SARDINIAN MUSIC: INTANGIBLE HERITAGE OF HUMANITY

Marisa Sannia

The Grandma loves folk music and visiting Sardìnnia is a good opportunity to discover the local and fascinating music. Sardìnnia is an incredible mix of cultures and music represents every one of them.

Altough The Grandma is a great fan of Franca Masu and Marisa Sannia, she wants to talk about all kind of music that you can find in this wonderful  island and she and her friends have gone to listen to a concert of launeddas, an old and amazing instrument typical of Sardìnnia.

Before arriving to the concert in the Teatro Lirico di Cagliari, The Grandma has studied a new lesson of her Elementary Language Practice manual (Grammar 14).

More information: Past habits-Used to I & II

Sardinia is probably one of the most culturally distinct of Europe and, musically, is best known for the tenore polyphonic singing, sacred chants called gosos, the launeddas, an ancient instrument that consists of a set of three single-reed pipes, all three mouth-blown simultaneously using circular breathing, with two chanters and one drone and the cantu a chiterra, a monodic song that is accompanied by guitar, widespread mainly in the center and north of the island.

The launeddas are an ancient instrument, dating back to at least the 8th century BC. They are played using circular breathing. Launeddas are used to play a complex style of music that has achieved some international attention, and they are still played during religious ceremonies and dances, su ballu.

Le Launeddas

Some of the most famous player were Efisio Melis, Antonio Lara, Dionigi Burranca and Luigi Lai.

Many of the launeddas musicians are from the south of the island from villages like Villaputzu, San Vito and Muravera in the subregion named Sarrabus, or from Samatzai and even from Cabras near Oristano and Ovodda near Nuoro. Distinctively, they are played using extensive variations on a few melodic phrases and, because of the technique of circular breathing, a single song can last over an hour.

Traditional singing accompanied by guitar cantu a chiterra is also found in Sardinia, represented by performers like Luiginu Cossu, Maria Carta, and nowadays Francesco Demuro; this genre is especially well known in the northwest region of Logudoro near the city of Sassari and in the northeast region of Gallura.

More information: San Teodoro

Rural polyphonic chanting known as cantu a tenore is sung with four vocal parts. They are bassu (bass), mesa boghe (middle), contra (counter) and boghe (leader and soloist). The most popular group is Tenores di Bitti; another one is Tenores de Oniferi.

In November 2005, the A Tenore vocal style of the Sardinian pastoral culture was proclaimed a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.

Sacred gozos, in Sardinian language gosos, or sacred songs, can be heard during religious celebrations, one of the most famous song is the Deus ti salvet Maria, God save you, Mary,  also known as the Sardinian Hail Mary.

Traditional dances include su ballu tundu, su passu torrau, su durdurinu, su dillu, sa logudoresa, s'arroxiada , su passu e tres, and sa campidanesa.

Ballu tundu, a Sardinian dance

Aside from the launeddas, traditional instruments include the benas, the organittu, the chiterra, and the tamburinos.

Other influential Sardinian musicians include Totore Chessa (organetto), 1930s launeddas legend Efisio Melis, Maria Carta, Mauro Palmas, Elena Ledda of Sonos and Suonofficina, Cordas et Cannas, Antonello Salis piano, Paolo Fresu (trumpet) and Gesuino Deiana (guitar).

The modern Teatro Comunale of Cagliari is home to the permanent Choir and Orchestra of the Opera and Concert Association of Cagliari and seat of the Cagliari Opera Foundation. As well, there is a Roman amphitheater in Cagliari that is used for outdoor summer concerts and festivals. The city is the site of the Palestrina music conservatory.

More information: GoUNESCO

The town of Tadasuni is the site of the interesting Giovanni Dore Museum, a collection of 400 traditional Sardinian folk instruments. The Ente Musicale di Nuoro was founded in 1987 and, among other activities, sponsors the annual Nuoro Jazz Festival directed by trumpeter Paolo Fresu. Sassari is the site of the Luigi Canepa Music Conservatory, the Teatro Politeama Verdi, built in 1884; and the Civic Theatre (1827).

Su patriottu sardu a sos feudatarios, The Sardinian Patriot to the Lords, also known as Procurad'e moderare, barones, sa tirannia, O barons! Make sure you temper your tyranny, is the revolutionary anthem written in Sardinian by Francesco Ignazio Mannu during the revolt occurred in 1794 all over the island against the feudalism, which culminated in the expulsion of the Piedmontese tyrants: the hymn had been translated in English by John Warre Tyndale in 1849, in French by A. Boullier in 1864 and in German by B. Schütze in 1979.

S'hymnu sardu nationale, The Sardinian National Anthem, was the anthem of the Savoyard Kingdom of Sardinia, later to become the Kingdom of Italy; it was written in Sardinian language by Vittorio Angius in 1842. It was replaced by the Marcia Reale, Royal March of Ordinance, in 1861.

Dimonios, Demons, is the official hymn of the Sassari Mechanized Brigade, written in Logudorese Sardinian. 

More information: Lyrics Translate

The truth is there's always a hum of people 

playing folk music in cities. 

Johnny Flynn