Calabrese Folk Music from Tarantella Power 2010: Aquila Bella
As many of you know, my village was home to Tarantella Power again this year; I do have a video of tarantella music and dancing to share as well as more photos from the five-day (!) event, but first I want to share with you this video of one of my absolute favorite Calabrese folk songs, Aquila Bella:
The song is about a beautiful eagle that delivers a love letter to the singer’s beloved — unless she’s sleeping, in which case, the eagle is to let her sleep (and dream sweet dreams) because for her the night turns:
“Dorma gioiuzza, fai li sogni d’oru; Ca c’esta cu pe tia la notta gira.”
*le sigh*
Happy Love Thursday everyone!
10 Beans of Wisdom to “Calabrese Folk Music from Tarantella Power 2010: Aquila Bella”
Michelle Kaminsky is an American attorney-turned-freelance writer who lived in her family's ancestral village in Calabria, Italy for 15 years. This blog is now archived.
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Beautiful! Now the video of you and P dancing?!?!!?
Oh you might be waiting quite a while for that one, Gil…pigs with wings come to mind 😉
I enjoyed hearing the audience also participating.
It was a wonderful evening indeed, Nell 🙂
I just played this video for my husband — he loved it and remembered the words form his youth. He loved that it is sung in dialect. The children singing along are precious! Do they live in Badolato? Good to see a future generation there.
Some of the kids do; some are relatives of those who do; others yet are tourists 🙂 I honestly don’t understand when people talk about dialects dying out; around here it’s spoken constantly unless there’s an outsider around in which case standard Italian is used.
This is lovely – what was the setting? It seemed to be sort of a communal sing along?
This was part of Tarantella Power, which is a big celebration of Calabrian music, food, dance, etc., held every year somewhere in the region — this year and last year (and supposedly for the next three years), it’s in my town. This was just one group that performed for a few nights in one of the small piazzas…any time you have someone around with a guitar on a hot summer night in Calabria, it’s a communal sing along 😉
Gorgeous. The tarantella and the pizzica are perhaps the most beautiful sounds and music I can think of. Thanks for the post.
Thanks for checking it out, Erica 🙂
Wow! What a painfully beautiful rhythm.
Every iteration I’ve ever heard has been at first infectious, then hypnotic, and ultimately endearing.
Electro-Pop Tarantella would be something that communities could eventually be designed around.
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts 🙂 You’ve described the music perfectly.
I almost missed this one. I love Italian folk music. And this is a song I’d never heard. One of my favorites is Rosa Balistreri, she’s Sicilian.
I heard about Tarantella power many years ago, I didn’t know it was a continuing event. I’d love to be there some time for that, it would be awesome!
Come on over, Mimi!
yeah! Tarantella Power is always in Agosto! I have never ventured into Italy during the month of August.
It’s truly for the brave, Mimi 😉
Michele, this is a fabulous post, showing the everyday celebrations that we (in the US) have lost track of. grazie mille!
michelle Reply:
September 11th, 2011 at 12:54 pm
Glad you enjoyed, Connie! Thanks for coming by 🙂