Italian Folk Music: A Folk Quilt

Today’s issue is dedicated to Italian folk music – songs and dances of this country, as well as musical instruments.

Those whom we are accustomed to call Italians are the heirs of the culture of great and small peoples who have lived since ancient times in different parts of the Apennine Peninsula. Greeks and Etruscans, Italics (Romans) and Gauls have left their mark on Italian folk music.

An eventful history and magnificent nature, agricultural work and cheerful carnivals, sincerity and emotionality, beautiful language and musical taste, rich melodic beginning and variety of rhythms, high singing culture and skill of instrumental ensembles – all this manifested itself in the music of Italians. And all this won the hearts of other peoples outside the peninsula.

Folk songs of Italy

As they say, in every joke there is a share of a joke: the ironic remark of the Italians about themselves as masters of composing and singing songs is confirmed by world fame. Therefore, the folk music of Italy is primarily represented by songs. Of course, we know little about oral song culture, since its first examples were recorded in the late Middle Ages.

The appearance of Italian folk songs at the beginning of the XNUMXth century is associated with the transition to the Renaissance. Then there is an interest in worldly life, during the holidays the townspeople listen with pleasure to minstrels and jugglers who sing about love, tell family and everyday stories. And the inhabitants of villages and cities themselves are not averse to singing and dancing to a simple accompaniment.

Later, the main song genres were formed. Frottola (translated as “folk song, fiction”) has been known in northern Italy since the end of the 3th century. This is a lyrical song for 4-XNUMX voices with elements of imitation polyphony and bright metrical accents.

By the XNUMXth century, light, dancing, with a melody in three voices villanella (translated as “village song”) was distributed throughout Italy, but each city called it in its own way: Venetian, Neapolitan, Padovan, Roman, Toscanella and others.

She is replaced canzonet (in translation means “song”) – a small song performed in one or more voices. It was she who became the ancestor of the future famous genre of the aria. And the danceability of the villanella moved to the genre ballet, – songs that are lighter in composition and character, suitable for dancing.

The most recognizable genre of Italian folk songs today is Neapolitan song (South Italian region of Campania). A singsong, cheerful or sad melody was accompanied by a mandolin, a guitar or a Neapolitan lute. Who has not heard the anthem of love “O my sun” or the anthem of life “Saint Lucia”, or a hymn to the funicular “Funiculi Funicula”who carries lovers to the top of Vesuvius? Their simplicity is only apparent: the performance will reveal not only the skill level of the singer, but also the richness of his soul.

The golden age of the genre began in the middle of the XNUMXth century. And today in Naples, the musical capital of Italy, the festival-competition of the lyrical song Piedigrotta (Festa di Piedigrotta) is being held.

Another recognizable brand belongs to the northern region of Veneto. Venetian song on the water or repeatedly (barca is translated as “boat”), performed at a leisurely pace. The musical time signature 6/8 and the texture of the accompaniment usually convey swaying on the waves, and the beautiful performance of the melody is echoed by the strokes of the oars, easily entering the water.

Folk dances of Italy

The dance culture of Italy developed in the genres of domestic, staged dance and maritime (Moriscos). Moreski was danced by the Arabs (who were called that – in translation, this word means “little Moors”), who converted to Christianity and settled in the Apennines after being deported from Spain. Staged dances were called, which were specially staged for the holidays. And the genre of household or social dances was the most common.

The origin of genres is attributed to the Middle Ages, and their design – to the XNUMXth century, the beginning of the Renaissance. This era brought elegance and grace to the coarse and cheerful Italian folk dances. Fast simple and rhythmic movements with transitions to light jumps, rises from a full foot to a toe (as a symbol of spiritual development from the earthly to the divine), the cheerful nature of the musical accompaniment – these are the characteristic features of these dances.

Cheerful energetic gallard performed by couples or individual dancers. In the vocabulary of dance – the main five-step movement, a lot of jumps, jumps. Over time, the pace of the dance became slower.

Close in spirit to the galliard is another dance – saltarella – was born in central Italy (regions of Abruzzo, Molise and Lazio). The name was given by the verb saltare – “to jump”. This pair dance was accompanied by music in 6/8 time. It was performed at magnificent holidays – weddings or at the end of the harvest. The vocabulary of the dance includes a series of double steps and bows, with a transition to cadence. It is danced at modern carnivals.

Homeland of another ancient dance bergamaska (bargamasca) is located in the city and province of Bergamo (Lombardy, northern Italy). This peasant dance was loved by the inhabitants of Germany, France, England. Cheerful lively and rhythmic music with a quadruple meter, energetic movements conquered people of all classes. The dance was mentioned by W. Shakespeare in the comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Tarantella – the most famous of the folk dances. They were especially fond of in the southern Italian regions of Calabria and Sicily. And the name comes from the city of Taranto (Apulia region). The city also gave the name to the poisonous spiders – tarantulas, from the bite of which the long, to the point of exhaustion, performance of the tarantella allegedly saved.

A simple repetitive motif of accompaniment on triplets, the lively nature of the music and a special pattern of movements with a sharp change in direction distinguish this dance, performed in pairs, less often solo. Passion for dance overcame the persecution of him: Cardinal Barberini allowed him to perform at court.

Some of the folk dances quickly conquered all of Europe and even came to the court of European monarchs. Galliard, for example, was adored by the ruler of England, Elizabeth I, and throughout her life she danced it for her own pleasure. And bergamasca cheered up Louis XIII and his courtiers.

The genres and melodies of many dances have continued their lives in instrumental music.

Musical Instruments

For accompaniment, bagpipes, flutes, mouth and regular harmonicas, stringed plucked instruments – guitars, violins and mandolins were used.

In written testimonies, the mandala has been mentioned since the XNUMXth century, it may have been made as a simpler version of the lute (it translates from Greek as “small lute”). It was also called a mandora, a mandole, a pandurina, a bandurina, and a small mandola was called a mandolin. This oval-bodied instrument had four double wire strings tuned in unison rather than in octave.

The violin, among other folk musical instruments of Italy, has become one of the most beloved. And it was brought to perfection by Italian masters from the Amati, Guarneri and Stradivari families in the XNUMXth – first quarter of the XNUMXth centuries.

In the 6th century, itinerant artists, in order not to bother with playing music, began to use a hurdy-gurdy – a mechanical wind instrument that reproduced 8–XNUMX recorded favorite works. It remained only to turn the handle and transport or carry it through the streets. Initially, the barrel organ was invented by the Italian Barbieri to teach songbirds, but over time it began to delight the ears of the townspeople outside of Italy.

Dancers often helped themselves to beat out a clear rhythm of the tarantella with the help of a tambourine – a type of tambourine that came to the Apennines from Provence. Often performers used the flute along with the tambourine.

Such genre and melodic diversity, talent and musical richness of the Italian people ensured not only the rise of academic, especially opera, and pop music in Italy, but was also successfully borrowed by composers from other countries.

The best assessment of folk art was given by the Russian composer M.I. Glinka, who once said that the real creator of music is the people, and the composer plays the role of an arranger.

Author – Elifeya