Launeddas
Encyclopedia
The launeddas is a typical Sardinia
n woodwind instrument
, consisting of three pipes. It is polyphonic
and played using circular breathing
. An ancient instrument, dating back to at least the 8th century BC
, launeddas are still played during religious ceremonies and dances (su ballu). Distinctively, they are played using extensive variations on a few melodic phrases, and a single song can last over an hour, producing some of the "most elemental and resonant (sounds) in European music".
, Antonio Lara, Dionigi Burranca and Luigi Lai
. Melis and Lara were the biggest stars of the 1930s golden age of launedda, and each taught their style to apprentices like Lara's Aureliu Porcu.
Launeddas consist of three reed pipes, two five-holed chanters of different lengths and one drone
. They are played using circular breathing.
Since the late 20th century the launeddas has also been used in non-traditional contexts. In 1990, the American jazz
saxophonist Dave Liebman
released a CD called The Blessing of the Old. Long Sound, on which he collaborates with the launeddas players Alberto Mariani, Carlo Mariani, and Dionigi Burranca. The CD was recorded in Milan
in November 1989. In 1996, the British free jazz
saxophonist Evan Parker
released a double-CD collaboration with Carlo Mariani and other world musicians entitled Synergetics--Phonomanie III, which was recorded in Ulrichsberg
, Austria
in September 1993.
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
n woodwind instrument
Woodwind instrument
A woodwind instrument is a musical instrument which produces sound when the player blows air against a sharp edge or through a reed, causing the air within its resonator to vibrate...
, consisting of three pipes. It is polyphonic
Polyphony
In music, polyphony is a texture consisting of two or more independent melodic voices, as opposed to music with just one voice or music with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords ....
and played using circular breathing
Circular breathing
Circular breathing is a technique used by players of some wind instruments to produce a continuous tone without interruption. This is accomplished by breathing in through the nose while simultaneously pushing air out through the mouth using air stored in the cheeks.It is used extensively in playing...
. An ancient instrument, dating back to at least the 8th century BC
8th century BC
The 8th century BC started the first day of 800 BC and ended the last day of 701 BC.-Overview:The 8th century BC was a period of great changes in civilizations. In Egypt, the 23rd and 24th dynasties led to rule from Nubia in the 25th Dynasty...
, launeddas are still played during religious ceremonies and dances (su ballu). Distinctively, they are played using extensive variations on a few melodic phrases, and a single song can last over an hour, producing some of the "most elemental and resonant (sounds) in European music".
Description
Launeddas are used to play a complex style of music that has achieved some international attention, especially Efisio MelisEfisio Melis
Efisio Melis was a Sardinian folk musician.He was born in Villaputzu near the southeastern tip of the island of Sardinia. Melis is considered to have been the greatest performer ever on the traditional instrument, the launeddas, which is typically used in the music of southern Sardinia.Melis was a...
, Antonio Lara, Dionigi Burranca and Luigi Lai
Luigi Lai
Luigi Lai is an Italian musician from Sardinia, and is living heir of the school of Sarrabus players of the launeddas.Lai was born at San Vito, in the province of Cagliari. As a child in nearby Villaputzu, he became a student of one of launeddas player Antonio Lara. For a time he lived in...
. Melis and Lara were the biggest stars of the 1930s golden age of launedda, and each taught their style to apprentices like Lara's Aureliu Porcu.
Launeddas consist of three reed pipes, two five-holed chanters of different lengths and one drone
Drone (music)
In music, a drone is a harmonic or monophonic effect or accompaniment where a note or chord is continuously sounded throughout most or all of a piece. The word drone is also used to refer to any part of a musical instrument that is just used to produce such an effect.-A musical effect:A drone...
. They are played using circular breathing.
Since the late 20th century the launeddas has also been used in non-traditional contexts. In 1990, the American jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
saxophonist Dave Liebman
Dave Liebman
Dave Liebman is an American saxophonist and flautist. In June 2010, he received a NEA Jazz Masters lifetime achievement award from the National Endowment for the Arts.-Biography:...
released a CD called The Blessing of the Old. Long Sound, on which he collaborates with the launeddas players Alberto Mariani, Carlo Mariani, and Dionigi Burranca. The CD was recorded in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
in November 1989. In 1996, the British free jazz
Free jazz
Free jazz is an approach to jazz music that was first developed in the 1950s and 1960s. Though the music produced by free jazz pioneers varied widely, the common feature was a dissatisfaction with the limitations of bebop, hard bop, and modal jazz, which had developed in the 1940s and 1950s...
saxophonist Evan Parker
Evan Parker
Evan Shaw Parker is a British free-improvising saxophone player from the European free jazz scene.Recording and performing prolifically with many collaborators, Parker was a pivotal figure in the development of European free jazz and free improvisation, and has pioneered or substantially expanded...
released a double-CD collaboration with Carlo Mariani and other world musicians entitled Synergetics--Phonomanie III, which was recorded in Ulrichsberg
Ulrichsberg
Ulrichsberg is a municipality in the district of Rohrbach in Upper Austria, Austria.-Geography: Ulrichsberg lies in Mühlviertel in Upper Austria near the Bohemian Forest and along the Große Mühl river . It covers an area of 12.2 km north to south and 10.3 km east to west for a total area...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
in September 1993.
Further reading
- F. W. Bentzon, The Launeddas. A Sardinian folk music instrument (2 voll. Acta Musicologica Danica n°1), Akademisk Forlag, Copenaghen, 1969.
- P. Mercurio, La Cultura delle Launeddas. Cabras. I Suoni del Maestro Giovanni Casu, Solinas, Nuoro, 2011.
- F. W. Bentzon, Launeddas, Cagliari, 2002 ISBN 88-88998-00-4.
- "Launeddas, et sardisk folkemusikinstrument." F. W. BENTZON. (Dansk Musik-tidsskrift, Copenhagen, May, 1961, No. 3, pp. 97–105.
- Bernard Lortat-Jacob (1982). "Theory and 'Bricolage': Attilio Cannargiu's Temperament", Yearbook for Traditional MusicYearbook for Traditional MusicThe Yearbook for Traditional Music is a peer-reviewed academic journal on the subjects of music and dance research. It is published by the International Council for Traditional Music, once a year in December...
, Vol. 14, pp. 45–54.
Listening
- Efisio Melis and Antonio Lara - Launeddas (2001), cited in Robert Andrews (2007). The Rough Guide to Sardinia, p. 335. 3rd edition. ISBN 1-84353-741-9.
External links
- Sonus de Canna, information on history, characteristics, construction details, partially in Italian
- Triplepipe.net, information on history, pictures, and MP3MP3MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
samples - All about launeddas and sardinian music