Traditional Music of Republic of Macedonia

Macedonian ethnic traditional music which can be urban or rural (starogradska muzika) which include epic songs, labour songs, lyric songs, humorous songs, ritual songs, circle dance (oro), and the olden urban pattern known as Calgija. The renowned traditional songs are known as Biljana platno belese, Kales bre Angjo, Sulsam kaj sumat sumite, Narode Makedonski, Danfino vinp creno, Zemjo Makedonska and others. It is known as oro dances (Teskoto) which is from the village of Galicnik, Komitskoto (dance of the freedom fighters), Kalajdziskoto and many others. An international commended professional folklore association is known as the award winning Tanec.

source of picture: www.panacomp.net

The Balkans music is known for the complicated rhythms. The music of Macedonian exemplifies this character. Folk songs such as Pomnish li, libe Todoro have their rhythms as complicated as 22/6 which is divided into stanza 2+2+3+2+2+3+2+2+2, a mixture of two common meters 11=2+2+3+2+2 and 11=3+2+2+2+2 sheet music, that added tension to notes to artists mainly from older schools that added the unique characteristics of stretching out beats.

Gajda is type of bagpipe, which was the most common folk instrument in traditional Macedonian tradition. This has now became an instrument for shows recitation, drawing a current prominent like Pece Atanasovski (video) who is the leader of the Radio Skopje band Ansambl na Narodni instrumenti as the source of new custom and other instruments include supelka (which is the small flute), kjemane (the three stringed fiddle), tambura (which is the long-necked lute), zurla (a large double-reed horn), tapan (a cylindrical drum) and harmonica (which is the accordion).

Macedonian folk groups are made up of clarinet or saxophone, drum kit, bass guitar, accordion and guitar, sometime with the new synthesizers and the machine drum. These groups are very renowned in Macedonian. Renowned members are virtuoso artists Skender Ameti and Goran Alachki on accordion and Miroslav Businovski on clarinet.

Calgija is an urban pattern that is played by bands (calgii) with a dajre (tambourine) and tarabuka (which is hourglass drum) providing drumming for ut (lute), clarinet, violin and kanun (zither). Though the new artists have improved the Calgija into a spectrum of hard and soft classical, pop sounds and also some traditional artists remain. Perhaps the greatest powerful year was Tale Ognenovski who plays a wide variety of traditional and new sounds.