4. RHYTHMICAL ASPECTS

In Sardinian folk songs the rhythmical aspect is independent.
With my research being a study, that has necessarily got to revolve around the grammatical codes used in traditional music, the criterion of advance towards folk songs are very schematic and stylised. Therefore in the research on folk music, the registration of the sound elements becomes compulsory for a scientific basis of this work, which has to include jointly melodic and rhythmic elements.

a. Free rhythm

The most evident aspect of many folk songs, choir or single voice songs, is the liberty of rhythm, i.e. the independence of whichever metronome measure, even though this affirmation necessitates of further explanation. The musical score can, in many songs, get quite close to the reality of it’s performance, but can never be expected to correspond to it entirely.

In certain songs it is absolutely impossible to measure them, some different examples are A ninnia, the falsobordone of many songs a cuncordu, Bellos prodigios of Nulvi, where the soloist is very independent. Others instead are rigorously measured for the whole length of the piece of for most of it, for example the method of singing a tenore or su ballu a cantigu.

A rhythmic diversity is decided by the performing context and the purpose of the song.

b. Simple rhythms and compound rhythms

Folk songs, when they do not have free rhythms, have movements of the simple rhythm (2/8, 3/8, 4/8 – 2/4, 3/4, 4/4 – 2/2 etc.) or compound rhythm (6/8, 9/8, 12/8 etc.) With these indications it is possible to give the rhythmical scheme of each song.

However it isn't possible to indicate a whole song with one same rhythm, in fact another relevant element is the presence in the same song of many different rhythms, due to the extreme liberty of rhythm that is common in Sardinian folk songs.

c. Syncopation

Though quite rare, even in Sardinian folk songs syncopation occurs, the movement of the rhythmical intonation from the stronger part to the weaker part of the beat. I found this rhythmical quake in two examples of ballu a cantigu, where the rhythm which has to lead the dance, is rigorously measured. In the first example Su ballu mannu of Buddusò (Fig. 15): the syncopation creates a frenetic rhythm. The other example that I quote is Su dia doi soloist from Ozieri.

Fig. 15 - Syncopation in Su ballu mannu of Buddusò (performed by: SU TENORE BUDDUSOINU)


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