two of the macedonian songs we'll rehearse tomorrow

I'm in a new Macedonian folk band in Santa Fe-- two voices and a tambura, as well as percussion, and the possibility of tastefully adding accordion, kaval, bass, and more as necessary. I would really love to have a zurna on at least one song. But that's challenging to find in Santa Fe.

We have a whole book of repertoire we're developing, and these are two of the songs we're working on tomorrow. Tamo Daleko Voda Mi Dotece:



I really like this song. I think it's lovely, and it's the first one we've developed a non-traditional higher vocal harmony for. The translation is as follows:

Water was flowing from a well and at the well a "hanuma" (Turkish woman) was bleaching her woven cloth.

A young bachelor approached and asked her,

"Do you sell the cloth and for how much?"

"Even if I sell it I would not sell it to you."

"Do you sell your face, and for how much? I will become a Turk and will convert my religion just to marry you."

"Whether you convert or not, I don't love you."

This is one of the others we just learned. "Se Navali Sar Planina." It's simple, but very traditional and exemplary of Macedonian vocal music:



The translation is:

There were heavy snows on Sar mountain
Three shepards got caught
The first shepard pleaded with it
"Release me, Sar mountain,
I have a wife who will mourn me"
The second shepard pleaded with it
"Release me, Sar mountain
I have a sister who will mourn me"
The third shepard pleaded with it
"Release me Sar mountain
I have a mother who will mourn for me"
The Sar mountain answered,
"A wife mourns for six weeks,
a sister mourns for three years,
but a mother mourns to the grave."

Like I said, it's folk music. Greek and Albanian music are my favorite generally, but I love it all, especially Bulgarian and Macedonian and Turkish and Romani music from a variety of countries. Many songs I know from the Balkans are about war, or sex, or love, or poverty, or struggle, or transience, or communism, or the woods, etc.

I think my absolute favorite music is the traditional vocal music from Northern Greece and Southern Albania called Epirot music (Epirot music is broader than the polyphonic vocal stuff, and often involves clarinet). This is from Southern Albania, and it's just one straightforward version of the music I'm talking about:



I listen to this Albanian radio station a few times each week. It's good when it's folk, but occasionally you'll hear generic autotuned Western-sounding pop music in Albanian. I just discovered the full wealth of Epirot music that exists on the internet. If this particular music interests you, just google "Epirus." Alternatively, I'm always happy to share recordings I have. Just email me.