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| Logo of the Corsican Polyphonic Singers |
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| Archway in the Corsican Mountains |
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| Corsican Coast and Mountains |
The next night we went out to hear a
guitarist/singer who we were told was also a comedian, at our local
“pizzeria”, a little restaurant perched on a cliffside. He was
not much of a singer and certainly not much of a guitarist. He would
strum a chord, then “sing” a few words or phrases, then suddenly
erupt in a series of sub-human growls and yelps. The place, however,
was packed and at the end of each song, the whole crowd would erupt
with laughter. We tried to follow along, but in Corsica they speak a
dialect of Italian/French/Corse that is difficult to interpret. I
know one song was about Bill Clinton and Madonna?
In the middle of our dinner, there was
another explosion, and no, the lights did not go out, but a young
chef was badly burned in the kitchen. Ever “Helpful John”, I went
to assist and give first aid until the doctor arrived.
Again, there was no chance of us
finishing our dinner, even though we now were sharing one
between us.
The next day we hiked a trail that meandered along a stream through a
National Park. It had us feeling like we were somehow transported to
a magical place where elves, dwarves, Hobbits?, would not seem out of
place. At the end of our hike we had a cold bottle of sparkling
water (with ice!!) and a huge salad, full of tomatoes, lettuce, eggs,
and olives at a place that was completely off the grid, running
solely on power supplied by a diesel generator. The music? “The
Letter – Boxtops, Whiter Shade of Pale – Procol Harum, Pictures
of Matchstick Men – Status Quo, Cinderella Rockefeller - Israeli
duo group Esther and Abi”
I told the young girls there that I really liked the music and they
thought that was hilarious!
Next day was spent on the beach by the Tyrrhenian Sea. We walked for
miles and swam in the warm, shallow water.
That night we went to hear Coriscan traditional polyphonic singing in
the church in the nearby town of Pero Casevecchie.. It was an hour
of absolute enchantment. The acoustics were haunting, the setting
perfect. The six male singers would weave their harmonies in and
out, sometimes sounding almost Arabic, resolving first to one chord,
then sliding that up or down to a modal relative, shifting through
chromaticisms that created enough tension that it enhanced the final
resolution to a familiar major or minor chord.
At the end of the concert, the men walked through the audience, and a
woman from the audience joined them. They encircled her and joined
hands in singing one of the most beautiful laments I have ever heard.
This is apparently a Corsican tradition, as a tribute to the Virgin
Mary.
A sample can be found here, at the beginning of this video.
Today we went for a hike up to one of the highest points in Corsica.
It was two hours of climbing up and down, providing one of the most
incredible panoramic views for miles and miles. Unfortunately,
Lorraine took a bad tumble on the way down, spraining her ankle
painfully, and landing on her elbow on the sharp rocks. We spent the
rest of the day quietly, with me being Florence Nightingale (I have a
very cute nurse's outfit!) She seems to have rallied, but we will
probably drive, not walk to the club to eat a cow.
Tomorrow – brave the ferry back to Italy!
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