Traditional music Italian Folk/traditional Songs (also in dialects) and Dances

... don’t be afraid of the beautiful people ... Zoolander?

dance of Dionysus




The Tarantula is still alive, so they dance

 
La sposa me
(Abruzzo)

 
Salento said:
... don’t be afraid of the beautiful people ... Zoolander?

dance of Dionysus




The Tarantula is still alive, so they dance

Click to expand...

Vey danceable tunes!And the women dancers on top of being very good dancers are also very pleasant on the eyes!
 
Angela said:
They grow some nice looking young men in Crete. It distracted me from the dancing!:)
Click to expand...

They have the reputation of being very manly and in the past as very fierce warriors.
 
Is there as much variation in traditional dances/music among the different provinces as there is in Greece? In Greece there are some major differences among the different areas: Epirotic/mainland, Pelopennese, Cretan, Aegean Islands, Thracian, Macedonian and Pontian. Then there are variations among those depending on the village. Then you have the differences that professional or regional volunteer dance troupes introduce to make their shows more interesting. There has been a renewed interest in the traditional dances and music from the young people. Traditional instruments are taught in the state music schools and also in private music schools. Where as before you had to either be self taught or study with a practitioner now you can go to a music school and learn to play the Thracian Lyra or Cretan Lyra or the Pontian Lyra or the Gaida or other traditional instruments. We now also have instrument makers that are constructing or renewing traditional instruments. I thought that traditional music and dance was going to die but I am so happy to be wrong.
We also have what we call popular music (not to be confused with pop) that was transplanted by the refugees from Constantinople and Smyrna during the 1920s. We share that genre with our Turkish friends and there have been many exchanges of singers back and forth. This genre has its own dances such as Tsifteteli, Karsilamas, Zeibekiko. Here is a charming Turkish singer, Fide Koskal singing in Greek and Turkish. She has a little something something (active hips?) besides being an excellent singer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I92pUz_KHBQ&frags=pl,wn
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPkHS2afTK8

Then of course we have pop which has European and American influences and of course rock.

Sorry for intruding on your forum. I really enjoyed listening and watching all the music and dancing. Thanks Salento and Angela!
 
Last edited:
bigsnake49 said:
Is there as much variation in traditional dances/music among the different provinces as there is in Greece? In Greece there are some major differences among the different areas: Epirotic/mainland, Pelopennese, Cretan, Aegean Islands, Thracian, Macedonian and Pontian. Then there are variations among those depending on the village. Then you have the differences that professional or regional volunteer dance troupes introduce to make their shows more interesting. There has been a renewed interest in the traditional dances and music from the young people. Traditional instruments are taught in the state music schools and also in private music schools. Where as before you had to either be self taught or study with a practitioner now you can go to a music school and learn to play the Thracian Lyra or Cretan Lyra or the Pontian Lyra or the Gaida or other traditional instruments. We now also have instrument makers that are constructing or renewing traditional instruments. I thought that traditional music and dance was going to die but I am so happy to be wrong.
We also have what we call popular music (not to be confused with pop) that was transplanted by the refugees from Constantinople and Smyrna during the 1920s. We share that genre with our Turkish friends and there have been many exchanges of singers back and forth. This genre has its own dances such as Tsifteteli, Karsilamas, Zeibekiko. Here is a charming Turkish singer, Fide Koskal singing in Greek and Turkish. She has a little something something (active hips?) besides being an excellent singer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I92pUz_KHBQ&frags=pl,wn
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPkHS2afTK8

Then of course we have pop which has Europeaν and American influences and of course rock.

Sorry for intruding on your forum. I really enjoyed listening and watching all the music and dancing. Thanks Salento and Angela!
Click to expand...


Greece is much more homogeneous than Italy in everything. Although today the differences in Italy are much more blurred than in the past because of internal migration. And so you can easily find traditional dances of southern Italy even in northern Italy.

A southern Italian tarantella in northwestern Italy.

 
bigsnake49 said:
Vey danceable tunes!And the women dancers on top of being very good dancers are also very pleasant on the eyes!
Click to expand...

The Surname of the “very pleasant on the eyes” is: Della Bona (in informal Italian means “The Beautiful”).

St.f.n.a :) Della Bona performance in a Dance Duel + Sword Dance (Pizzica Scherma) with her Group (Passione Taranta):


I don’t discriminate, imho they are all “very pleasant on the eyes” :grin:


in Griko:

 
As I think I showed upthread, "native" northern Italian dances are very, very, different from tarantellas and pizzicas and the Neapolitan tamurriata, and even the tarantella of one district might be different from that of another. Some Tuscan dances are like the Austrian Landler, while a lot of other dances are just hold overs from Medieval dances, which is why to American and British Isles people, they look like "Irish" "jigs" or "country dances". It's just that they also held on to while also subtly varying those Medieval dances.

Tamurriata:

Northeastern Italy's Furlana:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g61PCYYCWy4


Unfortunately, while Southern Italians have held on to these ancient dances, we haven't, or, at least, they haven't in my areas of Liguria and Toscana or even La Spezia. In my father's isolated area in the Northern Apennines they do still occasionally dance them.

It's different with the singing. Northern Italy has held on better to its ancient singing traditions, like the Ligurian trallalero. Another big distinction is that northern Italy is very, very, into choral singing, often men's choirs, but sometimes also women or mixed choirs. Think of something like Welsh men's choirs. So far as I know, that peters out somewhere south of Toscana, and the lone male or female ballad takes over.

I don't know if a tradition of choral, polyphonic, unaccompanied music exists in Greece, but I've heard it exists in Caucasus countries. Of course it exists in Corsica and Sardinia as well as Liguria and up into the Northern Apennines and the territoria delle quattro province and my father's area. Male or mixed choirs are extremely popular in northern Europe, in places like, as I said, Wales, and Switzerland, Austria, Germany. I'm extremely fond of the the Welsh male choirs.

Trallalero :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHYbkHl0nD8&t=67s


Men's choir from northern Italy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDWG1G-I_Yg

One of my favorites: La Montanara
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQZyZggh3SQ



Italian ballad-the Neapolitan ballads are the finest in the world in my opinion, even suitable to operatic voices.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzMEv2ht2b0

Jonas Kaufman live: Core 'ngrato or Ungrateful heart. He deserved every one of those Bravos!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUoIeSsCG6I
 
Angela said:
As I think I showed upthread, "native" northern Italian dances are very, very, different from tarantellas and pizzicas and the Neapolitan tamurriata, and even the tarantella of one district might be different from that of another. Some Tuscan dances are like the Austrian Landler, while a lot of other dances are just hold overs from Medieval dances, which is why to American and British Isles people, they look like "Irish" "jigs" or "country dances". It's just that they also held on to while also subtly varying those Medieval dances.

Tamurriata:

Northeastern Italy's Furlana:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g61PCYYCWy4


Unfortunately, while Southern Italians have held on to these ancient dances, we haven't, or, at least, they haven't in my areas of Liguria and Toscana or even La Spezia. In my father's isolated area in the Northern Apennines they do still occasionally dance them.

It's different with the singing. Northern Italy has held on better to its ancient singing traditions, like the Ligurian trallalero. Another big distinction is that northern Italy is very, very, into choral singing, often men's choirs, but sometimes also women or mixed choirs. Think of something like Welsh men's choirs. So far as I know, that peters out somewhere south of Toscana, and the lone male or female ballad takes over.

I don't know if a tradition of choral, polyphonic, unaccompanied music exists in Greece, but I've heard it exists in Caucasus countries. Of course it exists in Corsica and Sardinia as well as Liguria and up into the Northern Apennines and the territoria delle quattro province and my father's area. Male or mixed choirs are extremely popular in northern Europe, in places like, as I said, Wales, and Switzerland, Austria, Germany. I'm extremely fond of the the Welsh male choirs.

Trallalero :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHYbkHl0nD8&t=67s


Men's choir from northern Italy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDWG1G-I_Yg

One of my favorites: La Montanara
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQZyZggh3SQ



Italian ballad-the Neapolitan ballads are the finest in the world in my opinion, even suitable to operatic voices.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzMEv2ht2b0

Jonas Kaufman live: Core 'ngrato or Ungrateful heart. He deserved every one of those Bravos!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUoIeSsCG6I
Click to expand...

No, there is no native tradition of choral music in Greece. It was imported within the last century along with classical music, opera and large orchestras. Traditional music in Greece was performed at church festivals and weddings and is very regional. Huge difference between Thracian music and dance and Epirotic music. Newer "popular" music was brought over from Constantinople and Smyrna and was performed at night clubs that would stay open till 4-5 o'clock in the morning. It is national in that you don't encounter regional variations.
As I mentioned above I am totally encouraged by the renewal of interest in traditional music by kids. It is now taught in music schools and you have these graduates that are truly virtuosos in their instruments and sound a bit different and more refined in their renditions and even in their recordings.
 
Regio X said:
Renato Carosone

Scapricciatiello

O Sarracino
https://youtu.be/glMghhMN7Nw
Click to expand...

I love this song. :)

First heard it in Gigi d'Alessio's cover.

Like a very young (in La Piovra), very tanned, and permed Raoul Bova. :)

7oALjqR.png
 
Regio X said:
I liked this "modern" version. Thanks. :)

Btw, I guess your father would have liked this version of Scapricciatiello: ;)
https://youtu.be/WHo0o47P-Ag
Click to expand...

Not pretty, and a dumpy figure on top of it, but she had "it"...whatever "it" is...

Another song from Southern Italy...Malandrinu...the singer is from Calabria...

 
The singer looks exactly like my cousin, but I don't think it’s her ‘cause my cousin is “stonata” lol
 
Pizzica Poo - Sicilian/Leccese mix?


Domenico Modugno (Volare) was born in the Province of Bari, but grew up in Salento.


from the TV-movie Volare: Beppe Fiorello

 
... dance the Pizzica and you’ll live forever ...

 
Last edited:
Calabrian song by the aptly named Francesca Aspromonte. :)

The Song of Cecilia: a beautiful woman sacrifices her "honor" for the man she loves. Things don't end well. There are versions of this all over Europe, including a particularly lovely one from the north of England. This is one of ours.

 
You must log in or register to reply here.

This thread has been viewed 180246 times.

Back
Top