L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 8 THURSDAY, AUGUST 10, 2023 L'Italo-Americano M u s i c , t h e u n i v e r s a l language of t h e s o u l , s u b t l y shapes our experiences, col- ors our memories, and stirs o u r e m o t i o n s . I t h a s t h e power to bring us to another time and place and evoke feelings that words alone cannot express. Now, imag- i n e a m e l o d y t h a t y o u r ancestors carried in their hearts as they traveled across the ocean to a new land: that s o n g , t h a t m e l o d y , i s t h e essence of traditional Ital- ian music, a symbol of the country's vibrant cultural heritage and of the enduring spirit of its people. But what makes this music so unique, what stories do these songs tell? Let's take on a journey together, through the diverse musical landscape of the Bel- paese to find out. Traditional Italian music, or musica tradizionale ital- iana, is a diverse collection of music styles that devel- o p e d a c r o s s t h e I t a l i a n peninsula. Due to Italy's his- torical context — unification took place only in 1861, after centuries of political and often cultural division — a single musical tradition did not develop. Instead, various t y p e s o f m u s i c e v o l v e d depending on the geographi- c a l r e g i o n , i n f l u e n c e d b y neighboring peoples or for- eign dominations. Traditional music, at vari- ous latitudes, presents Ara- bic, African, Celtic, Persian, Venetian, Latin, and Slavic influences, a true patchwork of styles and inspirations, often difficult to navigate and distinguish. For this rea- son, in 1956, Alan Lomax proposed a classification sys- t e m t h a t d i v i d e s I t a l y into three areas matching specific musical typologies, a n d c o r r e s p o n d i n g g e o - g r a p h i c a l l y t o N o r t h e r n , Central, and Southern Italy. In the North, traditional music presents Celtic and Slavic influences, while in t h e S o u t h , p r i m a r i l y G r e e k , A r a b i c , a n d African influences are seen. The central region pre- sents a mix of all these ele- ments. I n N o r t h e r n I t a l y , mountain agricultural cul- ture dominates the land - s c a p e a n d t h e n a t u r e o f music, which was often asso- ciated with local festivals and t r a d i t i o n a l d a n c e s . T w o m u s i c i a n s w o u l d u s u a l l y offer their skills to support t h e d a n c e r s , o n e p l a y i n g the piffero (a type of fife or flute), the other the accor- dion. The musical repertoire o f t h e s e a r e a s i n c l u d e s , t h e r e f o r e , m e l o d i e s a n d dances typical of peasant life: passed down through generations, these songs are m o r e t h a n j u s t m e l o d i e s , they are the echoes of the region's rich history and cul- tural identity. In the port area of Genoa, Liguria, the trallallero, a polyphonic song with five voices, one of which imitates t h e s o u n d o f t h e g u i t a r , became popular: it is per- formed exclusively by male vocal groups (with very rare exceptions), which imitate a v a r i e d s e t o f v o c a l a n d instrumental sounds. I n E m i l i a - R o m a g n a , traditional music is synony- mous with liscio, a genre born in the 19th century and often associated with ball- room dancing. The accor- dion, the clarinet, and the double bass create a sound that is smooth and lively, and an infectious rhythm. Played at local festivals and dances, this music is a cele- bration of community and camaraderie. Let's move to C e n t r a l Italy and the regions of Tus- cany, Lazio, and Abruzzo. Here, since the Middle Ages, people would sing poems with octave rhymes that in time turned into songs. In Tuscany, we also find the popular saltarello, which presents many local vari- eties. It is, however, Southern Italy where popular musical tradition developed most richly and where such tradi- t i o n h a s b e e n b e t t e r p r e - served to this day. The most well-known style is undoubt- edly the tarantella, per- formed even today practical- ly in all southern regions, in numerous variants: pizzica, taranta, Calabrian tarantel- la, and Sicilian tarantella. Tarantella is a generic term for many of the melodies of s o u t h e r n I t a l y a n d t h e i r r e s p e c t i v e d a n c e s . W h a t u n i t e s t h e m i s t h e i r f a s t rhythm and their metrics, generally in 6/8, 12/8, or 4/4. Among them, pizzica is one of the most famous. It is a particular type of dance from the tarantella family, originating from Salento, where it is still quite wide- spread today: it was born as a playful dance practiced on festive occasions, but its use in rituals to cure those who had been bitten by the taran- t u l a o r o t h e r p o i s o n o u s insects is also documented. These songs, often accompa- nying traditional dances and r e l i g i o u s f e s t i v a l s , a r e a r e f l e c t i o n o f t h e r e g i o n ' s d e e p s p i r i t u a l r o o t s a n d vibrant cultural traditions. Our last stop is, of course, N a p l e s , t h e b i r t h p l a c e o f the Neapolitan song tra- dition. The musical roots of canzone napoletana date b a c k t o t h e 1 3 t h c e n t u r y when stories of love, passion, a n d l o n g i n g w e r e r e c i t e d with music. Characterized by their emotional intensity and the use of the Neapolitan dialect, Neapolitan songs mirror the passionate spirit of Neapolitan people and are a significant part of the Ital- ian cultural heritage. As varied as it can be, tra- ditional Italian music is more than just a collection of songs and melodies, it's a beautiful living and breathing picture of our history and heritage. Often, we carry these songs i n o u r h e a r t s , j u s t a s o u r ancestors did, because they remind us of our roots and connect us with our past. So, the next time you find your- self humming an old familiar tune, think of the history it h a s b e h i n d a n d o f a l l t h e souls it nourished with mem- ories and beauty throughout the decades. FRANCESCA BEZZONE Italian traditional dances are often associated with traditional music (Photo: Ermess/Dreamstime) Traditional music, the heartbeat of Italy Music is part of many a traditional celebration in Italy (Photo: Anna Fedorova/Dreamstime) LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE

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