La Notte della Taranta Orchestra in Staten Island

This article also appears on our Italian Journal page.

On May 31, 2009, the orchestra of La Notte della Taranta played to an enthusiastic crowd in Snug Harbor, Staten Island. La Notte della Taranta is an annual festival in Puglia, Italy dedicated to the revival of the Tarantella Pizzica, a spinning healing trance dance to expel the poison of the mythical bite of the tarantula. The festival also features other musical genres, including world and rock.



But on May 31st, the orchestra featured the sounds of the Salento region, both ancient and recent compositions. The seven artists, under the direction of world renowned Maestro Mauro Pagani, presented the frenzied percussion, strings and evocative vocals that are the hallmarks of this tradition.

During several renditions of the Pizzica, many of the audience (myself included) couldn't resist the pull of the tarantate and poured into the aisles to dance. Each of us exorcised our personal ethereal poisons through our sweat and joy.

Announcing the Release of Traditional Southern Italian Mandolin and Fiddle Tunes Book and CD Set

This article also appears on our Italian Journal page.

It’s finally here! Mel Bay Publications has released John LaBarbera’s long awaited book teaching the music he’s been perfecting for decades. Here you will find the authentic folk traditions of Campania, Calabria, Puglia, Sicily and Sardinia. The music is placed in context with detailed descriptions of the songs and dances, along with historical and technical information about the tarantella and pizzica.

The music is written in standard notation and mandolin tablature with guitar and mandolin chord accompaniment. The CD helps the student better understand the rhythms and picking styles of this rarely heard music and aids in precise practice.

John was the first to notate Southern Italian folk music when he found himself in the midst of its revival in 1970’s Italy. Until that point, the music had never been written down and was passed orally through the generations (to learn more about these experiences, listen to John’s podcast here).

You can purchase Traditional Southern Italian Mandolin and Fiddle Tunes here.

To view a slideshow about the history of the mandolin in Italy, click here.