CORYLUS

The place name “Colloredo di Prato,” a small village in the outskirt of Udine in the Friulan valley, most likely comes from the Latin term corylus, which means “hazel.” The region where this village is located was originally characterized by wild meadow and grazing lands with only a few small areas where local inhabitants settled. One of the most diffused autochthonous plants was precisely the hazel or, as it is called in Latin, “corylus avellana.” From this term comes the name of the settlement “Coryleto” (literally “hazel orchard”), which was founded in the year 1,000, when the Patriarch of Aquileia helped the reconstruction of many of the villages of the Friulan valley that had been destroyed during many years of Barbarian invasions. In time, the name Coryleto transformed first into Coloreto and successively Coloredo, as a consequence of the influence of the Venetian dialect, which changed the ending to –edo. Finally, the definition “di prato” (of the pasture) was added to the name of the settlement because of the natural morphology of the landscape. This composition consists of three stylistically contrasting movements. The first short movement features an energetic and dynamic character and emphasizes all the sections of the wind band with its brilliant orchestration. The central movement, expressive and soothing, alternates two simple themes, which are characterized by different colors and compositional procedures. The piece ends with a festive dance inspired by the rhythmic, harmonic, and melodic structures of Sardinian folk music.