Chant a Batànt

On Saturday, March 1st in Oulx at 5 PM, in the Council Hall, there will be a screening of the film by Flavio Giacchero and Luca Percivalle Chant a Batànt.

On June 10, 2023, in Valle di Viù, Valli di Lanzo, in the Western Alps bordering France, during the Viuleta, a festival of spontaneous singing and music from the Alpine arc, the canti battenti: Chant a batànt were experimented with in the local francoprovençal language. A tradition with ancient origins that is still alive in the contemporary memory of numerous witnesses. During work activities or for fun, groups of people would sing, and from the other side, other singers would respond, continuing the verse of the song. The positions could be two, three, or even more. A sound and cultural landscape typical of these valleys that has parallels in other places across Europe and the world. To launch a song, let it be carried and amplified by the very environment while waiting for a response before continuing. An aesthetic experience, a union of man and environment. During the performance, some traditional songs were performed, including the ancient and emblematic song "Sul chastel del Mirabel" (On the Castle of Mirabel), still in use in the Valli di Lanzo.

The film is presented with a contextualization of the oral tradition singing practice, involving traditional singers.

As part of the stenth edition of "Chantar l'Uvèrn. From Epiphany to Easter, fragments of Occitan, francoprovençal, and French language and culture": the cultural festival that enhances original creations and promotes the Occitan, francoprovençal, and French language and culture through a rich and widespread territorial animation with musical, theatrical, anthropological, documentary, and environmental events.