In Celebration of the Human Voice - The Essential Musical Instrument

Tenores di Bitti

Group.

The Tenores di Bitti "Mialinu Pira" have a special place amongst the many groups in Sardinia. Having a style which is slightly less rough than that of other quartets, exemplary researchers in their heritage, impeccable executors with exceptional vocal quality, adorable people, they have reached a level of excellence and of admiration which is without equal in Sardinia and in the whole world. Their frequent performances on so many national television programs are to be remembered. In the last few years they've been touring extensively Europe (France, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Czech Republic, Spain, Belgium, Nederland, Austria, Luxembourg, Slovenia, Swiss, Ireland, Croatia, Serbia, Lithuania, Tunisia, Hunghery, United Arab Emirates, Brazil and Japan). It is also remarkable their participation in 2001 to the Christmas Concert in the Vatican for the Pope Giovanni Paolo II, the concert on May 2009 in the Concertgebouw Theatre in Amsterdam and in December in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. The Tenores di Bitti "Mialinu Pira", having performed for so many years, is nowadays considered from music-fans and etno-musicologists the most prominent example of this vocal art. There are many points that make them so special : the cantu a tenore is still well alive in Sardinia performed by many groups, most of them are old singers performing traditional texts. Their young age is a first approach to notice how their sound, harsh and ancestral, is in fact very homogeneous. Their perfect tuning and their powerful sound is very rare today, because this skill needs years of practice and passion to be performed at its best.

Another matter to be pointed is their accuracy in choosing lyrics. Both in dancing (lestru, dillu, seriu, passu torrau,) and slow (isterrita, boch'e notte) forms, the lyrics , by famous poets or from misknown contemporary authors, make the repertoire of Tenores di Bitti "Mialinu Pira" an important vehicle of literary transmission. These songs are profane poems speaking about the shepherds and their solitude in touch with the nature, referring to the popular world and its traditions. The religious' songs are performed in church, in particular moments of the liturgical year (Christmas, Easter or patronal feasts) or during the religious processions through the street of the village of Bitti. The Grobbes and some lullabies for Baby Jesus (su Nenneddu) belong to this repertoire.

Discography

Displaying 1-2 of 2 items.

Tenores di Bitti : Caminos de Pache

Review: Fascinating music from a unique choral tradition. The Tenores' singing is one of the more ancient ways of singing in the Mediterranean area. Nothing about its origins is sure, but the historians maintain that this traditional polyphony goes back to 3000 years ago. The singing is made by four male voices (oche, mesu oche, bassu and contra), the main feature of this polyphony is represented by "bassu" and "contra" because of their guttural and ancestral sound. The songs are profane poems speaking about the shepherds and their solitude in touch with the nature, or religious, referring to the popular world and its traditions. All the members have been learning the traditional singing since they were children.

Songlist: Ite M'Importa Sa Vida, Operas Divinas, Satiras de Remunnu, Un Ojada a Sa Pache, S'Isposu de Battorone, Muttos, S'Occabulera, Sa Bella Armonia, Battos Turritas E Unu Caddone, S'Iscravamentu, Sa Cella Umidosa, Sa Grobes de S'Annussata

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Tenores di Bitti : Ammentos

Review: You can't help but feel that you are in the presence of antiquity when you first listen to the four men singing in the Canto a Tenore style. That's understandable for no one knows just how old the music actually is. It is found rooted most strongly in central Sardinia where it's traceable to the poets of antiquity. For the style is a trio of background singers who produce the nonsense syllable setting on which the bache, or solo voice, sings the melody and poetry text. But it isn't quite that simple. The bassu and contra singers produce a guttural effect by tension of the vocal chords with nasal overtones, creating a resonance found only in Morocco, Northern Syria, and Tuva. Combined with the mesa 'oche, a high register voice that we would think of as tenor, a cascade of natural harmonics is produced called concordu by the Sardinians.

Songlist: Ballate A Ballu Tundu, Misteriu, Satiras, Si Viti A Modu De Tinne Furare, Su Rosignolu, Muttos, Su Nenneddu, A Mama, Sa Ballarina De Carassecare

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