Corfu

(This article is about the Greek island known in English as Corfu. There is also a place named Corfu, New York.)

Music and festivities

Corfiotes are great lovers of music. Most people readily join in the singing of the cantadas, impromptu choral songs in two, three or four voices, usually accompanied by a guitar. Corfu Town is home to three famous, top-quality marching brass bands, the dark red-uniformed Philharmonic Society of Corfu or Old Philharmonic, the blue-uniformed Mantzaros Philharmonic and the bright red and black-uniformed Capodistria Philharmonic. The bands give regular weekend promenade concerts and partake in the yearly Holy Week celebrations. There is considerable but friendly rivalry among them, and their respective repertoires are rigorously adhered to. For example on Good Friday the Old Philharmonic will parade the streets playing Albinoni's Adagio, the Mantzaros plays Verdi's Marcia Funebre from Don Carlo, and the Capodistria plays Chopin's Funeral March and Mariani's Sventura.

Related Topics:
Philharmonic Society of Corfu - Mantzaros - Capodistria - Albinoni - Verdi - Don Carlo - Chopin - Mariani

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Sometimes, though, the three bands coexist, as is the case on Holy Saturday morning, when the Epitaphios of the St. Spiridon Cathedral is paraded, along with the Saint's relics. At this time the bands play Miccheli's Calde Lacrime, the Marcia Funebre from Faccio's opera Amleto, and the Funeral March from Beethoven's Eroica. The custom dates from the 16th century, when the Venicians banned the traditional Good Friday Epitaphios parade. The defiant Corfiotes held the litany the following morning, and paraded the relics of St. Spiridon as well, so that the Venicians would not dare intervene.

Related Topics:
Miccheli - Faccio - Beethoven - Eroica

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The litany is followed by the most spectacular Corfiote celebration by far, the "Early Resurrection". Balconies in the old town are decked in bright red cloths, and Corfiotes throw large clay pots (the botides) full of water down, so that they smash on the street pavement. This is done in anticipation of the Resurrection of Jesus, which is to be celebrated that same night.

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During Venetian rule, the Corfiotes developed a fervent appreciation for Italian opera. The Corfu Opera House was a fixture in famous opera singers' itineraries, and those who were successful there were given the title "applaudito in Corfu".

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