Casa Editrice La Canzonetta

Casa Editrice La Canzonetta is one of Italy's oldest and most storied music publishing houses, founded in Naples in 1901 by the poet Francesco Feola and the musician Giuseppe Capolongo. It built its reputation on the Neapolitan song tradition, publishing annual Piedigrotta songbooks and launching a vast catalogue of canzoni napoletane that became known worldwide. The company also operates as a record label, historically under names such as La Canzonetta Record, Sintesi 3000 and Blue Angels, releasing albums by artists including Sal Da Vinci, James Senese & Napoli Centrale, Nino Buonocore, 24 Grana, Ida Rendano, Mario Da Vinci and many others. Its catalogue includes classics such as 'Na sera 'e maggio, Reginella, Munasterio 'e Santa Chiara, Dicitencello vuie, Indifferentemente and songs written by Totò (Antonio de Curtis). The firm is still managed by descendants of Francesco Feola, with Mario Fedele and Massimiliano Di Martino as administrators. Today it continues to publish music, reissue historic recordings and sell vinyl, CDs, books and merchandise through its online store.

Casa Editrice La Canzonetta was founded in Naples in 1901 by the poet Francesco Feola (Naples, 24 December 1871 – 4 July 1945) and the musician Giuseppe Capolongo (Naples, 20 March 1877 – 15 December 1928). Feola, an employee of the Italian State Railways with a lifelong passion for music and Neapolitan bel canto, first tried his hand as an author before deciding to print on his own. In 1901 he published the single issue 'Le maschere a Piedigrotta', presented by Eduardo D'Acierno and compiled by Eduardo Palmieri, which was well received. In 1904, encouraged by sales, Feola brought the musician Giuseppe Capolongo into the young firm; Capolongo became a close collaborator and together they inaugurated the Capolongo-Feola publishing house at Via Cesare Rossaroll 15 in Naples. In 1905 and 1906 two more successful annual songbooks appeared, 'Piedigrotta delle Signorine' and 'Piedigrotta Segrè', launching songs such as 'A cerenara', 'A Margellina', 'O silenzio a buordo', 'L'arca di Noè' and 'Chiarina mia', many recorded on 78 rpm by groups and performers including I Figli di Ciro, tenor Eugenio Torre, Peppino Villani and Gennaro Pasquariello. In 1905 Feola also launched the artistic, literary and musical magazine 'La Canzonetta', from which the Piedigrotta audition later took its name; the first issue appeared on 10 April. In 1916 Capolongo left his administrative role, leaving the house in Feola's hands alone. From 1906 to 1959, without missing a year, Feola organised the Piedigrotta La Canzonetta music competition, which presented and awarded the finest Neapolitan and Italian songs of the first half of the twentieth century. Thanks to La Canzonetta, the Neapolitan song spread so widely in the early 1900s that it came to represent Italian music around the world. The company became a strong competitor to the better-known Casa Editrice Ferdinando Bideri. Over the decades it published a vast catalogue of classics, including 'A sciantosa', 'A tazza 'e cafè', 'Munasterio 'e Santa Chiara', 'Ciccio Formaggio', 'Agata', ''Na sera 'e maggio', 'M'aggia curà', ''A sunnambula', 'Dicitencello vuie', ''O cuscritto 'nnammurato', 'Reginella', 'Malafemmena', 'Indifferentemente', 'Casa mia', 'Dincello mamma mia', 'Pe' vint'anne', 'Ddoie strade', 'Rosa di maggio', 'Palomma', ''O mare canta', 'Silenzio cantatore', 'Scio llà', 'Serenata 'e 'na zingara', 'Stellestella stellete' and 'Veleno d'ammore'. As a record company, also under the names Sintesi 3000 and Blue Angels, it produced Italian and Neapolitan music albums for Sal Da Vinci, Luciano Bruno, Ida Rendano, Gloriana, Nuova Generazione, Life, Ciak, Gianni Simioli, Bisca, Rfc, Pennelli di Vermeer, Luigi Libra, Mario Da Vinci, Miranda Martino, Beppe Barra, James Senese, Napoli Centrale, Walhalla, Nino Buonocore, 24 Grana and Francesco Di Bella. The firm is still managed by descendants of Francesco Feola, with Mario Fedele and Massimiliano Di Martino as administrators, and continues to publish, reissue and sell music and books.

• 2026

  Announces 24 Grana album 'Bidonville' on clear vinyl, pre-order from 2 October 2026.

• 1959

  Final edition of the uninterrupted Piedigrotta La Canzonetta competition.

• 1916

  Giuseppe Capolongo leaves his administrative role; Feola takes sole control.

• 1906

  Publishes 'Piedigrotta Segrè'; begins organising the Piedigrotta La Canzonetta music competition, held annually until 1959.

• 1905

  Launches the magazine 'La Canzonetta'; first issue published on 10 April.

• 1905

  Publishes annual songbook 'Piedigrotta delle Signorine'.

• 1904

  Giuseppe Capolongo joins; Capolongo-Feola publishing house opens at Via Cesare Rossaroll 15, Naples.

• 1901

  Founded in Naples by Francesco Feola and Giuseppe Capolongo; publishes first single issue 'Le maschere a Piedigrotta'.

Historic, family-run guardian of the Neapolitan song tradition, combining music publishing, record label and direct-to-consumer retail of physical music and books.

• Piedigrotta La Canzonetta songbooks

• Vinyl records (33 and 45 rpm)

• CDs and CD+DVD releases

• Music publishing rights

• Books

• Merchandise

1. 1La canzonetta – Napoli (official website)lacanzonetta.net
2. 2Chi siamo – La canzonettalacanzonetta.net
3. 3Casa Editrice La Canzonetta – Wikidatawikidata.org
4. 4Casa Editrice La Canzonetta – Wikipedia (Italian)it.wikipedia.org