Maria Carta
Encyclopedia
Maria Carta was a Rome
-based Sardinia
n folk music
singer-songwriter
. She also performed in film and theater and, in 1975, she wrote a book of poetry, Ritual Song.
She was born in Siligo
, Sassari
, Sardinia
.
Throughout her 25-year career, she covered the richly diverse genres of traditional music of her native land (ninne nanne—children's lullabies, goso
s, Gregorian chant
s, and more), often updating them with a modern and personal touch. She succeeded in bringing Sardinian folk music into wider popular awareness, in demonstrations at a national level in Italy (like the Canzonissima in 1974) as well as internationally (especially in France and the United States).
She caught the attention of such directors as Francis Ford Coppola
and Franco Zeffirelli
, who gave her the first two of her widely seen film roles, including that of the mother of Vito Corleone
in The Godfather Part II
in 1974. Carta lived in Rome for many years and she served as Communal Councilwoman from 1976 to 1981 on the side of the Italian Communist Party
.
In 1985 she was awarded, as songwriter, the Targa Tenco for dialectal/regional music. In the last years of her life, Maria Carta gave her time to the University of Bologna
where she conducted a series of classes and advised student theses on which she had relevant personal, human experience and scholarly background.
In 1991 the President of the Republic Francesco Cossiga named her a “Commendatore della Repubblica” ("Knight of the Republic").
on September 22, 1994, aged 60.
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
-based Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
n folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
. She also performed in film and theater and, in 1975, she wrote a book of poetry, Ritual Song.
She was born in Siligo
Siligo
Siligo is a comune in the region of Logudoro - Meilogu in the Province of Sassari in the Italian region Sardinia, located about north of Cagliari and about southeast of Sassari....
, Sassari
Sassari
Sassari is an Italian city. It is the second-largest city of Sardinia in terms of population with about 130,000 inhabitants, or about 300,000 including the greater metropolitan area...
, Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
.
Throughout her 25-year career, she covered the richly diverse genres of traditional music of her native land (ninne nanne—children's lullabies, goso
Music of Sardinia
Sardinia is probably the most culturally distinct of all the regions in Italy and, musically, is best known for the tenore polyphonic chant, sacred songs called gozos, and launeddas, an ancient instrument that consist in a set of three single-reed pipes, all three mouth-blown simultaneously using...
s, Gregorian chant
Gregorian chant
Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainchant, a form of monophonic liturgical music within Western Christianity that accompanied the celebration of Mass and other ritual services...
s, and more), often updating them with a modern and personal touch. She succeeded in bringing Sardinian folk music into wider popular awareness, in demonstrations at a national level in Italy (like the Canzonissima in 1974) as well as internationally (especially in France and the United States).
She caught the attention of such directors as Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. He is widely acclaimed as one of Hollywood's most innovative and influential film directors...
and Franco Zeffirelli
Franco Zeffirelli
Franco Zeffirelli KBE is an Italian director and producer of films and television. He is also a director and designer of operas and a former senator for the Italian center-right Forza Italia party....
, who gave her the first two of her widely seen film roles, including that of the mother of Vito Corleone
Vito Corleone
Vito Andolini Corleone is a fictional character and the main character in Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather, as well as Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather trilogy, where he was portrayed by Marlon Brando in The Godfather and by Robert De Niro in The Godfather Part II. Premiere Magazine listed Vito...
in The Godfather Part II
The Godfather Part II
The Godfather Part II is a 1974 American gangster film directed by Francis Ford Coppola from a script co-written with Mario Puzo. The film is both a sequel and a prequel to The Godfather, chronicling the story of the Corleone family following the events of the first film while also depicting the...
in 1974. Carta lived in Rome for many years and she served as Communal Councilwoman from 1976 to 1981 on the side of the Italian Communist Party
Italian Communist Party
The Italian Communist Party was a communist political party in Italy.The PCI was founded as Communist Party of Italy on 21 January 1921 in Livorno, by seceding from the Italian Socialist Party . Amadeo Bordiga and Antonio Gramsci led the split. Outlawed during the Fascist regime, the party played...
.
In 1985 she was awarded, as songwriter, the Targa Tenco for dialectal/regional music. In the last years of her life, Maria Carta gave her time to the University of Bologna
University of Bologna
The Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna is the oldest continually operating university in the world, the word 'universitas' being first used by this institution at its foundation. The true date of its founding is uncertain, but believed by most accounts to have been 1088...
where she conducted a series of classes and advised student theses on which she had relevant personal, human experience and scholarly background.
In 1991 the President of the Republic Francesco Cossiga named her a “Commendatore della Repubblica” ("Knight of the Republic").
Death
Maria Carta gave her last concert in Toulouse, France, on June 30, 1994. Ill with cancer she died at her home in RomeRome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
on September 22, 1994, aged 60.
Discography
- 1971 Sardegna canta
- 1971 Ninna nanna / Muttos de amore
- 1971 Adiu a mama / Antoneddu Antoneddu
- 1971 Trallallera corsicana / La ragazza moderna
- 1971 Paradiso in Re
- 1973 Nuovo maggio / Funerale di un lavoratore
- 1974 Dilliriende
- 1974 Amore disisperadu / Ave Maria
- 1974 Dies Irae
- 1975 Diglielo al tuo Dio / Nuovo maggio
- 1975 Maria Carta
- 1976 Vi canto una storia assai vera
- 1976 La voce e i canti di Maria Carta vol.1
- 1976 La voce e i canti di Maria Carta vol. 2
- 1978 No potho reposare / Ballada ogliastrina / Muttettu
- 1978 Umbras
- 1980 Haidiridiridiridiridinni
- 1984 Maria Carta concerto dal vivo
- 1981 Sonos ‘e memoria
- 1984 Sonos’ e memoria
- 1992 Chelu e mare
- 1993 Le memorie della musica
- 1993 Muttos ‘e amore
- 1993 Trallallera
- 2002 Sardegna canta
Filmography
- 1969 Disamistade (by Gianfranco Cabiddu) as "Madre Di Sebastiano"
- 1976 Gesù di Nazaret (by Franco ZeffirelliFranco ZeffirelliFranco Zeffirelli KBE is an Italian director and producer of films and television. He is also a director and designer of operas and a former senator for the Italian center-right Forza Italia party....
) as MarthaMarthaMartha of Bethany is a biblical figure described in the Gospels of Luke and John. Together with her siblings Lazarus and Mary, she is described as living in the village of Bethany near Jerusalem... - 1974 The Godfather Part IIThe Godfather Part IIThe Godfather Part II is a 1974 American gangster film directed by Francis Ford Coppola from a script co-written with Mario Puzo. The film is both a sequel and a prequel to The Godfather, chronicling the story of the Corleone family following the events of the first film while also depicting the...
(by Francis Ford CoppolaFrancis Ford CoppolaFrancis Ford Coppola is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. He is widely acclaimed as one of Hollywood's most innovative and influential film directors...
) as Vito CorleoneVito CorleoneVito Andolini Corleone is a fictional character and the main character in Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather, as well as Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather trilogy, where he was portrayed by Marlon Brando in The Godfather and by Robert De Niro in The Godfather Part II. Premiere Magazine listed Vito...
's mom - 1976 Cecilia - Storia di una comune anarchica (by Comolli) as Olimpia
- 1977 Cadaveri eccellentiIllustrious CorpsesIllustrious Corpses is a 1976 thriller film directed by Francesco Rosi and starring Lino Ventura. The film was screened at the 1976 Cannes Film Festival, but was not entered into the main competition...
(by Francesco RosiFrancesco RosiFrancesco Rosi is an Italian film director. He is the father of actress Carolina Rosi.-Biography:After studying Law, but hoping to study film, Rosi entered the industry as an assistant to Luchino Visconti on La Terra trema...
) as Signora Cres - 1980 Un reietto delle isole (by Giorgio MoserGiorgio MoserGiorgio Moser was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He directed seven films between 1954 and 1996.-External links:...
) - 1985 DerborenceDerborence (film)Derborence is a 1985 French-Swiss drama film directed by Francis Reusser. It was entered into the 1985 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Isabel Otero - Thérèse Maye* Jacques Penot - Antoine* Maria Machado - Aline* Jean-Marc Bory - Nendaz...
- 1986 Il camorrista (by Giuseppe TornatoreGiuseppe Tornatore-Life and career:Born in Bagheria near Palermo, Tornatore developed an interest in acting and the theatre from at least the age of 16 and put on works by Luigi Pirandello and Eduardo De Filippo.He worked initially as a freelance photographer...
) as The mother - 1992 Il commissario Corso (telefilm)