Dances Inspired by Dimitrija

A woman is more dangerous than a loaded gun. – Ryann Bosetti .

In a previous post I mentioned how many Bulgarian folk dances got their names. They are usually named after people, places or regions.  Dimitrija is the name of the day.

The first song is from the Pirin region, in southwestern Bulgaria.  Dimitrija sits on a stool, a gun next to her, drinking wine and rakia.  If you're searching for a woman with attitude, look no further. She is definitely "more dangerous than a loaded gun."



Here's the dance, performed by the group Leb i Vino. They specialize in authentic folklore from the Pirin region. It sounds quite a bit different from the previous video; with three zurnas and a tupan (drum). 

The Ottoman Turks used the zurna to intimidate enemies.  The people of the Pirin region liked it so much they incorporated it into their folk music.



One of my favorite dances is Mitro, one of the many variations of Pravo Horo. This is a favorite with the Sunday night group, and I often lead it. Mitro is the short form of Dimitrija. The song is from the Rhodope region (southern Bulgaria) and the gaida (bagpipe) introduction is loud enough to wake the dead.



I learned the dance Oj, Dimitrole at a Yves Moreau workshop, although I have since forgotten most of it. Maybe this video will give me incentive to review it. The dance is from northwestern Bulgaria, where brass bands are popular.

The singer is Daniel Spasov, whose specialty is music from the Northern and Shopluk folklore regions.  He also hosts a weekly folk music show on Bulgarian National Televsion: Ide Nashenskata Muzika.

There is also a half hour video with songs performed by Daniel Spasov, not shown here, but I have provided the link: Ide Duhovata Muzika (Here Comes the Brass Band), which is on YouTube. You can also find the post with songs from that video on the bottom of the page.

The first figure in this dance looks like a penguin walk. The rhythm is 6/8, often used in pravo dances and their variations.



If you enjoyed this you may also like

The Women of Bulgarian Folk Songs

Here Comes the Brass Band! Modern Bulgarian Folk Songs with Daniel Spasov

Dances Inspired by Elena

The Zurna in Bulgarian Folk Music

The Bagpipe in Bulgarian Folk Music


This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

The Zurna in Bulgarian Folk Music

Today's post features a musical instrument that people either love or hate: the zurna. In that respect it is related to the bagpipe (gaida).

The zurna looks like a wooden horn with finger holes, and has a double reed like an oboe. According to this article it may have originated in Asia; it is a very popular instrument in Turkey and the Middle East.

http://www.belly-dance.org/mizmar.html

Shepherds played zurna to frighten the bears away. The Ottoman Turks, who ruled Eastern Europe for nearly 500 years brought the zurna to the Balkans. The zurna and the tupan (double-headed drum) were important instruments in Turkish military bands, and the purpose of the music was to intimidate enemies of the Ottoman Empire.



The people of the Pirin region (southwest Bulgaria) incorporated the zurna as well as the tupan into their folk music. It's loud enough to wake up the dead and played during festive occasions. This one happens to be a New Year's Day celebration.



The zurna is usually accompanied by a tupan. In this video the purpose is not intimidation, but music for dancing.



The last video is from the festival "Pirin Sings." This is more like Pirin, get up and dance, or else :)



If you enjoyed this you may also like:

The Bagpipe and Bulgarian Folk Music
http://katleyplanetbg.blogspot.com/2010/06/bagpipe-and-bulgarian-folk-music.html

If Drums Could Talk....
http://katleyplanetbg.blogspot.com/2012/09/if-drums-could-talk.html


This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

The Different "Flavors" of Macedonian Folk Music

I love Macedonian folk music.

The reason for that is that it's a blend of multiple cultures, and uses motifs from Greek, Turkish, Roma (Gypsy) and Bulgarian folk music to create a distinctly Macedonian sound, which is almost, but not quite, Middle Eastern. Macedonia was under Turkish rule from the 1400's until 1912.

One of my favorite folk ensembles is Tanec, from the Macedonian capital of Skopje. In this video, a musician plays the zurna (at 6.13) a double reed instrument which looks like a wooden horn with finger holes. It has a loud and piercing sound, and was used in Ottoman military bands (presumably for war dances and to intimidate enemies). Notice the "skirts" on the men (these are similar to the Greek folk costumes, and can be compared to the kilts worn by men in Scotland).



More information on male folk dress in the Balkans can be found here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fustanella

Some Macedonian folk music and dances are similar to Bulgarian and there is a bit of overlap in the border region of southwestern Bulgaria, Blagoevgrad Province, also known as Pirin Macedonia.

The languages of the two countries are very similar (much like the speakers of Spanish and Italian, they can understand each other), and both countries use the Cyrillic alphabet.

Here Tanec performs music from the Pirin region. The second song, Snoshti E Dobra, (at 1:45) is popular in Bulgaria, too.



Here is the same song performed by the Pirin Ensemble of Blagoevgrad.



In the next video, the Pirin Ensemble performs a very beautiful folk song: Glasat Na Pirina (Voice of Pirin). Pirin is a derivation of Perun, who is the Slavic god of thunder and lightning, and is also the name of the mountain range in this part of Bulgaria (remember, lightning always hits the tallest objects!)



There are several countries which include the name of Macedonia as part of their territory. Although I don't want to get too much into politics (and start World War III), there is a lot of contention regarding the use of the name "Macedonia". Back in the days before political borders, Macedonia included territory now in Bulgaria, Greece and the Republic of Macedonia. The area now in Greece is Aegean Macedonia, and the next video is a sample of the folk music of that region.



The Greek Macedonians and the Slavic Macedonians don't always get along, which is something I don't understand. But unfortunately the Balkans have always been a hotbed for ethnic tensions, even in modern times, and these disputes sometimes get played out on YouTube, which is why comments have been disabled on many Macedonian folk music videos.

As for me, I enjoy the music, and think that people should set aside their differences and get along.

If you enjoyed this you may also like Ten Reasons Why You Should Read My Blog

http://katleyplanetbg.blogspot.com/2011/01/ten-reasons-why-you-should-read-my-blog.html

For a look at the Roma influence in Macedonian music read:

http://katleyplanetbg.blogspot.com/2010/09/people-are-afraid-of-what-they-know.html


This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.