When they founded the male vocal group “A Filetta” more than four decades ago, the group members didn't just want to preserve Corsican tradition from oblivion, they also wanted to change the world.
At a time when modern musical influences were suppressing old forms of singing, they decided to revive and preserve the “paghjella”, an ancient polyphony that could be heard centuries ago in the streets and churches of Corsica. The music presented by the male vocal ensemble “A Filetta” became a bridge between the past and the present, but also a powerful voice of authenticity, identity and emotion, finding its way to audiences around the world.
After numerous performances around the world, tonight the audience in Podgorica will have the opportunity to enjoy for the first time the acapella performances of the male vocal ensemble “A Filetta”, which will perform in the large hall of the KIC “Budo Tomović” as part of the event “Days of Francophonie 2025” from 20 p.m. The premiere performance of this ensemble in Montenegro will take place thanks to the cooperation of the KIC with the French Institute in Podgorica.
The band “A Filetta” was formed in 1978, in the small Corsican town of Balanje, when a few young men came together determined to contribute to the preservation of the almost forgotten oral tradition of their region, and they inspired many to follow in their footsteps. Today, what they do is recognized worldwide.
Corsica was ruled by the Venetian Republic and Genoa until the mid-18th century, which left a strong mark on its language, culture and music. In 1768, Genoa ceded the island to France due to debts. Although it became a part of France politically, its language sounds closer to Italian than French, and remains a key bearer of identity. This cultural duality is clearly reflected in the music of “A Filette”.
“For hundreds of years, Corsica was under Italy and the Corsican language is very close to the different Italian dialects. What we call the spoken language of Corsica today is the old Corsican language. But what we use in writing is actually the Tuscan dialect of the Italian language. Until the beginning of the 20th century, we only used the Tuscan dialect in writing, in the official documents of statesmen. We sing in Corsican, then in Latin because there is a whole repertoire of church songs in Latin. Finally, there is the Tuscan, Italian dialect, because there is a whole section of biblical chants that is in that Tuscan dialect. So, we don’t sing in French. Not because we don’t want to or don’t like to sing in French because, as you can see, we express ourselves in French. But we don’t sing in French for the simple reason that the French accent is not suitable for this type of singing. When we compare the French language with the Italian "In the language, the accents are arranged differently and especially that emphasized accent is in a different place compared to Italian and for that reason it is not suitable for this type of singing. It would be much easier for us if we sang in Spanish because the French language is difficult to insert into this type of singing at all," explains one of the founders of the male vocal group "A Filette" at the beginning of the interview for "Vijesti" Jean-Claude Acquaviva.
Even without musical notation, they saved traditional music from oblivion
When they founded the band, the members of "A Filette" faced another challenge - they had to preserve music that had never had musical notation, but rather the melodies and lyrics were passed down from generation to generation orally.
"The way we actually learned those songs and how they were passed down to the younger generations 'from mouth to mouth' until we founded this vocal group. We are proud of the tradition, but I must mention that we are children of tapes. What does that mean? At the end of World War II, many songs were recorded on tapes and that's how we listened to them and learned them. Thanks to them, we continued to pass them on," recalled Akvaviva, adding that they still perform those songs in the traditional way today, but sometimes they had to adapt some parts.
"Knowing that the environment has changed, that in fact the sound of music production has changed and that the way it was recorded in the 40s and the way it is recorded today is not the same, it is logical that there are some changes and differences in that way of singing. However, we try to maintain the essence of traditional singing. So, that is the part of our repertoire that concerns traditional songs. But in addition to that, we also have a part of the repertoire of newly composed songs, with the help of which we want to prolong, in fact, the memory of this type of music and to create something new for the future," reminded Akvavive.
Their performances feature both sacred music and secular songs of various influences, film scores created in collaboration with Bruno Kule, music composed for choreographies Sidie Larby Cherkoy, but also choirs for ancient tragedies and a requiem commissioned for the Festival in Saint-Denis. Most musicians who dedicate themselves to preserving traditional music at some point find themselves in a dilemma whether the tradition should only be preserved or should it also be developed. Thus, the members of “A Filette”, after years dedicated to collecting and performing old songs, naturally reached the point where they felt the need to create something new, and they have several thematic albums behind them, and some of those tracks they will perform tonight. And how difficult it was to write new songs modeled after traditional ones, Aquaviva explains:
“To explain, we have to go into some technical details. The first difficulty we encounter is that it is a polyphonic singing, which means that we have multiple vocalists singing at the same time. In traditional Corsican polyphonic music, there is no rhythmic pattern that allows us to move from one voice to another or from one part of the composition to another. This is something that presents us with the greatest difficulty and it is something that can only be practiced orally and that is practiced over time. So this is what we work on the most when we create a new composition. The most difficult thing and what we were most afraid of when we created new compositions is not to stray too far from the traditional way of singing and from traditional music. We understand that each generation brings something new, and it is precisely this introduction of something new that creates tradition. We should not be afraid of that at all,” claims Acquavive.
In polyphonic singing, the harmony of voices is more important.
There are many talented singers with exceptional voices, but a good voice alone is not enough to be part of a vocal ensemble. The most important element in group singing is not individual virtuosity, but the ability of the voices to unite into a harmonious whole. Each voice must be well-integrated without the dominance of certain vocals, and this compactness of sound, a sense of balance and mutual listening is what distinguishes good singers from those who can be part of a truly harmonious vocal group. When asked how difficult it is to find singers who can be part of this vocal ensemble, which has changed many members in more than four decades, the founder of the “A Filetta” group says:
"That's our biggest difficulty, first of all because polyphonic singing is specific, but our polyphonic singing in the group 'A Filetta' is even more specific. What we need to pay attention to is the sound. We need to spend a lot of time together to harmonize and harmonize our voices. You're right, there are a lot of good singers, but when it comes to polyphonic singing, it's not always good to have a singer with a good voice in the group. What's needed is for the singers to have the same concept, the idea, to give their full personality to the group, but to be aware over time that they are there to serve it," says Akvavive and adds:
"If we take a classical choir, each part of that choir, each voice is responsible for itself, and they also have a conductor who manages the choir and determines which voice will be heard best at what moment and coordinates them. Our group has a completely different organization. There is no one who determines who will sing when and how loudly. We are all responsible for our voices, but at the same time for the entire group. We have to listen, reproduce, sing at the same time, and at the same time give our stamp, but at the same time be responsible for the entire group. There is no one who is more important and who will determine how which voice will function."
From songs about a difficult life to love and environmental songs
When one mentions male vocal ensembles, the first association is often love songs. However, Corsican music carries a deeper, authentic story - its polyphonic songs were born from everyday life, while men worked in the fields, sharing the burden of work and the rhythm of life with their voices. However, “A Filetta” encompasses themes from different human experiences through its songs.
"Traditionally, the themes in the songs were hard work in the fields. In second place are those love songs because love is a universal theme in all types of music, and in third place is what is specific to Corsica, which are the themes of exile and exile. A lot of the Corsican population has left their country, either to work abroad or to serve in different armies, empires, and kings throughout history. Corsica is a country from which people have left. Whenever you leave your country, you feel suffering and sadness, and that is the theme that is represented in these traditional songs. It is especially specific to Corsica that when you leave, you feel like you are uprooting your roots because it is an island and it is more closed compared to other territories. As for today's themes, they are current themes of the 21st century: social struggles, ecology, and any topics that concern the modern man and woman of the 21st century," concludes Acquavive.
In music we learn to listen to others.
Jean-Claude Acquaviva joined the ensemble “A Filetta” at the age of just 13, driven by a deep love for Corsican polyphony. From the very beginning, what was required of all members was not just technical skill, but a true passion for the music they performed. And after decades spent in the group, this passion has not diminished in him at all, but still burns with the same intensity.
"There is a beautiful expression in Corsican that shows how to maintain that engagement in singing: 'having meat in your mouth'. I am now 60 years old, I don't have the same breath, strength, energy, concentration, but I have the same desire to change the world. That passion still exists with the same intensity as at the very beginning. If you don't have that passion, then you should automatically stop doing this kind of music. When we celebrated the 40th anniversary of the group, I said that we would see each other in 40 years with a similar line-up. We'll see who will be there. I never think that in a year or two I will be here or stop doing this. I try to maintain that passion and engagement in this kind of singing," Acquavive is honest.
As he himself has indicated several times, “A Filetta” was created with the vision of changing the world. However, it was not only the music that changed the world, but also the world that changed the music. In what way did they want to change the world, Akvavive reveals:
"What you said about the world changing music is true and natural. Music evolves, sometimes for good, sometimes for bad. Everyone needs to give their individual level the maximum, to get involved, to work. We cannot stay only in baroque music or traditional music. It is natural that the world changes, and so does music. When I say that I want to change the world, I am personally convinced that music is the greatest virtue because in music we learn to listen to others, to hear them, to get along with others, and that is what a person should strive to do in all fields. That illustrates good human behavior. Unfortunately, we are aware that we are in danger every time we put our individual qualities against the other. That destroys everything and we must not do that in any domain, let alone in music. It only destroys harmony and music itself in music," says the interviewee of "Vijesti".
Polyphonic singing is a reason for young people to gather
Today's generations are mostly oriented towards contemporary musical trends, while there are fewer and fewer who feel the need to preserve and nurture the rich heritage of traditional music. Thus, old melodies and oral traditions often remain in the shadow of commercial sounds, and only a few recognize their value and power that transcends eras. When asked if there are any young people interested in being part of such bands that nurture the music of Corsica, Aquavive answers:
"When we talk about traditional polyphonic singing, the social context has always been important. This music was mostly performed during field work or when people gathered for village celebrations. The meaning of this music was gathering and joint interpretation. Today, as the conditions in all these jobs have changed, we will not see a farmer singing this type of music. What is good is that in these 40 years, polyphonic singing has found a new place and new contact. It is no longer a physical job. Specifically, among young people, this is a reason to get together and this is done in schools, universities, in various associations, brotherhoods, church gatherings. The good thing about this kind of music is that it has found a new place for itself to continue to exist," believes Akvavive.
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