European Traditional Music

Regions

•British Isles•Northern•Western•Southern•Eastern

British IslesEngland, Wales, Scotland, Ireland

Instruments• Common Instruments

▫ Bagpipes▫ Accordion▫ Bodhran (Scotland and

Ireland)▫ Fiddle▫ Tin Whistle▫ Harp▫ Guitar▫ Bones (Spoons)

Examples of Music• Irish – Down by the Salley Gardens• Scottish - Puirt à Beul• English – Sailor’s Hornpipe• Welsh - Ar Hyd y Nos (All Through the Night)

• Research Links ▫Scottish Music▫ Irish Songs

• Smithsonian Folkways Videos▫A Nautical Irish Evening▫A Song from Wales▫Welsh Folk Songs

Ireland• Irish traditional music

includes many kinds of songs, including drinking songs, ballads and laments, sung unaccompanied or with accompaniment by a variety of instruments.

• Traditional dance music includes reels (4/4), hornpipes and jigs (the common double jig is in 6/8 time).

• Examples • Reel – Cooney

’s Reel and Drowsy Maggie – Duple Meter

• Jig – Irish Washerwoman – Triple Meter• Irish Dancing

• GCSE Bitesize – Irish Dance Music

Northern Europe / ScandinaviaNordic Countries:Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark

Instruments

•Dulcimer•Fiddle•Hardanger Fiddle

▫ – Fiddle with sympathetic strings.•Harmonica •Accordion•Hurdy Gurdy

Characteristics and Examples

•Dulcimer and fiddle are the most prominent instruments.

•Dance music – Mazurka, Valz, Polka, etc. – very popular.

•Music that tells a story.

•Research Links▫Generic Info

Examples of Music from each Country.

• Eivør – Trøllabundin• Morsiamen Itketys• Klinga mina klockor• Trædballehus Polka• 3 Finnish Folk Inst.• Violin and Zither• Swedish dance to Soldier’s

Joy (English folk song)• Danish traditional dance• Traditional Fighting Danc

e

Western EuropeThe Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, Austria, Switzerland

Germany - Bavaria• Southern Part of Germany

– Alps• Instruments

▫ Accordion▫ Brass Instruments

Trumpet Trombone Tuba/Sousaphone

▫ Hammer Dulcimer▫ Guitar▫ Harp▫ Alphorn

• Brass Bands• Yodeling

Examples of German Music (Maybe some Austrian)

• Zsammg'spuit• Goldried Quintett• X'seis Trio

• Der Jäger aus Kurpfalz• Im Wald Und Auf Der Heid

e

Southern Europe / MediterranianPortugal, Spain, Italy, Greece

Spain• Instruments

▫ Classical Guitar▫ Castanets – The national instrument

of Spain.▫ Accordion▫ Palmas – palms, body percussion▫ Gaita – Bagpipe

• Focus on smaller ensembles.• Dance music from different regions.• Influences from Celtic, African,

Arabic, Gypsy, Jewish, and Christian cultures.

• Northern Spain – bagpipe (gaita) culture

• Southern Spain – flamenco culture▫ Why?

Examples of Spanish Music• En el Café de Chinitas• Malagueña – Originated in

Andalucia – became a flamenco style.

• Fandango – Dance• Jota – Dance• Gaitas Asturianas• Moraito Chico – Bulerias• Al Toque Flamenco• Bolero and Tanguillo• Por El Hablar He La Gente

Links to resources on Spanish Music.

•Spanish Dances – Descriptions•The Rough Guide to Flamenco Dance•A little History.

Greece• Instruments

▫ 3 Main Groups Chordophones Aerophones Membraphones

▫ Violin (Violi)▫ Bouzouki▫ Clarinet (Klarino)▫ Lyra (Rebec)▫ Tambourine▫ Toubeleki (Ceramic

hourglass drum) – similar to doubek.

Greek Music Examples▫Παπαναστάσης Ήλιε Ηλιά

κη▫Kristi Stassinopoulou: 

Sto Patithraki▫Μά'ισσα Σεληνη-Νικος

Παπαζογλου▫Popova kerka

- Greek folk music (Almopia, Macedonia, Greece)

Examples of Italian Music

•Totore Chessa: Costera•Domo Emigrantes• Tarantella rosi e sciuri•Polka dzalaye

Examples of Portuguese Music

•Fado Portugues•Marcha dos manjericos•Santa Marta de Portuzelo

Eastern EuropePoland, Belarus, Ukraine, Czeck Republic, Slovenia, Hungary, Romania, Croatia, Bulgaria, Abania, Western Russia… etc.

Gypsy/Romani• Largely popular in Central

and Eastern Europe. Highest populations in Romania, Hungary, and former Yugoslavia.

• Romani – Originated in Northern India. Were Nomadic people who travelled in Europe and are mostly settled.

• What instruments can you hear in these Romani examples?

• Ion Petre Stoican - Hora Lui Mihalea

• Oppadirida - Cimbali Band• Oleg Ponomarev's Koshka

Klezmer - Jewish• Klezmer music is intended to

replicate the human voice, including sounds of crying, wailing and laughing. It is generally the violin's job to do this imitation. Often, a klezmer band will include a fiddle, a bass or cello, a clarinet and a drum. Secondary instruments include hammered dulcimers and accordion.

• Made for dancing.• May contain influences from

many other cultures/genres.

• Chava Alberstein - A Good Memory

• Amsterdam Klezmer Band: Takaj Zhizn

• In Your Garden Twenty Fecund Fruit Trees - Frank London's Klezmer Brass Allstars

• Brave Old World

Extras• Balalaika – Triangular

Russian Lute – 3 strings, 2 the same pitch, 1 a different pitch.

• Mandolin – Tuned the same as a violin (5ths, E A D G). Double strings.

• Jaw Harp• Cimbalom – Type of

hammered dulcimer.

• Bulgarian Choir• Medley of Ukrainian Folk

Songs• Polka – meaning “Polish

Woman”. Very popular dance music played throughout Europe.

• French Accordion