Sardinian polyphonic singing originated in an ancient past, when it served to provide social cohesion by reinforcing the bonds of community. And the very artists who interpret this form of singing credit the view that in essence it is a mimicry of the sounds of nature, the only sounds which the shepherd, in the long months spent in seclusion, far removed from his abode, can pick up and parse into the finest detail. The vibrations and timbres produced by flocks of sheep are what seems to especially inspire the marked guttural quality specific to this singing: a primeval element that develops into beauty of rare device, a melange of melismata, complex rhythms, and exciting modulations.

The community sharing made possible by this form of singing was important in the past and is still alive now: the exclusively oral method of bequeathing the singing technique, and with it the chants, would make for stronger bonding between generations and provide the expressive vehicle with which to convey individual experiences and character; so, too, singing practice was a merry chance for the artists to gather and have fruitful exchanges, both amongst themselves and with the occasional public; and, lastly, the actual singing performances, held on the most joyful and liturgical occasions of communal life, invested the singing with the sacred and at the same time festive character which it simply cannot relinquish.

The Oniferi Tenores of San Gavino ( the brothers Francesco, Giovanni, and Carmelo Pirisi:  boche, contra, and mesu boche, and Raimondo Pidia, bassu) bring out some of the best tenore singing there is: they are indeed recognized as authoritative. They’ve been working together for some twenty years, all the while developing refined timbres, such as never allow the tone and quality of sound to be smothered by sheer sound power, where the sole concern is volume and acoustic impact. The selection of lyrics and chants bespeaks the same care: not the past masters of Sardinian poetry are turned to (like the familiar Murenu and Mereu), but the voices of contemporaneity in Sardinia further evidence that this art has yet to run its full course, and that the poet’s lyrical crying out and denouncement can interlock beautifully with tenore singing and speak for the future.

To have an idea of the international recognition these artists rightly enjoy, consider that they are the first interpreters of Sardinian musicality which none other than Peter Gabriel has sought out in an effort to chart a map of ethnic music and its stylistic traditions across the world.

As a Center for Artistic Research, which has made essential to its human and research project an endeavor to document and study the forms and contents of tradition, Holy Wood proposed this concert in line with this aim and spirit. The Oniferi Tenores of San Gavino recorded their latest album at the Holy Wood studios in the days immediately following their concert in Cavallano. In the period they spent at the estate several moments of conviviality came to happen which (as the four Tenores themselves have said) added to the enjoyment of their work in the studio and (in the words of producer Gianluca Dessì) made the output even more expressive; those moments have been as well an occasion for us in Holy Wood to get in touch with an extraordinarily interesting human and professional experience. Next year (2003) you will be able to listen at samples of this last work at the Productions page.