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Intro: |
Italian
Harlem's
Gallery of
Past/Present Performers and Their Music
(put your speakers on)
Italians are an "Artistic" people. With their
skills, crafts, occupations, cuisine, folk dance ensembles,
family singing, música
paesana, Operatic Tenors, sopranos, popular music
and much more have contributed a wide variety of
their gifted arts and entertainment to this country as
well as the world.
I would like to quote this
exerpt from Antonio Mangano's article written in
1904: "The Associated Life of the Italians in New
York City" regarding the Italian Community in New
York City. "In matters of amusement and
recreation, the Italian finds boundless pleasure in
comparatively simple things. Gathered about a table
sipping coffee or wine, listening to some music, a
stroll up and down the street, a game of cards in a
saloon or in some friend's house—these are the chief
amusements of the masses. It is music, however,
which appeals most strongly to the Italian
character. He is not carried away with our
slam-bang- band music, nor do you hear him whistling
and humming the so-called popular ' songs of the
day." "it is the opera which lifts him to the third
heaven. The favorite operas of Verdi, Puccini and
Mascagni, always draw large Italian audiences at the
Metropolitan, especially so if the leading artists
are Italians, and often such is the case. With the
love of music is joined a sentiment of patriotism."
(Antonio Mangano)
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