Finding the voice. Between local practice and mediated canon in Sardinian multipart singing
Diego Pani
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20309755
Abstract
This article examines the role of audio recordings, particularly the 1995 recording Sardegna. Confraternita delle Voci – Santu Lussurgiu by Sardinia’s vocal group Cuncordu ‘e su Rosariu of Santu Lussurgiu, in the processes of transmission and canon formation of Sardinia’s traditional multipart singing, known locally as cuncordu. It argues that this recording constitutes a shared musical canon, structured across sacred and secular repertoires, and based on specific vocal techniques and performance styles developed by the group over the years. Beginner singers commonly use the recording as a tool for individual practice, providing a repeatable sound model that anticipates their integration into the collective performance context. The analysis draws on the concept of canon in folk music and the theory of mediatization of oral traditions, highlighting the transformation of musical knowledge from oral community practice into a partially mediated process. The article concludes by situating the recording’s release within its local historical and cultural context, underlining its role in formalizing and disseminating the cuncordu repertoire of Santu Lussurgiu, while also discussing the role of ethnomusicology in the processes of mediation and transmission of the musical cultures it studies.
Keywords
[keywords]


