L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, AUGUST 10, 2017 www.italoamericano.org 24 L'Italo-Americano LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE D ear Readers , A n ton io Lu cio V ivald i (1678- 1741) - violinist extraor- dinaire and one of the most pro- lific and well-known Italian composer, is the author of over 500 concertos , 12 operas , numerous oratorios, lyrics and cantatas - and I have something in common: both our "non- nos"were born in the same hilly hometown in Lucania, or Bas ilicata, region of Italy, hence this plug for the Pomarico Vivaldi Festival Edizione 2017, sponsored by the Nuovo Comitato per le Celebrazioni Vivaldiane di Pomarico, Matera, which will take place at the Corte Palazzo March es ale in P omarico in September. Visit www.pomaricovivald- ifestival.com. For more info: COMITATO P ER LE CELEBRA ZIO N I VIVALDIANE, Corso Garibaldi 17, 75016 P omarico (M T), Tel./Fax 011-39 0835 552668. U n til recently, A n ton io Vivaldi's biographical informa- tion has been devoid of any mention of his southern Italian "roots." Pomarico is the town in "Basilicata" where, in 1649, a 22 year old mus ically talented tailor by the name of Camillo Calicchio, left home for Venice "per trovare lavoro." In Venice, he met and mar- ried Zanetta Temporini and had a daughter, named C amilla. When Camilla married Giovanni Battista Vivaldi her first child, born in 1678, was a "bambino" named A n ton io V ivald i, and Camillo Calicchio, originally from Pomarico, was his mater- nal NONNO. *** Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) entered the priesthood in 1703. Like his father, a Venetian vio- linist, he took to the violin, like a duck to the water of Venetian Lagoons, and quickly became a violin teacher, a conductor, and a compos er-in -res idence at the Pio Ospedale della Pietà, a V enetian cons ervatory for orphaned girls. Vivaldi was stunningly pro- lific, producing more than 500 concertos in his lifetime, more than any other known composer. Vivaldi's composition have titles like The Night, The Storm at Sea, and The Goldfinch, but his most famous is The Four Seasons, a catchy set of four concertos that remains one of the most popular pieces of Wes tern clas s ical music today. With this and other pieces, Vivaldi revolutionized the role of the soloist, giving it importance with his extraordi- nary sense of drama and flour- ish. Vivaldi also had a huge influence on Johann Sebastian Bach and on other composers of the classical era. *** The Nuovo Comitato Celebrazioni Vivaldiane di Pomarico, in an effort to make young people aware of the valu- able contributions to music and opera made by Antonio Vivaldi, did not only want them to be aware of Vivaldi's local "roots, but also of how his grandfather, for reasons of "lavoro", "fosse partito da una situazione di spaesamento, di dolore e da una condizione di emi- grazione".  Antonio Vivaldi's "roots" were not in Venezia, but in Brescia (Lombardia) on his father's side and Pomarico on his mother's side. Each year, in addition to Vivaldi musical offerings, there is a literary "con- corso" where young people are invited to write compositions or poetry that relate to the annual Vivaldi Festival's theme. An ear- lier theme was "emigrazione:" youthful contestants had to go back in time and, in an imagi- nary "interview" with Vivaldi's grandfather  Camillo Calicchio, had to ask: "Cosa l'ha spinto a emigrare a Venezia? (What brought you to emigrate?). *** Following is an excerpt from a winning "emigrazione" entry. Each year the cream of this liter- ary crop is printed and published in an "Antologia di Testi Premio Letterario Pomarico Antonio Vivaldi". Cosa l'ha spinto ad emi- grare a Venezia? "Mi chiamo Camillo Calicchio, ero residente a Pomarico, un paese di collina in provincia di Matera. Mia figlia Camilla ha 9 figli tra cui uno diventato compositore e violin- ista famoso: Antonio Lucio Vivaldi. Come ho già detto, abitavo a Pomarico e il mio lavoro era: il sarto. Per molti anni con la mia famiglia ho vis- suto lì, poi a causa della carestia mi trasferii a Venezia. Come me tante altre persone sono emigrate per mancanza di lavoro che portò tanta povertà. Viaggiavamo con treni a carbone e le nostre valigie erano fatte di cartone legate con una corda stretta. A Venezia ho continuato a fare il sarto mentre mio genero Giovanni Battista Vivaldi lavora come barbiere e come secondo lavoro fa il violinista e suona nella Basilica di San Marco. Antonio, mio nipote è nato nel 1978. Nei suoi primi anni d'in- fanzia ha frequetato lascuola della sua parrocchia poi a 13-14 anni entrò a far parte del conser- vatorio. Li ha iniziato a cantare e a suonare con suo padre sem- pre nella Basilica di San Marco." *** The Literary theme for the Pomarico Vivaldi Festival Edizione 2017, is Autumn. The Comitato encouraged young entrants to write about Autumn not just as a season of the year, but also as a period in our lives. For inspiration they listened to Vivaldi's catchy set of four con- certos, The Four Seasons. *** The Pomarico Vivaldi Festival 2017 will open with greetings by Comitato President Sergio Pizzilli. Artist Gennaro Scandiffio will inaugurate the Art Exhibit of students on the theme of Autumn. *** A "Tavola Rotonda" (round table) on "Pomarico at the time of Camillo Calicchio" will take place and documents and cos- tumes of the period in which he lived will be on display. Vivaldi Musical Ensemble and solo will perform. Semi-finalists selected from over 800 entrants will per- form and prizes, which include 500, 150 and 100 Euro Borsa di Studio (scholarships), will be awarded. *** On the closing night of the Vivaldi Festival Francesco Mancini, mayor of Pomarico, will greet and salute all. Central to it all, music: from baroque to jazz, various performances will keep the atmosphere alive. *** If you visit www.pomaricovi- valdifestival.com, the festival website, you will notice that the literary concorso is open to peo- ple in several ages and cate- gories, from elementary school to adults. The deadline was May 31, 2017 and with over 800 entries the panel of judges has been busy selecting semi-final- ists. Entries have just a number so the panel of judges can vote on content and not on possible personal connections. *** Here are snips from the semi- finalists: Autunno Sono ricordi di sapori lontani, mai dimenticati, di funghi, castagne, uva, cacciagione arros- tita su braci ardenti... e di profu- mi scomparsi di terra bagnata e di cantine e vino nuovo. Autunno Perduto Le foglie morte si raccolgono a palate, anche ricordi e i rimpianti. Viali autunnali, foglie cadute, amori finiti. *** Autunno La Stagione Del Riposo Cavaliere è il giorno. Con un inchino esce di scena Lasciando la ribalta alla sua dama, la notte. Si apre il sipario: un concerto diretto dalla morte e ascoltato dalla vita,  ove note si adagiano su un pentagramma in chiave di nostalgia.

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