Ok, so I just posted the above video on youtube of myself playing the set of “ciaramelle” that I picked up in Italy this past November. I’ve only been at this style of pipe for a few months so don’t judge It is helpful to see myself play and see all the areas I need to work on. I’ve probably spent more time making reeds for this thing than playing it. I’m still not satisfied with the reeds that are in it and am going to continuing trying to make the “perfect” reeds and drive myself crazy.
Other than myself I know of only 5 other pipers who actively play this instrument plus a couple elderly guys that I don’t believe play anymore. I really don’t want to see this tradition die. Of all the zampogna piping traditions, I’d have to say that this is the most visceral style of playing, very free and creative. It requires getting in a certain mindset and just letting lose.
Alan Lomax recorded this instrument in 1954. He recorded a piper by the name of Alfio “Raffone” Durante who was the most famous of the pipers in this area. He died a few years ago while in his 90s. Unfortunately I never had the chance to meet him. However, the pipe maker who made my pipe (who is also now dead) used to make pipes for Raffone and was essentially directed by him on how to make them. (I bought the pipes from his son, who is also a wood worker and makes the occasional set of pipes) So because of the connection of my pipe maker to Raffone, these pipes are highly valued by the locals. The original owner of my pipe was a guy by the name of Ernesto Gabrielli who passed a way a few years ago. He was a contemporary of Raffone. My friend Giampiero who is a singer and does the traditional extemporaneous singing with the pipes had had the chance to sing to Ernesto’s piping before he died. Like all the pipers of that era, Ernesto was a subsistence herder/farmer. With the death of the traditional economic structure of small scale farming has come the decline of this music. In fact, none of the current players are subsistence farmer/shepherds except for a few the older players who are now retired.
Thanks Jeff. This is the only zampogna tradition that employs the bell fringes, which I love. I get a kick out of participating in this obscure little tradition. I’ll be back in Rome this summer and I am hoping to play with the remaining pipers and singers. I’m hoping to learn how to play accompaniment for the lyrical poetry. That for me would be the ultimate "ciaramelle’ experience.
Yes I am familiar with that website, which is linked to in all my Ciaramelle videos. The proprietor of the site is my friend Giampiero who I mentioned in my post above. He is one of the poetic singers who accompanies the pipes. There is sort of a symbiotic relationship between the singers and the pipers and neither tradition could exist w/o the other. Giampiero is very passionate about preserving this tradition. Some of the photos that are posted on the site were taken by me during my encounter with Amatrice pipers at the zampogna festival in Scapoli in 2008. He needs to update the site with my newer photos and videos.
Jeff, yes we need to get together sometime and have a reed making session.
So today I put together a little video from some footage I had taken during my last two visits to Italy. This 2 min recording of Nello Sciarra playing the ciaramelle is one of my favorite filed recordings of folk music that I have made in all my travels. I think that it represents such a unique musical style that is completely mind blowing to me. It’s not really a saltarello. It’s more of a signature tune in a very ancient style that exhibits the pipers prowess and musical voice. It almost takes listening to with a whole new paradigm of what ones concept of music is to truly appreciate the genius of this guys playing. This sounds corny but I think the recording warrants listening to with eyes closed so that you can try to focus on what is going on with the chanters. It’s hard to believe there are only two chanters and no drones. Most of the playing is in the technique.
At the end of the song there is a brief interview I recorded of Nello at the Scapoli festival while I was shooting my Zampogna documentary. It didn’t end up in the film so I put it here. He states that “this is the most ancient of all the zampogas” and that “some academics did a study that confirmed this.” Whether or not this is true, I don’t know. But I feel from all of my anecdotal zampogna research and experience and from my cursory readings about ancient Greek and Roman double pipe music etc, I am comfortable with accepting this, if nothing more than for the romantic notion.
Nello Sciarra is in my opinion the best living player of this instrument. There are only about 5 or 6 people who still play it (now including myself..). I see this body of musical knowledge ie the ability to play the instrument, as an intangible cultural artifact. It represents a living, unbroken, yet evolving chain of knowledge back into ancient civilization.
Believe it or not Jeff, there is actually a “traditional” style of blow pipe associated with this instrument. They are very nubby and and always hand carved. They are unique to this pipe and I’ve never seen blow pipes like this on any other type of zampogna. Eventually when I get a dedicated bag for this pipe I plan on making my own blowpipe in this style. They do fortunately have check valves! Using a blow pipe like this would take some getting used to.
It is helpful to see myself play and see all the areas I need to work on. I’ve probably spent more time making reeds for this thing than playing it. I’m still not satisfied with the reeds that are in it and am going to continuing trying to make the “perfect” reeds and drive myself crazy.