The Ribeba Nera by Fitteafrotte (Luca Boggio) from Piedmont, Italy is reminiscent of the legendary "Doromb Black Fire" from the workshop of Zoltán Szilágyi from Hungary due to its straight legs, its heat-treated black finish and also its excellent playability.
Thanks to the consistently thick shanks, this jaw harp is super easy to play, even by beginners.
The sound of the Ribeba Nera is loud, cutting and pretty rich in overtones. This is due to the very well-balanced tongue dynamics.
Get more background information in our blog
Pure coincidence brought Luca Boggio together with the Ribeba specialist Alessandro Zolt a few years ago. Both come from Piedmont and are jaw harp enthusiasts. Zolt researches the history of the Ribeba. Boggio forges jaw harps. The two work together for almost a year to make a copy of a Ribeba from Valsesia. In a conversation with Helen Hahmann from DAN MOI, Luca Boggio reports on how he deals with the forgotten heritage of the northern Italian jaw harps (Ribeba).
For many decades, the history of a rare craft lay dormant in Valsesia. Even the inhabitants of the region had forgotten that their province could once be mentioned in the same breath as the cities of Molln (Austria) and Birmingham (England): for about four centuries, Valsesia was home to production sites for jaw harps. Thanks to the research of Italian historian Alberto Lovatto and ethnomusicologist Alessandro Zolt, we now know a lot about the filigree Ribeba from northern Italy.
Manufacturer
Fitteafrotte
Fr. Torello 93, 13825 Valdilana, IT
fitteafrotte@gmail.com
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