Name: Franco

Surname: Battiato



Franco Battiato, born Francesco Battiato (Ionia, 23 March 1945 – Milo, 18 May 2021), was an Italian singer-songwriter, composer, writer, director, painter and politician. One of the most influential musicians of the last 50 years in Italy, appreciated for the variety of musical styles that he explored and combined with each other, after the initial phase of light music in the second half of the sixties he moved on to progressive and avant-garde rock cultured in the following decade, with several works considered important even abroad. Subsequently, from the album The Era of the White Boar in 1979, he moved away from experimental music and moved on to a personal pop art which began to make him known to the general public (in particular in 1981 with La Voce del Padro, his peak also in terms of sales), with cryptic and quotative lyrics, music with new wave influences and the presence of classical incursions in the arrangements. During his career, in which he achieved widespread success among the public and critics, he made use of the help from numerous collaborators; in particular, two key figures emerge, with whom Battiato has constantly maintained professional and friendly contacts: the composer and violinist Giusto Pio from 1976 and then continuing in the phase of greatest success from L'era del boar bianca up to the last appearance in Sanremo 1999. In fact, the collaboration with the latter gave rise to successes such as Permanent Center of Gravity, The Era of the White Boar, I Want to See You Dance, The Hot Wind of Summer, Alexander Platz (deriving from a piece composed by Battiato and Giusto Pio in the years 70 for Alfredo Cohen with the title Valery and subsequently adapted with a new text for Milva), Cuccurucucù, I trains di Tozeur (brought to the Eurofestival by Battiato paired with Alice), Per Elisa (winner of the 31st Sanremo Festival), Radio Warsaw; and again Un'estate al mare (composed for Giuni Russo), White flag, No Time No Space, Messaggio, etc. There are over one hundred songs composed by the Battiato-Pio duo, which together with those arranged and produced amounts to over 30 records. The philosopher Manlio Sgalambro was co-author and author of many lyrics of his songs, starting from L'ombra e la Macchina da Sewing in 1995, continuing up to the album Apriti sesamo in 2012. Battiato's lyrics reflect his interests, including esotericism, theoretical philosophy, Sufi mysticism (particularly through the influence of G.I. Gurdjieff) and oriental meditation. He has also ventured into other artistic fields, such as painting and cinema. He is one of the artists with the highest number of awards from the Tenco Club, with three Plaques and a Tenco Award. From November 2012 to April 2013 he carried out a brief experience as councilor for tourism of the Sicilian Region in the centre-left council of President Rosario Crocetta, declaring that he did not want to receive any compensation


Autograph type: Ticket on headed paper of the Restaurant Casino Municipale - Campione d'Italia with entirely autographed and signed dedication by Franco Battiato: "For Michele and Giovanni Straniero by F. Battiato"