Italian jigs?

Whistle
1

This week, I just picked up two cheapo ($4.50) Italian mandolin CD’s. I feel the Italian folk tradition is the pinnacle of what can be done with a mandolin. While listening to a few of the tunes, I noticed that a few of the tunes sounded as if they had rhythm’s that were extremely similar to that of a jig. I would say that it was three quarters closer to a jig than straight 6/8 time. They definitely had a nice bounce going.

Does anybody have some bit of ethnomusicological information that would clear up if this rhythm migrated to other parts of Europe (as did the polka) or if they developed independently.

2

The usual explanations I have seen are that they developed independently. Italy has less of the Celtic tarbrush than Spain or Portugal but it has Etruscans, who are a mystery people.

The scholars say the slip jig is the most ancient and most distinctly Irish but how can you ever really know?

Watch out for the gigas, they’ll wreck your uneven Irish triplets.