Da canzoni (e poesie) a canzoni. Adattamenti metrici nelle traduzioni di fabrizio de André

Abstract

Aim of this article is to investigate the modalities of metrical translation from poems and songs to songs. To this aim I chose a subset of Fabrizio De André's songs which are translations both from poems and from French and English songs. In particular, I show that the metrical grid and the melodic pattern are fully respected during the transposition from sung verse to sung verse; contrarily, the adaptation of poems into sung verse shows a high level of metrical freedom in the translated texts. While the language of the original text seems to barely influence the metrical grid of De André's songs, the presence of the original melody is a major constraint in the metrical choices of the translator. © 2013 UNED.