MusicArte

MusicArte is a non-profit association in the South of Italy (Campania) dedicated to promoting all forms of art. The Association is currently involved in the recovery and dissemination of  music, dance and of Neapolitan classic song,  in the repairing and restoration of  string instruments, in the development of the artistic handicraft and literature.

It performs music concerts, organizes workshops, exhibitions, labs and courses on Southern Italian music and dance, string and traditional instruments and artistic handicraft.

In 2002 the Association realized, with its own members and with external musicians, the CD The Life, the Earth, the Music, (La Vita,La Terra, La Musica) edited by MAP (Milan-Italy).

It collaborates with Italian Municipality and other cultural associations on festivals, music concerts, handcraft and music instrument exhibitions in  Caserta, Salerno, Avellino, Potenza, Messina, Milan, Borgomanero  (Novara), Rome, Vittorio Veneto.  It has implemented projects in some Italian schools on  music granted by European Community.

The President

Mrs Paola Taccogna

The Vice President 

Mrs Patrizia Taccogna

ART DIRECTORS

Francesco Faraldo, percussion

After collaborating with musicians in the provinces of Caserta, he became part of the Nuova Compagnia di Canto Popolare from 1980 to 1999 participating at important national and international festivals and recording the CD Medina, Tzigari, Incanto acustico.  In 1992 the group NCCP won the critics award at San Remo festival with the song entitled Pè dispietto. In 1990, he collaborated with Gianna Nannini, creating the CD Scandalo and the likewise-named tour which performed in important European cities. He collaborated in the following CD's: Musicante with Pino Daniele; Passaggio ad oriente with Tullio De Piscopo, Giannissima live tour, with which he won  the platinum disc, X Forza X Amore, Dispetto with G.Nannini; Opplà with Avion Travel; Guitar style journey with the guitarist Pietro Condorelli; Veleno,mare e amore with Enzo Gragnaniello. In 2001, he recorded, with Francesco Natale, the CD of  traditional music and songs La Vita, la Terra, La Musica, edited by MAP (Milan-Italy). In 2005, he composed, with Francesco Natale,  the sound-track of the Italian short film Il fu miglioD. produced by Ass. Caserta Promuove (Italy) and presented in the Ischia Film Festival. He is currently engaged, together with Francesco Natale, in the artistic direction of  Association , in  music and percussive instruments courses, didactic exhibitions of traditional and string instruments and as expert in some  Southern Italian schools on  music projects granted by European Community.

Francesco  Natale, guitar-mandolin-mandola-chitarra battente  

Member of Federazione Mandolinistica Italiana, thanks to his love for natural sound of musical instruments, when he was young he studied classical guitar. From 1985 to 1990, he was art director of a folk music group in Benevento (Campania).  He learnt to play the mandolin and other string instruments with self-study. From 1990 to 2001, he performed in theatres all over Italy as guitarist of Classic Neapolitan Songs. In 2001, he recorded, with Francesco Faraldo, the CD of  traditional music and songs La Vita, la Terra, La Musica, edited by MAP (Milan-Italy). From 2004 to 2006, he collaborated as expert with some southern Italian schools on  music projects granted by European Community. In 2005, he composed, with Francesco Natale,  the sound-track of the Italian short film Il fu miglioD. produced by the Ass. CasertaPromuove (Italy) and presented in IschiaFilmFestival. He is currently engaged, together with Francesco Faraldo, in the artistic direction of the Association MusicArte, in  music and Neapolitan song concerts, in stringed instruments courses and didactic exhibitions of traditional and plucked string instruments. In 2005 he won the first prize at the national string instrument competition Prize Raffaele Calace  in Pignola (Potenza-Italy)

OUR MUSIC  performance 

TERRE ‘E SOLE...TERRE ‘E MARE   

(Lands of sun...Lands of sea)

The performance is based on traditional music and songs of South Italy.

In this concert you can find the spell of music's natural solar sounds, whose roots fade back through time and recall man's ancestral bond with the natural elements. In the concert the ancient dance of Tammurriata, still alive in many towns in Campania, (the Southern Italian region of which Naples is the capital) is proposed by tow dancers.

Some of performed songs will be:

Tammurriata  Tarantella di Cacciano  -  Vulesse  addiventare  -Canto dei Sanfedisti  -  Pizzica  minore -  Pizzicarella  Tammurriata  - Vurria lu munno - 5 Modus  - Antidotum  Tarantulae  - Montemaranese and others

A STELLA CCHIU’ LUCENTE

(The brightest star)

At Christmas time we also perform Christmas songs of Campania tradition based on La cantata dei pastori  (Shepherds' Cantata).

 Some of performed songs will be: 

Quanno nascette ninno - Nascette lu Messia - Rosa d’argento rosa d’amore -La legenda del lupino La santa allegrezza  -

Stella d’argiento and others

From Traditional music to Neapolitan classic song

In this  concert  we propose an ideal journey within the Neapolitan singing, from the Neapolitan traditional songs and music handed down orally to Neapolitan Classic Songs of the golden period  (1880-1930) revised by the greatest Neapolitan poets and writers among which  L.Bovio, S.Di Giacomo, E.A.Mario, Cimarosa, Paisiello, etc. which are known all over the world. 

Some of performed songs will be:                                                                                                                     

Michelemma’  Marechiaro - Fenesta Vascia -  ‘A Vucchella - Serenata e’ Polecenella -  Funiculì Funicolà -  Tarantella del 600

 ‘0 Pizzaiolo nuovo , and others                            

DIDACTIC CONCERT BASED ON TRADITIONAL MUSIC AND SONGS OF SOUTH ITALY

It is a concert-lesson based on traditional music of South Italy, entitled Terre ’e sole...Terre ’e mare..,  accompanied by didactic comments on the organology of the traditional musical instruments  and on the cultural, social and historical context in which songs, music and instruments are used. It will also open a debate with the musicians after performance.

Other activities

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SPULCINELLANDOFRALECORDE

The exhibition consists of a rich collection of over fifty musical instruments. There are four main sections dedicated respectively to mandolins, string instruments of different foreign countries, southern Italy traditional instruments and mandolin repairing and restoration. Together the instruments there will be some hand-made models of Pulcinella, created by Patrizia Taccogna, in its typical movement and gesture and surrounded by symbolic objects and musical instruments of the ancient  south Italy peasant culture (the horn, the food, the tammorra, traditional musical instruments and so on).                                                                                                         

Pulcinella is one of the most famous masks from Southern Italy. Some would seem to suggest he derives from the Atellan farces of ancient Rome, which arose in Campania, towards the late Fourth Century BC, and specifically from Maccus, with whom he shares a characteristic humpback, paunch and a touch of nastiness.

         Pulcinella’ s costume recalls the one worn by the zanni. He wears a baggy white shirt gathered tightly into a black belt, which hangs over trousers that look ready to fall down at any moment. His is a black mask, with tiny beady eyes and a hooked nose, which makes his voice shrill and squeaky. Some actors and puppeteers have used a particular instrument known as

 “sgherlo” or “pivetta” to produce this unusual voice. The hooked nose and voice, resembling a chick (in Italian “pulcino”), also seem to have influenced the choice of name. The character belongs to the zanni group even if he is more complex.  He is a mixture of vitality and restlessness, sadness and a readiness to show his amazement when faced with anything new. Silvio Fiorillo, who lived in the second part of the 16th century, represented for the first time the mask on the stage. Following Fiorillo, the next actor to play the part successfully was Antonio Petito (1822-‘76), who bestowed the character with greater psychological realism.

Personalized didactic paths

Adults, teenagers and children will be guided through the exhibition by Francesco Natale who will show them the peculiarity of each instruments and their sounds.

The visitors will also listen to some music performances  executed  by  Francesco Natale and  Francesco Faraldo and  know the ancient  south  Italy dance of tammurriata executed by Patrizia and Paola Taccogna.

WORKSHOPS

SOUTH ITALY TRADITIONAL DANCE

 BALLO SU  TAMMORRA OR  TAMMURRIATA

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Aims

- Promoting the knowledge of tradition of Campania (the Southern Italian region of which Naples is the capital) through the learning of the basic techniques of the traditional dance tammurriata

- Knowing the historical, cultural and social context in which this kind of dance is performed

Some historical news

Tammuriata is an ancient south Italy form of music and dance. Its name is the short and dialect for Ballo sul Tamburo (dance on hand drum). It has very ancient origins. Many of its gestures and rhythms formerly belonged to the singers and dancers of ancient Greece and it can be reconnected to the cult of Ceres (the Greek Demetra), Goddess of fertility, harvest, seasons.

Nowadays it is performed for important sacred and social events in many towns in Campania, especially for devotional ceremonies in honour of the Madonnas. The "ballo su tammorra" is, therefore, a ritual dance whose main instrument is the tammorra accompanied by other  ones.                                                                                                                    

The dancers grasp castanets (castagnette) which not only beat the time but also assume various symbolic meanings. Castagnette are musical instruments formed by two little symmetrical pieces of wood, each in the shape of a shell, tied together by a piece of string, when closed they take the form of a chestnut from which they get their name. Tammurriata is always danced by couples, since originally it was also (and still is today) a dance of courtship. When women dance together, it's considered a dance of friendship; when men dance together, it could be friendship, or sfida, or both. Many of the gestures of the dance have a specific significance related

 to  this function. For example, hand gestures tell your partner to come closer or to go away. Turns indicate you either want to stay close or keep your distance ... and so on. One looks constantly into the eyes of one's partner, but bodies almost never touch.

RHYTHM-PERCUSSIVE MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

OF CAMPANIA ( SOUTH ITALY)

TAMMORRA AND OTHERS

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Aims

Promoting the knowledge of tradition of Campania (the Southern Italian region of which Naples is the capital) through the learning of the basic techniques of rhythm-percussive musical instruments; -Learning the basic techniques of Southern Italy rhythm-percussive musical instruments: tammorra, castagnette, scetavajasse, triccaballacche, putipù; -A short outline on the use, of tambourine, ciaramella, beating guitar, diatonic accordion, in the traditional music; -Knowing the historical, cultural and social contest these musical instruments are used.

 Some news on traditional South Italy instruments

The tammorra is a big circular drum covered with dried sheep or goat skins. These skins are stretched over a wooden frame, into which little metal circles called cicere are inserted in pairs. While playing the frame is held in one hand, the palm and fingers of the other hand are used to beat the skin.

The tammorra is used to accompany both  songs and dances from which they get their name tammurriata. The tammurriata is an ancient form of music and dance; in fact, there are images of tammorras in the frescoes of Pompeii. Nowadays it is performed during traditional local feasts, and above all during the frequent pilgrimages in honour of Our Lady, in the towns of Campania (South Italy) between Naples and Salerno. The main instrument is the tammorra but it can be also accompanied by other  instruments:  putipù, consisting of a membrane stretched across a resonating chamber, like a drum. A handle attached to the membrane compresses air rhythmically within the chamber; the air then spurts out of the not-quite-hermetic seal that fastens the membrane to the wooden body of the instrument to produce a "burping" sound;

triccheballacche, a clapper, consisting of three percussive mallets mounted on a base, the outer two of which are hinged at the base and are moved in to strike the central piece; the rhythmic sound is produced by the clicking of wood on wood and the simultaneous sound of the small metal disks called "jingles", mounted on the instrument;

chitarra battente, a 'beating' guitar which is almost used more like a rhythm instrument than for melody);

scetavajasse, a wooden bar that is rested on the shoulder like a violin and a toothed cane fitted with small tin disks, which as it moves along the bar produces a combination of sounds created by the teeth as they hit the wood and the jingling of the small metal disks.

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MANDOLIN REPAIRING AND RESTORATION

Basic repair techniques, tools and materials.

Basic repair techniques that can be done without open the instrument.

An outline of the history of Italian Mandolin and other strings instruments played with a plectrum: Mandola, Mandoloncello.

Introduction to Mandolin playing. 

The participants will also listen to some music performances  executed  by  Francesco Natale and  Francesco Faraldo and  know the ancient  south  Italy dance of tammurriata executed by Patrizia and Paola Taccogna.