14.10.11

Music of the Boykos, Lemkos and Hutsuls

  
Karpathia
Ukrainian ethnic music
2003
    
Tracks:

1 Introduction ( instrumental,bag pipe)

BOYKO REGION

2 We brought in the harvest early (harvest song)
3 There are fine herbs on the table (wedding song)
4 Oh, it snowed in the mountains (rhyming song)
5 Oh, in the middle of the village lived a poor widow (winter song)
6 Oh, long, long ago (winter song)
7 When i was young (rhyming song - "kolomyika")
8 Instrumental "kolomyika"
9 Instrumental "Kozak"
10 Instrumental "Polka"
11 Instrumental "kolomyika"
12 Instrumental "kolomyika"

LEMKO REGION

13 I'll give a calf (folk song)
14 Oh, play musicians play (folk song)
15 I'm from 1923... (story)
16 At our neighbor's house (wedding song)
17 Behind our hut (wedding song)
18 We're coming down the mountain (wedding song)
19 In the old days it wasn't like it is now (story) 20 Green kindling (folk song)
21 I'm a young man ( folk song)
22 We didn't come (wedding song)
23 Where the sun rose (folk song)
24 From Krakow they took me as a soldier (soldier's song)
25 I sowed green seeds (folk song)

HUTSUL REGION

26 Fiddle instrumental with rhyming song
27 Jaw harp
28 Where are we going to spend the night (folk song)
29 Floyera and story about the performance (funerary lament)
30 Double flute and story about the performance
31 The biggest honor... (story)
32 On Sunday morning

Total time : 73:54

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KARPATHIA is a CD of Ukrainian traditional music of the Boykos, Lemkos and Hutsuls, who live in the Carpathian Mountains of Western Ukraine (Ivano-Frankivsk region). Instead of presenting the popular or typical genres for each group, this CD features the new and unexpected in this music which was born in the mountains and created by people who live a little closer to heaven.
 
recorded by Yaryna Turianska.
  
   
This CD is a valuable piece of Maramorisian folklore. The instrumental pieces included here compile some of the best recordings of north-carpathian music. I am a listener of traditional romanian music, of Taraf des Haidouks, and others. This musics seems to me as romanian as the Taraf de Haidouks. The melodic lines are so Romanian, more Romanian than the Romanian traditional music from regions like Moldavia and Transylvania. I would say that in the hole estern-european regions, two areas are the most Romanian, Valachia and Hutsulshkina. I think that from these two areas the Romanian people spread throughout its ethnic teritorry of today. I heared of different documents, like the place in Nestor's Chronic, where it is said that before the hungarian conquest, the Romanians occupied the contry of the Ruthenians, of the conties of the "bolohoveni'' or ''brodnici'' that were romanian feudal states in Gallitia, and of the numerous villages runed by ''iux vallahicum'', that were romanian still in the 16th century. I herded that Maramures was in 80% of its population romanian till the 16th century, when Ruthenians were colonised on the feudal estates of the romanian Cnezi, lords. Maiby this music is a testimony to the Romanian influence in what is today Transcarpatia and Ivano-Frankivsk, of those volosky shepherd people who gave the names of all the mountains in the region, and from whom Dragos and Bogdan settled the Moldavians in what is today the eastern region of Romania and the Republic of Moldavia.
  
***
  
Karpathia is the ultimate ethnic adventure. The selections, all played on authentic folk instruments (pipes, tsymbaly, trembita) and sung by natives who do justice to the repertoire, transport me to the rough, beautiful mountains. I dance along to the happy and sly kolomyjka tunes, feel nostalgia listening to the wedding songs, the Christmas and New Year's greetings. The past lives through these recordings. I am also impressed by the research and thoroughness in the notes. Some of the words are purely regional and translations are needed. Certain local customs are also explained. There is a good description of the three groups, the Lemki, the Bojki and Hutsuly. I do think that it was a good idea to arrange the selections according to the region. I recommend for those who enjoy Karpathia to purchase the Kosmach Musicians CD. One reason for my loving this type of music, I should add, is that my father is from the Carpathian region and I always heard these types of tunes during my earliest years.
  
source
  
  
  
 "Ukrainian Ethnic Music" series came out of many ethnographical expeditions to different region of Ukraine. Compact discs have stylish design. In the colourful booklets you will find information about the places where recordings were made, stories about performers, lyrics of the songs etc. Information is given in Ukrainian and English.
  
If you ever get hold of one or more of these CD's grab them all... :) 
  

 

2 comments:

ajnabi1957 said...

Great notes! I've never been to that particular part of Europe but would love to...maybe the music will transport me.

Miguel said...

...neither have I. But I feel "home" in the music :)