour Edition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Novembar</span> Serbian punk rock band

Novembar is a Serbian punk rock band from Niš.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Red Flag</span> Socialist song

"The Red Flag" is a socialist song, emphasising the sacrifices and solidarity of the international labour movement. It is the anthem of the British Labour Party, the Northern Irish Social Democratic and Labour Party and the Irish Labour Party. It was formerly used by the New Zealand Labour Party until the late 1940s. The song is traditionally sung at the close of each party's national conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Story So Far (band)</span> American pop-punk band

The Story So Far is an American pop-punk band from Walnut Creek, California, formed in 2007. They are currently signed to Pure Noise Records and have released 4 studio albums.

Avanti Popolo is a 1986 Israeli drama film directed by Rafi Bukai. The film was selected as the Israeli entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 59th Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.

Tigrino Sabatini, was a communist and a leader of the Italian Resistance, executed for his activities as a zone-commander of the Movimento Comunista d'Italia, also known as Bandiera Rossa.

Scintilla was a communist circle created in Rome in 1940, as one of a number of attempts to refound the Communist Party of Italy (PCd'I) banned since 1926. Most of its leaders would later contribute to creating the dissident-communist Movimento Comunista d'Italia, largest formation of the Italian Resistance in Rome.

References

  1. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine : Bandiera Rossa by Pankrti. YouTube .
  2. "Pankrti – Rdeči Album (1984, Vinyl)". Discogs .
  3. "CDs and Reviews". www.tarneybackle.co.uk. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  4. "Lyrics: Bandiera rossa (Marxists Internet Archive)". 2015-06-23. Retrieved 2015-06-23.
  5. Bandiera Rossa (Italian, German and English versions) , retrieved 2022-12-13
  6. "DDR Lieder - "Bandiera Rossa"" [GDR Song - "Bandiera Rossa"] (in French). YouTube. 2011-08-16. Retrieved 2013-03-07.
  7. "Bandiera rossa - (Französisch)". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2013-10-06. Retrieved 2013-03-07.
  8. "Bandiera Rossa". YouTube. 2008-08-30. Archived from the original on 2021-12-19. Retrieved 2013-03-07.
  9. "Søren Sidevind - Avanti Popolo". YouTube. 2010-01-06. Archived from the original on 2021-12-19. Retrieved 2013-03-07.
  10. 1 2 "1 Mayıs ! İşçinin emekçinin bayramı !". YouTube. 2011-04-30. Archived from the original on 2021-12-19. Retrieved 2013-03-07.
  11. 1 2 "Bandiera rossa - (Italienisch / Deutsch / Finnisch / Russisch)". YouTube. 2011-01-31. Archived from the original on 2016-05-29. Retrieved 2013-03-07.
  12. Bandiera Ħamra (Bandiera Rossa in Maltese) , retrieved 2022-09-26
  13. "Ruĝa Flago - Gianfranco MOLLE". YouTube. 2013-04-04. Archived from the original on 2021-12-19. Retrieved 2020-12-15.
  14. 【Hatsune Miku】人民よ進め: Bandiera rossa. (Japanese) 【Vocaloid 2】初音ミク) , retrieved 2010-11-17
  15. Bandiera Rossa (Syrian Arabic Version) , retrieved 2023-07-24
  16. 1 2 "3 "लाल झंडा / ਲਾਲ ਝੰਡਾ" 《Bandiera Rossa in Hindi & Punjabi》". YouTube . Retrieved 2023-07-20.
  17. Bandiera Rossa in Vietnamese (Ngọn cờ đỏ) , retrieved 2022-06-05
  18. Bandiera Rossa in Filipino (Sulong ka, Bayan) , retrieved 2022-04-11

Further reading