On the left is a print from Bonanni’s 18th-Century “Gabinetto Armonico,” a series of plates documenting antique musical instruments and their players. On the right is an 18th century statue from Bagheria’s Villa Palagonia that was created based on Bonanni’s plate Number 118. It’s a musician with tamburro Persiano or barrel drum from Persia that was, “found from the Middle to the Far East.” Notice he’s even dressed the part.
Today, a drum of this type is familiar as being one of India’s musical tradition. Its presence as one of the baroque-era statues at Villa Palagonia is an indication of the multicultural society that has existed in Sicily for millennia. My music duo, named for Villa Palagonia, will be performing in Brooklyn Saturday night 9 January 2016. There are a handful of spots left. See http://villa-palagonia.com/ for reservation details.
