Eclectic, melodic, innovative, modern Italian music has managed to remain free from any parochial protectionist attempts at sustaining anything like a pure, “national style.” Italy’s resistance to political unification as a nation-state until fairly recent times has meant that Italian folk music has ever been regional music, displaying influences from cultures that settled a particular locale.

Classical vocal and instrumental sounds are iconic elements of Italian music culture. But while opera and classical music are most famously identified with Italian musicology, what is considered “classical” music in Italy actually includes experimental art music and international fusion styles with inspiration drawn from both native and imported sources. Contemporary Italian musicians have always borrowed freely from international styles for the sake of developing vibrant and distinctive music.

Italian fusion projects characteristically blend two or more international musical styles. Popular Neapolitan singer, Massimo Ranieri, has put out a CD titled Oggi o domani on which he sings his canzone napoletana to the melodies and instrumental harmonies of North African music. The group Al-Darawish, based in Sicily, features members representing a number of different ethnicities, and includes Palestinian lead vocalist Nabil Ben Salameh. The TaraGnawa project, developed by Berber singer Nour Eddine together with Phaleg, melts the sounds of Morocco and Calabria to create a fresh, uniquely Mediterranean music. The song “L’anima del mondo,” or “the soul of the world,” has been well-received by wide audience. And there is also The Luigi Cinque & the Tarantula Hypertext Orchestra, which draws upon jazz and middle-eastern grooves. This lively and expressive group defies all attempts at labeling, while at the same time being very listenable.

While Italian music has been heavily influenced by other cultures, it has also been strongly influential. Italy has been a focal point for European classical music since at least the 17th century, when the first opera house opened in, then highly prominent, Venice. The centuries that followed brought evolution of the Italian sound for one which has since come to romance audiences the world over. Amongst the first of these audiences were Henry IV of France and Maria de Medici. It is said that the first opera for which the musical composition has survived was performed at the Pitti Palace in Florence at the wedding of the French king and Florentine princess.

Opera as an Italian art was born in Venice in the early 1600s, and along with it, commercial showmanship and the world of professional music. From its beginnings on Italian stages, opera cultivated vocal rhythms which tended to dominate over the instrumentals. Early in the development of the genre, voice melody became as important, if not more important than tonal complex. Since then, much of Italian music has accorded a supreme position to melody, and the tendency has extended to popular musical styles.

The immense popularity of Italian opera within Italy itself has played no small role in the development of popular song. In the 19th century, even in the most rural villages, operatic productions occasionally made appearances. When they did, it cause for a town-wide outing. Opera singers of the time were beloved by all, and their performances always enjoyed. Village musicians took note, and the techniques of Opera were soon applied to traditional song. Italy’s operatic legacy remains a relevant to Italian popular music. Some of the best Italian songs feature the rhythmic build of soaring vocals above all else. Italian hip-hop too places melody more or less in prime position, before text and harmonic complexity.

Folk music Naples and surrounds has also at times gained popularity more widely in Italy. The Neapolitan language, fundamental to Neapolitan song, is famous abroad in places where southern Italian immigrants have settled, and exported their music tradition. Perhaps the most recognizable canzone Napoletana is “O sole mio” (Oh my sun). Others include “Funiculi Funicula” and “Torna a Surriento.”

Many are tunes about love, others are laments about or a rejoicing in returning to one’s beloved home town. Still others are comic jests. Typically, the songs are simple harmonies with a sort of up-and-down rhythm. Those outside Italy - or rather, outside of Europe - who are unfamiliar with popular Italian folk music, may tend to associate it with Neapolitan song. But while the music is quite wonderful in its own right, Italian song ranges well beyond.

In Anglo countries, they are called singer-songwriters, Bob Dylan being amongst these. In Italy, modern folksingers are known as singer-authors, or cantautori. Characteristically taking on social or political issues, and giving relevant, poetic text priority, before melody, the cantautori are loved by the Italians.

The cantautore emerged during the 60s at a time when youth culture had become politicized over issues that important to them. Employing song as a means for expressing the anger, fears, and hopes of youth, the cantautore continues to capture the hearts and minds of generations. One such singer-author, and veteran on the scene for two decades, is musician Ligabue. Creating music that is all of artistic, relevant, and highly melodic, Ligabue has a sound that is bit of folk, a bit of soul, and a lot of rock and roll. Any great collection of Italian music should include the album Buon Compleanno Elvis.