Various Artists – Italy – Sicily, Folk Music (Ocora Radio France, 2024)
The traditional culture of Sicily is an intricate mosaic, formed through the stratification of diverse ethnic influences that have historically dominated the island. Positioned at the center of the Mediterranean, Sicily has been a crossroads for various civilizations, including the Greeks, Phoenicians, Romans, Byzantines, Islamic Berbers, Normans, Swabians, French, and Spaniards. This complex interplay of cultures is mirrored in the island’s traditional music, which exhibits elements derived from these varied heritages.
As articulated by Ottavio Tiby in the introduction to the Corpus di musiche popolari siciliane by Alberto Favara, the music of Sicily encompasses the Greek nomos, Byzantine hymn, Arab maqam, courtly troubadour ballad, and the Minnesänger lied, culminating in the rich polyphony of the 16th and 17th centuries.
This fascinating CD offers an anthology of the most significant vocal and instrumental typologies within traditional Sicilian music. The majority of these recordings were conducted by Sergio Bonanzinga, Sergio Bonanzinga, Associate Professor of Cultural Anthropology at the Faculty of Arts and Philosophy, University of Palermo, over a twenty-year period (1984-2004), except track 23, which was recorded by researcher Maria Cristina Caruso.
It is important to note that variations in sound quality arise from the transition from analog to digital recording formats. This compilation reflects collaborative research efforts with colleagues Fatima Giallombardo (tracks 1, 28, and 29), Rosario Perricone (tracks 4 and 5), Giuseppe Giacobello (track 8), and Nico Staiti and Grazia Magazzù (track 14). Their contributions have been indispensable, and their participation is gratefully acknowledged.
Recordings
01 • Tammurinata (feast drums/sonata a festa dei tamburi), Maurizio Auccello and Onofrio Auccello (drums/tamburi a bandoliera). [Palermo, 4/09/1994]
02 • Quatrìgghia (Sicilian quadrille/contradanza siciliana), Giuseppe Failla (jaw harp/scacciapensieri), Sofio Giardino (guitar), Vincenzo Rio (guitar), Vincenzo De Maria (reed flute/flauto di canna) and Vincenzo Matarazzo (voice and tamburello). [Sortino, 26/11/ 2000]
03 • A figghia svinturata (The Wretched Girl/La figlia sfortunata), Bartolo Ruggiero (vocal and guitar). [Lipari, 25/10/1987]
04 • Jolla (instrumental dance), Giuseppe Accardi (reed flute/flauto di canna) and Pietro Baudanza (tamburello). [Salemi, 30/03/1995]
05 • A liggenna dû friscalettu (The Legend of the Friscalettu/La leggenda del flauto di canna). Narrative song: Giuseppe Accardi (voice and reed flute). [Salemi, 30/03/1995]
06 • Marranzanata (sonata), Pietro Galletta (jaw harp/scacciapensieri). [Messina, 20/09/1993]
07 • Bbaccillunisa (song), Salvatore Vinci (zampogna “a paro”) and Giovanni Zarcone (vocal). [Messina, San Filippo Superiore, 12/07/2001]
08 • Carrittera (carters’ song/canto di carrettieri) : Salvatore Currao (vocal). [Messina, Salice, 6/01/1990]
09 • Tarantella (instrumental dance), Antonino Trapanotto (guitar) and Antonino Genovese (harmonica). [Malvagna, 5/05/1986]
10 • Mazurka (instrumental dance), Antonino Saitta (double reed flute/doppio flauto di canna). [Librizzi, 1/09/1984]
11 • Sunata, Felice Currò (tamburello) and Salvatore Vinci (zampogna “a paro”). [Messina, San Filippo Superiore, 18/06/2001]
12 • Si Ddiu pisci finu mi facissi (If God Changes Me into a Beautiful Fish/Se Dio mi trasformasse in un bel pesce), Concetto Di Mauro (vocal). [Sortino, 17/12/2000]
13 • Spagnola (sonata), Bartolo Ruggiero (guitar). [Lipari, 25/10/1987]
14 • Ciuminisana (peasants vocal duet/canto di contadini in stile bivocale), Cateno De Francesco and Giovanna Spadaro (vocals). [Fiumedinisi, 10/08/2003]
15 • Tarantella (instrumental dance), Antonino Genovese (jaw harp/scacciapensieri) and Antonino Trapanotto (guitar). [Malvagna, 5/05/1986]
16 • Carrittera (carters’ song/canto di carrettieri), Concetto Di Mauro (vocal). [Sortino, 17/12/2000]
17 • Tarantella (instrumental dance), Rosario Altadonna (tamburello) and Paolo Vinci (accordion). [Messina, San Filippo Superiore, 20/09/1993]
18 • Carrittera (carters’s song/canto di carrettieri), Ignazio Dominici (vocal). [Villabate, 16/06/2001]
19 • Ciaramiddata (sonata), Nino Sergio (double reed flute, after the manner of the zampogna/doppio flauto di canna, alla maniera della zampogna). [Messina, Giampilieri Superiore, 06/05/2001]
20 • Bballittu (instrumental dance), Pietro Morabito (tamburello) and Nino Sergio (reed flute/flauto di canna). [Messina, Giampilieri Superiore, 06/05/2001]
21 • Santaluciota (song with accordion accompaniment after the manner of “Santa Lucia del Mela”/ canto con accompagnamento di organetto, “alla maniera di Santa Lucia del Mela”), Biagio Trifirò and Candelora Calderone (vocals), Candeloro Calderone (diatonic accordion with 8 basses/organetto diatonico a 8 bassi). [Gualtieri Sicaminò, 08/05/2004]
22 • Bballittu (instrumental dance), Vincenzo Calamita (zampogna “a paro”) and Francesco Iacona (cerchietto). [Licata, 22/12/2002]
23 • Stanotti cci passai malanuttata (Last Night, I had a Terrible Night/Stanotte ho passato una cattiva notte). Peasants vocal duet/canto di contadini in stile bivocale : Angela Cucinotta and Giuseppa Cucinotta. [Saponara, 13/01/1990]
24 • Valzer (instrumental dance), Vincenzo De Maria (guitar), Giuseppe Failla (jaw harp), Sofio Giardino (mandolin), Vincenzo Matarazzo (tamburello) and Vincenzo Rio (guitar). [Sortino, 26/11/2000]
25 • Carrittera – Sturnellu (peasants vocal duet in polivocal style, after the “manner of the carters”, and “stornello”/canti di contadini in stile polivocale, “alla maniera dei carrettieri” e “a stornello”), Salvatore Basile, Nunziato Collura, Alfio Greco, Antonino Greco, Giuseppe Longhitano, Placido Longhitano and Antonino Salpietro (vocals). [Bronte, 19/05/1986]
26 • Tarantella (instrumental dance), Stellario Greco (guitar), Pietro Guerrera (mandolin), Filippo Guglielmo (mandolin), Felice Pagano (violin), Luigi Talamo (guitar) and Arturo Vinci (guitar). [Messina, 19/06/1988]
27 • Sturnelli (pepper flower/ciuri di pipi), Felice Pagano (vocal and violin) and Domenico Santapaola (guitar). [Messina, 30/12/1997]
28 • Pasturali (pastoral for zampogna/pastorale per zampogna), Benedetto Miceli (zampogna with keys/a chiave). [Monreale, 23/12/2002]
29 • Tataratà (martial dance/danza armata), Angelo Nobile (drum/tamburo a bandoliera), eight pairs of dancers with swords/otto coppie di danzatori armati di spade. [Casteltèrmini, 25/05/1992]
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Author: Douglas Sanders
