Numerous are, in that sense, iconographical testimonies that remain to us: in the magnificent fresco by a provencal anonymous author, placed in San Sebastiano Chapel at Roubion, department of Maritime Alps, is painted a devil playing a flute with a drum. In the apse of the Collegiate Church of Clans, in the ancient county of Nice, a tambourinaire of diacolical appearance is painted in a hunt scene. Exist however painted scenes in which galoubet and tambourin have a more celestial connotation: at San Marco Museum in Florence remains a precious altar-piece by Fra Angelico where a musician angel plays a flute with a musician tambourin. The same scene is visible in Incoronazione della Vergine by Ghirlandaio (1504), placed in Avignone. In Saint Michel Cathedral of Sospel, in the Maritime Alps, is preserved an altar-piece of Immacolata Concezione by Francesco Brea (1530), where it is possible admiring, among all the angels, the one that plays a flute and a tambourin. This rich iconography gives proves that the instrument can be used both for profane and sacred music. Religious ceremonies, to which Tambourinaires participate, form a sort of intermediation between those of the family type and those of the community. Reverend Francois Marchetti explains that, during the Fete-Dieu reawoke people’s devoutness. The most ancient document that we have on Les jeux de la Fete-Dieu d’Aix-en-Provence is a cloth of an anonymous painter preserved in Vieil-Aix, where it is possible appreciating the Tambourinaires that take part in the procession. In Arles, the galoubet-tambourin participates to Christmas Mass through the performance of famous airs. Francois Vidal in Lou Tambourin, istori de l’estrumen prouvencau, published in Aix-en-Provence (1864), reports as a theme of La Bello-Estello, known as Marcho de Rei, was performed by Tambourinaires as organ accompaniment on January 6th. In the ancient county of Nice was custom using with the drum a transverse flute of different measures, called fifre: it was usually used in profane feasts as the Passa Cariera, where fifre et tambour performed music through the village. In religious ceremonies fifre et tambour intervene in precise circumstancies as Christmas, Assumption and so on. The Tambourinaires of Nice performed playing at the beginning and at the end of liturgical celebrations, during processions, at Elevation, at Offertory. The Ouferta dòu festin is a typical example of mixture between tradition and faith: fifre, at the Offertory, entered, accompanying with drums, in the church. During the performance a cock is offered: the believers, divided in men and women, worshipped the relics. When was the turn of men, tambourinaires performed a music, called “men’s theme”, while, when was the turn of women, they played “women’s theme”. At this point it does not exist a written repertoire for galoubet-tambourin and organ, even if we know that in XVIII century Antoine Colesse, organ player in Marseille, is author of numerous pieces for galoubet, tambourin and organ. In XIX century is founded in Aix-en-Provence the Acadèmi dou Tambourin for the enhancement of the traditional cultural heritage. Poncet and Charbonnier take part of this academy. Inside the volume 75 Noels de Saboly arranges pour l’orgue we also notice 3 Aubades avec tambourin where the organ has the function of accompanying and dialoguing with the galoubet-tambourin. In Provence it is used accompaning the ensemble of tambourinaires.


Notes to the programme:

Bussoleno, parish church of Santa Maria Assunta: at the end of the nave, behind the high altar, wrapped in the shadows of evening, Francois tunes with the galoubet the theme of Belle Doette, a provencal ancient aria of XIII century. As a song that awakes from a long road of the time, little by little wraps and resounds in the wide space of the nave. Tambourinaire slowly gets closer to the listener and the rhythm becomes more pressing, preserving that note of archaic beauty of the provencal song. The Fete-Dieu explains the popular joy in front of the Lord. To the sound of the galoubet and to the rhythm of the tambourin, organ Concone answers with a series of renaissance dances of the XVI century, taking part of an index of compositions for keyboard, written by French, German and English authors. Although France does not have any written works of music joy, preceding 1531, it is thank to the enterprise of the French editor Pierre Attaignant that the rich production of organ music in French territory knows a wide spread. The Courante du Roy by Bernhard Schmid le vieux (1535-1592), organ player in Strasbourg, belongs to an index of compositions for organ and cymbal in which many dances, even of Italian origin, take turns with harmonizations of Lutheran chorals. Two of the pieces by Jacob Paix (1556-1623) belong to the index orgeltabulaturbuch published in 1583 and compose a representative element of the wide and various profane repertoire of the time. In particular, the piece Schiarazula Marazula proceeds from the repertoire of an heterodox sect of Judaic-christian origin, called Benandanti: they go to their nocturnal rituals with sciarazz and marazz, that is to say reed and fennel. Hans Newsiedler (1508-1563) settles in 1530 in Nuremberg, where he published numerous indexing of compositions for lute that represent the richer source of lute music in Germany. The piece Ein gut Welish tantzlein is taken from the index of Welsh and French dances of 1544. To the joyful renaissances dances of the organ, accompanied with percussions, follow those of the composer Sèveran, where the galoubet returns to be the protagonist. In Provence, the influence of educated French instrumental music is rather clear in repertoire, preceding the Revolution. Authors as Arnoud Father and Son and in particular Sèveran compose with an educated music style. Musical forms as menuets, tournèes, serenades, aubades, marches, destined without any doubt to public performance, choose the shape and the speech of polished music. The influence of individual style, the good knowledge of art of composition and the use of noble genre as ciaccona, ouverture and giga are the elements that characterize the style of Séveran. Suite in mi minore, proposed here, is constituted of a series of pieces taken from an hand-written index by Jean-Raymond Cavailler of 1771, adapted and harmonized on organ. This suite has not anything to envy of other compositions more famous by authors of the French baroque period. From Provence to Italy the distance is short: Antoine Gardane, French editor and compositor (1509-1569) moves to Venice around 1538, where he publishes the index Intabolatura nova di varie sorte de balli da sonare (Venice, First Volume, 1551), a series of compositions of diversi eccellentissimi autori still inspired to dance. One of the most representative figure of Provence and in particular of the Noels, compositions inspired to Lord’s Nativity, is the poet and French compositor Nicolas Saboly. Born in 1614 a Monteux, in the Department of Vaucluse, first of four sons, after he took vows, in 1639 he becomes organ player and kappelmeister of the Cathedral of Carpentras, passing away in 1675 at Avignone, after he was kappelmeister at Saint Pierre. His fame is due most of all to numerous Noels, famous Christmas songs on which many French organ players will compose beautiful variations fro organ. Among the most known Nouvé, by Saboly, the writers has chosen harmonizing and composing some variations on the theme Canten Nouvé, alternating three verses in dialogue for organ and galoubet. Gai roussignou sauvagi is structured on an (improvvisazione) between a flute in organ’s octave, the galoubet and the nightingalr, in a country concert announcing to sheperds the (lieta novella) of Jesus’ birth. Finally La cambo me fai mau, which text was composed by Saboly on a popular aria, called Tonlerontonton, is founded on a minor tone (tonalità) in which the refrain starts on (quarta ascendente). Deeply inspired to popular tradition and to Noels is Michel Corrette (1707-1795) who, after he studied with Father Gaspard, moves to Paris, where he composes in a pleasant style as requested in Concerts Spirituels that even more (estendono) their interest to performance of profane music. Besides Corrette composes numerous Sonate and concerts for viella, musetta and other similar instruments, considered at the time instrument du terroir, pastorals, vaudevilles and also some revolutionary pieces, as the famous Marseillaise. Pieces complementaires pour Orgue take part of Premiere Livre de clavecin that can be performed also with organ. References to the traditions of popular music in feste sauvage and rondeau written in shape of tambourin in which besides the organ we have used the drum. Noels provencal is a piece inspired to tradition of provencal tambourines and it is perfect for the performance in shape of dialogue between organ and galoubet. In the ancient county of Nice musical tradition wants that is fifre the principal instrument for popular music accompanied with the rhythm of drum: in this case the musician cannot play at the same time the tambourin and the transverse flute, but it is necessary the help of another player. In the Suite du Comté de Nice we repropose an hypothetical music intervention of one of the many religious feasts that take place in villages. The Pièce d’Orgue is a piece taken from an hand-written manuscript of Entrevaux. In that case organ Concone underlines perfectly the Plein Jeu of French organ and is suitable for a religious ceremony. The Ouferta dòu Festins is a typical piece performed in church during the Offertory: the chosen piece and adapted to organ is taken from the Valle de la Vesubie’s tradition and performed in Lantosque. The Diane des soldats de Napoleon is instead a brief melody for fifre and drum, performed during the Elevation. The musette I and II for organ preserve a profane characteristic, even if from the original source are composed for organ. The suite ends with the piece Marcho per lei Proucessien, based on an ancient march performed by tambourinaires during pilgrimages. The Adiéu, paure Carnavas, also known as Aria de la Fougère can be considered the Provence’s De Profundis: performed the first day of Lent, symbolizes (?) the passage from joy to repentance. The famous Follia is a dance of Portuguese origin of the XV century. Exported to Spain, France and Italy becomes a society and court dance. On the contrary, Lei foulié espagnolo, also known as Danse du Turc, was performed in Provence as a representation of two young Saracens’ story.

“ Vive un tambourin qui nous réveille,
oui, c’est l’instrument
le plus charmant;
rien ne chatouille l’oreille
comme le son guilleret
du galoubet ”

(Vaudeville d’Honorine)