Chapter 7. Italian Folk Music Collected in New York and New Jersey

Audio Examples

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)

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)

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)

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)

The audio excerpts heard here and were recorded and edited by Anna L. Chairetakis and released on a Smithsonian Folkways Recording titled Calabria Bella, Dove T’hai Lasciate? – Italian Folk Music Collected in New York and New Jersey. The notes included here were taken from the liner notes also written by Anna L. Chairetakis which accompany the recording.

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