The Tenore Song,an Expression of the Sardinian Pastoral Culture

　　The Gosos, an ancient form of A Tenore song which is still practiced in some villages today, is already mentioned in the Gosos de sa Figumorisca, dating from the early 17th century.

　　The A Tenore song encompasses a vast repertoire that varies from region to region. The most common melodies are the serenade boche 'e notte ("the voice of the night") and dance songs such as the mutos, gosos and ballos. The lyrics are either ancient or contemporary poems on present-day issues, such as emigration, unemployment and politics. In this sense, the songs can be regarded as both traditional and contemporary cultural expressions.

　　Like many oral traditions, the A Tenore song is especially vulnerable to changes in the socio-economic structure, such as the decline of the pastoral culture and the increase of tourism in Sardinia. The diversity of forms and repertoire is slowly decreasing. There is a tendency to perform on stage in front of audiences, which affects the originally very intimate way this music was performed. Furthermore, many young people emigrate from the rural areas, making the transmission of the A Tenore songs within the villages increasingly difficult.