On February 29, 2024, the Branduardi Sings St. Francis Project was presented at the Assembly of the Ministers Provincial of the Franciscan Families of Italy being held in Assisi. The presentation was made in connection with the 800th anniversary of the composition of the Canticle of the Creatures which will be celebrated in 2025.
St. Francis composed the text of the Canticle in 1225, a year before his death, while he was almost blind. It is one of the oldest poems in Italian literature and gives praise to the Most High God who brings creation closer to the Creator and His creatures closer to their mother and sister earth.
The project was presented at the Assembly by Friar Paolo FIASCONARO, former Secretary of the Franciscan Family, who had produced an album called L’infinitamente Piccolo with lyrics and music by the singer-songwriter Angelo BRANDUARDI.
The artist is called a minstrel of the contemporary era for his originality and research into medieval texts and music. Drawing from the Franciscan Sources, he incorporated some of the most significant moments from the life of St. Francis. The album also features the work of artists Franco BATTIATO, Ennio MORRICONE, the musical ensemble Madredeus and the folk group Nuova Compagnia di Canto Popolare. The album was launched the during the 2000 Holy Year. Under the patronage of the Franciscan Family, Angelo BRANDUARDI performed 150 concerts in the squares, churches and theaters of Europe.
During the 800th anniversary of the Canticle and the Jubilee of the Universal Church in 2025, the artist will offer a reinterpretation of his classic album, which lists eleven songs. It will certainly be an opportunity to raise awareness of the message and the person of St. Francis, who is still today a source of fascination for thousands of young people and the general public, for believers and non-believers alike.
This project also encourages reflection on the existential issues that challenge humanity, particularly, the ecological and environmental crisis which calls us to respect and care for our common home.
We are confident that the event will continue to be a hymn of praise to the Most High, and that all those who approach Maestro BRANDUARDI’s words and music will experience healthy joy, in peace and goodness, values very dear to St. Francis.
Friar Paolo FIASCONARO
