Macedonian music

Subject: Macedonian music
From: GUEST,Kristijan
Date: 04 Oct 06 - 10:50 AM

I love Macedonian music, it's rhytam , melody, instruments... I love it.Macedona is situated on a crossrow of the world, close tu the mediteranian sea on the path of the 3 continets,and maybe that is the risen why is so special.It has the tenderness of the music of the distant east but also the pashion of the slavs or the italians.I ask myself is this simply beacose I've grow up with this music, it is close to my ears, or it is simply good.There is a new CD from Macedonian folk artist Vanja Lazarova.It is a combination of the old macedonian folk songs and the moders elecgtronic sound - it's just mind bending, simply beautifol (you can find it at http://www.macedoniagiftshop.com).The rhytam is 17/16 - or 7/8.It is a hard rytham and stragne for someone that haven't heard it but the strange thing is that a stranger can follow this rhytam wery easy and the stranger seem to engoy it as much as the macedonians.Even Peter Gabriel in one of his song tryed to use a piece of Macedonian music but the result was not so good - he just could'not find the right formula.You can't butcher this music and expect to be good, you must let it flow , like a river - something that with arangemt of Miroslav Tadich and sugestions of Vlatko Stefanofski is the right formula.I hope that I will can put a sample of this music on this blog so you can hear it.

Subject: RE: Macedonian music
From: leeneia
Date: 04 Oct 06 - 04:19 PM

I heard a certain amount of Macedonian music myself, and I enjoy it too.

Subject: RE: Macedonian music
From: GUEST,Shimrod
Date: 04 Oct 06 - 05:21 PM

Hi Kristijan,

In 1990 and 1991 I went to Ohrid for my holidays - I had a wonderful time there but, unfortunately, it was just before the collapse of Jugoslavija and I never went back.

I heard some Macedonian music while I was there and I have never forgotten it.

On one occasion I went for a guided walk on Mount Pelister, near Bitola. In the mountain refuge I heard two elderly men playing bagpipes (gaida?) and a long flute (kaval?) - I hope that I have the right words for these instruments.

In a village near the Mavrovo National Park I heard village children beating out the complex rhythms that you describe on old tin cans!

In a hotel near the lake I heard a local group playing guitars and an accordian. These people were such good musicians, and I enjoyed their music so much, that I failed to notice that the party of English people that I was with had left the hotel! I had to walk back, in the dark, to my hotel. I always remember that the bushes by the lake were full of nightingales - more beautiful music!

Macedonia ('Makedonija' - as I suppose I should call it) is a very beautiful country and, one day, I hope to go back. My best wishes to you and the Macedonian people.

Subject: RE: Macedonian music
From: M.Ted
Date: 04 Oct 06 - 08:33 PM

I love Macedonian music, too. It is intricate and etherial, like Turkish music, but has a more earthy quality to it--Bulgarian music has a lot of the same rhythms, but it tends to be more uniform, Macedonian music has space in it, and leaves something for the imagination, and room for the dancers to go their own ways--

Subject: RE: Macedonian music
From: GUEST,Gerry
Date: 05 Oct 06 - 03:26 AM

May I recommend the work of the Australian band, Xenos? Terrific CDs, with lots of Macedonian music.