Monday, March 9, 2020

Cantastoria


Cantastoria is an Italian word for a form of storytelling that uses pictures accompanied by song.

A story singer from Wikipedia
"Picture-story recitation in its earliest form involved the display of representational paintings accompanied by sung narration. Originating in 6th Century India, this religious and then increasingly secular practice evolved as it spread both east and west. The diverse versions of the practice which appeared in Indonesia, China, Japan, and across the Middle East and Europe came to include instrumental music, puppets, props, broadsheets and booklets, as well as the central printed, painted, embroidered, and/or otherwise decorated narrative images."


"Various forms of picture-story recitation continue to be practiced today in Iran, Turkey, India, and Indonesia. Recently there has been a revival of interest in picture-story performance among artists, puppeteers and activists in the West, who find that this ancient form has startlingly modern qualities and can easily be infused with fresh content."
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Read more at the Museum of Everyday Life.
Cantastoria on Wikipedia


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1 comment:

  1. Susan KrzywickiMarch 14, 2020 at 10:15 PM

    Wow, I had never heard of this. I assume the pictures were on some sort of canvas for ease of packing and moving - like circus backdrops. It sounds like fun.

    I think this would also be a great thing to do with kids - parents creating a space where children could paint and sing.

    Of course, one must be at least somewhat musical...and somewhat artistic. Seems like a cool group project.

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