RADICAL SONGBOOK
NEW HOME SONGBOOK
Radical Songbook is a contemporary, open and broadened selection of traditional themes from various regions of Poland, performed by rural masters, supplemented by interpretations of contemporary folk and avant-garde musicians.
REGIONS
UTWORY
UTWORY
UTWORY
UTWORY
UTWORY
ALEKSANDRÓW
A commune village on the Biłgoraj Plain, surrounded by the forests of the Puszcza Solska (the Solska Forest), situated in the direct vicinity of the Roztocze range (to the south of its western part’s borders). In the 1920s, a brass band was formed in the village, with a line-up characteristic for the Roztocze and other nearby villages. The instruments for the orchestra were financed by the then administrator of the Górecko parish (to which Aleksandrów belonged at that time), priest Błażej Nowosad (1903-1943; now Servant of God of the Catholic Church), from his own savings. The orchestra he founded is still active today. There is also a singing group “Aleksandrowiacy” in Aleksandrów.
Kajoki
Area covering several villages to the west of Radom. Instead of saying “gdzie?” (i.e. where?), its inhabitants used to say “kaj?”, hence the name Kajocy. Musicians from the Kajocki region were famous for their fine playing, and many outstanding fiddlers came from this microregion, such as, e.g., Jan and Piotr Gaca from Przystałowice Małe, Józef Zaraś from Nieznamierowice and Józef Kędzierski from Rdzuchów.
Łęczyckie
Area in central Poland, near Łęczyca, about 40 km north of Łódź. Due to the proximity of the Kuyavian borderland, the so-called kujons, dances similar to the kujawiaks, have been transferred into this region. Characteristic dances are also mazur, OBEREK, zawijos and zabłociok.
NOWA WIEŚ
A village in the municipality of Turobin, Roztocze region. Ignacy (1908-1980) and Antoni (born 1927) Bednarz (Ignacy was Antoni’s uncle) were active in Nowa Wieś for many years, playing in the “Bednarz Band” that they formed. The band was famous in the area and was honoured with numerous awards. The musicians represented the traditional line-up of the old Lublin region band: the violin and the drum with a cymbal. The repertoire of the “Bednarz Band” consisted of old melodies of the village, which violinist Ignacy Bednarz learned as a child from musicians practising at that time.
Rawskie
Rzeczyca Microregion
Area located east of Tomaszów Mazowiecki and south of Rawa Mazowiecka, covering the surrounding of Rzeczyca village. The region abounded in excellent fiddlers, including Kazimierz Meto from Glina and Jan Lewandowski from Rzeczyca. Thanks to the Meto brothers’ band, the archaic 19th-century traditions of rural music-making were still alive in this microregion until the beginning of the 21st century.
SIERADZ MICROREGION
Area in central Poland, near Sieradz, about 60 km west of Łódź. The so-called Owijok – OBEREK with characteristic melodies and a peculiar way of dancing – is typical of this microregion’s tradition. Instrumental playing is characterised by a specific performance manner – the so-called tempo rubato.
SKIERNIEWICE SURROUNDINGS
Area between Warsaw and Łódź. The best-known representative of traditional musicians of this region was Stanisław Klejnas from Raducz. The characteristic features of this microregion are lively OBEREKs, many of which originate from the repertoire of 19th-century weddings and dance parties.
WOJCIECHÓW
A village in the Szastarka municipality, situated near the southern border of Roztocze Zachodnie (Western Roztocze) region. After World War II, the “Kapela z Wojciechowa” (Wojciechów Band) was very popular in Wojciechów. A characteristic feature of the band was the ventilated trombone (played by Feliks Iwaniak, 1913-1992) and trumpet (Stefan Bednarczyk, 1918-2003). The ensemble was also supported by Stanisław Kozak (born 1944; manual three-row piano accordion) and Stanisław Mirosław (born 1922, drum with cymbal). “Kapela z Wojciechowa” followed the tradition of old, pre-war bands, both with its line-up (wind instruments as an important component) and repertoire.
ZDZIŁOWICE
A village in the Godziszów municipality, Roztocze region. There is a brass band in the village, founded by Józef Dudek in 1932, with a line-up characteristic for the region. The instruments that make up the band are saxhorns (alto, tenor and baritone), clarinets, cornets, tuba and drum with cymbal. Still active today, the band presents an archaic repertoire taken over from the old Roztocze fiddlers as well as newer pieces: tangos, foxtrots and waltzes. The musicians of the Zdziłowice orchestra still play to dance, they also highlight funerals and religious ceremonies with their music. They are also eager to share their knowledge with young students of traditional Roztocze music-making.
Dance in triple metre 3/8 (fast, accented on the third beat: “on three”), danced in pairs, which – whirling around – move in a circle. Popular in different varieties and under different names in almost all regions of Poland; one of the most common Polish traditional dances. It differs from a mazurka by stronger accents placed on the first beat in the instrumental part and in the dance itself (in the mazurka, the second beat is more strongly accented).
Dance in triple meter 3/8 (fast, accented on the third beat: “on three”), often identified with an oberek. However, it differs from an oberek in the musical layer and in the way it is danced, with a stronger accent on the second beat. It is performed in pairs (at least one), which – while moving around the circle – also spin and whirl. The mazurka-type dances are known in most regions of Poland, although the name “mazurek” itself appears in the naming used by rural musicians only locally – mainly in northern Małopolska (Lesser Poland region). Mazurka is also found as a name of a classical music piece, most often for piano, which is a stylisation of its rural counterpart.
An oberek variety danced in the Sieradz region, traditionally preceded by a song. Owijoks differ from obereks that are popular in other regions in their characteristic melodies and the way they are danced (e.g. lack of typical Mazovian jumps, different setting of the pair). The name “owijok” is also known in south-eastern Wielkopolska (Greater Poland region), where this dance is very fast.
An oberek variety characteristic for northern Małopolska and the Kajocki microregion. Ober ciągły is recognised by its moderate tempo, which allows dancers to decorate their steps richly. The melodic layer of the ober is characterised by its two movements or parts: the musicians play the first part once (possibly with repetition) and then repeatedly play the second part. Next, they come back to the first part again, and proceed to the second one, which is again played repeatedly, and so on. Ober ciągły belongs to an older repertoire group than dances taken over from radio and popular music in the post-war years. It was played mainly for dancing, but could also be heard during a wedding wagon trip to church.
An oberek variety known in Kielce and Świętokrzyskie regions. Światowiec is characterised by slower tempo and songful melodies in comparison to a typical oberek. It was most often performed during a wagon journey with a young couple to church, but could also be used for dancing. Światowiec was sometimes called “światówka” or “chłop” (please note that oberek-type światowiec/światówka should not be confused with the polka-type światówka: polka is a completely different type of traditional dance).
The tempo of this dance places it in between a slow oberek and a kujawiak. It is noted in the 3/4 metre and is still popular, among others, in the Kurpie region. Okrąglak is danced in pairs that whirl around the circle.
One of the basic ways of organising the course of a (traditional in this case) musical piece in time, apart from duple metre rhythms accented “on two”. One can clearly feel the pulsation on the third beat (“on three”) here. The most numerous group of dances representing triple metre rhythms in Polish traditional music are obereks (and their multiple varieties) and mazurkas. Depending on the tradition of a given region, triple metre rhythms can be performed at different tempos: e.g. oberek, a folk dance in a fast tempo, is predominant in Mazovia, while ober ciągły, slower than its Mazovian counterpart, is popular in the Radom area. Other traditional triple metre dances include kujawiak and waltz, as well as mazur and polonaise – among those of courtly origin. Depending on the region, the first (“one”) or second (“two”) measure is stressed.
Triple metre pieces of music are noted in the so-called 3/8 or 3/4 metre. Such pieces are also widely represented in traditional singing.
The composition of the traditional instrumental ensemble of Polish lowland villages is characterised by considerable variability over time. Initially, bands consisting of “bagpipes” (the bagpipes player) and violinist were popular. With time, bagpipes disappeared in most regions (except Wielkopolska and mountain regions), and the basic line-up consisted of a violinist and a bass player (a musician playing 2- or 3-stringed bass: an instrument reminiscent of today’s cello, but with a much simpler structure). The next stage was the appearance of percussion instruments in the band, among others, drums – a baraban (a large drum placed on the ground) or a frame drum (held in hand).
At the turn of the 20th century, the basses almost disappeared from the bands, while instruments from the accordion group began to come in, and especially 3-row accordion (the so-called “Polish accordion”), popular since the interwar period. Since the 1960s, bands have been enriched by instruments known from popular music – electric guitars, keyboards, saxophones, etc., which gradually replaced traditional instruments.
In some regions of Poland, the bands feature characteristic instruments: in Kashubia – the so-called devil’s fiddle and burczybas, in Warmia and Mazuria, Suwałki and Podkarpacie – dulcimer, in Wielkopolska – bagpipes and kozioł bagpipes, while in mountain regions – various varieties of bagpipes (the so-called goat bagpipe, gaidas, etc.) and a heligonka.
The manner of performing oberek and mazurka by musicians depends on many factors. First of all, it depends on the region where the musician and the musical piece come from. Differences relate to the tempo of playing, rhythmic subtleties, as well as the type of melody and form. Secondly, it depends on the individual abilities of the musician. The ornamentation of the basic melody relies mainly on the creativity and technical capabilities of a given musician. Learning to play from older masters, exclusively by ear, by imitation and without having access to theoretical musical knowledge and notation, as well as a specific technique of playing the instrument (e.g. using a small number of positions on the neck by traditional fiddlers, as compared to musicians trained in music schools, specific bow holding, etc.) seems to be the feature integrating musicians from different regions of Poland.
Diversified performance techniques for oberek and mazurka do not only relate to the instrumental sphere, but also to the way they are danced – regional differentiation and individual dancers’ abilities are evident here, too.
The old, traditional music culture was alien to competition and festival scenes. It was played or sung (or both) at moments connected with family life (e.g. during baptism, wedding, farewell to the deceased) and events related to the course of the calendar year and the changeability of seasons (e.g. at harvests and harvest festivals, potato digging, saints remembrance and during church holidays). The places of performance were spaces typical for the circumstances of rural life: the interior of the cottage, barn, fire station, field and others. Traditional singing also resounded in Catholic and Orthodox churches. Instrumental music most often accompanied weddings and dances, while singing was also an integral part of most rituals cultivated in the countryside.
SOUND AND FILM ARCHIVES:
– Archive of the Polish Radio (Warsaw) and archives of regional radio stations – PR Rzeszów, PR Bydgoszcz (deposited in the Ethnographic Museum in Toruń), PR Katowice, PR Kraków, PR Kielce (traditional music recordings from Kielce are available at: www.archiwum-gana.pl).
– Phonographic Collection of the Institute of Art, Polish Academy of Sciences (Warsaw)
– Sound and film archives of the Muzyka Odnaleziona (Music Lost & Refound) Foundation (Warsaw)
– Sound and film archives of the Muzyka Zakorzeniona Foundation (Warsaw)
– Sound and film archives of the Dom Tańca (Dance House) Association (Warsaw)
– Library of the Musicology Faculty of the Adam Mickiewicz University (Poznań)
– Archive of Religious Music Folklore at the Institute of Musicology of the Catholic University of Lublin (Lublin)
RECORDINGS:
– The “Muzyka Źródeł” (Sources of Polish Folk Music) series – recordings from the Polish Radio Archive (33 records with traditional music from different regions of Poland)
– “IS PAN Folk Music Collection” series – a collection of records of traditional music from different regions of Poland from the Phonographic Collections of the Institute of Art, Polish Academy of Sciences
– Record released by the Muzyka Odnaleziona foundation (18 records with music from different regions of Poland, especially from Andrzej Bieńkowski’s extensive private sound archive).
BOOK PUBLICATIONS:
– Oskar Kolberg, Dzieła wszystkie, Oskar Kolberg Institute, Poznań 1961-present (86 volumes containing works by an outstanding researcher of Polish villages. A significant part of the publication is available on-line at the POLONA National Library)
– Jadwiga Sobieska, Polski Folklor Muzyczny, Centre for Artistic Education, Warsaw 2006 (a compendium of basic knowledge about Polish traditional music)
– “Polska Pieśń i Muzyka Ludowa” (Polish Song and Folk Music) – a publishing series of the Institute of Art of the Polish Academy of Sciences, consisting of several dozen volumes. It contains scores and song lyrics and instrumental melodies from various regions of Poland, as well as a rich amount of ethnographic and ethnomusical information.
– Andrzej Bieńkowski, Ostatni wiejscy muzykanci, Muzyka Odnaleziona Publishing House, Warsaw 2012 (a story about the author’s ethnographic journeys in northern Lesser Poland, and an interesting document of contemporary ethnographic and ethnomusical research).