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Greek Italy cntd...
Music
Greek, Arabic
and Spanish influence on Southern Italian music can be heard
from listening to various pieces of music and songs, both
modern day and traditional, e.g. Mari
by Neapolitan artist
Nino D'Angelo. Traditional Southern Italian and
Greek music both use similar instruments such as the
mandolino (similar to the Greek bouzouki) and
tamburello (tambourine), which is the most
important percussion instrument in Italy's music
tradition. The 'tamburello' was originally introduced via
Greek influence in South Italy, and also through the Arabic
influence in Sicily. (read
more... )
The
tarantella (see picture above) is a famous
traditional Southern Italian dance and is directly related
to the ritual of the cult of Dionysus
(the patron god of wine) of Ancient Greece. It is named
after the tarantula spider. In around the 16th and 17th
centuries, people were poisoned by deadly tarantula bites
from the Lycosa Tarantula, and it
was believed that they could only be cured by frenetic
dancing. The dance would start on a regular beat
and then gradually speed up. The victim works themselves
into a 'trance' and dance in a state of ecstasy so much so
until they were exhausted. Once they reached exhaustion and
slowed down it would be taken as a sign that they had been
cured. (see photo below)
There is obviously a lot of Greek
influence on the history and music in the Magnia Grecia
areas where Griko and Greacanic is spoken. Click the
following link for more information on this and to discover
about the
Greek musical tradition in South Italy ,
and this link : voices,
music, rhythms of Grecìa Salentina
to hear songs such as I
agápi-mu (My Love), sung by Giovanni
Avantaggiato, Antonio and Luigi Costa. (photos below from
this website)
The cantadha
Originated from Kephalonia at the beginning of the
19th century and influenced by the Italian music, is a style
of romantic serenade, sung with three male voices in chorus,
accompanied by guitar or mandolin. This style gained all the
Ionian Islands and then, the rest of Greece. In Athens, the
cantadha change a bit, accompanied with a compania composed
of violin, clarinet and laouto.
Other
examples of Italian-Greek music : Pietra
Montecorvino (photo right) sings a song 'Mare di
Napoli' which is sung in Neapolitan, Greek and Arabic.
 Nistanimera!
Greek Songs from Calabria & Puglia (left)
from Amazon
Greek pop singer Sotis
Volanis sings a song Dove Ti Trovo, sung in
both Greek and Italian
Tarantata-Dance
of the Spider
from Amazon
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