New Findings of Sicilian Folk Songs in Luciano Berio´s Naturale

Abstract

This paper gathers and analyzes information concerning Naturale, a work written by Luciano Berio in 1985 for viola, percussion and recorded voice, based on Sicilian folk songs. Several aspects surrounding Naturale's creation are taken into consideration in this study: Berio's compositional style and traits, the manner in which he relates his works one to another, what he sees in folk music and his own personal desire to intertwine art music and folk music. For Berio, Naturale is not an isolated venture into the realm of mixing folk music and his own avant-garde style; it is instead one of many works resulting from his long-standing relationship with folk music. Another essential aspect in this case is the study of the sources used by Berio to find the folk songs by which he was inspired. An interview with Maestro Aldo Bennici, the Sicilian violist for whom Naturale was composed, helped in the discovery of the usage of two more folk songs in a section of the piece, being their identification suggested in this paper.