To conclude this research and create something new from what the past has left us, I started a project in collaboration with the Composition department of the Conservatory of Palermo, that encompasses the history and music of Sicily. This idea was born during a discussion with Baldo Martino1. The process that gave birth to the final idea is remarkably extensive.
The idea from which everything started was the fact that the piece should represent Sicily on a historical-musical level, narrating the different colonizations that Sicily underwent, and which today represent the main basis of this colonization.
To better understand what the cultural situation of the Sicily was before unification, and for understanding better also which is the idea of "Sikelia", I believe it is essential to mention the languages spoken. In fact, despite the official language being Italian, the languages of daily life were varied. In the territories on the peninsula, it is found primarily dialects such as Neapolitan or Calabrian. In Sicily, however, the primary language spoken was Sicilian, a language with its own history and literature.
These languages are just the distant result of the history of colonization and domination by various cultures that marked the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. The evolution of dialects is not easily traceable, but I can personally attest to the language spoken on the island today. Although Italian is spoken by everyone today, studied in school, and used in most conversations, in Sicily, more than in the northern Italy, the dialect remains very present. It is still used as a colloquial language, written in chat conversations, and studied and researched through books.
My experience and interactions with people from other cultures have taught me how the Sicilian dialect is still deeply infused with influences from past dominances. In its words, we find roots from Spanish, Greek, Arabic, Turkish, and so on. However, language is only one of the factors that highlights the richness of the culture of this people. It is easy to imagine that even in food, dances, and music, all these influences are visible, and they have become a part of the people’s culture. This also explains why the culture of this island, at the center of the Mediterranean Sea, is so rich.
Therfore, the piece aims to describe the island's variety. Firstly, Me and Baldo thought could be nice propose a piece for harp and orchestra. Then speaking about this idea to my teacher Ernestine Stoop, the idea opened up to me that perhaps the piece could have had more movements. This question led me to wonder: Why did there have to be more movements than normal? How many movements should the piece have? What idea should each movement represent?
The next step was to find a Sicilian composer who believed in this project and had the opportunity to develop what had only been thought of in theory.
The purely practical part and therefore the writing part of the piece was entrusted to three students of professor Loris Capister2.
The complete idea of Sikelia, which was presented to the composers was as follows3.
The piece, titled Sikelia, aims to tell Sicily's story through music, to answer the questions: "What kind of music can be created today by considering the history and cultural identity of the people from the past? Which results can be achieved?". The title is meant to explain the song's theme, which tells the story of the island's origins, starting with the Greeks, actually, Sikelia is the name the Greeks used to refer to the island.
The piece will be divided into three movements, to recall the concept of "Trinacria"4. The idea of the various movements is that they live without the others but they are connected to each other.
The three movements, therefore, will serve to represent and remember some fundamental colonizations of Sicily.
As for the instrumentation, I left free rein, as long as it was a piece for harp and any other instrument, even orchestra. During the meeting I also expressed the possibility of writing the movements with different types of people to make it as complete as possible5.
Let's get into the general lines I gave for each movement6.
The first movement concerns the Hellenic period, in fact, one of the first colonizations that Sicily underwent was the Greek one, which took over the island in the center of the Mediterranean sea, fundamental for the control of the international markets of the time. In presenting this movement I also cited a document that demonstrates how popular music is connected with Greek music and how the songs of ancient Sicilian popular music are often in modal, just like Greek music.7
The second movement will be dedicated to the Arab-Norman period. In particular I gave inspiration with Muezzin8. As regards the Norman part, I have given as a reference some melodies and rhythms typical of the peoples of Northern Europe and which in my opinion recalls the rhythmic parts that are intrinsic to all Sicilian popular music today.
The third movement will instead deal with the Renaissance period, or in particular with the period which then led to the end of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and the beginning of the Kingdom of Italy; and as the key event I gave Garibaldi's landing of the Thousand9.
All this was presented via video call and a power point presented by me. The composers then had the opportunity to obtain clarifications and ask questions10.
The work was divided into three movements, with three composers each resposible for one, under the supervision of Loris Capister.
A week after my presentation, another call was heldv in which each composer decided which movement they would work on, and along with the instruments they would like to include11.
The first movement was taken over by Fabio D'Alberti12.
His initial idea was a form of continuous novelty, that developed the piece in a rhapsodic form, as if it were a symphonic poem. Three key places for Sicily will be represented in the movement:
- the Aeolian islands which will be depicted by the wind and the sea
- the valley of the temples, represented by the image of the earth and to highlight the Greek temples, a reference to the epitaph of Sicilo will be inserted
- Etna, where a sort of Dionysian rite will be represented.
This movement will be for harp and oboe. Percussive effects will be used on the sound-table of the harp and, through the oboe, it tries to recall the sound of the aulos13.
The second movement will be written by Cristiano Valenti.
His idea is to create a sort of small chamber operetta in one movement. The movement will talk about the peace of Japan; in which the Sultan of Egypt and King Frederick agreed to liberate Jerusalem and give them back the holy places. In the movemement the multiculturalism that existed in the kingdom in the medieval period will be told through the voice of Frederick II.
The piece requires the following instrumentation:
- harp
- string quartet
The instruments will be used in an almost symphonic manner, while the harp and the quartet will play with pizzicati, or with effects that recall the guitar14.
The third movement was created by Marco Zappia15.
His idea is to enhance the rhythmic character of the piece. It examines the period from 181616 to 186117. Being a period characterized by great social and political crises, in which revolts were often seen and then suffocated, the piece will leave a feeling of instability. The piece has an A-B-C-B-A structure, in which C represents the culmination of this instability18.
The instrumentation chosen was designed to represent the variety of Sicilian social and cultural influences accumulated over the course of history:
- wind quintet (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn)
- harp
- 1 percussionist
Conclusions
The Sikelia project will reach its definitive conclusion during my final Master’s exam. At the time of the thesis submission, the piece does not yet have recordings by musicians; however, the definitive versions of the three movements have been uploaded. Nevertheless, I am already able to draw some preliminary conclusions regarding this collaboration with the Composition department of the Conservatory of Palermo.
The project has certainly been a great enrichment for everyone involved: for the composers, who wrote for the harp for the first time and had the opportunity to apply their knowledge of Sicilian history and music; for me, as the initiator of the project, who managed the collaboration with three composers simultaneously; and for the Conservatory of Palermo itself, which has begun a twinning initiative with The Hague, aiming to continue the path I have started, thanks to the collaboration and concrete support of the teacher Loris Capister.
I am very satisfied with the work done by all. Although the project still needs to be materialized into a publication of the piece or a live performance, I am confident it already holds significant value, especially within the context of my thesis. Initially, I admit it was difficult to let go of my idea of Sikelia and allow someone else to adapt it to their own musical and compositional vision. However, the preparation, transparency, and direct collaboration with the composers quickly dispelled any doubts.
The composers were open to any suggestions I made, and despite the distance, there were never any communication problems, thanks to our mutual availability. All three composers met the deadlines I set, delivering the completed pieces before March 5th, and fully understood the importance of the documentation process of the compositional work. This allowed me to develop each movement in short sections, where I explained some of the composers’ experiments, doubts, changes of direction, etc.
To conclude, the project was able to develop and answer the question I posed at the beginning: "What kind of music can be created today, taking into account the history and cultural identity of the people from the past? What are the results that can be achieved?" The answer is that by embracing the past with a modern perspective, it's possible to create new compositions and collaborations that allow the identity of a people to be shared with a wider audience. Furthermore, it helps us better understand our own identity by connecting more deeply with the past. Finally, understanding the past and giving it the respect it deserves helps us avoid repeating mistakes and learn from the positive actions taken.