“Music is all about walking, marching to a beat, dancing, playing instruments, and singing in company. It represents the expression of all the interconnected neural activities at once even when no specific survival tasks are involved. ‘Interactional synchrony’ between brains is the essence of music and constitutes its greatest evolutionary advantage. When such connections between many parts of the nervous system are active at the same time the experience of inner pleasure is also high.” From One Physics for World and Mind.
Marcello had a wide and deep interest in music. An accomplished singer and guitarist, he performed a diverse range of music from South America, Italy and the jazz classics.
Here is a short selection of Marcello singing South American songs and accompanying himself on guitar. They were originally recorded quickly in 2008 so that Ian Gibbins could also learn the songs for a joint performance by Marcello and Ian later that year. Ian ended up re-sampling the songs to make something quite different from them. Now, thanks to better audio technology, Ian has re-mastered some of Marcello’s original recordings which you can play via the links below.
Click here to go to the whole album by Ian and Marcello.
Marcello and Ian performed his music together many times since then, including several public science events presenting the latest research about the music and the brain. One of the most notable was this sold-out evening at Adelaide’s legendary live music venue, The Governor Hindmarsh Hotel.
For many years, Marcello was an active member of the Italian Folk Ensemble in Adelaide. The Italian Folk Ensemble has been going for over 40 years and aims to strengthen the awareness of the cultural depth that is present in our multicultural society. Performances are presented in a historical and social context: a unique medium to learn Italian culture and history through traditional folk songs and music, while fully respecting their individual musical style and their cultural context. These songs cover a wide spectrum of emotions and experiences of the people of Italy through the ages, and as such, they are a unique medium to learn Italian culture and history.
Here are some examples of Marcello performing with the Ensemble. Descriptions of the songs follow each video.
I have come as an ambassador (May of the Maidens, Emilia-Romagna). This song belongs to the ‘Maggio lirico’ (Lyrical May) tradition; originally recorded in Riolunato, Modena, in 1959. The performers stop to sing in front of the household and on commission, they sing a serenade to the maiden.
From the concert “Maledette le guerre e chi le vuole” (Damned be wars and those who want them) by the Italian Folk Ensemble – Adelaide, Australia 13th November 2021. Once there was a Soldier (Reworked by Gualtiero Bertelli). Based on a tune from a narrative song, recorded by Sergio Serra, 1965, Venice, and reproduced on the album: Addio padre.