Manifold Identities

Studies on Music and Minorities

edited by

UrsulaHemetek, GerdaLechleitner,Inna Naroditskaya

and Anna Czekanowska

•"X /o'-A4-Wvx>o\M

Cambridge Scholars PressLondon

Manifold Identities: Studies on Music and MinoritiesProceedings of thè 2"d Meeting of thè Study Group Music and Minorities of thè

International Council for Traditional Music (ICTM), Lublin/Poland, 2002F.dited by Ursula Hemetek, Gerda Lechleitner, Inna Naroditskaya,

and Anna Czekanowska

The editors would like to thank thè Institute for Folk Music Research andEthnomusicology at thè University for Music and Performing Arts in Vienna for

support in thè preparation of thè manuscript.

This hook first published 2004 by

Cambridge Scholars Press

119 Station Road, Amersham, Buckinghamshire, HP7 OAH UK

British Library Cataloguing in Publication DataA catalogue record for this book is available troni thè British Library

Copyright © Cambridge Scholars Press

Al i rights for this book reserved. No pari of this book may be reproduced, stored in aretrieval System, or transmitted, in any forni or by any means, electronic, medianica!,photocopying, recording or otherwise, without thè prior permission of thè copyright

owner.

ISBN 1-904303-37-4

CONTENTS

FOREWORD IX

PREFACE xv

1. JOHN MORGAN O'CONNELL (UNITED KINGDOM)Sustaining Difference: Theorising Minority Music in Badakhshan 1

2. ANNA CZEKANOWSKA(POLAND)Neighbours - Foreigners - Visitors: Towards a ContemporaryConcepì of Identity. Studying Musical Culture of thè Border Area 20

3. GERDA LECHLEITNER (AUSTRIA)Early Phonographic Research and Minority Studies 32

4. URSULA HEMETEK (AUSTRIA)Music and Minorities: A Challenge to our Discipline. Some Theoreticaland Methodological Considerations from thè Roma in Austria 42

5. ARDIAN AHMEDAJA (AUSTRIA/ALBANIA)On thè Question of Methods for Studying Ethnic Minorities' Musicin thè Case of Greece's Arvanites and Alvanoi 54

6. CHENG SHUI-CHENG (FRANGE/TAIWAN)Some Personal Reflections on Applied Musicology 63

7. JAN STE.SZEWSKI (POLAND)History of Ethnomusicological Research on Minorities in Poland:Circumstances and Motivations 68

8. PIOTR DAHLIG (POLAND)Territorial Identity: Counterpoint or Stimulus for Ethnic Boundaries:The Example of Spisz in thè Carpathian Mountains 76

9. MARTA KALINOWSKA (POLAND)Music Life of thè Belorussian Minority in Poland - an Insider'sPointofView 89

10. ROBERT CARL METIL (USA)Rusnak Song, Tattoos on Concrete, thè Lethal Function of Narrative,and thè Metaphor of Skin for Identity in Eastern Slovakia 99

11. MASA KOMAVEC (SLOVENÌA)State Boundaries, Ethnic Boundaries and Musical Boundaries ....117

12. MARIANNE BRÒCKER (GERMANY)A French Minority in Paris 129

13. DORIT KLEBE (GERMANY)Kanak Attak in Germany: A Multiethnic Network of YouthsEmploying Musical Forms of Expression 162

14. MUNIR NURETTIN BEKEN (USA/TURKEY)Ethnicity and Identity in Music - a Case Study: ProfessionalMusicians in Istanbul 181

15. NAILA CERIBASIC (CROATIA)The Production of Peculiarity and Dignity: A Short Overview of thèPublic Practice of National Minorities' Folk Music and DanceinCroatia 191

16. ROSMARY STATELOVA (BULGARIA)The Contemporary Sorbian Choral Movement: Horizons of Meaningby Singing Sorbian Songs 201

17.G1SA JÀHN1CHEN (GERMANY)Wild Africa: Understanding and Presentation of MaasaiMusical Culture 209

18. JUNIPER HlLL (USA)Musical Ironies in thè Andes: Borrowing freni thè Other toDefine thè Self 221

19. KATRJN LENGWINAT (VENEZUELA)Cultura! Minorities in Venezuela Camouflage with Viagra and thè TwinTowers 231

20. BOZENA MUSZKALSKA (ROLAND)Expression of thè Jewish Identity in thè Contemporary SynagogueChant in Poland 238

21. AULETA NAWROCKA-WYSOCKA (POLAND)Protestant Songs in Mazury: The Repertoire of a Borderland 246

22.WERONIKA GROZDEW (POLAND)National Identity and thè Distinctiveness of thè Musical Cultureamong thè Bulgarian Catholic Minority 257

23. KARINA FIRKAVICIUTÈ (LITHUANIA)Karaim Minority in Lithuania: Recent Research about Ancient Music 262

24. GIROLAMO GAROFALO (ITALY)Music and Identity of Albanians in Sicily: Liturgical-ByzantineChant and Devotional Musical Tradition 271

25. YOSHIKO OKAZAKI (JAPAN)An Ethnic Liturgica! Expression in a Multiethnic Congregation 289

26. INNA NARODITSKAYA (USA)Dervishes in Modern Azerbaijan: Absence and Presence 304

German Abstracts 321List of Audio Examples on thè CD 340Notes on Contributors 349

Chapter 24

Girolamo Garofalo

Music and Identity of Albanians in Sicily:Liturgical-Byzantine Chant and Devotional

Musical Traditioni

Introduction

Arbéresh is thè most important and largest linguistic ethnic "minority" inSicily. The community is made up of around 20,000 people living in fivetowns, ali of which are in thè province of Palermo: Piana degli Albanesi,Contessa Entellina, Mezzojuso, Palazzo Adriano and Santa Cristina Gela.

S I C U L O - A L B A N E S I

Figure 24.1: Map of thè Sicilian-Albanian colonies from Petrotta 1966:photografic table without number of page.

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Sicilian Albanians' cultural identity is basically expressed by twoelements: linguistic and thè religìous identities. Sicily's Arberesh languagebelongs to thè Tosk dialects of modern southern Albania, like other Arbereshdialects of southern Italy. In Sicily Arberesh is currently spoken both as acolloquiai language and in religious rites in three towns: Piana degli Albanesi(about 6,500 inhabitants), Contessa Entellina (2,500 inhabitantsapproximately), and Santa Cristina Gela (around 1,000 inhabitants).Therefore, around 10,000 people actually speak thè language (even thoughwe should also mention that as many residents migrated to northern Italy andthè United States of America).

Although Arberesh has not been spoken in Mezzojuso and PalazzoAdriano since thè early 19* century, these two communities feel a belongingto thè Sicilian Albaniati minority because they share thè Greek rite. In fact,thè second element of their ethnic and cultural identity is thè Greek rite(Catholic, not Orthodox), which is practised in four of thè five towns (as amatter of fact, in Santa Cristina Gela thè Roman rite is practised as in thè restof Sicily). Since 1937 thè Greek Catholic Church of Albanians in Sicily hasbeen led by thè Eparchy of Piana degli Albanesi, where thè Bishop (whoseGreek name is Eparca) lives.

The traditional music of Albanians in Sicily is primarily linked toreligious contexts. Two kinds of repertoires exist: thè liturgical one and thèpara-liturgical devotional one. From thè musical point of view, thè fewprofane folk songs are not different from those more common in thè rest ofSicily, and linguistically they are not peculiar at ali, as they are sung in thèSicilian dialect or in Italian. This musical tradition is active and alive todayand represents a fundamental element of thè cultural identity of Albanians inSicily, along with thè Arberesh language, Greek rite, custom, icons.

Studying Sicilian Albanians musical repertoires is interesting not onlyfrom an ethno-musicological standpoint, but also for their Byzantine,anthropological, linguistic, Albanian, historical and liturgical aspects.

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Figure 24.2: Traditional costumes of Piana degli Albanesi 1993, photo by G.Garofalo.

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Figure 24.3: The Theotokos Odigìtria (The Mother-of-God Odigìtria)tempera on panel, icon of Joannìkios (Sicilian-Cretan school) 2nd half of17 century, Mary Odigìtria's Sanctuary, Piana degli Albanesi.

16th century Diaspora, Foundation of Colonies, Preservation ofIdentity

Between thè end of thè 15* century and thè beginning of thè 16*, just afterthè fall of Constantinople into thè hands of Turks in 1453, a great exodus ofAlbamans and Greeks occurred from Albania and Morea towards Italy'ssouthern coasts. This exodus occurred in successive stages until thè end ofthè 17 century. Over thè centuries, many of Southern Italy's first coloniesprogressively abandoned and lost thè Arbèrèshe language and culture In factnme colomes were founded in Sicily of which only five have survived untiìmodern times.

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While in many Italian regions thè musical repertoire has declined, inSicily musical traditions are stili pretty solid today. This is mainly due to twofactors:

1. The isolation Sicily's Arberesh towns have experienced for centuries dueto thè poor road network (and thè consequent economie isolation) incomparison with larger cities;

2. The Sicilian Albanian clergy's active and conscious role in preserving thèpeculiarities of thè Greek rite and, in generai, cultura! diversity, also thècreation in 1735 of thè Greek and Albanian Seminary of Palermo (areligious institution whose goal was offering priests a specific andautonomous education).

Words Become Songs: thè Vitality of Musical Tradition

The liturgica! repertoire of thè Eparchy of Piana degli Albanesi is very wideand accompanies thè entire liturgical year. Weekly celebrations and feastceremonies, as well as various officiai functions, are usually adorned with anunceasing flow of melodies. Only secret prayers whispered by thè celebrantare recited, as well as thè Holy Father and thè Credo, recited by thèassembly. Everything else is sung: deacons' short declamatory modulations(ekfònisis), psalms sung by priests, schematic cantillations of readings andGospels, magnificent hymns sung by believers. Songs are usually monodie,and in some cases thè ison is used, which is an accompaniment in thè lowregister by means of long notes. This is what happens, for example, in thèMegalinàrion of Christmas' Kanon.

Audio example 24.1: From Christmas' Kanon, 9th ode, megalinàrion andirmòs, Ist tone.

Choir of thè Papàs of Piana degli Albanesi, ree. by G. Garofalo, 09.04.02.

Megàlinon, psichi mu, tin timioteran he endhoxoteran fon ano Stratevmaton.

Mistìrion xenon orò ke paràdhoxon: uranòn to spìleon; thronon cheruvikàntin Parthenon; tinfatnin chorìon, en o aneklithi o achòritos Christòs o Theòs;on animnundes megallnomen.

Exalt, oh my soul, she who is thè most honourable among thè heavenlyArrays.

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I admire a marvelous and incredible mystery: heaven is thè cave; thè cherubicthrone is thè Holy Mary; thè fodder-trough is thè cradle where Christ, infiniteLord, lies; whom we magnify by singing hymns. (CD 28)

The liturgica! musical heritage is preserved and well intact in Piana degliAlbanesi, while in other Albanian towns in Sicily it shows signs of crisis.This is clearly due to a generai deterioration process peculiar to oraicommunication and forms of expression which can be noticed in Sicily,particularly since World War IL However, there are also some specificreasons, such as thè recent introduction of melodies derived from thèrepertoire of thè Greek abbey in Grottaferrata near Rome, as well as somemodern Byzantine melodies (taken from thè current Greek tradition).

Orai and written heritage

Today songs are stili generally handed down orally. However, severalcollections of pentagrams were transcribed by priests and monks at thèbeginning of thè 20* century. I personally wrote a criticai essay on one ofthese collections (by Papàs Lorenzo Perniciaro from Mezzojuso). Two otherlarge groups of transcriptions (Papàs Matteo Sciambra from ContessaEntellina and Father Bartolomeo Di Salvo from Piana degli Albanesi) areabout to be published.

Very few collections have been printed so far (usually in limited editionswhich are basically unknown). The only one that somehow circulated is "TheGreek-Sicilian Ecclesiastic Chants" by layman Francesco Falsone (1936);priests occasionally resoti to it whenever they have to face particularlymelismatic songs or chants hardly ever sung. Until few decades ago songswere sung only in Greek. Different translations into Italian and Albanianwere used only recently. Believers (who usually do not know Greek) usuallyread editions in Greek transliterated into Roman type with parallel translationinto Italian.

,

277

'

Figure 24.4: a page of a manuscript by Papàs Lorenzo Perniciaro: thèSìmeron kremate, 1933, page 71, Mezzojuso.

Studies and Research

Based on thè colonies' historical origins, some scholars (among them thèBenedectine Monk Father Hugues-Athanase Gaisser Rector of thè GreekCollege of Rome and thè leromònachos Padre Lorenzo Tardo of thèGrottaferrata Greek Abbey) stated that thè liturgica! chants of Albanians inSicily have remained identica! to those of thè 15* century as far as forni andstyle is concerned, due to thè fact that they were handed down orally.According to this theory, melodies underwent no Turkish musical influencebecause they dated back to an age prior to thè Turkish rule in thè Balkans. Sothè chants revived thè unchanged traditions of thè neo-Byzantine period

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(1150-1350 approximately) and thè early Kukuzelic period (1350-1600approximately).

However, this theory cannot be supported by evidence. We should ratherimagine slow and Constant change that occurred over centuries. First of ali,due to internai reasons, an orally-handed-down tradition inevìtably undergoesvariation and rewording processes. Second, due to external reasons,Arberèshe communities were geographically near thè "Latin" ones, and aConstant presence existed in Sicilian Albanian towns of Eastern monks andpriests mainly coming from thè Peloponnese, Crete, Cyprus, and Epirus.

Hymnographic Forms

Although thè liturgical music of Albanians in Sicily does not have a unitaryorigin, it is not just an inhomogeneous aggregation of songs. Indeed, thèrepertoire is consistently structured. This is thè outcome of thè centripetalforce of orai transmission, whose aggregating strength made traditionevolution consistent over thè centuries. Therefore, thè liturgical repertoire ofSicilian Albanians is one among thè many "families" of Byzantine singing.As a matter of fact, it shares many of its features with other famous andbetter-known Byzantine traditions, such as thè Greek and Slavic ones. Porinstance, musical and poetic forms stili used today belong to Byzantinehymnals. One of thè basic elements is thè tropàrion, a kind of single-stanzahymn with a free scheme and metrical structure. The tropàrion has differentnames according to its characteristics, thè subject it deals with, or thè piace ithas in officiai functions and ceremonies. Such names are stichiròn,makarismòn, kàthisma, apolitìkion, megalinàrion, etc. Some combinations oftropària make up kondàkion and kanon.

A really interesting aspect from an ethnomusicological point of view isthè classification of tropària under their melodie profile. So we have thètropàrion idhiòmelon (with its own melody and an internai structure differingfrom ali other tropària), and thè tropàrion aftòmelon (with its own melody),which is referred to as a model for performing thè tropària called prosòmia.In thè very frequent event a prosòmion is to be sung during thè ceremony,liturgical books always specify thè incipit of thè corresponding aftòmelon.Therefore, performing a prosòmion means applying an "orai composition"mechanism implying:

1. A perfect knowledge of thè corresponding aftòmelon;2. The capacity of recalling it whenever required by liturgical books;

279

3. The\capacity of instantaneously adapting thè melody of thèaftòmelon to theprosòmion metrica! characteristics and number ofsyllables during thè performance.

The Performing Aspect: Oktòichos (thè eight tones)

The musical System of thè Sicilian-Albanian liturgica! repertoire is modal andfollows thè Byzantine theory of oktòichos, which is based on eight tones(ichi, in Greek, even if in Sicily they are commonly referred to with theirItalian terni toni): four are authentic (tòrii), and four are piagai (plàghii).

The eight-tone System can be considered under two different aspects: thèfirst is a theoretical and classificatory one; thè second is a performance-basedone.

a. "Eight musical scales" correspond to thè eight modes, each scalehaving its particular structure.

b. "Specific melodie and recitative formulas" correspond to and markeach mode. Such (initial, intermediate and final) formulas representembryonic melodies that can be developed according to implicit rules handedon by tradition, thus allowing improvisation and "orai composition" ofparticular songs, which can be defined as mixed forms (i.e., whosemodulation is partially melodie and partially recitative). Both a solemn and aferial forni exist for each of thè eight tones. The ferial one (called chima-chimd) has a more synthetic musical development, which is sometimeschosen whenever a particularly long ceremony needs to be shortened.

This mechanism can be clarified through a comparative study of thèperformances of Psalm 140 (Kìrie ekèkraxa, Lord, to you I raised my voice).Psalm 140 is thè first of thè Vespers' Skylight, and for this reason it can beperformed in ali eight tones, in correspondence with thè Oktòichos liturgicalcycle. As an example, listen to Psalm 140 (Kìrie ekèkraxa) performed in thèfirst tone.

Audio example 24.2: Kìrie ekèkraxa (Psalm 140 of Vesper) Isttone.Papàs Elefthèrios Schiadà, ree. by G. Garofalo, Piana degli Albanesi, Holy

and Saint Saturday 1991.

Kìrie, ekèkraxa pros se, isàkusòn mu; isàkusòn mu, Kìrie, Kìrie, ekèkraxapros se, isàkusòn mu; prosches (i foni tis dheìseòs mu, en to kekraghene mepros se; isàkusòn mu, Kìrie.

Katefthinthito iprosefchì mu [...]

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Lord, to you I raised my voice, satisfy me; satisfy me, oh Lord. Lord, to you Iraìsed my voice, satisfy me; be intent on thè voice of my prayer, when I raisemy cries to you; satisfy me, oh Lord.

May my prayer go up [...] (CD 29)

These are thè formulas that characterise thè first tone:

Tono 1°Formule melodiche

wài'.-.t .> i; intermedia;)

. .- i * * - ,. ̂

~*~~" \'""-"~'^"\&

M oc!ci 1.1 si-jla

IrfiifEE :::$EE » ;E^St*;•

Figure 24.5: transcription of formulas.

To understand how these formulas are used you can listen, for example, to aprosòmion in thè first tone of thè Paralytic Vespers (notice that thè text issung in thè Albanian version).

Audio example 24.3: Prosòmion in thè first tone of thè Paralytic Vespers.Papàs Elefthèrios Schiadà, ree. by G. Garofalo, Piana degli Albanesi,

23.04.94 (third Saturday after Easter).

Ti f é me dorén tènde e delire bere njeriunjerdhe, o Krisht, me mirèsin tènde,jerdhe té buje mire te sumurèt: me Jjalèn tènde bére té ngrèhehj [té] njomin,fé rrihj shtur te Pishqètoria e delevet; bére te sosjèn lidhjet e Emorroisès; i

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dhe shèndet te dhughosmes bijè te Kananes; e ngè i thè jo Qindarit, [Kè]shtuedhe na te parkalesjem, o i Madhi in 'Zot, i gjithemèndem, levai tihj.

Oh, Christ, with your immaculate hand you molded mankind, oh, merciful,you carne to heal thè sick: with your word you lifted thè paralytic lying in thèProbatic Pool; you healed thè hemorrhagic man's pain; you saved Canaan'stormented daughter; and you did not disdain thè Centurion's prayer. Por thiswe pray you, oh Almighty Lord; be glorified. (CD 30)

To understand thè diversity of thè melodie development of thè other tones,you can listen to a very important stichiròn dhoxastikòn of thè Nineth Hourof thè Holy and Saint Friday performed in thè sixth tone (second piagaitone)1.

Audio example 24.4: Sìmeron kremate (stichiròn dhoxastikòn in thè sixthtone of thè Nineth Hour of thè Holy and Saint Friday).

The Eparca Sotìr Ferrara and others, ree. by G. Garofalo, Piana degliAlbanesi, Holy Friday 1991.

Sìmeron kremate epì xilu o en ìdhasin fin ghin kremasas (three times).Stèfanon ex akanthòn peritìthete o fon Anghelon Vasilèfs. Psevdhl porfiranperivàllete o perivallon fon uranòn en nefeles. Ràpisma katedhèxato o enlordhani eleftherosas fon Adhàm. Ilis prosilothi o Ninfios tis Ekklisìas. Lonchiekendithi o liòs tis Parthenu. Proskinumen su tapathi Christè (three times).Dhixon imìn ke fin èndhoxòn su anàstasin.

Today he who suspended thè earth above thè waters is suspended on thè wood(three times). The King of Angels is being crowned with thorns. He who fillsthè sky with clouds is being covered with a fake purple. He who saved Adamin thè Jordan is being stricken by slaps. The bridegroom of thè Church isbeing pierced by nails. The son of thè Virgin is being run through by a spear.We worship your agonies, oh, Christ (three times). Show us your gloriousresurrection toc. (CD 31 )

Some particular ceremonies

The arbéreshe liturgical tradition also expresses self-identification processesthat strengthen thè feeling of belonging to a community. This becomesevident on thè occasion of special ceremonies that characterise great feasts.

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Figure 24.6: The baptism's rite by immersion, Holy Saturday, Piana degliAlbanesi, 1993, photo by G. Garofalo.

Por instance, thè procession with thè Cross that thè Bishop leads into thèCathedral of Piana degli Albanesi during thè Service of Good Friday Passion.Rituals are wisely organised in a way that mixes ceremonial symbols withsounds and gestures. During this procession, that illuminate thè architectonicspace in feeble candlelight, thè Eparca sing thè Sìmeron kremate, but in thiscase in thè more solemn version of thè idhiòmelon whose variant wastranscribed by Papàs Perniciaro in thè example reproduced above.

The version of thè audio example 24.5 was sung by Papàs GiovanniPecoraro (Parson of San Demetrio Cathedral) during a non-contextualrecording (ree. by G. Garofalo, Piana degli Albanesi, 15-02-02) (CD 32).

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One of thè more pregnant and intense moments of thè liturgical year is thèceremony of thè 500 Kìrie elèison of thè Vesper of thè Exaltation of thèCross on September 14.

I

„;,,,

•

Figure 24.7: The beginning of thè procession after thè Vesper of thèExaltation of thè Cross, Piana degli Albanesi 1999, photo by G. Garofalo.

The audio fragment (audio example 24.6) is extracted from a video recordingI made at Piana degli Albanesi in 1993 (CD 33).

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Para-liturgical Repertoires

In thè musical tradition of Albanians in Sicily there are also importantdevotional and para-liturgical repertoires. During thè year, on thè occasionsof several holidays, ancient melodies alternate with more modern ones;Arberesh or Sicilian dialect texts alternate with Greek or Latin compositions;signs of Eastern tradition are interwoven with Western practices.

A significant case is represented by Novenas and Rosaries. Even thoughmese types of ceremonies are different from Greek and Byzantine rituals,they gradually caught on in past centuries due to thè influence of thèinteraction with Sicilian folk culture. In many cases they are traditionaldialectal songs of nearby towns translated into Albanian. This repertoireproves how conservative thè culture of thè Arberesh minority is. In fact,while in Sicilian communities those songs have been totally forgotten, inAlbanian towns in Sicily they are stili handed down in thè Arberesh versions.

A very interesting example of mixture of Greek rituality and folk musicalpractices is represented by thè particular performing modality of thè Àghiosof thè Deposition from thè Cross performed on Good Friday in PalazzoAdriano. It is a particularly significant musical variation because thèperformance style is not monodie, but bivocal. This is a unique case in thèByzantine tradition in Sicily, probably due to thè influence of thè sicilianpolyvocal stile of thè Holy Week songs (see Garofalo 1993).

Audio example 24.7: Àghios of thè Deposition from thè CrossChoir of women of thè Church "Annunziata e San Nicolo" of Palazzo

Adriano, ree. by G. Garofalo, Holy Friday 1994

Àghios o Theòs, Àghios Ischiròs, Àghios Athànatos, elèison imàs.

Holy Lord, Holy Strong, Holy Immortai, have mercy on us (CD 34).

The rranscription here reproduced belongs to a small 1 I-page manuscript (thècorpus includes 13 chants) that belonged to Father Hugues-Athanase Gaisser(see above) and was discovered in thè Greek College of Rome by PapàsGiovanni Pecoraro (see Pecoraro 1986). This collection dates back to 1899and represents thè oldest manuscript of Greek-Albanians chants of Sicily.

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^%as—^S—^~T- • ~*"".ij.~.~.rl.—1L'_

Figure 24.8: The transcription of thè Àghios of Palazzo Adriano, from thèmanuscript dated 1899 belonged to Father Gaisser, Greek college ofRome.

Other very interesting examples are thè prayers of thè misteri gaudiosi(joyful mysteries) of thè Rosary of Christmas in thè version of Piana degliAlbanesi, because arenale characteristics are evident in that particularrecitative style. In thè recording, you can listen to thè final fragment of thèfirst mistero in Arberesh accompanied by an armonium, in thè typical style ofthè devotional songs, and then thè prayers (Our Father, Ave Maria -10 times- and Glory to thè Father) in Arberesh too (audio example 24.8, CD 35).

A mixture of Eastern folk elements and Sicilian expressive forms isevident in thè Mezzojuso version of thè Lazarus Chant (O mire mbrema, Oh,Good morning). This para-liturgical chant is stili sung in ali Albanian townsin Sicily on thè night of Lazarus Friday, which corresponds to thè day beforethè ève of Palm Sunday. Each town has its own textual and musicalvariations, while thè common characteristic is thè way of performing thèsong with no instrumentai accompaniment. The only exception is inMezzojuso, where thè chant is accompanied by a small group of windinstruments, according to a model widespread ali across Sicily, above ali withregard to Christmas Novenas. Mezzojuso's tradition also offers anotherinteresting feature: in fact, despite its inhabitants have not spoken Albanian

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for about two centurìes, The Lazarus is sung in Arberesh stili today, eventhough with thè aid of a written text, which singers obviously don'tunderstand, even though thè overall meaning can be understood through thèparallel translation. So, there is a significarti linguistic and anthropologìcpersistence due to thè close relationship between linguistic usages andceremonial behaviors.

Audio example 24.9: Lazarus' Resurrection Song (Version of Mezzojuso).Men of thè Church of San Nicolo di Mira of Mezzojuso and little wind

ensemble, ree. by G. Garofalo, 11.04.92 (Saturday of Lazarus).

O mire mbrèma, Good eveningo mire menate, good morning;erdha téju thoshia I bave come to teli younj'éjjalèzè e mire a good word.

E nje thamazemè And a miraclefé beri Perèndia thè Lord performedlek ajò horè in that cityfé / thoné Befanìa. they cali Betania(CD 36)

A peculiar experiment for reviving tradition: Byzantine songs ofMezzojuso, rearranged for opera voices and band.

A recent experiment for trying to regenerate Sicilian-Albanian Byzantinesongs originated from "anomalies" in thè Lazarus tradition in Mezzojuso,which is a traditionally Greek song accompanied by wind instruments. As amatter of fact, Mezzojuso is a town where thè liturgical repertoire isundergoing a severe crisis. Many parts of thè ceremonies are recited in Italianrather than sung in Greek, and many traditional songs have been forgotten orreplaced by modern Byzantine melodies. Experienced singers are very fewand mostly elderly. In order to foster a revival of tradition, thè Conductor ofthè "Giuseppe Verdi" Band of Mezzojuso started a very peculiar artistic andmusical experiment, proposing a charming rearrangement of Liturgical chantsfor soprano, mezzo-soprano, and band.

This experiment had several positive outcomes:

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1. Many concerts were organised in thè Albanian towns of Sicily andin thè rest of Sicily alike, which made thè Arbèresh tradition knownamong thè generai audience;

2. In Mezzojuso a choir was formed again which is progressivelyreviving thè ancient repertoire;

3. In 2001, with thè support of thè Regional Department of CulturalProperty of Sicily, a collection of songs accompanied byexplanatory material was published with thè title Canti bizantini diMezzojuso [Byzantine songs of Mezzojuso]. This publication, whichI edited, consists of criticai essays on thè musical manuscripts thatPapàs Lorenzo Perniciaro, a famous Archpriest of thè San Nicolo diMira's Parish Church in Mezzojuso (307 pages concerning 193songs), drew up between 1920 and 1930. It is thè first scientificpublication specifically dedicated to liturgical songs of Albanians inSicily (see Garofalo 2001).

From thè CD enclosed in this publication listen, for example, to thèrearrangement of thè tropàrion of thè Resurrection, called Christòs onesti(Christ has risen). It is a song thè believers sing in ali Albanian colonies atthè climax of thè ceremony for Christ's resurrection during thè night betweenEaster Saturday and Sunday.

Audio example 24.10: Christòs onesti (tropàrion of Easter).Complesso Bandistico "Giuseppe Verdi" di Mezzojuso, direttore Salvatore

Di Grigoli, soprano Elisabetta Giammanco, mezzosoprano Rita Bua.

Christòs onesti ek nekròn, thanato thànaton patisas, ke tis en tis mnìmasi zoìncharisàmenos.

Christ rose from thè dead, with his death he trod on death, and lavished life tothè dead in sepulchers. (CD 37)

Also this peculiar experiment of regenerating Mezzojuso tradition is amodern sign of vitality in thè musical tradition of Sicilian Arbèresh.

288

Notes

1 Stichirà (plural of stichiròn) are called thè tropària (plural of tropàrion) when theyare interposed between thè verses of a psalm. Dhoxastikòn is called a tropàrion whenis sung after thè fìrst pari ofDhoxa Patrì (Glory be to thè Father).

References

Falsone, Francesco. 1936.1 canti ecclesiastici greco-siculi. Padova: Cedam.Gaisser, Ugo. 1905. "I canti ecclesiastici italo-greci". In Atti del Congresso

Internazionale di Scienze Stortene, Roma, 1-9 aprile 1903. Roma, 107-123.

Garofalo, Girolamo (ed.). 1993. Sicily. Music far thè Holy Week. CD,AUVIDIS-UNESCO D 8210, with booklet included.

. (ed.). 2001. Canti bizantini di Mezzojuso. Volume I: / manoscritti diPapàs Lorenzo Perniciaro. Volume II: Rielaborazioni per voci liriche ecomplesso bandistico di Salvatore Di Grigoli with CD RSC00001enclosed. Palermo: Assessorato ai Beni culturali e ambientali dellaRegione Siciliana.

Pecoraro, Giovanni. 1986. "Melurgia bizantina dei Siculo-Albanesi". OrienteCristiano XXVI, 4,51-57.

Petratta, Salvatore. 1966. Albanesi di Sicilia. Storia e cultur. Palermo.Tardo, Lorenzo. 1938. L'antica melurgia bizantina nella interprelazione

della scuola monastica di Grotta/errata. Grottaferrata (Roma): ScuolaTipografica Italo Orientale San Nilo.