DOI: https://doi.org/10.37835/AMS-2024-17-18-04-1.02
Diego Cannizzaro, Ph.D in State Conservatory of Music V. Bellini of Caltanissetta (Sicily, Italy)
It is noted that sacred music in Sicily (extreme south of Europe) is a fascinating interweaving of Eastern and Western traditions. It is noted that the traditions of the Western Latin Church include
- Cantillation: a form of word intensification used to recite prose passages Scripture.
- Psalmody and Responsoria: the reading of the Word with musical accompaniment.
The Sicilian musical tradition is of Hellenic origin. This is evidenced by the fact that the population of the town of Piana degli Albanesi Piana degli Albanesi (also known as Piana dei Grechi) in Arberesche, Palermo province, Sicily is known for the jealous preservation of traditions, language, habits and customs, especially in religious rituals, which have been have been passed down for centuries.
It has been studied that in the Latin tradition between the 12th and 16th centuries we find the presence of the Gallican sacred musical tradition (originating from the first Norman kings of Sicily). However, since the 16th century, the liturgy of Sicilian churches is aligned with the Roman Latin liturgy.
Even today, however, in some places the Greek and Latin traditions survive side by side.
Key words: Sicily, the cathedral, Latin tradition, habits, customs.
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