Between 1934 and 1936, more than a hundred musical pieces were published, recorded and broadcasted. The main subject of this vast repertoire was the Ethiopian lands and people, together with the Italian attempt to conquer them. Together these songs constitute a sonic memory of the Italian colonial endeavor in the 1930s. Although most of the compositions have been forgotten by historians and musicologists, they still need to be thoroughly analyzed in order to understand how such repertoire contributed to both the creation of racialized stereotypes in the Italian colonial discourse and the history of Italian popular music.
Voglio andare… dal Negus Neghesti
Racist Stereotypes / The Ethiopian Emperor
No Music Found
Voce dall’Africa
The Experience of the Soldier
Dance (tango)
Vieni a Macallé
The Colonial Experience
Dance (one-step)
Verso l’impero italico
The Ethiopian Emperor / The Italian Army in Ethiopia
No Music Found
Va fuori d’Italia (o prodotto stranier)
International Sanctions
Canzone (Tenor)
Un posticino ar sole
The Colonial Experience
Dance (two-steps)
Topolino in Abissinia
Racist Stereotypes / The Experience of the Soldier
Theatrical Piece
Topolino Balilla
Racist Stereotypes
Theatrical Piece
Ti saluto… (vado in Abissinia)
The Experience of the Soldier
March
Ti porto in Italia
Black Female Body / Racist Stereotypes
March / Theatrical Piece
Ti porterò con me in Abissinia
The Colonial Experience
Dance (foxtrot)
Tarantella Imperiale
Un posto al sole
Tarantella
Sul mercato di Macallè
Exoticism / Racist Stereotypes
Theatrical Piece
Sul lago Tana
Exoticism / The Experience of the Soldier
Dance (tango)
Strofette africane
Racist Stereotypes / The Ethiopian Emperor
Stornello (traditional form)
Stornelli neri
Racist Stereotypes / The Experience of the Soldier
Stornello (traditional form)
Stornelli al Sig. Tafari
The Ethiopian Emperor
Stornello (traditional form)
Stornelli al Negus Neghesti
International Sanctions / The Ethiopian Emperor
Canzone (Tenor) / Traditional Form
Stornelli africani
The Colonial Experience / The Ethiopian Emperor
Stornello (traditional form)
Stornellata tricolore
International Sanctions / The Italian Army in Ethiopia
Stornello (traditional form)
Stornellata societaria
International Sanctions
Stornello (traditional form)
Stornellata coloniale
Racist Stereotypes / The Ethiopian Emperor
Stornello (traditional form)
Stornellata abissina
Racist Stereotypes / The Ethiopian Emperor
Stornello (traditional form)
Storielle nere
Racist Stereotypes / The Ethiopian Emperor
Stornello (traditional form)
Storielle del Negus
Racist Stereotypes / The Ethiopian Emperor
Stornello (traditional form)
Sotto le stelle del Tigrai
Exoticism / The Experience of the Soldier
Dance (one-step)
Soldati dell’impero
The Colonial Experience / The Experience of the Soldier
March / Theatrical Piece
Si va in Abissinia (same as “Adua Nostra”)
The Colonial Experience
Traditional Form (a cappella)
Si parte per l’A.O.
The Experience of the Soldier / The Italian Army in Ethiopia
Theatrical Piece
Serenata a Sellassiè
The Ethiopian Emperor
Canzone napoletana
Serenata a Ginevra
The Experience of the Soldier
March
Sanzionami Questo
International Sanctions
Canzone (Tenor)
Rondinella, camicina nera
The Experience of the Soldier
March
Ritorno dall’Africa Orientale
Exoticism / The Experience of the Soldier
No Music Found
Ritorna il legionario
The Experience of the Soldier
March
Ras Tafar
The Ethiopian Emperor
No Music Found
Povero Negus
Racist Stereotypes / The Ethiopian Emperor
Stornello (traditional form)
Oh sergentino
The Experience of the Soldier
March
Notti abissine
Exoticism
Canzone (Tenor)
Noi tireremo diritto
International Sanctions
March
Negus Neghesti
The Ethiopian Emperor / The Experience of the Soldier
No Music Found
Morettina
Black Female Body / The Experience of the Soldier
Dance (one-step)
Marcia del legionario (Roma rivendica l’Impero)
The Italian Army in Ethiopia
Hymn
Madonnina d’Oltremare
The Experience of the Soldier
Canzone (Tenor)
Macallè
Exoticism / The Italian Army in Ethiopia
Canzone (Tenor)
Letterine d’Africa
The Experience of the Soldier
Canzone (Tenor)
Lettera africana
The Experience of the Soldier
Theatrical Piece
Leggenda eroica
The Experience of the Soldier
March
Leggenda d’Africa
The Experience of the Soldier
Canzone (Tenor)
La canzone di Maria Uva
The Experience of the Soldier / The Italian Army in Ethiopia
March
La canzone di Addis Abeba
The Italian Army in Ethiopia
March
La canzone della vittoria
The Italian Army in Ethiopia
Dance (foxtrot)
La canzone dell’Impero
The Italian Army in Ethiopia
March
La canzone dell’Africa
The Italian Army in Ethiopia
March
La canzone dei volontari
The Experience of the Soldier
Canzone (Tenor)
La canzone d’Africa (Crivel’s version)
The Italian Army in Ethiopia
Dance (one-step)
La bella di Etiopia
No Lyrics
Dance (tango)
L’Italia non s’arresta
The Colonial Experience
Theatrical Piece
L’Italia ha vinto
The Italian Army in Ethiopia
March
L’Imperatore si confessa (Povero povero Selassiè)
The Ethiopian Emperor
Theatrical Piece
L’avventura di un soldato italiano con un’abissina
Black Female Body
No Music Found
Inno – Marcia per i legionari dell’Africa Orientale
The Italian Army in Ethiopia
March
Inno dell’Africa Orientale
The Italian Army in Ethiopia
March
Inno d’Africa
International Sanctions / The Italian Army in Ethiopia
March
Inno a Macallè
The Experience of the Soldier / The Italian Army in Ethiopia
Dance (one-step)
In barba alle sanzioni
International Sanctions / The Italian Army in Ethiopia
Theatrical Piece
In Africa si va
The Ethiopian Emperor / The Italian Army in Ethiopia
March
In Abissinia (alla barba del Negus)
Racist Stereotypes
Theatrical Piece
In Abissinia
The Italian Army in Ethiopia
March
Il pianto del Negus
The Ethiopian Emperor
No Music Found
Il canto della controsanzione
International Sanctions
No Music Found
Il canto dell’aviatore
The Italian Army in Ethiopia
March
Il bottone del legionario
Racist Stereotypes
Theatrical Piece
Gambette nere
Black Female Body / Racist Stereotypes
Dance (one-step)
Fiore imperiale
Black Female Body / The Experience of the Soldier / The Italian Army in Ethiopia
March
Fiore del Tigrai
Black Female Body
Dance (fox)
Faccetta Nera
Black Female Body
March
Faccetta Bianca
The Experience of the Soldier
March
Etiopia nostra
The Italian Army in Ethiopia
March
Etiopia
The Experience of the Soldier / The Italian Army in Ethiopia
March
Er Sor Capanna in Abissinia
Racist Stereotypes / The Ethiopian Emperor
Stornello (traditional form)
E co’ la barba del Negus
The Ethiopian Emperor
No Music Found
È arrivato il Sig. Tafari
The Ethiopian Emperor
Theatrical Piece
Din Don Della
Racist Stereotypes / The Ethiopian Emperor
Canzone (Tenor) / Traditional Form
Da Trastevere a Dessiè
The Colonial Experience
Traditional Form
Combatti e spera
The Italian Army in Ethiopia
March
Cioccolatino
Black Female Body / Racist Stereotypes
March
Ci rivedremo… ad Addis Abeba!
Exoticism / The Colonial Experience
Dance (one-step)
Chissà il Negus che cosa dirà!?
The Ethiopian Emperor
Dance (valzer)
Casetta abissina
The Colonial Experience
Canzone (Tenor)
Carovane del Tigrai
Exoticism / The Colonial Experience
Dance (one-step)
Canzone del fante est africano
The Experience of the Soldier
Canzone (Tenor)
Cara mamma (lettera di un soldato)
The Experience of the Soldier
Dance (tango)
Canto dei volontari per l’Africa Orientale
The Italian Army in Ethiopia
Hymn
Canterà (Faccetta Nera)
Black Female Body
Canzone (Tenor) / March
Cantate di legionari
The Experience of the Soldier / The Italian Army in Ethiopia
March
C’era una volta il Negus
Racist Stereotypes / The Ethiopian Emperor
Dance (valzer)
Bella abissina
Black Female Body / The Colonial Experience
March (a cappella)
Banane gialle
Black Female Body
Dance (rumba)
Arriva il Negus
Racist Stereotypes / The Ethiopian Emperor
Traditional form (mazurka)
Amba Alagi
The Italian Army in Ethiopia
Suite
Africanina (pupetta mora)
Black Female Body / The Italian Army in Ethiopia
Dance (one-step)
Africanella
Black Female Body
Dance (one-step)
Africa nostra
The Italian Army in Ethiopia
Hymn
Adua nostra
The Colonial Experience
Traditional Form (a cappella)
Adua
The Italian Army in Ethiopia
March
Addis Adis Abeba
Exoticism / Racist Stereotypes / The Ethiopian Emperor
Theatrical Piece
Accompagnamento ad Amba Alagi
The Experience of the Soldier
Theatrical Piece