Preface   TO THE DISKS OF GRIGNA CHORUS "The True Alpine's Songs" DIRECTED FROM GIUSEPPE SCAIOLI

LECCO, JUNE 1965: "CONFERENCE IN DEFENCE OF ALPINE SINGING".

For years advocated a "Songbook" of Alpine chants. Because these songs were born in the trenches, born or changed from other folk songs used by war fighters, nowadays become easy prey for any group of drunk who believe to be mountaineers, only to have reached, maybe in the car, over the zero of the sea. Hence, contamination, exasperation, misreading the spirit that informs the mountain chant.

It should to say, in full sincerity, that many choirs have taken the songs of the Alpine troops, with understandings and perform these songs in dignified way. Of course, as the Alpine and mountain chants generally, find always passionate public, the experiment of these choruses had always good result. Only that, for reasons of technical and artistic nature, due essentially to the choirs directors, the execution was unfaithful to the original. Both because the texts were manipulated through the use of any single region and, expecially, because the directors presented these songs with processing, and transcription, which kept most account of musical and artistic side at the expenses of the historical accuracy. Praise should be given to these masters who helped spread in Italy mountain or war or popular songs.

The purpouse of the June 1965 Conference was to give, at last, a text and a musical address to serve as the basis of alpine songs; more precisely, the songs of the Alpine troops, as they were born. To obtain one precise point of reference in a document or in a musical record the essence of this singing.

After more than two years of study, the delegated Commission, (composed mostly by old Alpine, writers and musicians) has launched the first group of songs that are really "Canti degli Alpini". The literary text will reflect the absolute fidelity, after numerous and not easy searches carried out by the Commission.

The musical text, shown only in the line of singing, or fundamental item of melody, leaves to each choir the ability of those variances which, moreover, are candid shots whenever a song like that is sung in the mountain huts or in an academic performance.

The alpine's songs presented in this album will be a prime example of how one can sing in two, three or four voices without altering the spirit of the songs. And it is significant that this task has taken on for first from the Grigna Chorus of Lecco's Alpine Association, place where the Conference in defense of Alpine Singing where celebrated.

Not arbitrary embellishments or hyper studied harmonization. The Grigna chorus interpreted as closely as possible, the requirements of the "Convention".

It would been easy, for the master of the Grigna chorus, harmonizing songs in "modern" sense. It is kept, instead, to the original Melody with those chords, or harmonic accompaniments, which the primitive melodic line spontaneously suggested.

This is the meaning of the disc.

(Doc. Raffele Ripamonti)    
President of Lecco's A.N.A.

Coro Grigna dell'Associazione Nazionale Alpini sez. di Lecco
Sede 23900 LECCO - Laorca - Via Ramello, 1
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