MUSIC OF SOUTHERN ITALY

We’re listening to traditional folk music of Southern Italy. It’s an ancient ritual style that reflects centuries of cultural change. I’m Jim Metzner, and this is the Pulse of the Planet, presented by the American Museum of Natural History.

Alessandra Belloni is the Artistic Director of the musical group, I Giullari di Piazza.

“This music comes from many different cultures that blended together through the centuries. We were influenced by the North African culture, so the drumming definitely came, we think, from the ancient Egyptians. There is a lot of Greek influence in our sound and then a lot of Arabic, Moorish, Turkish and in the Renaissance, there was the Spanish domination in the south of Italy. After that was the Normans and French. So the ethnomusicologists really think it’s a very rich culture in a very tiny part of the world.”

Migration also left its mark of the songs of southern Italy. Gypsies, traveling across Europe carried with them the music of their journeys.

“There is a strong Gypsy influence in our music and dances, and thank god, because the Gypsies traveling through the world, they come to each part of the world with sounds that they have learned from other places and they blend it in with whatever country they go in. And in southern Italy there are still many Gypsies. Usually they play the accordion, the tambourine and they dance. So because of the Gypsies, this tradition has not stopped, it evolves and it continues.”

Pulse of the Planet is presented by the American Museum of Natural History. Additional funding for this series has been provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities. I’m Jim Metzner.

MUSIC OF SOUTHERN ITALY

Traditional music from southern Italy reflects centuries of cultural change.
Air Date:06/17/1999
Scientist:
Transcript:

We're listening to traditional folk music of Southern Italy. It's an ancient ritual style that reflects centuries of cultural change. I'm Jim Metzner, and this is the Pulse of the Planet, presented by the American Museum of Natural History.

Alessandra Belloni is the Artistic Director of the musical group, I Giullari di Piazza.

"This music comes from many different cultures that blended together through the centuries. We were influenced by the North African culture, so the drumming definitely came, we think, from the ancient Egyptians. There is a lot of Greek influence in our sound and then a lot of Arabic, Moorish, Turkish and in the Renaissance, there was the Spanish domination in the south of Italy. After that was the Normans and French. So the ethnomusicologists really think it's a very rich culture in a very tiny part of the world."

Migration also left its mark of the songs of southern Italy. Gypsies, traveling across Europe carried with them the music of their journeys.

"There is a strong Gypsy influence in our music and dances, and thank god, because the Gypsies traveling through the world, they come to each part of the world with sounds that they have learned from other places and they blend it in with whatever country they go in. And in southern Italy there are still many Gypsies. Usually they play the accordion, the tambourine and they dance. So because of the Gypsies, this tradition has not stopped, it evolves and it continues."

Pulse of the Planet is presented by the American Museum of Natural History. Additional funding for this series has been provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities. I'm Jim Metzner.