ITALIAN JOURNEY – PROGRAMME 2

LECCE – THE DANCE OF THE “PIZZICA” 

As we have seen, every Italian region has its own traditions, and Puglia is no exception.

It has its own music and popular dance –  the “Pizzica”.

Musician Luigi Chiriatti is a leading expert in this wonderful example of Apulian culture. 

Luigi Chiriatti: Here we can chat about the Pizzica. 

Gabriella: I want to know everything, starting from its origins.

Luigi Chiriatti: Well, the first written documentation goes back to 1100.  The texts talk about Goffredo Malaterra and the Crusaders and how they were plagued with tarantula bites.  They could be treated either by beating stones together so that they could move to the music, or by sitting in ovens where they could sweat the venom out of their system.  In 1959 De Martino clarified things when he said that it was a symbol which is an integral part, a mythical, ritualistic system which you access when there is a momentary breakdown, a lapse in consciousness.  In other words, there is a break in the continuity of consciousness, for whatever reason, whether caused by a spider or by any animal, which is part of tradition and is accessed through… You are liberated by a type of music therapy called pizzica tarantata.. 

Gabriella: What is special about this music? What kind  of instruments do you use normally?

Luigi Chiriatti: The instruments are very simple.  There’s a violinist, who acts as a soloist within the band, a tambourine, which is a sort, let’s say a background of notes onto which the other instruments are built, an accordion with four or eight bass-notes, and a guitar, which in this case is used for rhythm, rather than for harmony.

Gabriella: What kind of relationship have you got with this music?  What does the Pizzica mean to you?

Luigi Chiriatti: It’s part of my life, because I come from a family of farmers, so I have known these ancestral rituals, customs and legends since I was a boy.  So I learned them as a child the way you learn fairy stories, tales, nursery-rhymes.  So it’s a part of my life and it works, so I want to keep it alive.  It’s a state of mind, a liberating music which helps you to stay healthy both physically and mentally.