Category Archives: Geography

Neapolitan song and identity

With the unification of Italy, Naples lost its status as the capital, and following the devastating 1884 cholera epidemic, authorities launched a massive urban reorganization project similar to that of Paris. This overhaul largely obliterated the port districts, known as the “belly of Naples“, a dense network of alleys, warehouses, and narrow streets, which had been alive with cultural events, processions, collective rituals, and performances by storytellers, street actors, and barkers. The city’s historic urban fabric was replaced by modern, fast-flowing roads primarily designed for commercial purposes, marking what became known as the gutting of Naples—although, it also represented a redevelopment of the city. This transformation ushered in a dramatic shift in the city’s identity, turning it into a modern urban organism while leaving behind the image of the old, vibrant Bourbon capital. The changes also reshaped social dynamics, fostering the rise of a small bourgeoisie that, with a few exceptions, wholeheartedly embraced the national cause and capitalist development, which manifested in the realms of journalism, theater, painting, literature, and art song.

The poet Salvatore Di Giacomo was the driving force behind the emergence of the new Neapolitan art song. His poetry, set to music by composers such as Enrico De Leva, Mario Pasquale Costa, and Francesco Paolo Tosti, signaled a decisive break from previous traditions. This collaboration between respected scholars and accomplished composers established the foundation for what would come to be known as the “Neapolitan song”, marking the beginning of a new era in the genre.

Salvatore Di Giacomo

While Di Giacomo and his collaborators pioneered a new approach to song, the form of the song itself was evolving. It adopted a structure characterized by a verse-and-refrain format, and over time, this structure became more refined and simplified compared to Di Giacomo’s earlier, more elaborate courtly compositions. The new Neapolitan song emerged as a distinct form, better aligned with modern entertainment standards, and in an era of a burgeoning popular culture, this new song form proved to be a more versatile and adaptable genre, suitable for various settings, yet still preserving the lyrical and musical qualities that had defined earlier forms.

Neapolitan song was a key element in a broader, successful effort to redefine the image of a city that, after the unification of Italy, needed to forge a new identity. However, the city was burdened by long-standing issues, including a largely illiterate population with unstable employment. This population had swelled over the centuries due to the unique relationship between the urban elite and the rural peasantry in the Kingdom of Naples. A significant portion of this population consisted of common people, possessing a cohesive and resilient culture deeply rooted in pre-Christian, magical, and irrational traditions. This cultural foundation both influenced and clashed with the emerging new Neapolitan identity.

This according to the article of the week in DEUMM Online.

Leave a Comment

Filed under Europe, Geography, Musicology, Space

RILM Launches DEUMM Online

RILM cordially invites you to join us for the release of DEUMM Online on Wednesday, 30 October 2024, at 7:30 pm CET / 1:30 pm EST. Co-sponsored by the Associazione fra i Docenti Universitari Italiani di Musica (ADUIM) and IAML-Italia, the event will take place in the Teatro Palladium auditorium in Rome, Italy.

Teatro Palladium, Ph. © Francesco Ciccone

DEUMM Online digitizes, enhances, and extends the Dizionario enciclopedico universale della musica e dei musicisti (DEUMM), the most important modern music dictionary in the Italian language. Comprising a broad range of entries (persons, topics, dances, genres, geographical locations, institutions, instruments, and works), DEUMM Online uses advanced and intuitive search and translation functionalities. This venerable music encyclopedia, which has set the standards in modern Italian music lexicography, is, in its new online format, once again an indispensable node in a comprehensive, international, networked research experience.

For those unable to join the Rome event in person, the event will be live streamed on YouTube by Fondazione Roma Tre Teatro Palladium, accessible directly from the following QR code:

The program (below) will include Daniele Trucco’s DEUMM-inspired music, greetings from Luca Aversano (President, ADUIM), Marcoemilio Camera (President, IAML Italia), and Tina Frühauf (Executive Director, RILM), as well as presentations by Zdravko Blažeković (Executive Editor, RILM), Stefano Campagnolo (Director, Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Roma), Alex Braga (composer), and DEUMM Online’s general editors Antonio Baldassarre and Daniela Castaldo. Pianist Giuseppe Magagnino will also perform works by Ellington, Beethoven, The Beatles, and more.

And mark your calendars: DEUMM Online will be featured again at the following events:  

  • 19 November 2024: Turin, hosted by Istituto per i Beni Musicali di Piemonte at the Teatro Regio
  • 21 November 2024: Milan, hosted by the Archivio Storico Ricordi in the Biblioteca Nazionale Braidense

Hear more about DEUMM Online and download the DEUMM Online brochure and logo.

DEUMM Online trailer (Italian)

Comments Off on RILM Launches DEUMM Online

Filed under 20th- and 21st-century music, Africa, Analysis, Antiquity, Asia, Australia and Pacific islands, Baroque era, Black studies, Central America, Classic era, Dance, Dramatic arts, Ethnomusicology, Europe, Film music, Geography, Iconography, Iconography, Instruments, Jazz and blues, Literature, Mass media, Middle Ages, Musicologists, Musicology, North America, Opera, Opera, Politics, Popular music, Religion, Religious music, Renaissance, RILM news, Romantic era, Sound, South America, Visual art, West Indies, World music

Chicago’s dynamic musical landscape

Chicago, the third largest in the United States, was not always the bustling metropolis it is today. It was originally a pristine prairie inhabited by Indigenous peoples, including the Potawatomi people, who referred to the area in their native language as Chigagou (or “wild garlic place”). The city’s modern history began in the 1780s when Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, a trader of African descent, established a trading post along the Chicago River at the southern end of Lake Michigan.

A drawing of Chicago from 1868.

Located at the crossroads of major railroads, Great Lakes shipping routes, and more recently, air travel, Chicago’s unique musical heritage reflects its role as a central hub in the United States. The city, often seen as the unofficial capital of the Midwest, which is considered the nation’s heartland due to its agricultural and industrial history, has a rich and diverse musical landscape. While Chicago’s affluent communities have long supported a vibrant array of orchestral, choral, and operatic institutions, the city is perhaps best known for its pivotal role in the development of blues, jazz, and house music.

Sones de México Ensemble

Additionally, Chicago’s immigrant communities have contributed a variety of folk and traditional music genres, adding to the city’s rich and multifaceted musical identity. The diverse folk and traditional music genres of Chicago are significant for two main reasons: first, they reflect the vibrant cultural practices of the city’s many immigrant communities, and second, Chicago played a crucial role in formalizing and preserving these traditions. Throughout much of the 19th century, a substantial portion of the city’s population (between 40 and 50 percent) was foreign-born, predominantly from European countries. Many folk music performances and events by immigrants took place at the Hull House, a major settlement house on the near west side of Chicago, founded in 1889 by Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr.

Hull House (circa 1905)

Chicago also has long been home to residents of Asian and Latino descent, with the first Chinese immigrants arriving in the 1870s following the completion of the transcontinental railroad. The foundations of today’s Chinatown can be traced back to the 1910s. Additionally, a vibrant Mexican community has been present since the early 20th century. An example of this cultural exchange is found in Silvano Ramos and Daniel Ramirez’s 1929 recording of El corrido de Texas in Chicago, which narrates the story of a migrant worker leaving his girlfriend in Texas to seek employment in Chicago and Indiana. The city’s Asian and Latino populations saw significant growth after the liberalization of U.S. immigration policy in 1965, leading to a flourishing of musical activities rooted in various cultural traditions. The Chinese Fine Arts Society, established in 1984, plays a key role in promoting Chinese music and dance, while the Sones de México ensemble, founded in 1994, has emerged as a leading performer of Mexican music in the United States.

A young Chuck Berry performing in Chicago (April 1956).

Chicago’s greatest contribution to rock ‘n’ roll lies in the influence of Chicago blues on early rock musicians. Additionally, the city played a significant role in shaping the genre through its prominent record labels. In 1955, Chuck Berry, inspired by Muddy Waters, recorded his breakthrough hit Maybellene at Chess Records in Chicago. Bo Diddley, another product of the Chicago blues scene, made a substantial impact on rock music in the 1950s with his innovative sound. Vee-Jay Records, a notable Black-owned label, emerged as a major competitor to Chess Records, achieving success with a diverse array of R&B, doo wop, blues, jazz, and rock records.

Read the full featured article on Chicago and its rich musical history in MGG Online.

Below, Muddy Waters performs at the 1981 Chicago Fest.

Comments Off on Chicago’s dynamic musical landscape

Filed under Geography, Jazz and blues, North America, Popular music