La Casa Musicale
Not far from Île Rousse, in the heart of the Balagne, you will find Pigna, a charming little village on a hill
that dominates the nearby sea. As a lot of villages on Corsica, Pigna had fallen in decay after depopulation.
But the people who stayed, found a good strategy to build a future on cultural options. Options that were started by the
painter and musician Toni Casalonga together with their burgomaster Bibiane Consalvi and quite a number of very active
people.
They started two artistic ways: music and architecture.
In the meantime in 1964 Toni Casalonga also started the artists' cooperation Corsicada, who support young artists
in their traditional crafts.
The movements in the seventies regarding Corsican vocal music were of great importance. They called it the "riacquistu".
The quality and specificity of this vocal music find international appreciation.
From 1977 on Pigna has known various initiatives. So in 1978 E Voce di u Commune (the Voices of the Community)
was founded.
In order to keep step with the growing activities they had to reconstruct the ruins into good buildings, to
ameliorate the condition of the houses and the streets, to equip the village.
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The brochure of E Voce di u Commune informs us:
The whole of the cultural activities is organized under the protection of the federation
E Voce di u Commune created
in 1978. The federation gave birth to all the associations existing today:
La Casa Musicale ,la SARL Casa Editions , A Cumpagnia, Madrigalesca, Arte di a Musica, Festivoce. |
- Festivoce: the last of the associations of E Voce di u Commune, organizes
a music festival from the 3rd until the 13th of July with the name Estivoce
and has also received since last year artists who can stay, thanks to the opening of the Auditorium di Pigna in
April 2002. These stays take place during the whole year.
- La Casa Musicale: looking out on the plain and the sea, this ancient
residence receives since 1985 all the activities of the other associations. It's a place for the music, for those who
compose, play, sing the music, who take their meals and spend the night.
The courses and workshops of E Voce di u Commune take place in this residence.
It also gives accommodation to passing travellers.
- SARL Casa Editions: this publishing firm was born in the heart of La Casa Musicale, in order to demonstrate
the quality and the diversity of the traditional Corsican musical patrimony, but also the desire to be open for
other music of the world, music of the past, of today and tomorrow.
- A Cumpagnia and Madrigalesca: bring together men and women, all of them
coming from the crucible of the Casa Musicale. Profane and sacred, tradition, creation and improvisation, their
repertoire is that of their history, passed or who has still to be written. The voices mingle with the timbre of
the instruments: cetera (traditional Corsican sistrum with 8 double choires ), harpsichord, cialambella (shawm),
timpanu (triangle), cello...
- Arte di a Musica: this is a group of artisans who have joined their knowledge to make traditional instruments,
according to the original mediterranean culture. Percussions and manufacture of organs, wind-instruments, string-instruments,
their workshops make the heart of the village resound the whole year.( Ugo Casalonga, Antoine Massoni, Thomas Moscardini).
Since 1978 the Federation E Voce di u Commune has been working, by means of research and education, on the
reappropriation of the musical patrimony of the island. The rediscovery of the cetera, the setting of the
accord originating of the fret of a remainder of the 17th century, the performances on the Tuscan organs
(conferences, concerts, communications) as well as the theatre events like Matria or Alba Mossa took place
thanks to the work of the federation. They publish about their research on the Chjama e Rispondi, on the relationship
between vocal polyphony and organ.
Besides the music school( singing, mimofunia, wind-instruments, cetera,
harpsichord and organ, percussions) that function during the schoolyear, specific workshops are regularly organized
to discover or to deepen a technique or ways of interpretation.
It's because of the great initiative of the Casalonga family and all those enthousiastic workers around
them,their desire to preserve their patrimony, their perseverance, their own expertise and in the meantime
staying open to music and theatre, not only on the island itself but also to the outside world, that
they are so esteemed.The foundation of the Auditorium, a long cherished wish, proves to be a very good choice. Since
the start last year it has proved to have such good accoustics, that not only many concerts have taken
place but also many recordings have been made in this auditorium.
A Casa Editions, founded in 1997 and Albiana edited four collections:
Nove Muse, like Zamballarana, Dominique Ottavi; Sacru, religious music; Carta: mediaeval music, or 19th century:
like Maurice Ravel, Elisabeth Joyé; Antoine Massoni: Nerone in Corsica; Mare Tondu, like Nanne, Cetera.
To give any idea of the concerts that took place I mention some of them: A Cumpagnia, U Fiatu Muntese, l'Alba, Dominique Serve/Henri Agnel, Elisabeth Joyé, Dominique
Ottavi, U Celu, Zamballarana, Anghjula Dea, Cinqui Sò, Laetitia Himo, Madrigalesca, Alla Francesca.
They are interested in all sorts of music: ancient music,
Mediterranean, Arabic, other cultures, influences on one another, new
creations.
For their special, so much interesting, monthly programms and the Estivoce in July, see
website.
The Mediatheque/Phonotheque is a great wish of E Voce di u Commune. For years they have tried to collect
all research and different broadcastings under different forms: musical programs, press, literature, discs etc.
Conservation and broadcasting of the popular patrimony by means of concerts, theatre etc. Musical creations,
theatrical creations. Personal work, either independently, or in association with other people, musical groups
or other invited people. To the disposal of everybody who is interested, a.o. students.
For further information:
Festivoce - 20220 Pigna
www.festivoce.casa-musicale.org
e-mail:festivoce@casa-musicale.org
telephone: 0033-495 61 73 13, fax: 0033-495 61 77 81
E Voce di u Commune:tel./fax:0033-495 61 77 81
With thanks to Mrs. Béatrice Habrard-Malaspina
Sources: | La Casa Musicale, Mrs. B. Habrard-Malaspina |
| | R. Eaton, J. Dethier, P.Day, Architectures Modernes en Corse
Le XXe siècle et ses sources
Journées du Patrimoine 2000
Collectivité Territoriale de Corse |