Find handcrafted music-boxes that play French lullabys at Scata Musica shop
Aug 7, 2008
By by Jeanine Barone
In Corsica’s interior, the growl of the wild boar meets the melody of a lullaby. To hear those softer sounds, drive the wiggly Strada di l’Artigiani (the Road of Artisans) in the Balagne region, a route dotted with the workshops of chefs and craftspeople. Stop in the petite, stone hamlet of Pigna, a thriving music center known for traditional Corsican polyphonic chanting and lute-like cetera music. At the Scata Musica shop, owner Marie-Claire Darneal and other women handcraft brightly-painted music boxes of lime wood. The designs — cows and goats ; wild flowers from the aromatic brush, or maquis ; and local seashells like the Eye of Saint Lucie — offer a window into Corsican life and culture. The songs are equally traditional : "O Ciucciarella," the most popular, is a famous Corsican lullaby, and "O Lumeu" is a tune reapers once sang during the wine harvest. To learn the words, just flip over the box for the Corsican lyrics (and English translation) and then sing along. 011-33-495-617-734
