Musical Bands of Fresa
Within living memory, it is possible to remember three country musical band. The first one was before the1921, directed by the music-master Paterno from Montenero di Bisaccia, and afterwards by music-teachers Fantini e Troiano. Teaching and training took place in a town hall’s room, nearby the first arch of Umberto I street.
The second band was in the 30’s, with 60 members almost all from the village, and many of them were very young, a lot of artisan, and they have also a smart uniform. This was directed and orchestrate by the music-master Croce, our fellow-citizen. Ermidio Florio Croce(born in Fresa 1904 and died in Popayan Colombia 1976)graduated in oboe at the conservatory of San Pietro a Maiella in Napoli e he was a very famous composer and player. Thanks him the music band of Fresa reached high levels of quality, so much that excited esteem and admiration by all the villages around, and also by the other bands from Abruzzo. Because of this, Fresagrandinaria was one of the most important band in Abruzzo.
It was a hard up band, and because there were just few streets to tour the villages of Abruzzo and Molise and they were also in bad conditions, so our band had to go on foot, or on mule back, and at the best by coach.
There is fanny story: for the Country Feasts the band was called in Larino. Once there they found also the band from Chieti, whose members looked conceited on them , like a Princess look at a waitress. Chieti played Pini di Roma by Respighi , leaving the audience cool. On the other hand, the band from Fresa played Cavalleria Rusticana in a loud cheering, exciting envy from Chieti’s members’. The day after, the Mayor of Larino, wired to the Mayor of Fresa to give him congratulations.
This band brook up because of the bad local administration, and moreover because most of band’s members were called up for Military Service due to the second world war.
The music–master Croce directed also other music band in Fara F.Petri and Città Sant’Angelo, and then in 1954 emigrated in Columbia with his family. As a oboe player he was very famous, and was called the messenger of Italian Art in Central America.
Other members were called to join others music bands, such as the one of Chieti, Casalanguida, Lanciano, Vasto, and also the military one. Others members gave up playing and emigrated abroad. Ottaviano Antonio, son of Adamo, went to Roma and them joined a successful band. Giuseppe Lalla, a horn player, got graduated and went to play at the Opera Theatre’s Orchestra in Roma, and he played and went on tour all around the world. Lalla was also a music master at the conservatory of L’Aquila ad at the Music Accademy of Santa Cecilia in Roma.
He never forgot his country and he always went back here on holidays. He composed a march named “Homage to Fresa”, not only this, but, because of his job he knew a lot of people in the show business, then between 1965 and 1980 he also invited in Fresagrandinaria a lot of famous artists, such as musician, orchestra conductors, singers, theatre and cinema actors, dancers, TV announcers, comic actors.
In 1980 he found a music school in Fresa, and with a big sacrifice , he used to come every week to Fresa from Roma, to direct and teach at the school, that had a specific course for orchestras. Many young people enrolled for the school, and only in few months was created the third music band of Fresa. Unfortunately, during the time of training of this music band, the music -master died, amid the general mourning.
He just new born band was released and as always happen, some of the members went on plying, others gave up. More than one reached the music diploma and now plays in any important band or teaches.
The thread left by Florio Croce and Giuseppe Lalla, hasn’t been split, and that’s why Fresa people love so much music and music band.