Hi, I remember some posts about this on the bellows pipes group, I went back and copy 'n pasted them for you.

Message: 2
Date: Sun, 18 Nov 2001 14:28:02 -0000
From: billt44hk@yahoo.com
Subject: Italian Bagpipes in New York

Yes completely off-topic but too nice not to share.
Phillip Roth is one of my favourite American writers and I'm currently on "I Married a Communist", just hitting this in chapter 2, an evocation of between-the-wars working class life in NYC "..the feast days all year round with processions for all those saints they brought over with them from Italy, hundreds and hundreds of people venerating their society's special saint by dressing up and bearing the saint's embroidered flag and carrying candles the size of tyre irons. And there was St. Lucy's 'presepio' for Christmas, a replica of a Neapolitan village depicting the birth of Jesus, a hundred Italian figurines planted in it along with Mary, Joseph, and the Bambino. There were the Italian bagpipes parading with a plaster Bambino and, behind the Bambino, the people in the procession singing Italian Christmas carols......"
I'm aware that in Italy the bagpipes, the Zampogna was associated with Christmas but never imagined this tradition entering America in any way. However it's clear Roth is either drawing on his own memory or from known sources. I wonder if there was any kind of continuity of Italian piping from those days.....
Nice to know it wasnt just the scots-irish who immigrated with pipes, the type which seem to be getting a good airing in the streets of New york these past couple of months.
Sorry for the digression.

Bill Telfer

Message: 2
Date: Mon, 19 Nov 2001 14:05:06 -0500
From: John McCain
Subject: Re: Italian Bagpipes in New York

There's a Traditional Sicilian carol, Canzone d'i Zampognari (Carol of the Bagpipers), that sits well on the Scottish smallpipes. I've performed with a singer and it seems to go over well.

Message: 2
Date: Tue, 20 Nov 2001 08:57:45 -0500
From: Steve Bliven
Subject: Re: Digest Number 383


> Date: Mon, 19 Nov 2001 18:58:31 -0500
> From: Bob Cameron
> Subject: Re: Italian Bagpipes in New York
>
> Anybody have a source for the music? I'd love to have a copy ( legally , of > course).

There is a carol called Quando Nascette Ninno (the Bagpiper's Carol) that is in the New Oxford Book of Carols. The notes to the tune explain that "For may centuries, during the period before Christmas, mountain shepherds have descended on Rome, Naples, and other cities in southern Italy,....singing and playing pastoral music suchas this carol. They accompany each other on the ciaramella (a small shawm) and the zampogna, a large, sweet-toned bagpipe with two drones and two chanters, which is played mostly in thirds and sixths with some embelleshments."

The singing version is on one of the Christmas CDs from the York Waites. I have versions (in Lime which can probably be saved as a jpeg) in both G and D so you highland pipe music readers will have to transpose. I also have an arrangement for double-chanter pipes from a collection I put together for those instruments.

Best wishes.

Steve


Message: 1
Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2001 12:28:07 -0500
From: Steve Bliven
Subject: Re: Digest Number 384

> Message: 5
> Date: Tue, 20 Nov 2001 14:40:12 +0000
> From: Andrea Kirkby
> Subject: Re: zampogna

> Incidentally, if you're putting up the christmas music as an abc, gif or > whatever, I'm interested. It's a lovely tune.

Following is an abc of the Bagpipers' Carol mentioned previously. There are a number of other holiday/solstice/seasonal carols that fit nicely on the pipes. Try the Oxford Book of Carols, keeping in mind that most of these are of English origin rather than Scottish....

Best wishes.

Steve

X:1
T:Quando Nascette Ninno (The Bagpipers Carol)
C:Traditional Neopolitan
S:York Waites "Christmas Musicke", Brewhouse Music
N:"For many centuries, during the period before Christmas, mountain shepherds have descended on Rome, Naples, and other cities in southern Italy,....singing and playing pastoral music such as this carol. They accompany each other on the ciaramella (a small shawm) and the zampogna, a large, sweet-toned bagpipe with two drones and two chanters, which is played mostly in thirds and sixths with some embelleshments." [Oxford Book of Carols]
L:1/8
M:6/8
K:A %Transposed from G
e|e2 d c2 B| A3 A2 B | c2 d e>dc| B3-B2 c|
B2 c B2 c|ded-ded | c2 d c2 B| A3 cde |
d>cd Bcd|c>Bc cde | d>cd Bcd | c3-c2 B|c2 d e>dc|
B3-B2 c |B2 c B2 c| ded-ded | c2d c2B|A3-A2||

Whew! I should think that about covers it :-)