Traditional music
Perhaps it's geographical proximity? But while it's rare in the Mediterranean, polyphonic singing is one of the major commonalities between the Isle of Beauty and Sardinia. Canto a tenore, Sardinian polyphonic singing, has been practiced for millennia by poetic shepherds. Inspired by the guttural timbre of the Sardinian language, it is performed by a choir(gruppa) generally made up of four male voices, each with a well-defined function. The boghe ("the voice") sings the text and directs the other voices. The mesa boghe ("middle") is the highest voice and serves as accompaniment, embroidering and linking the different sonorities relatively independently of the gruppa. The contra is the central voice of the chorus, around which the other three are tuned. The bassu is a low, guttural voice, closely linked to the contra. These last three voices don't sing words, but meaningless syllables whose modulations punctuate and accentuate the intonations of the buggy. The singers say that these voices imitate those of the pastoral world: the bassu imitates the ox, the contra the sheep, the mesa boghe the ewe, while the boghe is simply the voice of the shepherd, signifying the closeness of canto a tenore to nature. The overall effect is extremely poetic and moving. The songs are usually sung without instruments, at village gatherings, and speak of Sardinia's past and present, its ideals, its revolts... The stars of the genre are undoubtedly Tenores di Bitti "Mialinu Pira", a group distinguished by the refinement of its style, palpable in most of its recordings (starting with the captivating S'amore 'e mama). A veritable treasure trove, cantu a tenore was proclaimed a "Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage" by UNESCO in 2005. On site, you can be sure to hear some on September 30 for the Fête de Bitti, the village from which the most famous tenores (choirs) originate. It's also common to come across them during various celebrations such as the Cavalcata Sarda, one of Sardinia's most beautiful festivals and a unique opportunity to admire costumes, dances, songs or recitals of Sardinian poetry.
Cantu a chiterra, another typical Sardinian form (particularly widespread in the north), is a monodic song generally sung in Sardinian and Gallurese and accompanied by guitar. Probably practised for centuries, the genre is characterized by the "gara", a musical joust in which participants compete in breath and inventiveness to take turns singing texts drawn from the local poetic repertoire. Still sung poetry, mutu is an improvised form traditionally performed by women in response to men.
Traditional instruments
In Sardinia, in addition to the songs, the most ancient origins of Mediterranean music are told through rare instruments such as the launeddas. The only one of its kind, this polyphonic reed clarinet with triple pipes and a single reed symbolizes Sardinia's attachment to music, the island having succeeded in preserving its existence and practice through the centuries. Although difficult to date, the origin of this instrument probably dates back to Nuraghic times, as seems to be attested by the 8th century BC bronze figurine of a man playing a three-pipe flute (on display at Cagliari's Archaeological Museum). Although most often played at religious ceremonies and dances, launeddas has been mastered by such prodigies as Efisio Melis (1890-1970). This Sardinian folk musician was one of the world's greatest launedda players, considered by some musicologists to be the Bach or Mozart of his discipline.
Other Sardinian instruments include su pipiolu, the four-holed reed "shepherd's flute"; the serragia, a typical instrument made from a hollow reed and an inflated pig's bladder; and the tumbarinu, a tambourine from Gavoi, used at festivals and dances.
If local musical traditions have managed to be preserved for centuries, it's also thanks to certain artists who have dared to marry them with various modern genres (jazz, rock, pop, etc.). Examples include soprano Elena Ledda, who has reinterpreted Sardinian folk songs in her own way, and trumpeter Paolo Fresu, who explores the frontiers of jazz by enriching it with local sounds.
Popular music
From the 1990s onwards, many Sardinian artists entered the Italian music scene, with lyrics in the Sardinian dialect and adaptations of traditional sounds to rock and pop rhythms. Such is the case of Tazenda, Sardinia's best-known musical group. Its soloist, Andrea Parodi (1955-2006), remains one of the most appreciated voices in the Italian musical panorama. Equally well-known in Italy, the Balentes girls band has earned a solid reputation with a repertoire that mixes reworked Sardinian traditional songs with original pieces, often sung a cappella. Another outstanding performer, Franca Masu, is famous for her songs in Alguerese - a Sardinian variant of Catalan - and her research into stylistic crossovers. The Sardinian-Catalan tradition of the Alghero region represents an important musical current, expressed mainly through the cobles. The group Calic is a good representative of these ancient poetic-musical compositions. But if the Sardinians have been able to make their musical heritage heard and travel, it's also because it was carried by great artists like the unforgettable singer-poet Fabrizio De André or the fabulous Maria Carta. An emblematic artist of the island, the latter has embraced a wide range of traditional Sardinian music (in particular cantu a chiterra) and is also famous for having been an actress with Coppola.
The dance
Dance and music are closely linked in Sardinia. They provide an opportunity for men and women to don traditional costumes and revive ancestral choreography. One of the most popular dances is the ballo tondo (or ballu tundu). Usually performed in a closed or open circle, it sees the musicians or singers take center stage, surrounded by the dancers who hold hands, moving practically only their feet, while their torsos remain totally static.
The island's various festivals are of course excellent opportunities to enjoy Sardinian dance performances, starting with Cagliari's Festa Di Sant'Elena, a celebration of the town's patron saint. Alternatively, every last Sunday in August, the Festa Del Redentore brings thousands of people together in the streets of Nuoro for a procession accompanied by traditional songs, dances and music (de launeddas). Another procession, the Marcia Longa in La Maddalena, celebrates the Blessed Virgin Mary with sports competitions and Sardinian dancing.
