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Piva ticinese

The presence of the piva in Ticino is documented by an oral tradition (riddles, proverbs, and common sayings) and by frescos in the churches the famous one in Maggia has been the model for the construction of Ilario's piva, and the Ascona one is on the cover of the CD "Dumagn l'è Denedal" and by the finding of a chanter in Sonogno. My following remark on this instrument is based on the one made by Walter Biella and Gabriele Giottonini.

The chanter of the piva was found by Franco Patà (b. 1962, from Sonogno in Verzasca valley) in Cherubino Patà's house who was a painter in Sonogno (1827-1899). The instrument is damaged, crossed all over by evident splits.

It is made of boxwood and embellished with rings and a brass bar that has probably been soldered. Thanks to these rings, the chanter has maintained its shape intact. The internal opening is conical and it seems to have a slight shape of a bell.

On the front the instrument has got seven holes which are for the fingers. Obviously, like other models of the chanters, the player can choose to play low-pitched notes with the right hand and the high-pitched ones with the left hand or vice versa (the useless hole was then wedged). Near the bell, orthogonal to the finger holes, there are two tuning holes on the same axis with each other. On the back there is a tiny hole (1,5 -2 mm) on the same axis of the first upper hole.

This tiny hole had been made in an existing cracking line. But if we watch thoroughly the instrument, we can affirm that this tiny hole had nothing to do neither with the sonorous equipment nor with the fingering. It seems to have been made with a nail to hang up the instrument. Firstly, its dimensions (especially if compared with the other holes) do not allow the interval sensitive - tonic superior. Secondly, while the instrument itself and all the other holes and splits all along the years have become dark brown-colored, the opening on the back is still yellow light brown, the typical color of boxwood.

It is then obvious that the tiny hole had been made more recently, when the instrument was not used any more, so that the chanter is now covered by a dark patina resulted from time and a continuous manipulation. Instead, the tiny hole remains light probably due to a chemical reaction released by the hands that touched the instrument. The instrument's bag and bass drone got lost and we do not know anything about this lacking parts. Now the chanter is being kept by Franco Patà who lives in Locarno.

- Download "The piva in Canton Ticino". (Peter Metzger - Gaita 2005)