Download The Origin of Albanian Folk Iso-polyphony Tuesday, December 28

Manuel LAFARGA MARQUÉS / Historia General de la Tonalidad / CSM Oscar Esplá (2011)
The Origin of Albanian Folk Iso-polyphony
Tuesday, December 28 2004 @ 09:57 AM EST. Contributed by Prof. Dr. Vasil S. Tole
Polyphony
Corsican polyphony dates from the 9th century AD. Its birth was a major musical change: from music with just one
voice it became music with several voices, adding a whole new dimension. Polyphony, by its very essence, favours the
human voice in all its purity. Corsican polyphony expresses all man's feelings: his sorrow, his joy, his pain.
The Corsican people sing as a way of life; they hear the polyphony from their childhood sung in the church, in the
bars or just at the village square and plays an important social role from the cradle to the grave, nourished by the events
of everyday life. Corsicans sing at funerals and other sad occasions, like the departure of a loved one, (lamentu), but
also while working the land (tribbiera) or for revenge (voceru), to declare one's love (sirinati), and lullabies (nanne).
Corsican vocal tradition cannot easily be described or explained. Many are completely captivated by the music upon
first hearing it; others can't stand it. English historian and travel writer Dorothy Carrington, who lived and worked in
Corsica from 1948 until her death in 2002 had this to say about her first encounter with this vocal tradition: "It was like
hearing a voice from the depths of the earth; a song from the dawn of time; from a beginning that one never dares
believe is possible."
Jean-Francois Bernardini: "The Corsicans did not invent polyphony, but they did invent the oral tradition, a specific
way to tell something, to emphasise polyphony. It was the first music I heard when I was growing up. I heard it in my
village, in our house, where the men often came to sing with my father. Polyphony is a monumental dimension in the
Corsican oral tradition and is without doubt the most beautiful cathedral we have".
The polyphonic song harmoniously combine three registers of voice:
a secunda, which begins, give the pitch and carries the main melody;
u bassu, which follows it, accompanies it and supports it;
a terza, the highest tone, which enriches the chant, adding ornamental notes.
Traditionally, polyphony is sung by three men. Nowadays, women also sing polyphony (e.g. Isulatine, Jacky
Micaelli). The singers form a circle, their arms often placed on the shoulder of the neighbour. The hand on the ear has
several reasons, the main one being to close the ear to avoid hearing the other voices and to hear better one's own voice.
The paghjella is performed by accompanied soloists, like Ghjuvan Paulu Poletti, Antone Ciosi, Petru Guelfucci.
Many Corsican groups now enjoy big fame, also beyond the bounderies of Corsica: I Muvrini, A Filetta, Barbara
Furtuna, Voci di Corsica, Les Nouvelles Polyphonies Corses, Soledonna, I Chjami Aghjalesi, Isulatine, Tavagna,
Caramusa.
The Corsican polyphony includes sacred and secular forms. Secular polyphony includes forms such as paghjella,
terzetti, madrigale, lamentu and nanne. Sacred polyphony is sometimes used in the Catholic mass and there are many
traditional polyphonic mass chants. At concerts, the Miserere or the Kyrie are frequently sung. Some more examples of
the sacred polyphonic chant, also taken from the Mass, are Agnus Dei, Gloria, and Sanctus. O Salutaris, and 'Diu vi
salve Regina' (a hymn to the Virgin Mary and the national anthem) are other examples.
The case of the Chjami è Rispondi is also very original. This improvised poetic joust requires from the performers a
exceptional virtuosity. It often tells of daily events, can be very humourous and remains very prized by the public.
We can still attend it in Casamaccioli in the Niolo , during the A SANTA DI NIOLU fair in the month of september.
The Riacquistu
In the 1960s traditional Corsican music seemed doomed to fade away. The 1970s however, brought revival and
retraditionalization not only in Corsica, but throughout Europe. In Corsica, the riacquistu was closely allied to the
nationalist movement. The youth of Corsica felt a sort of renewal in the air, the spirit of Dylan's 'Blowing in the wind'.
Lots of young men and women, studying or making a living for themselves at the continent, decided to return to
Corsica, and became active in the revivalist movement.
Cetera
Under the heading of the research linked to music, it is interesting to notice the success of certain undertakings of
restoration of traditional instruments among those the Cetera, one of the most remarkable. This traditional Corsican
sistrum with 8 double choires, whose origin probably dates from the italian Middle-Ages, has been remade by stringedinstrument makers, from the rare preserved models. This instrument is integrated with harmony to ancient orchestra and
it sometimes offer original tones to contemporary productions. Well-known instrument makers, who are building
beautiful instruments, are Christian Magdeleine (Bastia) and Ugo Casalonga (Pigna).
Cialambella
The cialambella (cialamedda in the south of Corsica, cialambella or cialamella in the north), is one of the most
simple wind-instruments. It was already known in the Antiquity, Greek shepherds called the instrument aulos
(latin=calamus). It arrives in Corsica not much later and through the centuries the body has been made of the wood of
the figtree, the olive,-or palmtree; the reed was kept simple, punched by a piece of red-hot metal. The cialambella can
also be made with a double reed of which one, without the small holes, produces a continuous sound. In fact, this is the
principle of the bagpipe, one tube produces the melody, the other one "the bourdon", the humming.
Prof. Manuel Lafarga (2010-11)
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