The languages of Italy are Italian, which serves as the country's national language, as well as numerous local and regional languages, most of which, like Italian, belong to the broader Romance group. The majority of languages often labeled as regional are distributed in a continuum across the regions' administrative boundaries, with speakers from one locale within a single region being typically aware of the features distinguishing their own variety from one of the other places nearby.
Angelo Gilardino is an Italian composer, guitarist and musicologist.
Canzone napoletana, sometimes referred to as Neapolitan song, is a generic term for a traditional form of music sung in the Neapolitan language, ordinarily for the male voice singing solo, although well represented by female soloists as well, and expressed in familiar genres such as the love song and serenade. Many of the songs are about the nostalgic longing for Naples as it once was. The genre consists of a large body of composed popular music—such songs as "’O sole mio"; "Torna a Surriento"; "Funiculì, Funiculà"; "Santa Lucia" and others.
Italian folk music has a deep and complex history. National unification came quite late to the Italian peninsula, so its many hundreds of separate cultures remained un-homogenized until quite recently compared to many other European countries. Moreover, Italian folk music reflects Italy's geographic position at the south of Europe and in the center of the Mediterranean Sea: Celtic, Slavic, Arabic, Greek, Spanish and Byzantine influences are readily apparent in the musical styles of the Italian regions. Italy's rough geography and the historic dominance of small city states has allowed quite diverse musical styles to coexist in close proximity.
Gino Paoli is an Italian singer-songwriter. He is a seminal figure who has written a number of songs widely regarded as classics in Italian popular music, including: "Il cielo in una stanza", "Che cosa c'è", "Senza fine", "Quattro amici al bar" and "Sapore di sale".
Fabio Lombardi is an Italian ethnomusicologist and organologist who studied, at the Bologna University, with Roberto Leydi, Tullia Magrini and the organologist Febo Guizzi. Born in Meldola, Romagna, in the 1980s he made an ethnic musical field research in Emilia-Romagna, near Forlì and along the Bidente valley which has contributed to a better knowledge of Italian ethnic music, particularly regarding musical instruments: he discovered some unknown ethnic instruments both in Italy and Europe. For example, see: a type of mirliton improperly named "Ocarina" kazoo. Other Lombardi's works are on the local history of Meldola, Riccione, Forlì and other topics.
Vincenzo Jannacci, more commonly known as Enzo Jannacci, was an Italian singer-songwriter, pianist, actor and comedian. He is regarded as one of the most important artists in the post-war Italian music scene.
Beniamino "Mino" Reitano was an Italian singer, songwriter and actor.
The müsa, or müsa appenninica, is a bagpipe from the Apennines of north-west Italy which was commonly used to accompany the piffero in the folk music of the Quattro Province: the ‘Four Provinces’ of. In the 1930s, however, the instrument fell into disfavour and was generally displaced by the accordion.
Giuseppe Prestipino Giarritta, professionally known by his pseudonym Pino Presti, is an Italian bassist, arranger, composer, conductor and record producer from Milan. He is a 5th-dan black belt in Shotokan Karate.
Mario Trevi, stage name of Agostino Capozzi is an Italian singer, film actor, and theater actor.
Eugenio Bennato is an Italian folk musician and songwriter. He is the brother of the musician Edoardo Bennato.
Eduardo De Crescenzo is an Italian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, best known for the songs "Ancora" and "E la musica va".
Cesare Bermani is an Italian author and historian.
Pino Rucher was an Italian guitarist active in orchestral settings and in film soundtracks.
Andrea Mingardi is an Italian singer-songwriter, composer, musician, author and occasional actor.
Fiorenza Calogero is an Italian world music singer and actress from Naples, Italy. She has made a significant contribution to the research and popularity of the traditional songs of Southern Italy.
Luca Bassanese is an Italian singer, songwriter, actor, writer and musician, very practicing in social issues. He won the MEI Plate 2015 as best folk music artist, the Recanati Musicultura Award and the Certificate of merit for the Civil Commitment. Bassanese is one of the most important exponent of the new Italian folk music. His lyrics are both poetic and satiric and denounce the contradictions of his country through an unconventional (original) language.
Giuliano Taviani is an Italian composer.
Mauro Cardi is an Italian composer.
