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La Zita (The Fiancée)
E La Maddalena
The young unmarried girl is a central figure in both Italian society
and folklore, both for the magnetic attraction she exerts and for
the possibilities she holds forth. In this ironic sing of courtship,
accompanying the tarantella, a young man surveys his future bride
with a sharp eye. Raffaela Montagna De Franco sings with the acute,
throaty voice that makes Calabrian women in animated conversation
sound like a flock of exotic birds. Giuseppe De Franco plays an
heirloom concertina (c. 1900). Recorded in Belleville, New Jersey.
(Smithsonian Folkways Recordings album #34042 1979)
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La Strina Di Sabato
Santo
Holy Saturday celebrates the end of the Lenten fast and winter scarcity,
and is a prelude to Easter. On Calabria small bands of relatives and
friends sing the strina from house to house on this day, and their
hosts present them with a sausage, some wine, and other delicacies.
When their sacks are full the little company goes off under the trees
to dance and picnic. Some Serricellesi in Westerly, Rhode Island still
observe the custom, which provides an occasion for larks. In this
recording, as often, the singers discuss their lines between verses,
and comment upon the execution of the proceeding verse. Performed
by Carmine Ferraro, R. De Franco (vocals), G. De Franco (guitar),
and Antonio Di Giacomo (tambourine). (Smithsonian Folkways Recordings album
#34042 1979)
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Giuglia
In its organization perhaps one of the most complex forms of choral
singing in Italy, the Lassa Piglia strikingly resembles the Eastern
Orthodox hymnodic style, unaltered since Byzantine times. Three leaders
alternate within a single strophe, and with the chorus elaborate what
is basically a couplet in such a way that the text is gradually broken
down from a complex line of poetry, which is sung in two or three
part harmony. Performed by Angelo Gencarelli, Francesco Chimenti,
Annunziato Chimenti (leaders), Giuglio Gencarelli and Francesca Feraco
(chorus). (Smithsonian Folkways Recordings album #34042 1979)
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Ballo Del Piffero
Zampogna (bagpipe) comes from the Greek word for symphony. Before
the advent of the accordion and modern band, the bagpiper and oboist
were orchestra and accompanists in the upland villages of the South.
Michele Montelone’s calling card announces him as “Master of Fanfare
of Rombiolo, Catanzaro”; he and oboist Francesco Crudo are versatile
pipers in the old tradition. The Calabrian bagpipe, unique in Europe,
has two chanters, and two drones on a single stock, and the bag (held
in front of the body) is made of a whole sheepskin. The long chanter
(trombone) sometimes reaches a length of five feet. The wooden oboe
(ciaramella or piffero) plays the high part of the melody. The following
was recorded at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, D.C.
The bagpipers, guests from Calabria, were accompanied by American
performers N. Curatolo, V. De Luca, F. Gencarelli, and A. Chimenti
in chimes and percussion.
(Smithsonian Folkways Recordings album #34042 1979)
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