taranta

Taranta is a term used in Italian folk music to describe a style within the pizzica tradition, a lively dance and musical repertoire from Salento, the southern tip of the Apulia region in Italy. It encompasses songs and instrumental pieces performed during social dances, weddings, and local festas and is closely associated with the broader tarantella family.

Historically, taranta developed in the context of tarantism, a set of folk beliefs in which communities attributed certain illnesses to the bite of a tarantula and used music and dance as a therapeutic ritual. Musicians would guide dancers through rhythmic intensification and trance-like states, with sweating and renewal seen as part of the cure. Over time, the musical elements of tarantism were absorbed into the pizzica repertoire, giving rise to performances commonly described as taranta.

Musical characteristics of taranta include a driving rhythm, often in compound meters such as 6/8, and a percussion-led foundation from the tamburello (frame drum). Ensembles may include guitar, violin or fiddle, lute or mandola, and sometimes accordion. Vocals are typically in the Salentino dialect and feature call-and-response patterns and repetitive refrains that propel the dance.

In contemporary times, taranta experienced revival and broader popularity through cultural preservation efforts and festivals. Notte della Taranta, a major annual festival in Melpignano, has played a prominent role in promoting pizzica and taranta and in bringing regional music to wider audiences. The tradition remains strongly associated with the Salento region, with local variations across Lecce, Brindisi, and Taranto provinces.