CIARAMEDDA: Italian musical instrument
https://worldhitz4u.blogspot.com/2014/02/ciaramedda-italian-musical-instrument.html
The ciaramedda is a kind of zampogna that have double chanter
that are of equal length. Some other names given to the musical instrument
include Zampogna a paru or cornamuse.
source of picture: pinterest.com
The musical instrument is a native of the rural area of
Sicily and Calabria, especially in the regions of Messina and Reggio Calabria,
but the musical instrument can be seen in the provinces of Catania, Agrigento,
Siracusa, North Catanzaro and Enna.
The musical instrument is made up of a bag, a blowpipe to
inflate the bag of the instrument and double chanters that performs the melody
and harmony. The chanter of the musical instrument is manufactured out of
heather wood or any other kind of native grown fruit wood. The three drones of
the instrument that gives consistence harmony are called bassu, quatta and
fisciettu. Some pipes just provide two drones.
The musical instrument became less popular in Sicilian
culture with the decline of pastoral culture of Europe; meanwhile the
ciaremedda survives the context of religious ceremonies, especially at the
Christmas times. In Reggio Calabria, the musical instrument still enjoys
secular use and it is one of the major musical instruments that are used in the
communal dances, accompanied by the tambourine to perform the tarantella.
In the Messinese language, the single blade cane reed
attached in the chanters and drones are known as zammara. In Catania, it is
known as a zampogna.
