🎻 Ethnic and folk music — Corsican

Corsican music is notably famous for cantu in paghjella, a secular and liturgical male polyphonic tradition. Paghjella generally rests on three voices entering successively: the segonda, the bassu and the terza, each with a distinct function. However, not all Corsican polyphony falls under paghjella: religious songs, laments, work songs, serenades and recent creations form other repertoires. The cultural revival of the 1970s encouraged the reclaiming of the language and traditional songs by groups such as Canta U Populu Corsu, I Muvrini and A Filetta. Festivals, brotherhoods, singing schools and contemporary creations ensure their transmission today, even though paghjella is still considered fragile.