f84da094   
   XPost: soc.culture.italian   
   From: fiddler@sonic.net   
      
   qquito wrote:   
   > Dear Everyone:   
   >   
   > There is a piece of tarantella titled "Tarantella Napoletana" which   
   > seems to be very popular. I recently got a copy of sheet music of this   
   > piece for ACCORDION, and this sheet gives "L. Criscuolo" as the   
   > composer and "Pietro Deiro, Jr." as the arranger, and the copyright   
   > was for 1964.   
   >   
   >   
   It is much much older than 1964.  I heard this dance in school in the   
   early 50s, played on old 78s.  It's a very traditional tarantella and   
   the sheet music you have is probably just an arrangement.  I've heard   
   this tarantella at scores of Italian weddings and cultural events, so   
   it's probably older than dirt.  The Tarantella had its origin in   
   Southern Italy in the 15th Century and it was said to be used to ward   
   off the bite of a spider (the tarantula).  It was also the subject of a   
   cult called Tarantism, from Taranta, in southern Italy, which called for   
   frenzied, trance-like dancing.  So this popular dance could likely be   
   several centuries old.   
      
   My band, The Hot Frittatas, is based in Northern California, and we love   
   to play and discover new tarantellas.  The one you mention is the most   
   common one, but there are hundreds, and I have tapes and CDs recorded in   
   Sicily that feature wonderful tarantellas played on accordions,   
   mandolins, bagpipes, panpipes, shepherds pipes, jews harps, etc.  One   
   shameless plug: check out our website and you might sample a couple   
   tarantellas we do (www.hotfrittatas.com).  Enjoy.   
      
   GUS GARELICK   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)