Musical Offerings ⦁ 2026 ⦁ Volume 17 ⦁ Number 1 35 the tarantella as inspiration for dance-like showpieces.3 Many of these works were directly inspired by Italian culture. The “Deuxième année: Italie” movement from Liszt’s Années de pèlerinage features a tarantella-inspired piece in 6/8 meter titled “Venezia e Napoli.” Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 4, “Italian,” was inspired by the landscape of Italy, and its fourth movement features rhythms similar to the tarantella and other Italian compound folk dances such as the Roman saltarello (see Example 2). Example 2: Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 4, “Italian,” Mvt. IV, mm. 1–6. 4 Note the triplet figures being played which heavily resemble the “Tarantella Calabrese” tambourine rhythm from Example 1. The tarantella was introduced to the United States as a result of Italian immigration beginning in the late nineteenth century. The majority of Italian immigrants hailed from the southern regions, primarily because Italian unification brought waves of economic reforms that crashed the southern region’s agrarian economy, prompting many families to find 3 Schwandt, “Tarantella.” 4 Mendelssohn, Symphony No. 4, “Italian,” 46.
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