The dedication to Stockhausen contained in Click He went to tickle the composer's ego, who hastened to make different statements of esteem against the Sicilian artist who had paid homage to him with so much ardor. In a few weeks, the name of Battiato then crossed the Italian borders and stared into many fans at European level in the mind. One of the highest trophies that Franco loved to show off was the pierce of a German newspaper where the “teacher” made his name. He certainly did not want to become the Italian epigone of electronics vate, his real interest was to push listeners to new discoveries. It is no coincidence that in this period he gave himself to be done by writing some articles in music magazines such as Gongto explain the peculiarities of Stockhausen compositions. He put on the pitch an attitude that will increasingly characterize him: every new evolutionary discovery for his person and his art, who had served to expand his horizons and grow, would not be held for himself but would have made the impossible to spread it so that others could also enjoy the same effects.
But the real surprise had yet to arrive: one morning in the Bla Bla offices a phone call arrived, on the other side of the thread there was the personal secretary of Stockhausen who reported a message from the composer, who would be happy to receive Franco Battiato in his home in Kürthen, near Cologne, to discuss future collaborations. Pino Massara was unable to believe his ears, and Franco believed it even less, when the news was communicated to him. A further step was made, from the simple esteem we were even talking about collaborations. There was no time to waste, a few days later Franco and Pino were already on a direct flight to Germany.
On their arrival Stockhausen was very kind, he had them accommodated, he began to talk about Clickpraising him further, and of the new work that was holding him busy at that time. It was called InoriJapanese word that meant “adorations”, and was a large composition for an orchestra of eighty -nine elements, magnetic ribbons, different mimic parts and a sung introduction. After this explanation in his English with a strong Germanic accent, Stockhausen looked at Franco and smiled. A little embarrassed, he smiled at him in turn not knowing what to expect. Then he heard these words: “Would you like to be part of it?”
Stockhausen did not wait for the other to answer him, got up and disappeared for a few minutes leaving Franco and Massara to look at stunning while they were sitting on two leather armchairs in a larger room of the whole Battiato apartment. Upon his return, the composer held a huge book on his arms, the two Italians had never seen such a voluminous publication. Stockhausen brought a table closer to the armchairs and placed the book there, which was changing down by a hard green cover shown several writings in German. Always silently opened it and showed what was inside there. It was a gigantic score that unfolded along all the many pages, with the parts that should have performed the various instrumentalists and singers and different indications also for the Mimi. Without wasting time, Stockhausen indicated the line with the vocal parts and told Franco that he would like him to sing them. The smile on the lips of Battiato joined; A part of himself began to warn a feeling very different from the joy of having been welcomed in that house by a character so fundamental for the fate of music. He looked at Pino Massara who didn't know what to say. In the meantime, the German had not stopped talking about the score by illustrating with evident proud every single note that the singer should have performed. Franco's face was hot, and not for the temperature. What was coming to the surface was nothing but shame.
In a few moments he returned to his childhood. He remembered the sparuto lessons of piano and attempts, by the teacher, to make him understand what those horizontal lines full of dots and canteen were. But Franco hadn't wanted to know and a few years later, when he had begun to strum the guitar, it was only his formidable ear that allowed him to find the agreements and the rhythm to accompany himself. Even when he had become a professional, when he had resumed to practice on the piano and discovered all the secrets of the electronic keyboards: in all those situations he had not passed through his mind to start studying the musical notation, theory and solfeggio that every serious composer chewed like bread. He came from light, from rock in all its forms; Genres that certainly did not need the knowledge of the score to be interesting and disruptive, it was to the creativity that was looked at, to originality, to the impetus. And Franco had placed this impetus everywhere in his records, inventing melodies and agreements with his own tools that flowed naturally, without any need for theories and solfeggi. All this was revealed in a few moments, with the awareness of having perhaps taken the longest step of the leg. He had dedicated himself to an electronic music album, even to orchestral moments, simply based on his instinct, and had had the ardor to dedicate it to a character who did not even crush a piano button if he did not have a score in front. Suddenly the worlds that Franco had heard so close to light years moved away. They were two conceptions of music literally at the antipodes.
While Stockhausen continued with his explanations, Franco understood that he had no other possibility than that of being totally sincere. Thus, as soon as the composer took a break, he made to speak. Realized that Battiato wanted to say something Stockhausen waited, imagining a comment admired towards that formidable work. “Maestro,” Franco said to him with a trembling voice “I can't read music”. The other struck his eyes, remained a few moments to stare at Battiato and then turned to Pino Massara who was in evident embarrassing something. Then Stockhausen stood up almost falling the table with the score of Inori. His voice became thunder. He asked for explanations. What was that young man who himself had to say like his heir? Who didn't know how to read the music? He had to have misunderstood, surely his a little stunted English had deceived him. But Franco, who in the meantime had made himself small, could not do anything but confirm what he had just said: he of notations and solfeggi did not understand anything.
Stockhausen remained motionless for a few moments, made a long breath and then sat down again, this time with a slight smile on the lips. He closed the score and put it aside, then asked his guest to tell him why the choice not to study music, while affecting records and giving concerts. Franco then told him about his experiences, from childhood to that moment, of his great passion, of the ideas that came to life thanks to his instinct and who did not have the mediation of a score to be fixed, because in rock he worked like this, many like him had followed the same path, some with very important results. The Pink Floyd, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, all artists who did not know the music, mentioned but managed to compose from excellent. Stockhausen listened and had to agree that Battiato was right, he too knew that world and knew of those peculiarities, but he saw in that Sicilian something higher than a simple rock musician, he had been sincerely impressed by his skills and said he was even more convinced that with the right theoretical baggage who knows where he could have come.
The afternoon ended with the famous composer who explained to Franco the basis of musical theory: really an exceptional teacher. Despite the embarrassment, the soul of Battiato filled himself with pride and convinced himself that the Vate was right throughout the line. Before greeting them Stockhausen added that he was still young but he could not get to fifty years old still being a rock musician, a theoretical baggage was indispensable. On the Battiato return flight he thought for a long time, he confronted Massara and together they had to agree that if his ambitions were to become a serious contemporary musician, it was necessary to put in place drastic choices.
From Sacre Sinfonie: Battiato, all the story by Fabio Zuffanti (the Castle/Chinaski Edizioni)
