Sardinia - Canto a tenore singing

Subject: Sardinia
From: GUEST
Date: 19 Sep 19 - 07:58 AM

We’re heading to Sardinia for a few days and I’d love to be able to
track down some Canto a Tenore harmony singing while we’re there. Does anybody have any ideas about how I might do that please?

Subject: RE: Sardinia
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 19 Sep 19 - 08:12 AM

We looked for it years ago and only managed to pick up a CD of it
Many of the towns have cultural museums which might be able to advise - rather than drag around while tyou're there, it might be worthwhile searching them out online
Beautiful Island, friendly people, fabulous food
Enjoy
Jim Carroll

Subject: RE: Sardinia
From: Trevor
Date: 19 Sep 19 - 11:49 AM

(That was me, cookieless!)

Thanks Jim - yes we're looking forward to it. I'm not having much luck with an online search as yet but I will persevere.

Cheers.

Subject: RE: Sardinia
From: Vic Smith
Date: 19 Sep 19 - 01:11 PM

When we were in Sardinia, we were staying in the north in Tempio Pausania. We had hired a car for our stay. We knew that the main centre for Tenores singing were the high villages in the centre of the island and I had albums of Tenores di Bitti so that was the village that we headed for. On the map, it didn't look far but whichever way you approach the central part of the island involves lots of driving around hairpin bends. We got to Bitti and had a meal and on asking we were told that the Tenores di Bitti were almost constantly on tour these days and were away at that time. However, if we stayed for the evening and wandered around the 4 or 5 bars in the small town, the chances are that informal singing would start, We stayed and the singing was wonderful which was more than can be said for the journey back up and down the hairpins in the pitch dark.

In Tempio there was one of the "cultural museums" that Jim mentions - and this one was beautifully laid out and very interesting. This was made even more enjoyable by the entrancing Tenores quartet recordings that were playing throughout our stay there. As we were leaving, I asked the man at reception if there were CDs of that singing for sale. No, there weren't, it was a private recording... but he would do a deal with me. Every time that I emailed him an article from an English newspaper about Leeds United, he would send an .mp3 of one of the tracks. Offer accepted! I listened to them often before that computer crashed and I was told that it was the hard drive that had failed and none of the music I had on it was recoverable. I learned my lesson about backing up non-commercial music the hard way!

Subject: RE: Sardinia
From: Vic Smith
Date: 19 Sep 19 - 01:24 PM

I meant to add that in Tempio, we were told that most of the festivals or carnivale were now held in the winter months. Each town and village would have one and the season for them was between new year and Easter. Here is the website for the one in Tempio. Lots of session music & song after the parades are over.

Subject: RE: Sardinia
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 19 Sep 19 - 01:50 PM

Trevor
Sorry - I was leading you up a blind alley
The CD I was referring to was in fact Corsican - all these memeories run ito one with the ageing process
From memory, I'm sure the same applied in Sardinia - try searching Cagliari or Olbida (if you haven't already)
I remember one bar/restaurant where we heard local singing and saw the dancing - but the performers were all elderly and it was a long time ago
I'm sure you've done all this but the Barbaria area and Cagliari springs to mind
Hope I'm not..... to suck eggs
Good luck - lucky bugger
Jim

Subject: RE: Sardinia
From: Vic Smith
Date: 19 Sep 19 - 02:59 PM

We were in Corsica last year but did not manage to encounter any live traditional music whilst we were there, but the stunning art galleries and museums in and around Bastia made up for that.

Subject: RE: Sardinia
From: GUEST,Hootenanny
Date: 19 Sep 19 - 03:37 PM

I was in Sardinia some years ago and got up into the mountains - someone else was driving. It may not be the type of singing that you are looking for but we spent some time at a remote farm and were fed roast suckling pig "music bread" and local wine straight from the barrel.

Three guys that I assumed to be local farm workers showed up with a guitar and accordion and sang some great music of the type that I heard from tape sellers in the local market a few days earlier.

I was also persuaded to join the locals dancing, blame the wine.

Great memories, I'm tempted to dig out those tapes.

Subject: RE: Sardinia
From: GUEST,jim bainbridge
Date: 19 Sep 19 - 04:41 PM

We spent a winter in Corsica about 15 tears ago & stayed in Porto Pollo near Propriano for several weeks- there was a New Years night in the bar/restaurant with vast amounts of food, accordion playing & singing & local dancing. It was very expensive, about 5o euro each as I recall- no other sign of local music, in winter, of course.
Can't help with Sardinia- we planned to meet some friends there over the winter, and went for the ferry from Bonifacio several times only to get the answer- 'Sorry, M'sieur/Dame, ze boat eez broke'

Subject: RE: Sardinia - Canto a tenore singing
From: Ross Campbell
Date: 22 Sep 19 - 07:29 AM

A while back this group started popping up in my Facebook newsfeed. Can't remember who was posting the links. Lots of recordings on YouTube, and if you key "Tenore de Orosei" in the search box, several CDs are available on eBay or Amazon or Discogs.

Tenore Su Remediu de Orosei -Su Dillu-

Amazon's listing for "Voches de Sardinna (2)" has samples.

Interesting compilation of Sardinian images and music here.

Better luck with the boat next time, Jim!

Ross

Subject: RE: Sardinia - Canto a tenore singing
From: GUEST
Date: 22 Sep 19 - 10:25 AM

Thanks for all of this. Certainly some pointers for us. I’ve also emailed the tourist info office for some information.

Coincidentally, the programme last night about Bruce Chatwin had some Sardinian Cantore as incidental music - lovely.

Thanks again - can’t wait!

Subject: RE: Sardinia - Canto a tenore singing
From: Waddon Pete
Date: 24 Sep 19 - 03:24 PM

As an aside, we have just returned from visiting family in Sardinia. While we were there we went to the festivities associated with the feast day of St. Helena at Quartu Sant'Elena. There were Canto a tenore singers performing and very electrifying they were! There were also traditional dancers including a very small boy who danced a whole dance with a wine glass on his head. You can imagine the reaction of the crowd!

Subject: RE: Sardinia - Canto a tenore singing
From: Trevor
Date: 27 Sep 19 - 07:55 AM

Just having a catch up on this thread as we wait for our flight to Cagliari to take off. Haven’t heard anything from the tourist office people but we are going to be spending some time in the mountains and will be seeking out the local song.

Thanks for all your input - I’ll keep you posted. ??

Subject: RE: Sardinia - Canto a tenore singing
From: Trevor
Date: 27 Sep 19 - 07:56 AM

....and those two query marks were meant to be a thumbs-up!!