Page 8 - Quadrivium

QDV 6 (2015) ISSN 1989-8851 Identity, Dialogism and Liminality… Marcello Messina

The final stages of the mattanza

While entering the last phase of the fishing, the tunnaroti sing another song, Gnanzù, which is characterised by a

more frenetic rhythm, due to the fact that the mattanza is entering its more demanding and critical phase: also,

the more pronounced rhythm serves to synchronise efforts. While retaining the same dialogic structure of the
other songs, Gnanzù12 is characterised by a more blurred distinction between the participants to the dialogue, as
the part of the choir repeatedly overlays that of the cialumatori:13

(leader) Aè assumma u coppu Raise the coppu
(choir) Gnanzù Lift up!
(leader) Nzu zzà Lift up! 14
(choir) Gnanzù Lift up!
(leader) San Cristofaru Saint Christopher
(choir) Gnanzù Lift up!
(leader) Nzu zzà Lift up!
(choir) Gnanzù Lift up!
(leader) Ranni e grossu Big and sturdy
(choir) Gnanzù Lift up!
(leader) Nzu zzà Lift up!
(choir) Gnanzù Lift up!
(leader) Sû purtava Carried Jesus
(choir) Gnanzù Lift up!
(leader) Nzu zzà Lift up!
(choir) Gnanzù Lift up!
(leader) Gesù addosso With himself
(choir) Gnanzù Lift up!
(leader) Nzu zzà Lift up!
(choir) Gnanzù Lift up!
(leader) Sò lu figghiu The son
(choir) Gnanzù Lift up!
(leader) Nzu zzà Lift up!
(choir) Gnanzù Lift up!
(leader) Ri Maria15 Of Holy Mary

Here the intermissions of the choir repeatedly break the sentences sung by the cialumaturi, making the dialogue
much more dynamic and frenetic. It could be argued that this slightly different structure signals a mutated
relationship between the cialumaturi and the other tunnaroti: now the hierarchical distinction between the choir
leader and the rest of the crew is less pronounced, and this in turn could perhaps suggest the passage to a
dimension where cooperation is more horizontal. In spite of this, the undisputed leadership of the rais, which
had been freely mocked in Lina, Lina, seems to be fully restored and reasserted, perhaps validating any argument
made earlier about the regenerative function of the mockery. Alongside the acknowledgment for the authority
of the rais, a mention is made to show respect and admiration for the owner of the tunnara (patruni):

12 Reported here as transcribed by Guggino (2008: 89-90), is it also transcribed as Gnanzôu (Ravazza, 2010: 78-79), Gnanzòu (Guggino,
2008: 90), or Nianzò (Torrente, 2010). The word Gnanzù means “lift up” (Ravazza, 2010: 78).
13 More preceisely, the last syllable of each of the verses sung by the choir temporally overlaps with the first syllable of the following
verse sung by the leader.
14 Here I propose to interpret the syllable zzà as a contraction of the verbal imperative isa (“lift up”).
15 The transcription adopted here is an elaboration based on the transcriptions reported in Guggino (2008: 90-92) and Ravazza (2010:
78-79), and on a recording taken by Maggio (Tonnaroti di Favignana, 1994a).

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