In Bosa, as in a few other communities in Sardinia, a way of singing in several voices called cantu a tragiu has been passed down orally. There is no scientific documentation about it, so it is not possible to determine the certain date of its origin. The history of religious music and the post-Tridentine confraternal institution traces it back to the 16th century, after the Council of Trent, when through Franciscan monks, Jesuits and others, the practice of falsobordone was imported. Tragiu singing is a polyphonic practice based on four male voices: bassu (the lowest voice), contra, tenor and cuntraltu. Normally each part is given to a soloist but, during the rites of Holy Week, it is customary to sing with more than one person per part.
