Girovaga (Wanderer)

Wander, wander, wander, wanderer
My harp is tied to my neck, I’m from Viggiano
The whole earth is my country
Like a swallow leaving her nest
I walk and sing from place to place
And I know all my life long
I’ll sing about war and love
(Pierpaolo Parzanese, poet from Campania, XIXth Century)

We often think that we can only find harps in orchestras or in living rooms, but actually, there is a real tradition of harp players which started in a rural environment. That is particularly true in the small village of Viggiano, in Val d’Agri, Potenza, where many years ago there was a renowned school of harp makers and players. Viggiano players were well known all around Italy as wanderers who made a living out of tarantella, polkas, quadriglie and Christmas carols.
The aim of this album is inviting the audience to discover the connection between harp and folk singing. What you can find here are traditional songs from the South of Italy and some instrumental songs from the Viggiano repertoire. Apart from those, two original songs open and close the record.

1) Cantastorie (canzone per Viggiano)
music and lyrics by Roberta Pestalozza e Pierpaolo Casarin

2) Tarascone
traditional for harp in 6/8. Old time tarantella.

6) Polka di Vittorio
traditional for harpin 2/2 C

7) Quadriglia
Traditional for harp with its particular 6/8 rhytme

8)Kali’nifta (Buonanotte)                                                                      
Traditional from Greece/ Salento, adjusted for harp and voice by Roberta Pestalozza

Around Lecce there's a Greek speaking area composed of nine towns: Mariano, Martignanao, Zollino, Sternatia, Soleto, Corigliano, Melpignano, Castrignano dei Greci and Calimera. The authore of the lyics of this song is just from Calimera, and he dedicated this serenade to his lover.

10) Fenesta vascia                                                           
Traditional from Campania adjusted for harp and voice by Roberta Pestalozza

This song has been composed in the end of the XVIIIth century and it is performed in the dialect of the Lucanian region. Probably the players from Viggiano first listened to this song  at the port of Naples, before leaving for countries far away.

11) Valzer                                                                          
This is not from a rural repertoire, and that is the reason why this song is a symbol of the frequent connections between a “high” and “low” repertoire