The system of the melodic chanters

Let’s summarize, now, by highlighting the general musical characteristics of the different melodic chanters (MC), that is to say mancosa and mancosedda have in common..

Common characteristics of the melodic chanters (MC)

1. Each melodic chanter has 5 holes, 4 are digitable, the fifth hole (arrefinu) produces the lowest note, and it plays when the other 4 holes are closed.
2. The common musical staircase is the diatonic major, of which the MC play a only part. Only the note produced by the arrefinu can be separated from the others 4.
3. The notes played by the arrefinus always belong to the major triad built on the note (keynote) emitted by the tumbu. That is to say:1° (8°), 3° (10°), 5° (12°) degree of the scale.
4. The keynote is always present and joined to the other degrees of the scale, also when it is on the arrefinu; therefore, every melodic chanter contains its own tonal centre.
5. The interval between the note of the fourth hole (the lowest among the digitable notes) and the arrefinu is the minimum one necessary to fulfil point 3. There are never degrees belonging to the major triad inside this interval.

The number of the varieties of MC, normally used for the construction of the launeddas is 7, of which only 5 are fundamental, while 2 are variants of these on different octaves. For instance mancosa of Mediana and mancosedda of Punt’e organu are the same, but an octave distant one from the other. From a certain point of view the traditional system of the MC has its own completeness since if we wanted to find some new varieties of MC, respecting all the characteristics mentioned above, it would not be possible: we would reach the same system of the 5 known melodic chanters, and naturally the repropositions of the same ones on different octaves. To find new varieties of MC it is necessary to “violate" at least one of the common principles, for instance modifying the scale to varying the number of the holes, etc.

The following scheme visualizes the musical structure of the MC, with respect the seven varieties (5 + 2 of different octave).

To complete the traditional nomenclature that links the name of the melodic chanters to the principal cuntzertu to which it belongs (for instance mancosa of Fiorassiu, mancosedda of Punt’e organu etc.), we used a new symbology (Roman numbers), which has its own logic in the musical structure of the melodic chanter itself: in fact, to point out in an unambiguous way a particular variety of MC, it is sufficient to refer to the position that the keynote assumes in one of the five holes, and to the interval in octaves of this one to the note of the tumbu. A logical consequence is that the Roman number symbol of the MC also indicates the degree that the note at the 1° hole occupies in the scale; for instance in the MC II, the 1° hole represents the second degree of the second, in the MC III, the third degree, etc.

As can be observed the V° has the same notes a the V, but shifted an octave lower; the same thing is true for I and I *.

To indicate the interval between the keynote in the MC and the one of the tumbu, the symbol “°” is used when it is of an octave, and the symbol “*” is used when it is of three octaves. When the interval is of two octaves we have not adopted any symbol since this is the most frequent condition.

From melodic chanters to Cuntzertus

The chart that follows represents the possibilities of combination of the different melodic chanters, through which it is possible to obtain not only the known and used cuntzertus, but also those theoretically possible and nevertheless not in common use.

The matrix is constituted by an external frame and by an inside panel.

In the external frame there are the varieties of melodic chanters, represented both by numerical symbols and by references to the traditional notation. In the left and right sides the seven melodic chanters are used as mancosas (or crobas); in the superior and inferior sides the same melodic chanters are used as mancoseddas instead .

The inside of the graph consists in cells, each of which corresponds to a possible combination, which is identified by the intersection of a line with a column and which can be expressed in the form of coordinates, for instance: Fiorassiu (I, IV); this means that the Fiorassiu is constituted by the melodic chanterI as mancosa and from the IV as mancosedda. Mediana a pipia (V°, IV).

With the seven varieties of the above mentioned melodic chanters there are 49 possible combinations of which only twelve have a name, while the others don't represent (for a variety of reasons) instruments that are traditionally used.

Of the twelve combinations that have a name, some cannot be defined as real cuntzertus since they don't currently have their own repertoire. For instance, the su Para e sa Mongia (V, V) and Mediana frassa (II, III) or su Moriscu (III, V) which are to be considered extinct.

Please note that the seven numerical symbols represented indicate seven melodic chanters that can be used indiscriminately as mancosa or as mancosedda according to the cuntzertu used. For instance the melodic chanter V represents a mancosedda of Punt’e organu (according to the traditional notation) that can serve also as mancosa in order to form the croba of Ispinellu. The chanter V of the mancosas is therefore perfectly equal to the chanter V.

Besides helping us to understand how the cuntzertus are formed, and what their number is, this table can be useful to highlight the relationships, the similarities, the common elements of the cuntzertus.

The cuntzertus that belong to the same column have in common the same mancosedda. For istance:

• column IV, Fiorassiu, Mediana a pipia, Samponia, Ispinellu a pipia (and all the other possible combinations) have in common the mancosedda IV (mancosedda of Fiorassiu);
• column III: Ispinellu, Mediana frassa, Mediana, have in common the mancosedda III (mancosedda of Mediana) and this is true for all the other columns.

The tools belonging to the line II: Mediana frassa, Samponia, Punt’e organu and the others (II, V°); (II, I); (II, II); (II, I *) have in common the same mancosa: II that is mancosa of Punt’e organu.

Line V°: Fiuda, Mediana, Mediana a pipia and combinations (V°, V°), (V°, II), (V°,V); (V°, I*) have in common the mancosa V° mancosa of Mediana, that is to say croba di Mediana.

The chart can be divided in the following three sectors:

- diagonal sector: boxes that are on the diagonal that goes from (V°, V°) to (I *, I *)

- inferior sector: boxes that are below the diagonal

- superior sector: boxes that are above the diagonal.

The combinations belonging to the diagonal sector have the characteristic of having the equal mancosa identical to the mancosedda (I, I); (II, II) etc; of these combinations only the (V, V) has a denomination (su Para e sa Mongia).

In the inferior sector the mancosa is always lower than the mancosedda. For instance: Fiorassiu, Mediana etc. The main part of the cuntzertuses used belong to this sector.

On the contrary, the combinations belonging to the superior sector have the mancosedda lower than the mancosa. This characteristic is not very common, in fact, as can be seen from the chart, the only cuntzertus that belong to this sector are only Ispinellu and Ispinellu a pipia.

To every combination belonging to the inferior sector another one belonging to the superior sector corresponds. This one has an inverted position of the MC (mancosedda at the place of the mancosa and vice versa). The MC are represented by two boxes that are symmetrical to the diagonal, for instance moriscu (III, V) and Ispinellu (V, III) which are the only pair of cuntzertus to have this characteristic.

Cuncordia a Launeddas
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