Macedonian music is often
described as being a product of its unique geographical position,
"a crossroads between East and West". Although slightly cliched, this
description is nevertheless quite appropriate. Situated towards the
Eastern edge of Europe it was also under Turkish domination for 500
years until the beginning of this century and that influence is strongly
felt in Macedonia's rich and varied musical traditions.
The closest other National
style would be the music from the bordering country of Bulgaria, particularly
that from the Pirin region. Music of course does not obey politically imposed
boundaries, and so the music of Eastern Macedonia and Western Bulgaria
is very similar. A distinctive aspect of the music is the of time signatures
and internal groupings such as 7/8, 9/8, 11/8, 5/8, 12/8, 13/8, 18/8, etc.
Particularly 7/8 is very commonly used.
Macedonian music is a modal
drone-based music, however with the introduction of instruments such as
accordion and guitar, and the influence of Western music the same melodies
have been given a more harmonic backdrop. This Western harmonic approach
has been an accepted practice for sometime. (Some of the tracks on the
album use this more commonly heard contemporary approach but the majority
of tracks use traditional instruments and are drone based.)
The use of more traditional
Macedonian instruments such as gaida (Macedonian bagpipe), kaval (end-blown
flute), tapan (double-headed bass drum) and tambura (long-necked lute)
is becoming rarer, however it is still possible to find among the older
men in the community a small number who can play the gaida. This is not
to say that there is no interest in the traditional instruments which are
now mainly found in the villages, but they have gradually been replaced
by modern instruments. The music is intrinsically linked with dance as
there has always been a strong folk dance tradition, and much of the music
accompanies these folk dances (as does all the music on this album). This
tradition of community participative dancing is still strong and very much
alive. There is also a rich vocal tradition not covered by this album,
though here we play some songs in instrumental versions.
Macedonian music has been
passed on by means of a strong oral tradition and this album is one small
link in that chain.
