Sardinian Language And Music 0 Commentaires

Sardinian Language And Music

Language and music, so closely linked and integrated together, belong to the vast Sardinian culture, combining the heritage of the past with the present one. The study of popular and traditional music is called ethnomusicology. Music, which belongs to all peoples, each with its own techniques and sounds different from one another, gives a clear understanding of the cultural heritage of the people who created it. Vice versa, to understand the culture of a people you must study their music, and through music, you can access the language. 

In Sardinia, where music is widespread, it ranges from traditional popular music to modern popular music, to jazz, to classical and lyrical music. 

Traditional Sardinian music is still very present and able to involve and excite those who perform or listen to it. It is not only performed by the elderly but also by young and very young people and is increasingly appreciated for its originality by musicians all over the world. You can listen to this music live in village festivals, concerts and family celebrations. It can be classified into vocal music (songs with only voices without instruments), instrumental music, vocal and instrumental music (songs accompanied by instruments).

We talked about vocal music in the article Singers of Sardinia, recalling that the tenor singing was nominated by UNESCO as Intangible Heritage of Humanity. 

In instrumental music, the launeddas are the most representative. A very ancient instrument made up of three pipes: two of them, mancosa and mancosedda, are melodic pipes one for the bass and one for the accompaniment, the third longer than the others, called the tumbu, emits a single note, deep and continuous. Mancosa and tumbu tied together are played with the left hand, the mancosedda is played with the right hand. Among the Sardinian instruments, we find cane flutes (sulitus, pipiolos), wind instruments (benas), drums of various kinds (tumbarinos), scacciapensieri (trunfa), and triangles. The guitar is the accompaniment instrument of a particular genre of singing, while other string instruments, now completely obsolete, were used until a few centuries ago. 

Traditional texts reworked in Sardinian languages ​​and melodies are often adapted to contemporary pop, rock, reggae, hip hop, dub, etno-rock and ska music, accompanying them with traditional and modern instruments as happens with jazz practised by world-famous Sardinian artists (Paolo Fresu, Antonello Salis and others). Paolo Fresu, the famous Sardinian trumpet player, founded and organizes the "Time in Jazz" Jazz Festival held in August in Berchidda

In Sardinia, five native languages ​​are spoken, besides Italian: Sardinian or limba Sarda, in its two varieties Logudorese in the centre and Campidanese in the south; Gallurese which is the Corsican language, in the north; Catalan in Alghero and Ligurian in Carloforte and Calasetta. Sardinian belongs to the romance group of Indo-European languages ​​and is considered autonomous and classified as an idiom standing alone, so much so that since 1997 the regional law recognizes to the Sardinian language equal dignity as to Italian. A linguistic and cultural resource still lively that the Sardinians proudly want to preserve and transmit to future generations, perhaps with the meeting and interaction of the youth at school with musicians, singers and dancers of the local tradition, with concerts and explanations (better if in Sardinian or in the local historical languages) on the music and the dances performed.

Music in this is basic. It can be said that in Sardinia music saves language and language saves music. One feeds the use of the other. A lively, creative use where curiosity for the language can encourage musical learning.

When God created Man, he gave him Music as a language different from all other languages. And early man sang his glory in the wilderness; and drew the hearts of kings and moved them from their thrones.” (Khalil Gibran)

 

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