The contrasto : observational analysis of an extemporaneous vocal-gestural performance in Tuscany, Italy

The poesia in ottava rima (‘poetry in octave rhyme’) is a living tradition of improvised-sung poetry widespread in the rural areas of Central Italy. In this article, I describe and interpret the interaction that takes place between two poet-performers and between poet-performers and the audience, highlighting the importance of embodiment and gesture during the poetic duel and the active role of listeners. This paper aims to highlight the strong binding of speech and gesture and the bodily expressiveness of the onstage improvised sung poetic duel, analysing the contrasto as a ‘vocal-gestural performance’. The ultimate aim of this study is to examine the ways in which visual information in the form of gestures contributes to the way musical performance is experienced. Furthermore, we apply insights from ethnomusicology and gesture studies, together with digital video and audio recording and associated analysis software, to the study of contrasto performance.