Uncategorized
Spotlight on the Arts: The throats of Sardinia
Published
12 years agoon
When you hear an impressive new singer, you might
think of that singer as having “nice pipes.”
It’s not just the pipes, however; it’s the chords, or rather,
the folds that matter. Stretched across the larynx,
the vocal folds are the little pair of mucous membranes
that phonate when air moves through them, thus
enabling each of us to have a “voice.”
We actually have two sets of these mucous membranes,
but we rarely utilize the second pair, also
known as the vestibular folds, the ventricular folds, or
even the “false” vocal folds. When the false folds are
activated, they tend to vibrate at a much lower frequency,
yielding a more guttural sound. You might accidentally
come across the use of them when you’re clearing
your throat in the morning or screaming at your dog for
defecating on the rug.
Several cultures around the world make use of these
false vocal folds in musical traditions—for example,
the chants of Tibetan monks and the throat-singing of
the Tuva people of southern Siberia. This peculiar style
of vocal utterance is not uniquely Eastern; it’s also an
integral part of the musical culture of Sardinia.
Cantu a Tenore (or Canto a Tenore) is a style of polyphonic
singing characteristic of the Barbagia region in
this small Mediterranean island off the western coast
of Italy. It typically consists of four male voices, with
one soloist, or boche, and three
back-up singers, mesu boche,
contra and bassu, and the songs
are passed down from generation
to generation in an oral
context.
What makes these Sardinian
singers so fascinating is their
combined timbre, or color of the
overall sound. Each accompanying
voice represents different
sounds symbolic of the pastoral
history of Sardinia, with the
deepest voice (bassu) representing
the lowing of cattle, the
middle (contra) the bleating of
sheep, and the highest (mesu
boche) imitating the wind.
Both the sheep and the cow are imitated by way of
throat-singing, which utilizes both the true and false
sets of vocal folds. In performance, the soloist (boche)
chants about modern day politics, relationships and the
weather, while the cow, sheep and wind all accompany
in sets of non-sense syllables (e.g. bim-bam-bom). The
overall musical effect is remarkably unique. In 2005,
UNESCO decided to add Canto a Tenore singing to the
Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.
As is the case with oral tradition, the question is how
to keep this special style of performance alive. With the
decline of pastoral culture in Sardinia and the emigration
of younger generations to more urban settings, the
older generations might feel at a loss as to where their
cultural heritage is headed.
Spotlight on the Arts is a reflection on the world
of performing arts in both historic and contemporary
contexts. Each entry features an individual or group of
performers that use captivating mediums to communicate
with their audiences. To find examples of Canto a Tenore
music, visit tenoresdibitti.com
The Warren Miller Performing Arts Center is scheduled
to be completed by December of this year, and will feature
many acts that challenge the way we see and think
about performance.
Megan Paulson is the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Outlaw Partners.
Upcoming Events
april, 2024
Event Type :
All
All
Arts
Education
Music
Other
Sports
Event Details
Children turning 5 on or before 9/10/2024:
more
Event Details
Children turning 5 on or before
9/10/2024: Kindergarten
enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year can be completed by following the
registration process now.
Children
born on or after September 11, 2019: 4K enrollment is now open for
families that have a 4-year-old they would like to enroll in our program for
the 2023-2024 school year. Please complete the 4K Interest Form to
express your interest. Completing this form does not guarantee enrollment into
the 4K program. Enrollment is capped at twenty 4-year-olds currently
residing within Big Sky School District boundary full time and will be
determined by birth date in calendar order of those born on or after September
11, 2018. Interest form closes on May 30th.
Enrollment now is critical for fall preparations. Thank you!
Time
February 26 (Monday) - April 21 (Sunday)
Event Details
Saturday, March 23rd 6:00-8:00pm We will combine the heart-opening powers of cacao with the transcendental powers of breathwork and sound. Together, these practices will give us the opportunity for a deep
more
Event Details
Saturday, March 23rd 6:00-8:00pm
Time
March 23 (Saturday) 6:00 pm - April 23 (Tuesday) 8:00 pm
Location
Santosha Wellness Center
169 Snowy Mountain Circle
Event Details
We all are familiar with using a limited palette, but do you use one? Do you know how to use a
more
Event Details
We all are familiar with using a limited palette, but do you use one? Do you know how to use a limited palette to create different color combinations? Are you tired of carrying around 15-20 different tubes when you paint plein air? Have you ever wanted to create a certain “mood” in a painting but failed? Do you create a lot of mud? Do you struggle to achieve color harmony? All these problems are addressed in John’s workbook in clear and concise language!
Based on the bestselling “Limited Palatte, Unlimited Color” workbook written by John Pototschnik, the workshop is run by Maggie Shane and Annie McCoy, accomplished landscape (acrylic) and plein air (oil) artists,exhibitors at the Big Sky Artists’ Studio & Gallery and members of the Big Sky Artists Collective.
Each student will receive a copy of “Limited Palette, Unlimited Color” to keep and take home to continue your limited palette journey. We will show you how to use the color wheel and mix your own clean mixtures to successfully create a mood for your paintings.
Each day, we will create a different limited palette color chart and paint a version of a simple landscape using John’s directives. You will then be able to go home and paint more schemes using the book for guidance.
Workshop is open to painters (oil or acrylic) of any level although students must have some basic knowledge of the medium he or she uses. Students will be provided the book ($92 value), color wheel, value scale and canvas papers to complete the daily exercises.
Sundays, April 14, 21 and 28, 2024
Noon until 6PM.
$170.
Time
14 (Sunday) 12:00 pm - 28 (Sunday) 6:00 pm
Event Details
Come join us at Cowboy Coffee as we celebrate a fun night of drinks, games, and meeting others within the community. This event is from 6-8 and all are welcome
Event Details
Come join us at Cowboy Coffee as we celebrate a fun night of drinks, games, and meeting others within the community. This event is from 6-8 and all are welcome to come, if you don’t know who to bring come alone this is a great mixer event! This is an event hosted by Big Sky OUT as we work to provide queer safe spaces throughout the community.
Time
(Sunday) 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Location
Cowboy Coffee
25 Town Center Ave. Big Sky, MT 59716