Italian Treasury: Folk Music & Song of Italy

Alan Lomax | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 18, 1999)
• Original Release Date: May 18, 1999
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Rounder Select
• ASIN: B00000J2R5
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #107,295 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #43 in Music > Indie Music > Blues > Delta Blues

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Italy isn't a bowl of pasta and O Sole Mio, October 2, 2003

By 

S. Morgan (Portland, OR USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Italian Treasury: Folk Music & Song of Italy (Audio CD)

This is a great CD. It's not a parody of Italy. It's not EPCOT center Italy nor is it The Olive Garden (which is about as Italian as boomerangs and enchiladas). Lomax has collected authentic FOLK music. Folk means PEOPLE and this is music made by real people for the sake of making music, not for selling mass quantities of CDs. It is very authentic. Unfortunately, most of contemporary Italy shuns the traditions of the past in the same way that hip Americans regard our roots music as passe', so I'm glad that these songs are being recorded for prosperity.
For those of you who want something to listen to while eating spaghetti covered in Kraft parmesian cheese there are plenty of cheesy collections of O Sole Mio and "tarantellas for the tourist" out there. But I would recommend checking out the Putumayo collection Italian Music Odyssey. It's a polished collection of good Italian songs by professional musicians, but it's not as gritty as this collection. I also recommend you watch the movie Big Night to understand the differences between real Italian culture and American characaturization of the country. For the real music lover and true italophile, I highly recommend Italian Treasury.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ethnographic treasure, November 24, 2000

By 

"rudo_bomba" (California, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Italian Treasury: Folk Music & Song of Italy (Audio CD)

OK. If you are into it, this is realy authentic folk playing and singing. Recorded in 1954 (excelently restored!), gives an overview of many Italian regions, not excluding minorities (Albanians of Calabria and Slavs of Venezia-Giulia), with the traditional music performed by local artists.

Most impressive moment: A capella Calabrian song recorded on a fishing ship, while the crew (20 half-naked, (so the notes say!),fishermen) is raising an undersea net. It is a bawdy song, but strangely beautiful. You can hear squeaking and squeeling of the capstain throughout the song.

Full notes, all texts and translations, and history. Bravo!

No cheap commercial stuff, my friends, but real life material...

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars authentic!, April 9, 2002

By 

Antonio V. (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Italian Treasury: Folk Music & Song of Italy (Audio CD)

i come from italy and i must say it is very authentic. i love it. it sounds just like home. i do not knoww why anybody does not like it. if you want great italian music, i suggest this. it is very lively and happy. i love this cd. it remind me of home.