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Thread: Pergolesi's Siciliana

  1. #1

    Default Pergolesi's Siciliana

    If you are looking for a nice and rather easy piece to get you started playing classical stuff, you might try the Siciliana by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi.
    It's almost completely in the first position, just one phrase with the high d on the 10. fret of the e-string.
    I used tremolo only on the longer notes ending the phrases.
    I don't know, whether it was written for violin or oboe, but it also works fine on mandolin.
    You can find the sheet music at flutetunes
    https://www.flutetunes.com/tunes.php?id=452
    or at musescore
    https://www.flutetunes.com/tunes.php?id=452
    The latter one has a classical guitar accompaniment, though it might be a little different from the one I recorded.
    Sorry, I didn't find no tabs.

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  3. #2
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    Default Re: Pergolesi's Siciliana

    That is rather lovely, thank you.
    - Jeremy

    Wot no catchphrase?

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  5. #3
    Registered User Martin Jonas's Avatar
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    Default Re: Pergolesi's Siciliana

    Quote Originally Posted by crisscross View Post
    If you are looking for a nice and rather easy piece to get you started playing classical stuff, you might try the Siciliana by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi.
    It's almost completely in the first position, just one phrase with the high d on the 10. fret of the e-string.
    I used tremolo only on the longer notes ending the phrases.
    I don't know, whether it was written for violin or oboe, but it also works fine on mandolin.
    You can find the sheet music at flutetunes
    https://www.flutetunes.com/tunes.php?id=452
    or at musescore
    https://www.flutetunes.com/tunes.php?id=452
    The latter one has a classical guitar accompaniment, though it might be a little different from the one I recorded.
    Sorry, I didn't find no tabs.
    That is very nice indeed -- thank you! For completeness, here is the correct Musescore link (you have posted the Flutetunes link twice):

    https://musescore.com/user/14258/scores/332851

    I think I prefer your arpeggio accompaniment over the chordal backing in the Musescore and Flutetunes scores.

    I know (and have recorded) a different Pergolesi piece under that name -- "Siciliana" is also used as an alternative name for "Tre giorni son che Nina", but that does not seem to be related to the piece you have recorded.

    I'm not sure it makes much sense to think about "original instrumentation" with Pergolesi: because of his early death he was a highly romanticised figure at the time (and ever since) and lots of music was attributed to him that he probably didn't have anything to do with -- "Nina", for example, is almost certainly not by him. If we can't be sure he actually wrote it, there is little point in worrying about authentic instrumentation.

    Martin

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  7. #4

    Default Re: Pergolesi's Siciliana

    Thanks Martin, thanks derbex.
    As far as I know, a Siciliana or Siciliano is originally a movement in a baroque suite in a rather slow 6/8 time.
    Bach has composed a well known Siciliano for one of his flute suites.
    The Siciliana survived into the classical era though and was quiet often used by the composer for classical guitar Ferdinando Carulli.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HH5uH-c3FI8

    Tre Giorni son che Nina
    seems to be a vocal song originally.
    I can't hear the typical Siciliana-rhythmin in this song though.
    It seems to be a straight 4/4.

  8. #5
    Registered User Martin Jonas's Avatar
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    Default Re: Pergolesi's Siciliana

    Quote Originally Posted by crisscross View Post
    Tre Giorni son che Nina[/I] seems to be a vocal song originally.
    I can't hear the typical Siciliana-rhythmin in this song though.
    It seems to be a straight 4/4.
    Yes, I agree. I remarked on that in my old posting here -- it took me a while to work out that the tune I had with the title "Siciliana" was in fact Nina. There are a number of other places where "Nina" is either titled "Siciliana" or described as a siciliana, e.g. here, here and here.

    Martin

  9. #6
    Registered User Martin Jonas's Avatar
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    Default Re: Pergolesi's Siciliana

    They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery -- when I came home last night I had to have a go at this lovely tune, so here is my own recording.

    As you have said in the original post, the melody is pretty straightforward, all first position except for two high notes at the 10th and 12th fret. My accompaniment is based on the classical guitar part from the Musescore arrangement linked above. As I don't play classical guitar, I have split it into a tenor guitar part and a separate mandocello bass line, making my arrangement into a trio of mandolin, tenor guitar and mandocello. Played at a somewhat slower tempo than crisscross.

    1890s Umberto Ceccherini mandolin
    Ozark tenor guitar
    Suzuki MC-815 mandocello



    Thanks again for pointing me towards that tune!

    Martin

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  11. #7

    Default Re: Pergolesi's Siciliana

    Your arrangement comes out nicely. Martin!
    Now, we have two mandolin versions of that tune on Youtube!

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  13. #8

    Default Re: Pergolesi's Siciliana

    I just learned that Pergolesi has written a Concerto in B flat major for Violin, that is also played on mandolin. Here is Jacob Reuven playing the first movement on his Kerman mandolin.

  14. #9
    Mando-Accumulator Jim Garber's Avatar
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    Default Re: Pergolesi's Siciliana

    Very nice! That is a sweet tune. I also prefer the arpeggio guitar accompaniment. Just curious, though. Why did you label the video in Russian?
    Jim

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  16. #10

    Default Re: Pergolesi's Siciliana

    Thanks, Jim, glad you llike it.
    As for the Russian, I also have a russian lullaby, Bayushki Bayu, which gets lots of views.
    One reason might be, that in addition to latin characters, I wrote the title in cyrillic characters.
    So I thought, that this little trick might help raise the popularity of the Siciliana as well...

  17. #11
    Mando-Accumulator Jim Garber's Avatar
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    Default Re: Pergolesi's Siciliana

    Wow. You and Martin are cranking out this music. Impressive output. I have to get my multi-track chops back together.

    Post the link to the lullaby.
    Jim

    My Stream on Soundcloud
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    19th Century Tunes
    Playing lately:
    1924 Gibson A4 - 2018 Campanella A-5 - 2007 Brentrup A4C - 1915 Frank Merwin Ashley violin - Huss & Dalton DS - 1923 Gibson A2 black snakehead - '83 Flatiron A5-2 - 1939 Gibson L-00 - 1936 Epiphone Deluxe - 1928 Gibson L-5 - ca. 1890s Fairbanks Senator Banjo - ca. 1923 Vega Style M tenor banjo - ca. 1920 Weymann Style 25 Mandolin-Banjo - National RM-1

  18. #12

    Default Re: Pergolesi's Siciliana

    Here's the link to the lullaby: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zReO...2SHrFz4eJVL5uO
    I have to say, I'm not very proud of it, I leave it more as a kind of oddity.
    It has some mando-action though...

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