March 15, 2012: Tenores De Oniferi: Polyphonic Singing From Sardinia

TENORES DE ONIFERI: POLYPHONIC SINGING FROM SARDINIA – SOS ANTIGOS

Strictly a cappella, Polyphonic Singing from Sardinia is an appealing example of the type of traditional vocal-group performing that has been heard on the Italian island of Sardinia for centuries. There are some similarities between the harmonies employed by Tenores de Oniferi (one of Sardinia's most well-respected traditional vocal groups) and the harmonies used by Catholic monks in Italy, Spain and Portugal. In fact, play this next to the a cappella Chant by The Benedictine Monks of Santo Domingo de Silos (a fine collection of Gregorian chants by monks in a Spanish monastery), and you can't help but notice the parallels. But the Italian lyrics embraced by the Tenores de Oniferi can be either secular or spiritual in nature. Traditional Sardinian vocalists often come up with improvised lyrics, and sometimes, they turn their attention to Sardinian poetry of previous centuries. "Sos Antigos" comes from poet Antioco Casula Montanaru (1888-1957). 

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