Originating in mystery and folklore, this energetic rhythm mirrors Italy’s spirited soul, unfolding in brisk 6/8 or the occasional 12/8 tempo woven together by tambourines, accordions, mandolins, fiddles, and guitars. Themes of love, courtship, and even exorcism wind through its music, embodying a dance of passion and purge. From its medieval origins as a cure for tarantism to its evolution into 19th-century entertainment, the Tarantella has adapted and thrived, blending historical tradition with modern artistry. Each region of Southern Italy paints its own Tarantella canvas, from Naples’ symphonic elegance to Puglia and Calabria’s rustic gatherings.
The Rhythm of Life
This dance and musical style unfolds in brisk 6/8 or the occasional 12/8 rhythm, ribbons of sound woven by tambourines, accordions, mandolins, fiddles, and guitars.
The tambourine leads, orchestrating the exuberant dance with its cadence.
It’s a symbiotic dance of beat and movement.
A Dance of Passion and Purge
Themes of love, courtship, and even the exotic notion of exorcism wind through its music.
Legend whispers of the Tarantella as a cure for the tarantula’s venom, trapped in rhythmic dance until the poison sweated out, lending the dance a bewitching air.
From Ritual to Entertainment
History writes its tale in the Middle Ages, when the dance began as a therapeutic practice against tarantism, evolving into the entertainment of choice by the 19th century.
Today, the Tarantella meshes with modern music, adapting and thriving, an ever-changing portrait of historical and contemporary artistry.
The Dance as Diverse as Its Regions
Southern Italy’s regions paint their own Tarantella canvases.
Naples presents a neater symphony in Neapolitan Tarantella, eminently suited for operatic echoes.
Nearby, Puglia and Calabria retort with rustic, spontaneous renditions, bearing the warmth of community gatherings.
Revivers and Keepers of Tradition
Groups like Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino craft faithful echoes of tradition while interlacing them with modernity.
Musicians draw from centuries-old roots, ensuring the Tarantella’s melody endures and adapts.
Names like Antonio Forcione and bands like The Zekley Family Band contribute notes to this musical narrative.
Legends and Lore
From folklore of the epidemic of tarantism in Taranto, to tales of women spinning in fields for their antidote, the Tarantella weaves stories as rich as its rhythm.
Stories of venom danced away, the music a potent antivenom itself.
Echoes of belief dance in each beat.
The Tarantella dances on, a vibrant testament to Italy’s cultural ethos, where every rhythm and turn tells a story, a shared heritage beating both ancient and modern.
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Tracklist :
Tarantella Antonio Forcione Quintet
Jazz guitarist Antonio Forcione injects brisk Mediterranean flair into a compact instrumental led by percussive nylon strings.
Tarantella Dance
Basic folkloric tutorial-style video looping through tarantella steps without attributing any specific regional tradition.
Tarantella Traditional Italian Dance Tune With Corwin Zekley
Corwin Zekley plays a violin-driven take on the Italian tarantella, set against a static background and steady rhythmic pulse.
Slow Tarantella
A piano étude disguising itself as a tarantella, this version stretches tempo to the point where the dance becomes hypothetical.
Draga Matkovic Plays Her Own Tarantella Composition From 1927
Draga Matković performs her 1927 composition with steady hands at over 100 years old, captured in a modest home recital.
Calabria Mia Band – Paisellu Miu – Live
Calabria Mia Band perform live with amplified accordion and dialect lyrics, anchoring the tune in southern Italian nostalgia.
L’Arpeggiata – Athanasius Kircher (1602-1680) – Tarantella Napoletana, Tono Hypodorico
L’Arpeggiata reimagines a 17th-century score attributed to Athanasius Kircher with baroque instrumentation and controlled phrasing.
Tarantella Napoletana
Anonymous performers deliver the Neapolitan standard at full clip, tambourines in hand and feet barely touching the ground.
Tarantella Calabrese Con L’Organetto
Accordion and tambourine set the tone for a Calabrian-style tarantella recorded outdoors, minus any claims of authorship.
Gianni Manti Feat Masi Supertarantella
Gianni Manti and Masi overlay folk motifs with synthetic beats for an electronic pastiche branded as SuperTarantella.