Serenade

Title: Serenading the Bride

General Information about Item:

  • Customary Folklore
  • Italian, English
  • Italy

Informant Data:

  • Gerardo Pisacane is a thirty-year-old male from the south of Italy in the Amalfi Coast, a place near Naples. He lived in Vietri Sul Mare (the first village of the Amalfi coast) from his birth until he turned twenty-three years old. At that point, he moved to Milan for six years and now lives in Hanover. He currently works at Dartmouth as the resident advisor for the Italian language program, exposing American students to Italian language and culture. Coming from the south of Italy, Gerardo has been to many weddings, particularly because he comes from a large family. In December, he even participated in his cousin’s wedding as the best man.

Contextual Data:

  • Social/Cultural Context: In Italy, it is customary that the groom, if he chooses, serenade the bride the day prior to the wedding so as to demonstrate his love for her.

Item:

  • The groom sings to the bride the night before their wedding day.

Media File:

Transcript of Associated File:

  • Informant: “The first, uh, the day before the wedding- the… not the bride, but the other one: the groom – groom – the groom! (Okay, I learn a new word!) The groom uh sings a song uh to the bride. Do you know the meaning of a seranata?
  • Collector: “A sere- a serenade!”
  • Informant: “A serenade? Ok. For example, my cousin did that the day before and the -the bride didn’t know that and so she was so surprised!”
  • Collector: “And why would they do that?”
  • Informant: “It is a kind of – a romantic – romantic thing- to prove his love for her… to stress to show his love for her.

Informant’s Comments:

This practice is often dependent on the groom’s volition: some grooms are too shy to sing to their future wives.

Collector’s Comments:

  • This practice is an example of customary folklore, for it represents a typical custom tied to Italian weddings. The husband’s song of love is representative of the happiness that the couple will have.

 

Collector’s Name: Isabella Florissi

Tags/Keywords:

  • Customary folklore

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