DOI chapter:
Chapter I: Naples
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.59000#0054
Naples
Hotel, are piled small mountains of water melons and
Indian figs. It is a wonderful scene, and almost terrific
is the noise ! Thousands of men and boys are playing
on their curious musical instruments,—tin trumpets,
wooden hammers, and large shells—which produce a
strange booming roar. And stranger still is the instru-
ment called the putipu, which gives an almost unearthly
sound. This consists of an open terra-cotta jar, with
sheep skin tightened over it, and a hole drilled in the
skin, through which a stick is worked up and down.
Where could this instrument have originated, if not in
the East ?
At midnight begins the procession of decorated
carts full of dressed-up men and women. One by one
these carts pause, and the occupants in turn sing their
new Piedigrotta songs. The seething crowds listen
critically, approving or condemning ; and early in the
morning, while yet the stars are in the sky, the prizes
are awarded to the composers whose songs have been
adjudged the best.
Song and dance must be heard and seen together to
be fully appreciated. The blue sky must be overhead ;
the radiant sea must be in the background ; the faces
of the singers must be olive-tinted and dark-eyed 1
Alas, the real tarantella dance-music and song are
becoming spoiled by the critical taste of foreigners, who
too often judge by the musical standard of their own
countries. Could they be superseded by a higher
music, this would not be so regrettable ; but a bird’s
note cannot be changed, and in these Piedigrotta songs
3 17
Hotel, are piled small mountains of water melons and
Indian figs. It is a wonderful scene, and almost terrific
is the noise ! Thousands of men and boys are playing
on their curious musical instruments,—tin trumpets,
wooden hammers, and large shells—which produce a
strange booming roar. And stranger still is the instru-
ment called the putipu, which gives an almost unearthly
sound. This consists of an open terra-cotta jar, with
sheep skin tightened over it, and a hole drilled in the
skin, through which a stick is worked up and down.
Where could this instrument have originated, if not in
the East ?
At midnight begins the procession of decorated
carts full of dressed-up men and women. One by one
these carts pause, and the occupants in turn sing their
new Piedigrotta songs. The seething crowds listen
critically, approving or condemning ; and early in the
morning, while yet the stars are in the sky, the prizes
are awarded to the composers whose songs have been
adjudged the best.
Song and dance must be heard and seen together to
be fully appreciated. The blue sky must be overhead ;
the radiant sea must be in the background ; the faces
of the singers must be olive-tinted and dark-eyed 1
Alas, the real tarantella dance-music and song are
becoming spoiled by the critical taste of foreigners, who
too often judge by the musical standard of their own
countries. Could they be superseded by a higher
music, this would not be so regrettable ; but a bird’s
note cannot be changed, and in these Piedigrotta songs
3 17