La tradizione dei Battenti è testimoniata a Minori già dal XIV secolo. Vestiti di bianco e cinti da una rozza corda di canapa, mentre un cappuccio copre il loro volto, tramandano oralmente il canto la cui caratteristica si lega alla differenza del tono che per tale motivo è stato denominato in “e vascie“ (di sotto) e “e ncoppe” (di sopra). Tale distinzione nasce dalla presenza di due confraternite attive sul territorio. Anticamente le due congreghe si alternavano nell’armonizzazione dei canti della settimana santa. Il giovedì sera, questa Arciconfraternita dava inizio ai riti della morte e passione di Cristo intonando il “Ton’ e vascie”, definizione data non solo dalla tonalità più bassa, ma dal fatto che la congrega fosse ubicata “abbasc’” ossia in pianura. Il Venerdì mattina, invece, spettava all’Arciconfraternita del SS. Rosario di Villa Amena continuare i canti in “Ton’ e ncoppe”, ossia armonizzazione del canto in una tonalità più alta e caratteristica della zona collinare di Minori dove appunto risiede la cappella della Madonna del Rosario.

Tutti i diritti sono Riservati                                                                                  Testi di A. M. Lembo

Il 30 marzo 2010 il Canto dei Battenti è stato dichiarato

Patrimonio Storico Culturale della Città

BENE DEMOETNOANTROPOLOGICO IMMATERIALE  MIBAC

THE BATTENTI AND THE HOLY WEEK

Traduzione a cura di M. D’Amato

In Minori, all citizens take part in the Holy Week, which is lived as a period of intensive spiritual life. The unanimous participation finds its apex in several religious events in which the popular spirit manifests, absorbing and reliving the traditions they received, sometimes only by word of mouth.

Therefore, we felt the need to gather in a single booklet all those chants our people, with inner emotion, convey in this particular period of the liturgical year.

These chants find their sources in the innate religious sentiment of the people of Minori; it’s this sentiment that involves everyone and is expressed poetically and pitifully, commemorating the Passion and Death of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Some of them have a unique melodic structure and we transcribe them as they came to us, in hope to pass on to future generations the same enthusiasm the still bonds us all.

The main exponents and the most genuine expressions of these religious events are the “Battenti” (“Beaters”).

Dressed in long white gowns, hooded and wearing rough cords around their waists, which they once used for public punishments to beat themselves with (therefore the name “Beaters”), they walk in procession along the main streets of the village announcing the last events of Christ’s life. Their suggestive and mystic procession, led by a great cross carried on shoulders, moves through the village’s paths and stairs leading into an emotional and moving atmosphere.

The Beaters, walking through the streets, stop over the religious places scattered all over the village. There they form a circle and split in three choirs. A solo voice starts to sing, followed by another one, then a second group and a third one, setting up a remarkable polyphonic plot. Another peculiarity of these chants is their double key. On Thursday night they are sung in a low key, “tono ‘e vascie”, while on Friday morning they are sung in a high key, “tono ‘e copp”. The origin of the double key finds its reason in the local religious history. The high key refers to the singing style of the brothers of the Arch Confraternity of the Holy Rosary, situated on a hill in the Villamena quarter; the low key refers to the Arch Confraternity of the Holy Sacrament, situated in the centre of Minori.

This issue’s purpose is to contribute to the revival of the most beautiful traditions of our village and to preserve our religious heritage for the new generations, symbol of a spiritual growth and search of those values deeply ingrained in our people.