FOLKTRAX 618 - ANTHOLOGY OF POPULAR ITALIAN MUSIC - vol 2 CANTASTORIA (Street singers)

1. LA TRAGEDIA DEL MATTMARK (The Tragedy Of Mattmark) - 5'07" Vincenza Cavallini (voice), Angelo Cavallini (voice and accordeon), Antonio Ferrari (drum) rec. by R. Leydi, Pavia, Lombardia July 1969

2. LA STORIA DI PETU (The Story Of Petru Taurmina) - 4'22" Cicciu Busacca (voice and guitar) rec. by R. Leydi Paterno', Catania, Sicilia September 1958 LA SACRA RAPPRESENTAZIONE (Mystery play)

3. IL PIANTO DELLE ZITELLE (The Spinsters' Lament) - 5'11" Female voices rec. by R. Leydi, A. Rossi, Santuario della SS. Trinita', Vallepietra, Roma, Lazio June 1966 IL MAGGIO (May play)

4. DEMOFONTE (c.1830) - 3'30" May players directed by Leopoldo Baroni rec. Buti, Pisa, Toscana June 1959 GLI IMPROVISATORI (Improvisers)

5. CONTRASTO FRA AMERICA E RUSSIA (Contrast Between America & Russia) - 0'45" Guerriero Romanelli (Russia), Renato Livi (America) rec. by D. Carpitella, R. Leydi, Arezzo, Toscana December 29, 1966 IL CONTASTORIE (Street narrator)

6. IL COMBATTIMENTO DI ORLANDO E RINALDI (The Duel Between Orlando & Rinaldo) - 2'23" Peppino Celano rec. by R. Leydi, Palermo, Sicilia January 1963

LYRICAL & SATIRICAL SONGS

7. SERENATA (Serenade) - 3'08" Rocco Di Mauro (male voice), Andrea Sacco (chitarra battente), Angiolina Gentile (incitements and cries with female voice) rec. by R. Leydi, D. Carpitella, Carpino, Foggia, Puglia December 10, 1966

8. CORONA D'ORO (The Golden Crown) - 1'19" Albanian community: Male voice with bagpipe rec. by D. Carpitella Lungro, Cosenza, Calabria, 1966

9. STORNELLI - 2'47" Isabella Di Matteo, n.1920; Maria Di matteo, n.1946; Anonima (almost 15 years three alternate female voices) rec. by R. Leydi, N. Jobbi, D. Carpitella Cerqueto di Fano Adriano, Teramo, Abruzzo December 30, 1966

10. STORNELLI - 1'26" Female voice rec. by N. Jobbi Cesacastina (Teramo, Abruzzo) 1965

11. CANZUNE (SONG) -1'48" Agostino Ignoto Di Matteo (male voice) rec. by Elisabetta Guggino, Capaci, Palermo, Sicilia January 21, 1963

12. STORNELLI -1'18" Renato Livi (male voice) rec. by D. Carpitella, R. Leydi, Arezzo, Toscana December 29, 1966

13. STRANOT -1'03" Teresa Viarengo (female voice) rec. by R. Leydi, F. Coggiola, Asti, Piemonte January 17, 1965

14. MUTTOS - 3'51" a) Bellezza cardellina b) Sa pizzu de sa reina Alternate male voices with guitar rec. by D. Carpitella, F. Cagnetta, Ortgosolo (Nuoro, Sardegna) 1955

15. ANTONI GIACUANTONI - 2'08" Provencal community; Olimpia Ottonelli, Angela Gertus, Susanna Ciais, Marilena Rulf (four female voices) rec. by R. Leydi, Chianale, Cuneo, Piemonte September 25, 1967

16. MARITZA - 2'11" Old Slavic community: mixed voices rec by R. Leydi, A. Negrin, San Giorgio di Resia, Udine, Friuli c. January 8, 1967

17. IL CANTO POLIVOCALE (Polyphonic Song) - 6'59" Two male voices rec by A. Dell'Utri, Casteldelpiano, Grosseto, Toscana May 30, 1966

18. CANTO A VATOCCU (Bell-Clapper Song) - 2'11" Two male voices rec by A. Dell'Utri Pretola, Perugia, Umbria May 30, 1966

19. CANTO A LA LONGA (Song In Long Form) -1'38" Venetian-Istrian community: Anna Capolicchi (female voice), Giovanni Sifari (male voice) rec. by R. Leydi, Gallesano, Istria, Jugoslavia, May 18, 1969

20. L'USIGNOLO (The Nightingale) - 2'01" Trallallero of 12 male voices rec. by R. Leydi, Genova, Liguria May 29, 1965

21. LINGUA SERPENTINA (The Evil Tongue) - 2'01" Eight male voices rec by R. Leydi, Ceriana, Imperia, Liguria July 1969

22. O MAMMA MIA MARIDEME (O Mother I Want To Marry) -1'49" Ferruccio and Bonfiglio Lanfranchi (two male voices) rec. by Perrone Grandore di Ferriere, Piacenza, Emilia March 10, 1970

23. BEI (Stornelli) - 3'38" Seven male voices rec. by R. Leydi & D. Carpitella, Casteldelpiano, Grosseto, Toscana December 9, 1966

24. TASGIA - 2'11" Five male voices rec. by Pietro Sassu, D. Carpitella, Aggius, Gallura, Sardegna 1962

25. EL ME MURUS EL STA DE LA DEL SERI (My Love Lives Beyond The Serio (River) - vilotta - 2'51" Natalina, Franca and Luigina Bettinelli (three female voices) rec. by R. Leydi Ripalta Nuova, Cremona, Lombardia January 22, 1967

26. E' QUI IL MARTELLO (Here Is The Hammer) - 2'04" Five male voices rec by R. Leydi & A. Fumagalli, Santa Croce di San Pellegrino, Bergamo, Lombardia October 29, 1966

1. La tragedia del Mattmark The group of street ballad singers from Pavia are one of the most famous in all Northern Italy. There can be at least two or three different melodies for their stories, which are interchangeable. They are linear and simple tunes, while the texts sometimes have heroic overtones. The tragedy of Mattmark is one of the best examples of this kind of performance in Northern Italy.

2. La storia di Petru Taurmina This story is performed by one of the most outstanding Sicilian street singers. When he performed, from the roof of his car, in a square full of country people, we can see an old tradition becoming part of modern reality. Ignazio Buttitta, a dialect poet from Bagheria, wrote all the most meaningful stories sung by Busacca, as well as this one.

3. Il pianto delle zitelle The Sanctuary of Vallepietra is can only be reached by following mule-tracks. Twice a year, for the feast of Trinity and on St. Anne's day, there is a pilgrimage during the night with torches and candles. The lament, which begins at dawn, has all the characteristics of a sacred performance. The "spinsters", a group of women from Vallepietra, dressed in white, sing the lament. In the past they were all unmarried women, but today some of them may be married.

4. Demofonte This is one example of the May plays found in Tuscany. These are performances with songs and instruments on historical, mythological or even religious themes. The players for these performances are peasants and artisans practising the songs for months beforehand. Usually the plays are in fact fertility rituals, in the past with symbols such as the branch, the tree, the eggs, the flowers being used to represent the rebirth of life.

5. Contrasto fra America e Russia Very widespread in all Central Italy are these improvisations performed in octaves. The poets who improvise, even today, are still fairly numerous. During the village feasts, public poetry contests are held. Usually a committee fixes a particular theme in advance and the poets have to develop the subject. The recorded performance shows the contrast between two competitors, one playing America and the other standing for Russia.

6. Il combattimento di Orlando e Rinaldo Together with the "story-singers", until not long ago, there were also the "story-tellers", who did not sing but recited their stories. While the story-singers had mostly abandoned the more chivalrous themes, the story-tellers kept on reciting about the deeds of the Paladins of Carlo Magno. The only "instrument" was, in fact, their own voice, which was used to express the different parts of the performance, the fury, the emotion, the energy and the depression.

7. Serenata This serenade was sung until a few years ago, in Carpino, below the girls' windows. Professional singers and musicians, charged by the lovers executed the performance. The same practice was also very common in other areas of the Gargano.

8. Corona d'oro This song belongs to the Albanian community in Calabria. These people came to Italy during 15th and 16th century to escape from the Turkish occupation. All the communities have preserved their language and rituals, so that their music and traditions remain close to the original.

9. Stornelli This group of stornelli shows the two different ways in which these songs are performed in Cerqueto: the first is in a vocal way and the second is derived from dancing (salterello).

10. Stornelli This one is from Cesacastina where the style in which the stornelli are sung is different from Cerqueto. Here the melody is similar to the one used in religious processionals.

11. Canzune The Sicilian "canzune" is very common. It has several stylised models but it doesn't have to be a special occasion to be performed and doesn't have particular functions. It is sung both by male and female voices.

12. Stornelli The stornello from Tuscany, together with the one from Latium, are the most famous and well known. This is an example from Tuscany, the theme is the recurrent one of the satire on women's fashion.

14. Muttos "Muttu" and "mutettu" are typical styles of traditional songs of Sardinia. (See Sardinia Vol 1).

15. Antoni Giacuantoni The language and culture "occitana" (provencal) was once widespread in eleven valleys in Piemonte. It is now almost replaced by "piedmontese", but the few surviving examples show some particular features, as in this performance with satiric tones. The chorus sings in unison.

16. Maritza About the traditions of Van di Resia see Notes to Vol. 1.

17. Il canto polivocale This is an example of polyvocal songs, which in Italy are very common and the particular style has developed is various forms. There are harmonic polyvocalities, rhythmic ones and those of instrumental imitation and it is quite difficult to distinguish the old ones from the more recent.

18. Canto a vatoccu This is a polyvocal song widespread along all the Adriatic side of the Apennines. The "vatoccu" is the clapper of the bell and probably this name was applied to this particular song because there is a continuos alternating of the two voices, usually one male voice and a female one.

19. Canto a la longa "Canto a la longa" is an example of the typical style developed by the Veneto-Istrian community. It is given different names depending on the village (in Dignano, for example, is called "basso"). Sometimes it is performed by two male or female voices instead of male and female voices together.

20. L'usignolo (trallallero) "Trallallero" is one of the most complicated forms of polyvocal songs typical of Liguria and above all of Genova area. The one performed today was developed quite recently (in c.1920), but its origins are very old.

21. Lingua serpentina This is another example belonging to trallallero area with a structure less complex and sophisticated than the previous one.

22. O mama mia marideme This song shows traces of the trallallero from Liguria in the Apennines near Piacenza. It is also a point of connection with the style of "bei" very common in Grosseto area. The text of the song, typical of Piedmontese balladry at the beginning, then changes into a satiric explanation of the conditions of married women.

23. Bei (stornelli) "Bei" is a form of polyvocal song widespread in Tuscany, in the area from Grosseto to Monte Amiata. It consists of a vocal accompaniment trying to imitate instruments and in this sense is similar to the trallallero and the various forms of Sardinian polyvocality. Usually "bei" is performed by numerous groups even of six or eight people, and, using this technique, are sung stornelli and narrative songs.

24. Tasgia "Tasgia" is one of the polyvocal forms of Northern Sardinia, above all in Gallura. Usually it is performed by five voices. This style is used in several occasions and with different functions. On the record it is presented as a religious song performed during Holy Week.

25. El murus el sta de la del Seri "Villotta" from Northern Italy has a nonsense appendix called "lioleta" which was very common in the past. Usually the "villotta" was used to accompany dance with unison chorus singing.

26. E' qui il martello This is another example of "villotta", perhaps more simple than the previous one, which has lost the "lioleta", and shows the more recent style of today, widespread in Northern Italy, and still found in many communities in the Western and Central areas.

Field recordings by: Diego Carpitella (Roma), Alberto Fumagalli (San Pellegrino, Bergamo), Elisabetta Guggino (Palermo), Leo Levi (Gerusalemme), Roberto Leydi (Milano), Bruno Pianta (Milano), Annabella Rossib (Roma), Giuseppe Sassoon (Milano).