The River of Many Names Part 6:The Danube in Croatian Folk Songs

You're probably asking "Why does this post begin with a picture of a vintage Croatian songbook, and will there be videos of any of the songs in it?"

A friend of mine, who knows of my interest in Balkan music, sent the book to me last year. He has mailed me all kinds of cool stuff including a CD of gadulka music played by Nikolai Kolev. I can always count on him for surprises in the mail.  He keeps the United States Postal Service busy, and that is also a good thing.

The book itself was published by the Duquense University Tamburitzans Institute of Folk Arts in the year 1975. It has about 30 pages of songs with sheet music, with the lyrics in Croatian and in English translation.

The Duquense University Tamburitzans, one of the longest running traveling folklore shows in the United States and Canada began as a tamburitza ensemble.

For more on tamburitza music, click here:

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

When Croatian people emigrated to the New World they became homesick, so they found solace in their folk music. They formed tamburitza ensembles all over the United States and Canada and performed at weddings and church festivals.. Tamburitza music found an audience even among non-Croatians like myself. International folk dance groups loved it and included it in their repertoire.

Today's songs have several things in common: they are all from Croatia.  They are either about or mention the Danube (River of Many Names a.k.a. Dunav), and the singers are accompanied by tamburitza orchestras.  None of the songs came from the book in the picture above, but go ahead and listen  anyway, you will enjoy them (although I know a few people who think this is music from Hell).

The first group, Dunavski Tamburaši (the ensemble is named after the river) performs the song Na salašu pokraj Dunava (On a Farm Near the Danube.)  I could not find the lyrics for this anywhere either in the original language or in translation. 



This catchy tune, U selu pokraj Dunava,  (In a village near the Danube), describes a man in love with the dark-eyed girl who lives in the village. The eyes seem to have it in the Balkans. Listen to it once and it's guaranteed to take up residence inside your head for hours. There is a term for songs like these; they are called earworms, although I happen to like this one.

http://www.npr.org/2012/03/12/148460545/why-that-song-gets-stuck-in-your-head



You can sing along with the original Croatian lyrics here. 

http://cuspajz.com/tekstovi-pjesama/pjesma/dike/u-selu-pokraj-dunava.html

Croatia used to be a part of the multi-ethnic multi-cultural nation of Yugoslavia, which, surprisingly, stayed together for nearly fifty years. Yugoslavia broke up after the fall of Berlin Wall in 1989 and became like Humpty Dumpty. Once it fell apart, it never got back together. Croatia declared independence in 1991; it has been its own entity ever since.

The Danube town of Vukovar has had a violent history. It was bombed by Allied forces during World War II  and by the Yugoslav army during the Croatian War for Independence in 1991. Vukovar was almost completely destroyed both times. Land mines still exist in the area, and there are numerous reminders that a war took place here not so long ago.  This picture from an old German postcard depicts a more peaceful time.

(photo from Wikipedia Commons)

In the video you can see present day Vukovar accompanied by a song about the city. Although most of it has been rebuilt, evidence of the war is still visible.  At 0:54, there is a building pockmarked with bullet holes; and at 2:02 you can see the the bombed out water tower, which has become a symbol of the city's suffering. The Danube scenes start at 1:37, and at 2:05 you can see a cross which was built as a memorial to those who died during the Croatian War of Independence.

This is a rough translation of the refrain. Google Translate does not do well with Croatian.

Vukovar, Vukovar, stands proudly by the Danube, burning in defense of Croatia .



And finally, here is my two cents' worth on the subject of war. War is something difficult to justify, especially the ethnic and religious kind which has been the scourge of Balkans.  This quote by Albert Pike sums it all:

War is a series of catastrophes which result in victory.

If you enjoyed this you may also enjoy The River of Many Names Part 5 (the links for the previous posts 1,2,3 and 4 are embedded in part 5). The series includes music from Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania.

http://katleyplanetbg.blogspot.com/2012/05/river-of-many-names-part-5-danube-in.html

The Tambura in Bulgarian, Macedonian and Croatian Folk Music (some great Tamburitza music here)

http://katleyplanetbg.blogspot.com/2012/05/tambura-in-macedonian-bulgarian-and.html

Last year I saw a performance of the Duquense University Tamburitzans. If they come to your neighborhood, go check out the show, it will be the best two hours you've ever spent.

http://katleyplanetbg.blogspot.com/2012/02/duquense-university-tamburitzans-come.html


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Crossing the River Part 2: The Stick Dancers-Romanian Căluşari and Their Bulgarian Counterparts

Romanian postage stamp 1977, from Wikipedia Commons

Today's post is about a ritual dance which takes place on both sides of the Danube, River of Many Names.  The Romanian Căluşari  and Bulgarian Kalushar share several things in common:  the performers are all male, they wield sticks while dancing, and they wear white costumes with bells attached to the lower legs.

There is a story behind the Căluşari and it has to do with horses and fools. The word Calus means "little horse" in Romanian, and it can also refer to the stick used to keep a horse's mouth open. The Calus dance is a springtime ritual performed around the time of Pentecost, forty days after Easter. (There is also a winter version, done around the time of the New Year in the Romanian region of  Dobrogea.)

The first video is from Romania. The sequence of the dance is as follows: walk, then some fancier footwork with stamps (how Romanian!), then it gets downright frenzied.  It's no surprise that most of the performers are young men.  The fool in the middle provides the comic relief. He's the guy wearing red and yellow...the dancers gang up on him as he tries to "whip them" into submission.  This is the Romanian version of slapstick comedy.



You can see the Bulgarian version of the dance, Kalushar, in the next video. Notice the similarities in the white costumes and the sticks; the music, is of course, different; (although it does sound very similar to Romanian folk music) and the dancers wear red masks.

There is also a man in the middle; he looks like he plays the role of the mute instead of the fool. He covers his eyes while the masked men dance around him and perform all sorts of acrobatics. 

After the Kalushar dance (it finishes at 4:00), the ladies join in and the group performs a suite of dances from northern Bulgaria, one of which involves a fire ritual (at 7:50).  The entire video is worth a look, it's very good.



For more information on the Căluşari, read these two articles. The first one primarily deals with Căluşari in Romania, although there is a mention of the ritual being performed, with different variations, in northern Bulgaria and in Serbia.

http://www.eliznik.org.uk/RomaniaDance/ritual_calus.htm

Wikipedia describes a connection between the Căluşari ritual and Morris dancing, it's an interesting read.

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

If you enjoyed this you may also like Crossing the River: Music From the Romanian Region of Dobrogea

http://katleyplanetbg.blogspot.com/2012/10/crossing-river-folk-music-from-romanian.html

For more about the Vlach people and their dances read:

http://katleyplanetbg.blogspot.com/2011/06/how-to-stamp-out-your-frustrations-and.html

Romania is a country not usually associated with bagpipes, but they like them just as much as the Bulgarians. There the instrument is called a "cimpoi" and there's even a dance named after it.

http://katleyplanetbg.blogspot.com/2011/08/another-country-heard-from-bagpipe-in.html



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Nusha, A Family Music Project with Neli Andreeva and her Daughters

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. (proverb, origin unknown)

Neli Andreeva, best known for the song Malka Moma, has two very talented daughters. The trio call themselves "Nusha" and the folk song in the video is Dambara Dumbara. It describes a hard working turtle who runs into lots of obstacles.



I wonder if someone was giving a lesson on food groups before this performance (see poster on the left side of this video) If so, why was it in English, and is turtle meat listed in the protein group?

You can read more on Nusha, the family project, here:

http://bnr.bg/sites/en/Music/Pages/1812NushaTrio.aspx

Mom is a talented musician in her own right. Here she performs Malka Moma (little girl) with the Filip Kutev ensemble.



Want to find out more about Bulgarian singing? Even in a small country like Bulgaria there are several distinct regional styles.  There is also advice on how to get back at neighbors who play loud, obnoxious music late at night. Read more here.

http://katleyplanetbg.blogspot.com/2010/08/bulgarian-singing-demystified.html

If you enjoyed this you may also like: Forbidden Fruit and its Implications: The Apple in Bulgarian Folk Songs

http://katleyplanetbg.blogspot.com/2012/08/forbidden-fruit-and-its-implications.html

Family resemblances apply to dances as well as people.

http://katleyplanetbg.blogspot.com/2011/03/family-resemblance-theme-and-variations.html


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Now that we've survived the end of the world...

Now that we've survived the end of the world and the craziness that is the Christmas holiday it's time to celebrate the New Year, Bulgarian style.  Today's post will feature party videos from different countries with Bulgarian folk dancing.

The first one takes place in Tampa, Florida in the United States, and this really exuberant group dances a rachenitsa, accompanied with lots of noise (presumably to drive away the evil spirits). Maybe they've had a little too much wine, the room seems to turn sideways :) I know it isn't me...



There are many versions of Dunavsko Horo around, and this dance always ushers in the New Year in Bulgaria; the one shown here is played on traditional folk instruments.  This group of young people is from Bulgaria.



The next group hails from Toronto, Canada. Check out the cute little girl in the center of the room (somehow they manage not to run over her).   The dance is Bachkovsko Horo, which looks very similar to Dunavsko, with a few more steps. It is a very energetic dance which should be done only by people in excellent physical condition :)



The music most often used for Dunavsko Horo on New Year's is by Diko Iliev; this father with his little boy are having fun with it.  They're pretending that they're shooting off fireworks while the little one blows the whistle and keeps time with the forks.  They're wishing everyone a Happy New Year all the way from California.



A very Happy New Year 2013 to all!

If you enjoyed this you may also like:

Bulgarian Folk Dance Around the World:

http://katleyplanetbg.blogspot.com/2012/01/bulgarian-folk-dance-around-world.html

Having a Blast with Diko Iliev: (everything you always wanted to know about the composer of Dunavsko Horo.)

http://katleyplanetbg.blogspot.com/2010/06/having-blast-with-diko-iliev.html

All that gloom and doom predicted for 2012 is now just a memory.  Here is last year's New Year post.  You can look back on 2012 and be glad it's almost over.  What will 2013 bring? More of the same, I'm sure.

http://katleyplanetbg.blogspot.com/2011/12/happy-new-year-2012.html


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The End of the World Doomsday Post

But it is a delightful challenge to try to depict interesting aliens.
David Brin

Is the end of the world at hand? Are UFO sightings connected with the end of the world and a possible takeover by aliens?  

According to the Doomsday Prophets and the Mayan Calendar, the world is supposed to end on December 21st. And no one knows exactly how it's going to happen. Fire, floods, earthquakes and other natural disasters are some of the events being predicted for this day, as well as a possible alien takeover.

We have had enough natural disasters to last a lifetime, so I hope it won't be any of those. However, with the world in the state it is, an alien takeover wouldn't be a bad thing. According to the Bulgarian National Radio, they are already living among us.

http://bnr.bg/sites/en/Lifestyle/Profiles/Pages/1403Bulgarianscientistamong10topbelieversinaliens.aspx

Maybe it's those dancers in the elaborate embroidered costumes. Bring them on!



Bulgarians are not averse to the idea of alien visitors judging from what I've read on the BNR website. This translation was taken directly from the Vidin affiliate and dated July 24, 2012:

UFO over house meetings in Novo Selo

An unusual phenomenon witnessed residents of Novo Selo on the eve of the traditional council. Apparition lasted 6 minutes, was observed near the new museum of the village, called House of meetings. Witnessed the unusual phenomenon occurred ten women who had gathered outside their homes, every night during the summer. Object that was the size of a soccer ball, appeared in the East and had stopped over the house meetings. After several minutes, the field is headed for the Danube.

Another time in this region of Novo Selo have observed similar phenomena were strong witnesses of the phenomenon. Despite a great life experience, women have so far not witnessed such events. Some were quick to explain the unusual event with the opening of the meeting house as a sign that the acquisition is expected and will be useful for Novo Selo.

the link to the source can be found here:

http://radiovidin.bnr.bg/Shows/Magazin/cvetovete-na-denq/Pages/NLO-nad-Kyshtata-na-sreshtite-v-Novo-selo.aspx

Computerized translations can get a little weird...if there are any Bulgarian speakers fluent in English,  please let me know if this one was accurate.

The second is from a blog about UFO's (in English.) I couldn't verify it with any Bulgarian sources; this event supposedly took place in March of 2012 in Kozloduy (the actual post was dated April 1, 2012.)  Maybe it was an April Fool's joke.  Who knows?

http://www.ufosightingsdaily.com/2012/04/ufo-fleet-over-kozloduy-bulgaria-on.html

And finally, another sighting, dated November 25, 2012 in the town of Lom. There was interference with the TV transmissions and interruptions in the electricity  This was reported to Novinite, a news source from Sofia, Bulgaria.  As for this being an actual UFO, this remains to be proved; the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences has to check it out first.

http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=145762

Judging from the frequency of UFO sightings in northwestern Bulgaria, extraterrestrials may be attracted to this area because of their folk music. There is an otherworldliness to this beautiful and poignant song, performed by Kaicho Kamenov; the UFO's have been seen flying over the Danube. Maybe the aliens are attracted to water.  And on foggy days, you can see all kinds of strange things :)

The world may not end on December 21st, and if it does I'll be at a folk dance.  The aliens will know where to find me.  The music will guide them :)  And if you do see any UFO's that day please let me know in the "comments" section. 

If you enjoyed this you may also like: Some Fun for April Fool's Day:

http://katleyplanetbg.blogspot.com/2012/03/some-fun-for-april-fools-day-silly.html

In case the Doomsday Prophecies don't come true, you can get into the spirit of Christmas with some Bulgarian folk songs:

http://katleyplanetbg.blogspot.com/2011/12/christmas-folk-songs-and-dances-from.html

http://katleyplanetbg.blogspot.com/2012/12/bulgarian-christmas-songs-koledarski.html

For more on the Bulgarian connection with aliens and outer space read:

http://katleyplanetbg.blogspot.com/2010/03/outer-space-bulgarian-connection-we-are.html



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Bulgarian Christmas Songs (Koledarski Pesni)

Here are a couple of Bulgarian Christmas songs for your listening pleasure. The first is performed by Daniel Spasov and Milen Ivanov (if you are a regular reader of The Alien Diaries there was a post on Daniel Spasov last month.)  You will find a link to it at the end.

The asymmetrical rhythms of Bulgarian music are evident even in the Christmas songs. You can actually dance to the second one (it's Pajduško Horo).



If you enjoyed this you may also like:

Christmas Folk Songs and Dances From Bulgaria

http://katleyplanetbg.blogspot.com/2011/12/christmas-folk-songs-and-dances-from.html

The Travels of Pajduško Horo (that dance gets around, doesn't it?)

http://katleyplanetbg.blogspot.com/2010/09/travels-of-pajdusko-horo.html



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A Romani Potpourri #2:

Romani flag, from Wikipedia

I'm not certain, but I have a little gypsy blood in me. And my mother always told me that her grandma could give someone the evil eye, and I'd better not cross her because she had some of that blood in her. Mother always believed that she could predict the future, and she had dreams that came true.
Sam Raimi

One of the reasons I'm fascinated with Gypsies (the politically correct name for them is Roma) is that they live a lifestyle outside of mainstream society. Music making, fortune telling, and horse trading were their traditional occupations.  They were a wandering people who, unfortunately, experienced discrimination wherever they went.

The Roma were originally from India. They made their way westward, and a sizable population of them live in Eastern Europe. They found they could make a living as musicians, and they were very good at it. 

The first video is a really old black and white broadcast from Austrian television (do any of you remember the days when there was no color TV? If you are over 50, you probably do.)  This is Esma Redžepova early on in her career, she began performing at the age of 14. The song is Romano Horo from the album Songs of A Macedonian Gypsy: (yes, despite the political incorrectness of this word, she is very proud of her heritage, calls herself the Queen of the Gypsies, and has been very much involved in humanitarian work in her homeland, Macedonia).



The second video took place in 2002. Esma has an enormously powerful stage presence and a very big voice! Her co-star is Toše Proeski, who was a very popular Macedonian singer and a superstar in his own right. His repetoire consisted of love songs, folk songs and pop music. Unfortunately he died much too soon; in a car crash five years ago. Check him out on You Tube, he was quite the performer. He knew how to work his audience, and the two combined are pure energy.



for more on Toše Proeski and Esma Redžepova click:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esma_Red%C5%BEepova

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To%C5%A1e_Proeski

If you've been following this blog regularly you'll recognize Daniel Spasov, who was featured on The Alien Diaries about a month ago. The next two videos are from the album Ide Duhovata Muzika (Here Comes the Brass Band). Brass music is very popular all over the Balkans, and many of the musicians who play in these ensembles are of Roma origin. The song, Ciganko, is about a man in love with a gypsy girl.



This video caught my attention because of the colorful costumes and how the well the symbol for the Roma people (an Indian chakra resembling a wagon wheel) was cleverly worked in here (check out the wagon wheels). They are having quite the party here along the Danube, River of Many Names. The song is Eh, Ti Druzhe. Unfortunately the very end of the song was cut off, but this is still worth a look.



If you enjoyed this, you may also like:

People Are Afraid of What They Know Little About (about the situation of the Roma in Eastern Europe, along with some music).

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

A Romani Potpourri

http://katleyplanetbg.blogspot.com/2011/11/romani-potpourri.html

A special "Thank You" to Tracie Skarbo, friend and author from Canada who published an interview with me on her blog recently.  You can read it here:

http://tracieskarbo.blogspot.ca/2012/12/interview-with-katley-brown-woman-with.html



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