"What üliv? Ol mond al gira: a 'l comensa col dé ü e poi', tira che te tira, al vé sèmper ol trentü..." - Bergamasque proverb
"What can you do? The world turns: it starts with day one and then, pull what you pull, it always comes on thirty-one..."
Christmas time: magical atmosphere in which one remembers the happiest moments and recalls childhood anecdotes in the company of friends and relatives. It is at this fascinating time of year that we try to recover traditions linked to our landdialect, folk songs, handcrafted instruments, proverbs, the Christmas enchantment of local customs. Let's get closer to our origins and discover the music of Bergamo!
Globalisation, technology and the speed of the world we live in often tend to make us forget who we are, what our history is and why we have certain customs. But a quick read about our local musicians will make you want to learn more about Bergamo culture. So when the time comes to uncork the sparkling wine and eat a slice of Panettonemaybe you will remember to delight your guests with some pleasant dialect music. Good listening!
Music from Bergamo: The Alègher de Dosena
We begin our brief musical excursus with The Alègher de Dosena, a group of friends who decided to propose a traditional musical repertoire, talking about real themes and phenomena related to their area: the mines, massive emigration, labour fatigue, peasant misery. Although the topics covered are not the happiest, the spirit in which the song is approached is joyful. It is a true hymn to life capable of scaramantizing the saddest and darkest periods. The aim of this folk group is to bring to light some famous musical instruments that belong to the Bergamasque tradition: the organetto, the bagpipe from Bergamo (in dialect, ol Baghèt), the accordion and the fife.
An interesting fact is that throughout northern Italy, the only province that has preserved its bagpipes is the province of Bergamo. This is partly due to the fact that people in the valleys are very attached to their history and traditions. Just as in Val Brembana, in Val Stabina and Valtorta once the Pia was played on feast days. At Carnival, mid-Lent, on the Assumption or at Christmas, Bergamasque music welcomed lyrics in dialect and was able to unite young and old.
The Pia is a handcrafted instrument equipped with a zufolo (where you blow, the 'sigol'), skin (or bassoon) and cane (diana). In the past, when the sheepskin (baga or baghèt) was pressed, the instrument gave off a special sound that transported the audience to a distant, fairytale-like time.
Music from Bergamo: Luciano Ravasio
And to the true sense of Christmas the singer-songwriter from Bergamo took care of it. Luciano Ravasiowhose songs are inspired by famous characters such as Saint Lucia and the Three Wise Men. Ravasio's writing reminds us not to lose sight of the most intimate, religious and spiritual part of this great event. Listening to his songs, we can finally immerse ourselves in a world far removed from our hectic and stressful everyday life.
Ravasio has always emphasised the importance of dialect combined with the value of musicRediscovering one's customs is in fact a way of getting to know oneself better and being proud of one's origins. So don't forget to celebrate Christmas with passion, vitality and joy!
We at the Spa Hotel Parigi 2 wish you the best of Christmas Day celebrations. Meanwhile, you can prepare yourself to the festivities by listening Jingle Bellsbut not the classic version: this is 100% bergamasque!
