Folk Music of Italy, Episode 5: Songs of the Italian Alps (part 3)

Audio file
Date recorded: May 5, 1955
Contributor(s): Performer: Lomax, Alan; Broadcaster: BBC
Subject(s):
Location:
Track Number: 15
Archive ID: B015
Original ID: T569R01
Note: Discussed in this part: Gurro. Story of the Scots mercenaries who settled there during the Renaissance. Strange marriage customs suggest a history of abductions: weddings took place in the middle of the night. Absence of husbands who go away to work and Alan's difficulty getting the women to sing. Girls sing "Mamma mia, dammi cento lire." Other ballads. Val d'Aosta. French and Swiss influences. Tonco and the grape harvest. Montferrina. "Donna, donna," a waltz. Soldiers' farewell songs. "Mazzolin di fiori" ("The bouquet of flowers") beloved of most Italians (Alan doesn't know why). He wonders where the ballads are.
Belongs to: Folk Music of Italy (BBC)
About the session: The Folk Music of Italy was an eight-part series of Italian folk music produced and hosted by Alan Lomax for the BBC's Third Programme. The recordings were made by Lomax during his Italian field trip in 1954 and early 1955; the series was compiled before his return to England in the early spring of 1955.
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