Shift and Transformation in Salento: Investigating Change in the Polyphonic Structure and Performance Practice of Canti Polivocali in Southern Puglia

Year 2018, Volume: 2 Issue: 1, 96 - 114, 30.06.2018

Mario Morello

https://doi.org/10.33906/musicologist.439343

Abstract

This paper will focus on documenting change
and transformation of polyphonic singing in the Salento region of lower Puglia
(southern Italy), based on a comparative analysis of early field recordings and
recently collected materials. Cantipolivocali (“multi-voiced songs”), the
repertoire of vocal polyphony distinct to the Salento region, was once widely
practiced throughout the region with subregional musical dialects and a rich
repertory of local variants. This rich musical activity was captured in early
field recordings by the first major wave of researchers in the field, notably
between the mid-1950s to late 1960s by ethnomusicologists Diego Carpitella,
Alan Lomax, Gianni Bosio, and Clara Longhini. After mass emigration and
significant changes in traditional music’s positioning in contemporary Italian
culture, the tradition of this singing in Salento has shifted considerably in
both its polyphonic structure and how it is situated in cultural spaces. By
comparing recordings of the aforementioned early collections with field
recordings recently collected by the author through analysis, this paper will
aim to document these changes and identify the significant transformations of
cantipolivocali in Salento.

Keywords

Polyphony, Vocal music, Salento, Italy, Puglia, Comparative analysis

References

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