To the sound of polyphonic singing

Just a few voices are enough to break the silence. Without instruments, they fill the vaults of a church and carry through a village. In Lisula and the Balagne region, polyphony is much more than a vocal art form: it conveys the language, emotions and history of a people. It tells the story of a Corsica in flux, bearing witness to a culture that is not merely preserved, but boldly reinvented through contemporary creations.

Secular Song A tradition that has been passed down through the centuries

Passed down orally for many generations, polyphonic singing has accompanied life’s major milestones for centuries. It brings generations together, preserves the Corsican language and embodies a collective memory that has been enriched by Mediterranean and religious influences. Threatened with extinction in the mid-20th century, it experienced a resurgence with the Riacquistu movement in the 1970s. In 2009, ‘u cantu in paghjella’ was inscribed by UNESCO on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, thereby recognising the universal value of this tradition.

U Cantu Sacru Three voices, one breath

Polyphonic singing is based on a subtle balance between three voices.The ‘a seconda’ carries the melody, the ‘u bassu’ adds depth, whilst the ‘a terza’ enriches the whole with its harmonies. No choir director, no sheet music: everything depends on listening, breathing, eye contact and the rapport between the singers. This way of singing in unison, where each voice finds its place naturally, is what makes Corsican polyphony so unique.

From church vaults to village festivals

Polyphony follows two closely intertwined paths. Sacred chant accompanies services, processions and major religious festivals. Each village can preserve its own ‘versu’ – its distinctive way of interpreting the chants handed down through the generations – as the Olmi-Cappella brotherhood does. Polyphony also takes centre stage in churches during concerts organised outside liturgical celebrations, where the unique acoustics of the stone and the tranquillity of the surroundings envelop the voices, creating a captivating experience.

There is a change of tone with secular song, which evokes the local language, landscapes, emotions and stories of everyday life. Whether it fills a church, brings a festival to life or punctuates a ‘chjam’è rispondi’, secular song bears the hallmark of polyphony: sharing.