Folk-Music of Transpomerania

I have had so many letters asking to hear some of the music of Transpomerania, that I can no longer refuse you. When I think of my childhood and the countless times I have dropped to sleep to the sound of the Huzla, the simple primitive flute, or the Dopiaza, the simple primitive stringed instrument of the Zlumi Shepherds (and how simple and primitive they were!).... then I say to myself, why should I deny them to my Readers?

Chnorti Chnorti, a simple primitive love song of the North. Click on the quaver if you would like to hear it again. It is played on the Gurune, or simple primitive whistle-bassoon, accompanied by the Humdinga, our primitive simple dulcimer. Or the other way round, of course, as all players consider themselves to be the soloist, and show this by playing very loud all the time. Much excitement and some violence is always caused by betting on the likely winner. Among the lower classes, of course. Notice the interesting drone, added by Vnorno, our simple primitive Gardener. He was 97 when he made this recording, using his own Pogo, largely made out of flower-pots.

Normally, this piece is played over and over again, for more than three hours in performance, and you will hear a touching hesitation at the end, where the players at first simply cannot believe that the producer wishes them to stop.

I shall try to include a piece of our vast repertoire of folk-music with each of my news-sheets in future, rather than concentrate them on this explanatory page. Still, no doubt you will have noticed the song here - you may click on the quaver if you would like to hear it again. It is a song of Hopeless Loving - most of them are, in fact - and is about Lvev, a young man who is spurned by Katosha, the village beauty. "Ah! Why will you not admit me, Katoshinka, cruel one?" he complains. "Do you not know that the sun has gone down, and cold breezes blow around my feverish ankles? Will the warmth of your stove not melt your icy heart?" and so on. It is all very beautiful and pathetic, if you like that sort of thing. The tune is rather nice, though, I hope you will agree. On this recording, the melody is played on the Grananda, a small brass thing, accompanied by the ceaseless movement of the Phukal, a sort of spherical guitar, which is always plucked in a mad, abandoned fashion, as violently as possible.

Pieces which include the Phukal (pronounced PHOOkle, by the way) generally tend to be shorter than most others because the instrument is so exhausting to play. Normally the player sinks unconscious to the ground at the end of a piece, as in the present recording session, and has to be revived by the other players, usually with Vlim, our fiery local spirit, distilled from old bits of leather. Life is quite picturesque in our little corner.

I will include notes for the pieces on each page as we come to it. Happy Listening. DO write to me if there is anything more I can tell you about these lovely pieces. Perhaps we might even think of a CD some time, if there is enough interest.

Uncle Coracle.

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