POLISH FOLK MUSIC

Songs and Music from Rzeszow Region

Label: Polskie Nagrania - Muza (1990)
Catalogue No: PNCD 049
Format: CD
Condition: GENUINE, BRAND NEW, FACTORY SEALED

Tracks:

Tracks 1-7: Fragment from the wedding repertory

Tracks 8-10: Sztajereks

Tracks 11-22: Slow Dances

Tracks 23-27: Waltzes

Tracks 28-41: Polkas

Performed by:

The Sowa Family Band from Piatkowa village

Recorded:

1974-1975, under direction of the Department of Sound Engineering at the Chopin Academy of Music, Warsaw, Poland

About:

The village of Piatkowa, first mentioned in the 17th century is situated c. 25 km of the southwest of the town Rzeszow in southern Poland. The Piatkowa repertory basically illustrates the main structural types of the folk music of the Rzeszow region. The melodies in duple meter are a group of polkas that feature a large number of different chorographical forms. The basis of their rhythmic arrangements is syncopation, contrasting with sections of regular accents.

Also typically represented here is the male voice which, in accordance with tradition, prevails over female singing in that region. The ideal here is a high-pitched strong voice, based on long breathing, and forcefully produced through a constricted throat.

All in all, the music making in Piatkowa is an authentic, full-blooded folk music, performed spontaneously by the heirs to a highly developed art.

excerpts of the text taken from original line notes