The ''cantu a chiterra'' ( Sardinian for "singing with guitar") is a typical

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label=Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after ...

n form of

monophonic Monaural or monophonic sound reproduction (often shortened to mono) is sound intended to be heard as if it were emanating from one position. This contrasts with stereophonic sound or ''stereo'', which uses two separate audio channels to reproduc ...

singing Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

Sardinian language Sardinian or Sard ( , or ) is a Romance languages, Romance language spoken by the Sardinians on the Western Mediterranean island of Sardinia. Many Romance linguists consider it the language that is closest to Latin among all its genealogica ...

and

Gallurese Gallurese () is a Romance language from the Italo-Dalmatian family spoken in the region of Gallura, northeastern Sardinia. It is sometimes considered a dialect of southern Corsican or a transitional language between Corsican and Sardinian. " ...

, accompanied by a ''

chiterra sarda The chiterra sarda ( Sardinian for "Sardinian guitar") or ''chitarra sarda'' in Italian, is a large-bodied baritone guitar from Sardinia used primarily to accompany singers in the ''cantu a chiterra'' genre. The body is larger than a dreadnought g ...

'', or Sardinian guitar. This type of song is particularly prevalent in the northern part of the island; in particular in the

Logudoro The Logudoro (meaning "Golden Place") is a large traditional region Sardinia, Italy. The name of Logudoro today is linked to the Logudorese dialect, which covers a large area of northern-central Sardinia. The first denomination of the area is ...

Goceano The Goceano ( sc, Costèra) is a historical and geographical region of center-north of Sardinia island, Italy. It covers a surface of 480 km2 and has a population of 13,000 inhabitants (27 inhabitants/km2). It is located inside the Province ...

, Planargia and

Gallura Gallura ( sdn, Gaddura or ; sc, Caddura ) is a region in North-Eastern Sardinia, Italy. The name ''Gallùra'' is allegedly supposed to mean "stony area". Geography Gallùra has a surface of and it is situated between 40°55'20"64 latitude ...

. Very likely, some of the songs existed before the invention of the guitar, for example, '' Cantu in re '' (Song in D), but with the advent of the instrument they have developed different variations.

Competitions

After centuries of existing in familiar setting, the ''cantu a chiterra'' also developed during the twentieth century as a singing competition, with the guitar (''sa gara''), taking place in front of an audience, usually at religious festivals, in forms that are still in place. The ''gara'' is a musical competition where two or three singers, accompanied by a guitarist, compete with their improvisations on pre-established musical themes to show the quality of their performance. Bernard Lortat-Jacob, ''Improvisation et modèle : le chant à guitare sarde'', L'Homme, 1984, tome 24, n ° 1. The competition requires that each ''cantadore'' (singer) performs one verse at a time, alternating with the other competitors (usually being assigned three stanzas each). The musical reference model (variant) is not a form fully and completely defined, but rather a set of pre-established forms of musical structures (

meter The metre (British spelling) or meter (American spelling; see spelling differences) (from the French unit , from the Greek noun , "measure"), symbol m, is the primary unit of length in the International System of Units (SI), though its prefi ...

melody A melody (from Greek language, Greek μελῳδία, ''melōidía'', "singing, chanting"), also tune, voice or line, is a Linearity#Music, linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most liter ...

harmony In music, harmony is the process by which individual sounds are joined together or composed into whole units or compositions. Often, the term harmony refers to simultaneously occurring frequencies, pitches ( tones, notes), or chords. However ...

) relatively undefined. So that is it allowed to each ''cantadore'' to improvise at will on the model of reference.

Performers

Some of the best known performers are: * Gavino De Lunas (

Padria Padria is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Sassari on the Italian island of Sardinia, located about northwest of Cagliari and about south of Sassari. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 785 and an area of .All demograp ...

, 1895 -

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, 1944) *

Maria Carta Maria Carta (24 June 1934 – 22 September 1994) was a Sardinian folk music singer-songwriter. She also performed in film and theatre. In 1975 she wrote a book of poetry, ''Canto rituale'' (Ritual Song). Throughout her 25-year career she cove ...

(

Siligo Siligo is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the region of Logudoro - Meilogu in the Province of Sassari in the Italian region Sardinia, located about north of Cagliari and about southeast of Sassari. Siligo borders the following municipalities: A ...

, 1934 -

, 1994) *

Francesco Demuro Francesco Demuro (born 6 January 1978), is an Italian operatic tenor. He was born in Porto Torres, Sardinia. By the age of ten, Demuro made his first stage appearance, and by the age of twelve, he had joined the Minicantadores, a group of young si ...

(

Porto Torres Porto Torres ( sdc, Posthudorra, sc, Portu Turre) is a comune and a city of the Province of Sassari in north-west of Sardinia, Italy. Founded during the 1st century BC as ''Colonia Iulia Turris Libisonis'', it was the first Roman colony of the ...

, 1978)

Bibliography

Gavino Gabriel Gavino Gabriel (Tempio Pausania, 1881 – Rome, 1980) was an Italian composer, ethnomusicologist scholar of Sardinian music, especially that of Gallura, and has written and published many essays on the subject. Biography and career In 1905 he ...

, ''Canti di Sardegna'', Milano, 1923 * Bernard Lortat-Jacob, ''Improvisation et modèle: le chant a guitare sarde'' , in « L'Homme», XXIV, 1, 1984. * Francesco Gianattasio - Bernard Lortat-Jacob, Modalità di improvvisazione nella musica sarda, Culture musicali n.1, 1982, pp. 3/36 * Bernard Lortat-Jacob, ''Voci di Sardegna'', Torino, 1999, * Paolo Angeli. ''Canto in Re, la gara a chitarra nella Sardegna settentrionale'', ISRE, Nuoro, 2006.

References

Music in Sardinia {{music-genre-stub

Competitions

Performers

Bibliography

See also

References