Piffero (oboe) – Quattro Province

“What Makes It Italian?” is a music listening and discussion group that meets online on the Zoom platform and is open to everyone.
Participation is free.
The group is led by Gina Crusco, who guides listening at Bard LLI and Riverdale Y, and who has been music instructor at The New School and director of Underworld Productions.
Please email ginacrusco@gmail.com to confirm your attendance and receive an invitation link.

The piffero is uncontrollably loud – but the Italians, making a virtue of necessity, used it to herald town events during the Renaissance. It’s now heard in traditional music of the quattro province in the northwest Italian Apennines.

This Fall we listen to music played by the instruments of Italy – and the vocalists they inspire – visiting regions from Sardinia to the Tyrol. Many of these instruments have been preserved in their early forms by isolated traditional cultures, and only recently have come to light for us to enjoy.