I had known the Festa della Pita for years despite never having the occasion to witness it first-hand. The Festa della Pita is an arboreal rite in Alessandria del Carretto which opens the celebrations for the saint patron Alessandro Martire. A massive silver fir tree is cut and dragged by hand from the surrounding woods to the village.
The tremendous effort of the dozens of men and women who drag the Pita is supported by a large number of groups playing traditional music. Sound is omnipresent: the layering of the different music played by the various groups, the men and women groaning and yelling for the strain, and the shouts of joy and excitement are only a part of a much richer soundscape.
In such a participative event, I gathered information on sound and sounding objects which is particularly valuable for LoMus. Many had come to contribute with sound and music using sound devices or objects re-functionalised to make sound. An old key and a glass bottle make a percussion instrument, providing rhythmic support to bagpipes and accordions. The key is either left intact or modified for a firmer grip. In one instance, a man played with a door handle modified for efficiently striking the bottle.
Spoons are also a way to participate in making music and contribute to the soundscape of the celebration. Different techniques are used to play spoons, showing a complexity of sound production unexpected in such rudimentary objects.
“Minor” musical instruments where also used to participate in music-making. Remarkable was the “nacchere” (as defined), a series of small wooden boards tied together at one end whose appearance and playing technique may recall an accordion. The boards are struck rhythmically to produce sound and accompany the bagpipes or the accordion.
Among the informants, participation was the recurring theme, a particularly relevant concept for LoMus, which looks into the use of sounding objects to facilitate the musical participation of non-trained subjects.