Frame drums ( Tamburi a Cornice ) in the Mediterranean area
La "Tammurriata"
Symbolism and Function
PREMISE
My approach to these instruments which presumably originate with the ancient Sumerians is intimately humble. I am aware of their antique wisdom, of the patience with which they receive the beat of my hand, aware that through these instruments I am using and sharing one of the most important (for me) patrimonies of mankind music.
SYMBOLISM
The invisible world, everything that lies beneath appearances, for me has a deep and essential significance which allows me to transform myself, and by extension, the world around me. Pauses, in music, are the shadows of its sounds, are what is unsaid yet clearly expressed.
I Tamburi a Cornice are closely linked to the cults of the divine feminine, Isis in Egypt, Demeter in Greece, the Great Mother in Rome, the Madonna of the Catholic tradition. The hollow in the instrument represents the womb of the Goddess/Mother. Its circular form symbolically represents the sun and the moon, which are opposites but which complement each other as day and night, life and death, united and synthesized so that an androgynous vision of the universe emerges. This leads us to the handling of the instrument. In the masculine mode, the left hand holds the instrument and the right hand beats it. The hands are reversed in the feminine mode. (It is interesting to note the observation of the great master Roberto de Simone to whom we owe so much as a musician and scholar; he points out how the greatest players invert these positions). The "castagnette" fundamental to the "tammurriata" also have strong male and female symbolism: their beating demonstrates to us the joining of the masculine and feminine. This suggests to us also depictions of the Madonna with the sun at her right and the moon on her left. These examples are only a few of the rich and infinite symbolic meanings of this musical form.
FUNCTION
The function of the Tammorra is to accompany the traditional dance. The dance on the "tamburo" is composed of three basic elements: the "tammorra," the song, and the dance.
The song is enormously complex. Even the "fronna" which is a particular form of song from Campania is a category in itself. The complexity to which I referred is due to a great number of themes and styles. One element we should clarify is that the song is a song of devotion to the Madonna. There are seven madonnas, six of whom are interchangeable (the name varies from town to town), but the seventh is always the saure: the Madonna of Mount Vergine, also called the Black Madonna. It is fascinating how the cult of the seven madonnas has its origin in pre-Christian rites (the goddess Diana) which are common also to other European countries. Fascinating also is the symbolism of the number seven. This number represents the passing of the seasons. The Black Madonna is associated with Autumn and Winter, the season for sowing seeds, which precedes the other six madonnas who represent
Spring. The number seven also symbolizes the seven days of Creation, the colors of the rainbow, the planets, musical notes, the chakra....
The dance brings with it an equally enormous quantity of symbolic elements which would be impossible (for me) to discuss here. However, we can surely note certain features, gestures, and patterns which are typical of dance, such as the hand movements and jumping. These two features were schematized so that they appeared in Greek theatre performances in the fifth century. Dumping was a part of the dance of the satyrs, worshippers in the cult of Dionysius and Cybele, who were called "sikinnis." This dance was replaced later by the Bacchic dances.
The dance of the "tammuriata" is a couples dance, performed by two men and two women and expresses all that is suppressed in daily life. The circle which is inevitably formed is symbolically an attempt to flee from conventional time. The circle which is formed around the dancers serves to boost the energy of that moment.
The instruments:
"La tammorra" is a circular frame about 8-10 cm deep over which is stretched a goat skin with tin bells around it. Its diameter varies from 35-60 cm.
"Le castagnette" are composed of two pieces of wood tied together with a string which crosses over the upper part of the two pieces. "Putipù" also called "caccavella" is a terracotta pot or an old tin can covered with a skin. In the center of the skin is a cane pipe. Rubbing the cane pipe with a moist cloth gives a deep dark sound. "La tromba degli zingari" or "lo scacciapensieri" is common to many other cultures in the world. It is a curved piece of metal with a bronze prong in the center. "Il triccabballacche" is composed of three little wooden hammers attached to a wooden base. The central hammer is stationary, while the 2 lateral hammers are moveable. Beating the lateral hammers on the central one produces an acute sound, accentuated by cymbals placed on each hammer. We also have the "sisco" or straight flute and the "flauto doppio" used in the "Giuglianese”. The "chitarra battente" is widely used in the Cilento region.
I have purposely avoided talking about the famous "Tarantella," one of world's most well-known musical forms. There are profound differences between the "Tammurriata" and the "Tarantella" in their function, symbolism, rhythmic pattern, and the characteristics of the instruments. In addition, the "Tarantella" is widespread in all of southern Italy. In each location,, it takes on different characteristics and expresses a particular world view. One particular form of the "Tarantella" in Campania is found in Montemarano in the province of Avellino. If you have never seen it, it is spectacular!
Paolo Cimmino
ACTIVITIES
Workshop: Tammuriata e Tarantella
- Symbolism and Function
-Notation & Basilar strokes
-Introduction to different styles :
The Tammurriata of agro-nocerino-sarnese, of Giugliano, of Somma, of Pomigliano d’arco, Monti lattari, of Avvocata di Maiori.
La Tarantella.
Symbolism and Function
Basilar strokes
La Tarantella di Montemarano.
La Tarantella d’Ischia:this is a moresca still used in Buonopane in Ischia
La Tarantella : Italian Treasury Puglia : La Pizzica.
La Pizzica ,the cure of spider’s
Danzimania:historical backgrounds
Notation & basilar strokes
Accents and displacement;
The function of the Tammorra is to accompany the traditional dance. The dance on the "tamburo" is composed of three basic elements: the "tammorra," the song, and the dance.