Dive into the poignant world of Italian folk music with this accessible yet expressive arrangement of ‘Bella Ciao’ for Eb Alto Saxophone and Piano.
Included informative sheets in: English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Polish, Korean, Japanese, and Chinese.
This piece is not just a melody; it’s a powerful symbol of resilience and defiance, deeply rooted in Italian history.
‘Bella ciao’ (‘Goodbye beautiful’) is an Italian protest folk song that originated in the late 19th century, sung by the mondina workers in protest to the harsh working conditions in the paddy fields of North Italy. The song was modified and adopted as an anthem of the anti-fascist resistance by the Italian partisans between 1943 and 1945 during the Italian Resistance, the resistance of Italian partisans against the Nazi German forces occupying Italy, and, during the Italian Civil War, the Italian partisan struggle against the fascist Italian Social Republic and its Nazi German allies. Versions of ‘Bella ciao’ continue to be sung worldwide as an anti-fascist hymn of freedom and resistance.In 2017 and 2018, the song received renewed popularity due to the singing of ‘Bella ciao’ multiple times in the Spanish television series Money Heist. The character Tokyo recounts in one of her narrations, ‘The life of the Professor revolved around a single idea: Resistance. His grandfather, who had fought against the fascists in Italy, taught him the song and he taught us.’The song is played in emblematic moments in the series as a metaphor for freedom.
