
From Centre international de recherches sur l’anarchisme
December 23, 2023
ilDeposito.org is a website that aims to be an archive of texts and music of political and social protest songs, songs that have always accompanied the struggle of the oppressed classes and the workers' movement, which represent a political and cultural value of fundamental value, to be preserved and revived.
In these songs the tradition is contained and collected, the memory of the political and social struggles that have characterized history, in Italy but not only, with all the contradictions typical of the historical, political and cultural development of a society.
From the French Revolution to the Risorgimento, passing through the anti-Piedmontese songs. From the anarchist and socialist hymns of the early 1900s to the songs of the Great War. From the first post-war period, to the songs of the Resistance, passing through the anti-fascist songs. And then the post-war period, the reconstruction, the 'economic boom', the student and workers' struggles of the late '60s and '70s. The reflux period and finally the current world and "globalization". Every period has had his songs, which are more than simple soundtracks: they are real historical documents that allow us to enter the heart of the events, passing through non-traditional channels.
Our theoretical approach therefore takes up De Martino and Gianni Bosio's definition of popular culture as a culture autonomous from the dominant culture, generally the bearer of the values and ways of conceiving the world of the classes in power. The contents of ilDeposito, by our choice, always have a political or in any case "social denunciation" content. In short, there are no songs from the oral and popular tradition with contents other than those generally defined.
We know well that these categories can never be defined in an absolute and perennial way, but are dialectical categories, which change over time and space. But, for the purposes of a collection and re-presentation work like the one we carry out, these categories certainly have their functionality, and it is in this spirit that we are using them. As regards the relationship with popular music, there are certainly popular songs, but, as the title of the site states, political and social protest songs. Therefore the markedly political songs of the great 'family' of popular music are present, in the sense already referred to.
The repertoire and tradition referred to, for post-war songs, are those linked on the one hand to the research carried out by the Cantacronache group first, and the Nuovo Canzoniere Italiano subsequently. On the other hand, the trend of the new political song was followed, certainly linked to both the experience of the Cantacronache and the Nuovo Canzoniere Italiano. But also the repertoire of the numerous Canzoniere linked directly to the realities of the struggle of those years (I am referring to the Canzoniere Pisano, the Canzoniere del Proletariato, etc.).
However, as already mentioned, it is not a generic collection of political songs. Great absences would catch the eye: the repertoire of Guccini, De Andrè, or De Gregori, and many others (a repertoire which is anything but indifferent to us!). There is a reason for this "gap". There are objective limits, such as the physical lack of people who collaborate on the site, given that expanding the archive in that sense would be a huge increase in work. But we also think that singer-songwriters like Guccini, De Andrè etc. have (rightly) had their space in the media, on television, in record shops, in bookshops and even on the internet. Our commitment is therefore aimed at valorising and re-proposing a strand of protest song which is now practically ignored by certain channels, both cultural and commercial. To some it may seem like an unacceptable choice, but we can assure you that it is a conscious and motivated choice.
What we hope is that the Deposit and all the projects promoted can serve the rediscovery, dissemination and valorisation of this repertoire, not only as a recovery of past material linked to past historical experiences, but also as a stimulus for the resumption of a political song that is somehow linked to an existing tradition, an important and significant tradition.
Anarchist songs:
https://www.ildeposito.org/tags/anarchici
English-language songs or translations into English:
https://www.ildeposito.org/lingue/inglese
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