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Su corru ‘e boe in Tumbu by Piero Marras

ISTRALES from TUMBU
by Piero Marras
Corru ‘e boe: Maurizio Puxeddu 

In 1994/95 I received a phone call from Piero Marras. Those were years in which I carried out intense dissemination activities in schools and municipalities in Sardinia with the exhibition / conference of traditional Sardinian and Mediterranean instruments called “AMMENTOS DE SONOS – Mostra sonora itinerante di strumenti musicali sardi”. Piero asks me to participate with traditional Sardinian instruments in the recording of some sounds for his next record work. I bring the instruments, a small representation, in the recording studio in Sassari and Piero seeing the ox horn, su corru ‘e boi, he chooses to insert it as the first sound of the album TUMBU in the track ISTRALES. Here is the track.

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Is launeddas

When you return to Sardinia after years of distance from the island you have understandable emotions and very strong sensations. Every Sardinian knows what it means, on his return, to feel the wild scents of his land, he knows how it feels to observe the open and natural spaces, not fenced (the choice is wide, between sea, mountains, hills, lakes, rivers ), all of which can be used a few kilometers from the town or village centers. Not to mention the gastronomy, the people, the customs and traditions, the culture deeply rooted and felt by the Sardinians, the music.

is-launeddas  is-launeddas2
is-launeddas3 is-launeddas4 is-launeddas5 is-launeddas6

On the occasion of my recent visit to Sardinia, thanks to my past as a popularizer, musician and composer, I was invited by the ISCANDULA Association to hold a conference on the launeddas, on the Danish researcher WFABentzon who in 1969 published THE LAUNEDDAS, works in two volumes, deriving from his research on the autochthonous island instrument, between ’56 and ’69. The relative projection of the documentary film “IS LAUNEDDAS – La musica dei sardi” by Fiorenzo Serra, produced by Dante Olianas, made up of films by Bentzon himself, formed the core of the initiative.

At the end of the meeting I was able to perceive and verify, thanks to the many questions from the audience, very specific and relevant, the profound interest of the listeners towards the topic presented: the launeddas.

I feel that there is a renewed interest in young people, towards the music of Sardinia, a music with a capital M, still not understood by everyone. I was very heartened to see the listeners attentive and involved and who have given me back an important energy.
Thank you all
M.P.

26 febbraio 2020
CONFERENZA SULLE LAUNEDDAS
Associazione ISCANDULA
CPIA1 Cagliari – Sede di SESTU (CA)
Prof.ssa Tiziana Pireddu

Relatore: Maurizio Puxeddu

PROGRAMMA
Presentazione
Le launeddas
Il ricercatore W.F.A.Bentzon
Proiezione del film documentario IS LAUNEDDAS
Esercizi pratici con la respirazione circolare
Domande del pubblico

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ISLANDS – Musical performance by Maurizio Puxeddu for ILLADOR

ISLANDS – Musical performance by Maurizio Puxeddu
Traditional Sardinian musical instruments used: launeddas, sulittu, bena, bena ‘e corru, ghitarra, corru marinu, trunfa, pitiolus, ischiglittos

It is an initiative created within the ILLADOR photographic exhibition by Marina Anedda, set up in suggestive contexts.

“Retracing the places described by the German philosopher Ernst Jünger, who in 1954, during a trip to Sardinia, stopped in Villasimius, fascinated by the primeval essence of the place, the author of “Illador”, through intense photographic research he autonomously reinterprets the the work of the philosopher, using black and white to prevent the use of color from altering the philological sense of the operation.”
From www.emigratisardi.com

SPOLETO – 12 July 2002
in conjunction with the Festival of Two Worlds

TORTOLI ‘ – September 14, 2002
Museum of Contemporary Art Su Logu De S’Iscultura

Spoleto – Maurizio Puxeddu with sardinian guitar

A text of almost twenty years ago, from 2002, accompanying the performance.

INSULAE

Il primo pensiero va’ all’acqua.
Che lambisce le terre.
Acqua di mare duro contro la roccia.

Instancabile nel sovrumano scontro all’ultimo grano di materia,
all’ultima goccia di lagrima salina.
Dove l’abisso si prende la rivincita,
su quei natali incandescenti ed infuocati.
Di eruzioni e di lave.
Fumanti di liquido esalato.
Con molta calma, dando tempo al tempo.
Nei secoli e nei millenni. Erodendo.
Perché la roccia, ormai raffreddata,
immobile,
non può fuggire e avere scampo.
L’acqua. Trova la sua vendetta.
Nelle isole il tempo è un altro.

Scoprendole sulla linea del tramonto
mutano in approdo di cabotaggi stanchi.
Riferimento per navigatori di antiche rotte.
Salvagente
nella perdita dell’orizzonte liquido.
Poi si aprono mondi interni.
Possibili spazi limitati e limitanti,
ma profondi di conoscenza del se.
Dove scavare interiormente.
Quelle più piccole,
si contengono in uno sguardo.
La loro storia, in un pensiero,
in una sensazione.
Dalla creazione all’oggi.
Quelle più grandi,
ricche di storie tortuose,
riempiono i polmoni di vento profumato.
Generose di sole.
Ma tutte hanno il sentore
della condivisione
della particolare condizione geografica con gli altri, che vivono in altre isole.
Solitudine e separazione,
mista a condivisione.
Situazione ricercabile.
Consapevolezza del non essere solo.
Nelle isole il tempo è un altro.

Ma il primo pensiero va’ all’acqua.
Che lambisce le terre.
M.P.

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Abbasalìa, I can’t even read it!

When you read the title Abbasalìa you have the feeling of facing an unknown word and not knowing where to place the accent. It is like when you enter the water, the sea, and you go a little further where it is not touched. The water supports you but not too much, you falter.

It’s like walking on the tightrope rope. You have to decide in fractions of a second where and how to put the weight of your body balancing it with open arms, under penalty of the most ruinous fall.

Reading the title Abbasalìa makes your neurons move, because you also start asking yourself “what will it mean?”.

And try to decline the term with different inflections and accents, trying to reason about its specific and etymological origin: Abbasàlia, Abbàsalìa, Àbbasàlia, Abbasalià, Àbbasalìa …

I like this so much. 🙂

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Musical instruments on Ritual Dance

Musical instruments on Ritual Dance

Bena ‘e corru – It is a reed aerophone, built in cane and ox horn. The use of ox horn as a bell in the terminal part projects the sound and makes it more nasal and characteristic.

Dholak – It is a double skin drum (India and Pakistan), with a shaft turned in a single block of wood, the largest mouth mounts a skin weighed down internally by a dark paste (siahi), typical of Indian drums, which allows its variability in height.

Tumbarinu ‘e Gavoi – Large drum, double skin, traditionally played with wooden sticks, in the recording instead bare hands were used to make the sound softer and warmer.

Darbuka – Chalice drum, typical of North Africa, Syria and Turkey. In the recording its characteristic sounds are very present and high, unmistakable.

Roland D50 – The historic Roland polyphonic synthesizer, in vogue between the 80s and 90s, used here with a particular timbre, which takes the place of a section of synthetic strings or a choir, in long harmonies or pedals.

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Ammentos de sonos – Traveling sound exhibition of Sardinian musical instruments

AMMENTOS DE SONOS (Memories of sounds)
Traveling sound exhibition of Sardinian musical instruments
with demonstration conferences and guided tours

Regione Autonoma della Sardegna
Assessorato alla pubblica Istruzione,
Beni Culturali, Informazione, Sport e Spettacolo

Consulta Zonale del “Monte Acuto”

Associazione INTERARTES

Set up by Maurizio Puxeddu

from November 12 to December 23, 2001
Ozieri, Buddusò, Ittireddu, Ardara, Tula, Mores, Pattada, Alà dei Sardi, Nughedu S.Nicolò

Today it is not easy to oppose the loss of our historical, individual and collective memory. One of the ways to capture the attention of people, and in particular of young people, for the events and values of the past, is to stimulate their interest in their roots. Doing it – as the master Maurizio Puxeddu does – through the enchantment of sound, showing the traditional instruments, explaining them, making them listen and teaching them to build them, seems to me one of the best ways.
Annamaria Janin

AMMENTOS DE SONOS will bring on tour, in the nine municipalities belonging to the Zonal Council of “Monte Acuto”, an exhibition of objects related to the island’s musical culture (traditional Sardinian musical instruments, devices and sound toys, books, CDs, audio cassettes, video cassettes, 45 discs days, construction equipment and materials, musical instruments from the Mediterranean basin).

For a more in-depth knowledge of the content of the exhibition, demonstration conferences and guided tours are provided, where the tools will be illustrated, highlighting for each one, origin, materials, functions and music.

AMMENTOS DE SONOS, which already has numerous interventions in schools and municipalities in Sardinia, always attracting considerable interest thanks to its high cultural and popular value linked to the incredible heritage of our local musical culture, was the opportunity that allowed students of various schools in Sardinia and visitors in general to get in touch with traditional Sardinian culture or to continue the study of the specific topic.

The path in the exhibition will begin with sound toys and sound devices up to the actual musical instruments, through different “stations”.

In these “stations” the visitor will be able to focus his attention, thanks to the help of specially made explanatory panels and plates (with indication of the name, origin, manufacturer, date of construction of the exhibited object), on categories of instruments, on various sections dedicated to a particular aspect of musical culture.

There will also be a workstation dedicated to consulting, listening and viewing of books, audio CDs, video cassettes, audio cassettes and 45 days.

The INTERARTES Association is able to propose and implement (in addition to AMMENTOS DE SONOS) other projects related to the language and culture of Sardinia such as various types of workshops, spectacular and concert activities, UPDATE COURSES for teacher training, PRODUCTIONS of audio and VIDEO CDs, PRINT of PUBLICATIONS on topics related to traditional music and Sardinian culture in general.

To allow optimal use of the exhibition by school groups, it is recommended to book guided tours.

From the brochure of the initiative