Italian Folk Music, Vol.1: Piedmont, Emelia, Lombardy

Folklorist Alan Lomax, who collected many of the selections on the album, provides a historical introduction to the northern Italian regions represented here by their rural singers and bands—and even cattle (the first track features “a whole orchestra of bells” sounding around the necks of cows as villagers move the animals to mountain pastures for the summer). Love songs, lullabies, tarantellas and waltzes, patriotic songs, ballads, yodeling, and drinking songs capture life marked by community and tradition.

Liner notes include some translations of lyrics, informative context for each track, and a bibliography (in Italian).

Track Listing

101	Piedmont: The bells of Alpine cattle	Bells hanging from cattle	02:51
102	Piedmont: Montagnes Valdotaines	Small artisan chorus	02:06
103	Piedmont: Paparone (Tarantella)	Piedmontese musicians, singers	01:10
104	Piedmont: Nen Marìa nostra frighietta	Three older female singers	02:00
105	Piedmont: Ninì, mon pupôn (lullaby)	Maria Glany	00:31
106	Piedmont: A la santé de Noé	Worker-artisan mixed chorus	01:12
107	Piedmont: La blanchisseuse	Worker-artisan mixed chorus	02:21
108	Piedmont: Jodoler (Yodeling Song)	Alpine musicians, female yodelers	01:54
109	Piedmont: Che Bel Felice Incontro	Seven Piedmontese female singers	02:06
110	Piedmont: Quei Cacciatori	Seven Piedmontese female singers	02:02
111	Piedmont: La Ricciola (Waltz)	Tonco village artesan band	01:25
112	Piedmont: Eviva il Monfrâ!	Monferrato musicians	01:21
201	Piedmont: Monferrina (Folk Dance)	Tonco village artesan band	01:26
202	Piedmont: Maria Giuanna (Drinking Song)	Piedmontese musicians, singers	02:23
203	Emilia: Io parto per l'America	Emilian mixed chorus	01:41
204	Emilia: Voga, voga	Lombardy mixed chorus	02:25
205	Lombardy: A March	Lombardy panpipe band	02:34
206	Lombardy: Ouverture from Rigoletto	Lombardy panpipe band	02:50
207	Lombardy: O Pinota (Ballad)	Female rice harvesters: Delfia, Marva, Aida, Letisia, Rita, Silvana	03:04
208	Lombardy: Ninna Nanna (Lullaby)	Celeste Cappelli	02:30
209	Lombardy: L'é 'rivato un bastimento	Giua Bonetti, female singers	02:16
210	Emilia: Trescone (Folkdance)	Riolunato artisan violinist, guitarist, dance caller	01:41