Dancing Through the Alphabet Letter W: A Waltz From Slovenia

Today's post is about a Balkan country that seldom seems to make the news: Slovenia. Slovenia used to be a part of the multi-ethnic, multicultural nation of Yugoslavia, which fell apart after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.

Before there was a Yugoslavia, Slovenia belonged to the Austro-Hungarian Empire.  The folk music of Slovenia has been strongly influenced by its neighbor to the north, Austria.

The video features a waltz from Slovenia, played on an accordion,  which. according to some, is an instrument of torture. It was most likely invented in a German speaking country. Since accordions were easy for traveling musicians to carry around,  their popularity spread over Europe. 

Other Balkan countries have also included waltzes in their folk music, for example: Croatia and Bulgaria.  You can find them in one of the links below.

This piece sounds more Germanic than Slavic.



The bonus video features Cookie Monster and the Letter of the Day.  Guess what that is?



If you enjoyed this you may also like:

Waltzing Through the Balkans

Classical Composers Inspired by Balkan Folk Dances

The Accordion in Bulgarian Folk Music


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