Raul Scacchi: A Personal Tribute

My great friend Raul Scacchi died in Pisa, Italy on the evening of June 9th, 2014.

It is already a week since his untimely death. Many people of different nationalities will be sharing Gioia's grief, grieving at her tragic loss - and their own sense of loss- in their own ways. That is what we have been doing in England.

I first met Raul and Gioia on Corfu in November 2005, although it seems that I have known them for much longer than that. I am dating our first encounter to a Christmas arts and craft fair in Dassia, where Raul had copies of his CD "Emails to Emily" available.

Raul and Gioia moved to Corfu soon after the beginning of the new millennium, full of optimism and creative energy.  I collaborated closely with Raul on the album "Neuromantics", contributing some of the lyrics or ideas for lyrics. We had some tremendous laughs and discussions in the process of working on the songs. I continued to give modest editorial and linguistic assistance on many of his English song lyrics for later projects. Raul also did me the honour of arranging a number of my own songs, and setting my lyrics to some much more ambitious, imaginative and adventurous music (entechno or durchkomponiert Rock), rather than to my own simple and repetitive guitar backings.

We frequently went to their home in Sinarades, and I often took my guitar up the stairs to Raul's recording studio for rehearsals and demo recordings. Raul also played with me at a number of jams and gigs on Corfu.

How to describe Raul?

He was a talented artist, a painter, an innovative composer (he could create all the sounds of an orchestra on his computer), an arranger, a lyric-writer, a multi-skilled and versatile musician, guitarist (bass and Fender six-string), an ideas-man, a philosopher, ecologist, an animal- and nature-lover, a cook and generous host, a humorist and joker, a radical thinker and social egalitarian, a handyman, a perfectionist, above all a tolerant, patient, optimistic, warm-hearted and inspiring friend.

From Homer and Petrarch to Emily Dickinson, he wore his learning lightly; from Verdi to The Beatles, he loved all kinds of music, and he even put up with my own basic three chord blues, my dodgy sense of timing and harmony, my unreliable musical metrics. Raul, originally from Milan, had classical training and for ten years played professionally in many rock and pop music line ups.

In spite of all that, we collaborated often and effectively. I'm just glad he never asked me to write a libretto for an opera. For me, the words come first, then the music; for Raul, the music came first...and the rights of animals.

He once recorded a special CD for some of his musical friends. He included three tracks, arrangements of songs I had written: he called it "Cooking Friends".

I have spent much of this last week (and over the last, difficult months) listening to his wonderful music and songs. Every time I listen to his songs, I feel I am more closely in touch with him. I wish the whole world could get to know his profound, compassionate and inspiring compositions.

Raul had much, much more to offer the world, in the fields of visual arts as well as in music.

For many of us, Corfu will never be the same. 

Rest in peace, Raul.


In Aenigmate: The Composer as Psychopomp


I was listening to his songs last night,

The evening he died.

Nature, though cruel, his force of redemption.

Music and animals, his consolation.


Monday June 9th/10th.

(Photo Above, Chris Holmes)

Photo J. Gulland

On Raul and Gioia (from my book)

More on Raul and Gioia ("Two Italians in Sinarades", from The Corfiot, from page 28)