The Watkins Copicat is an effects unit that produces tape delay and reverb effects. One of the first commercially available tape delay units, the original Copicat model was produced by Watkins Electric Music beginning in 1958. The Copicat became one of Watkins' most successful products, and the company produced various Copicat models and versions over the following decades.
20-548: In 1960, inspired by the tape echo unit on the Marino Marini Quartet's " Come prima ", Charlie Watkins , co-founder of London music shop Watkins Electric Music, had the idea for a simple, affordable, portable tape delay unit. With the help of engineer Bill Purkis, Watkins designed the Watkins Copicat, a compact (12-inch by 8-inch) valve-based tape echo unit with three replay heads and selector switch, and
40-584: A Surriento "; " Funiculì, Funiculà "; " Santa Lucia " and others. The Neapolitan song became a formal institution in the 1830s due to an annual song-writing competition for the Festival of Piedigrotta , dedicated to the Madonna of Piedigrotta, a well-known church in the Mergellina area of Naples. The winner of the first festival was a song entitled "Te voglio bene assaje"; it is traditionally attributed to
60-598: A blend of Neapolitan songs and dub/trip hop, with the former appearing in a song with the Bristol duo Massive Attack . An important factor in defining what makes a Neapolitan song is the matter of language. All these songs are written and performed in the Neapolitan language . Although the music is sung by many non-Neapolitan singers, it is difficult to sing correctly without knowledge of the Neapolitan dialect, which
80-537: A feedback loop for a variable echo-repeat effect. Watkins' shop sold the entire first production run of 100 Copicats on the first day; the very first Copicat was sold to Johnny Kidd of Johnny Kidd & the Pirates , and appeared on their hit " Shakin' All Over ". The Copicat, which preceded other major European echo units like the Binson Echorec , Meazzi Echomatic, and Vox Echo Deluxe, would become one of
100-657: A full CD Italia ti amo of traditional and some more modern Neapolitan and Italian songs. Luciano Pavarotti recorded three albums of Neapolitan and Italian songs: The Best: Disc 2 , (2005), Pavarotti Songbook , (1991), and Romantica , (2002). Mario Lanza recorded an acclaimed selection of 12 Neapolitan songs on his 1959 album, Mario! Lanza at His Best . Opera/pop crossover tenor, Sergio Franchi recorded his very popular Billboard Top 25 RCA debut album, Romantic Italian Songs in 1962, and continued to record Neapolitan songs on most of his albums throughout his career. Andrea Bocelli recorded an album in 2009 dedicated to
120-550: A liking for Neapolitan music . In 1948 he visited the United States for six months, meeting Dizzy Gillespie , Stan Kenton and Charlie Ventura . American jazz was also a formative influence. On his return, Marini wrote music for films and revues and played in cabaret in Rome and Naples. In 1954, he placed a newspaper advert seeking “young musicians without experience, singing in tune. If not cheerful, don't apply." From
140-433: Is a generic term for a traditional form of music sung in the Neapolitan language , ordinarily for the male voice singing solo, although well represented by female soloists as well, and expressed in familiar genres such as the love song and serenade . Many of the songs are about the nostalgic longing for Naples as it once was. The genre consists of a large body of composed popular music—such songs as " 'O sole mio "; " Torna
160-613: Is said to have been the first European performer to use sound mixing on stage, anticipating the techniques used by rock musicians in the 1960s. Among the performers he influenced were French-Italian singers Dalida and Caterina Valente . He retired from performing in 1966 but continued to compose. He died in March 1997. Canzone Napoletana Canzone napoletana ( Italian: [kanˈtsoːne napoleˈtaːna] ; Neapolitan : canzona napulitana [kanˈdzoːnə napuliˈtɑːnə] ), sometimes referred to as Neapolitan song ,
180-575: The Metropolitan Opera in New York in the early 1900s. Caruso also recorded many of these songs, which subsequently became part of the standard repertoire for operatic tenors, and which were performed and recorded by such notable singers as Beniamino Gigli , Francesco Albanese , Franco Corelli , Mario Del Monaco , Giuseppe Di Stefano , and Tito Schipa . The Three Tenors also performed popular songs from Naples. Plácido Domingo recorded
200-732: The 1950s and 1960s. He was born into a family of musicians in Seggiano in the province of Grosseto to parents originally from Montecelio , Rome . After briefly studying electronics, he studied piano, violin and composition at the Rossini Conservatory in Bologna , teaching music on his graduation. In 1947, after military service, he was appointed artistic director of the Metropolitan music hall in Naples , where he developed
220-544: The company's most successful products, with Watkins releasing various different Copicat models over more than 50 years. Wavesfactory makes an analogue-modelling delay plug-in emulation of the Copicat called the Echo Cat. Marino Marini (musician) Marino Marini (11 May 1924 – 20 March 1997) was an Italian arranger, author, bandleader, composer, conductor, pianist and vocalist who achieved international success in
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#1732797480779240-405: The earlier classics of this genre, they have now become Neapolitan "classics" in their own right. Many of the Neapolitan songs are world-famous because they were taken abroad by emigrants from Naples and southern Italy, roughly between 1880 and 1920. The music also was popularized abroad by performers such as Enrico Caruso , who took to singing the popular music of his native city as encores at
260-627: The first European single to sell more than five million copies. It was used on the soundtrack of the 1999 film The Talented Mr. Ripley . Following this successful debut, Marini commenced touring with his quartet, in the following years performing in hundreds of concerts in western and eastern Europe, the US, the Middle East and Japan. Marini's recordings in the late 1950s and early 1960s included covers of Domenico Modugno 's " Volare " and "Ciao ciao bambina" and Rocco Granata 's "Marina". In 1960, he won
280-485: The first and the second prizes in the Naples song festival with "Serenata a Margellina" and "Uè uè uè che femmena". In 1958 he performed Mikis Theodorakis 's "The Honeymoon Song" in Michael Powell 's film Honeymoon . In 1960 the first quartet disbanded and in 1961 new quartet was formed with Marini, Bruno Guarnera (guitar), Petito di Pace (drums) and Vittorio Benvenuti (double bass, vocal, dance). The quartet
300-700: The many applicants he chose Gaetano “Totò” Savio (guitar), Sergio Peppino (drums), and Ruggero Cori (double bass and vocal) for a quartet, Marini playing piano and occasionally singing solo. This quartet played together from 1954 to 1960, a period regarded as the Marino Marini Quartet's most prolific and successful. They made their first recording on the Durium label in 1955. The following year they appeared on Italian TV. Their recordings of "Guaglione", "Don Ciccio 'o piscatore", "Rico Vacilon", "La Pansè" and "Maruzzella" were very popular. "Guaglione" becoming
320-421: The music; his collection of twelve LPs , released in the 1960s, is an annotated compendium of Neapolitan song dating back to the twelfth century. Representatives of different veins, but nevertheless leading the continuing tradition of song in Neapolitan, are the jazz-rock singer-songwriter Pino Daniele and the folkloric group Nuova Compagnia di Canto Popolare ; Almamegretta and 99 posse are representative of
340-424: The piano on the second and fourth beat. He performed in several styles and genres, reinterpreting American standards or current pop songs (e.g. "Just Young") and using dance rhythms such as cha-cha-cha , the twist , the letkiss and the samba . He often combined genres (e.g. Neapolitan song and samba in "Don Ciccio 'o piscatore"). He made innovative use of the echo chamber (using one made to his own design) and
360-629: The prominent opera composer Gaetano Donizetti , although an article published in 1984 by Marcello Sorce Keller shows there is no historical evidence in support of the attribution. The festival ran regularly until 1950, when it was abandoned. A subsequent Festival of Neapolitan Song on Italian state radio enjoyed some success in the 1950s but was eventually abandoned as well. The period since 1950 has produced such songs as " Malafemmena " by Totò , " Maruzzella [ it ] " by Renato Carosone , "Indifferentemente" by Mario Trevi and "Carmela" by Sergio Bruni . Although separated by some decades from
380-411: The style, entitled Incanto . The most important native Neapolitan performers of Neapolitan songs in the last few decades include Roberto Murolo , Bruno Venturini , Mario Trevi , Mario Abbate , Mario Merola , Giulietta Sacco , Franco Ricci , Sergio Bruni , Renato Carosone , and Mario Maglione . Murolo is known not only as a singer and guitarist, but also as a composer, scholar and collector of
400-437: Was re-formed again in 1963 with Francesco Ventura (guitar), Sergio (drums), and Franco Cesarico (bass guitar and vocal). Marino Marini's music was rooted in the tradition of Italian song, and in particular Neapolitan song , as he sometimes performed in the Neapolitan language (e.g. "Maruzzella"). Many of his numbers are in 4/4 or 4/8 time , but he sometimes used the 6/8 tarantella rhythm with an off-beat tempo accentuated by
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