Songbook Songs

KRATKA AUTOBIOGRAFIJA UZ POMOĆ PJESMARICA/ZBIRKI NARODNIH PJESAMA, TE ALBUMA “SONGBOOK SONGS”, S PJESMAMA KAO USPUTNIM POSTAJAMA

SCROLL DOWN FOR  THE  E N G L I S H VERSION

Album je objavljen 5.11.2021. u izdanju GEENGER RECORDS https://dunjaknebl.bandcamp.com/album/songbook-songs,

a uz slijedeći tekst/”autobiografiju” objavljeni su linkovi za sve pjesme.

 

  1. The Wraggle Taggle Gypsies (Engleska/England)
  2. Tari Bali (Indonezija/Indonesia)
  3. Кед сом ишол/Ked som ishol (Rusinska/Ruthenian)
  4. Не питай /Ne pitay (Ukrajina/Ukraine)
  5. Вниз по матушке по Волге/Vniz po matushke po Volge (Rusija/Russia)
  6. Over There (SAD/USA)
  7. Hrej suňiečko, hrej (Slovačka/Slovakia)
  8. Slavuj, tico mala (Hrvatska/Croatia)
  9. А на возеры /A na vozery (Bjelorusija/Belarus)
  10. Ой, Иван/Oy, Ivan (Rusija/Russia)
  11. The Praties They Grow Small (Engleska/England)
  12. Poveč, golob (Hrvatska/Croatia)
  13. Moj se dragi u boj sprema (Hrvatska/Croatia)
  14. Prepelica prepeluje (Hrvatska/Croatia)

Dugo sam imala osjećaj da su me narodne pjesme vodile kroz život. Zapravo, kao da su me vukle za ruku i usmjeravale kojim putem trebam ići. Kao da su mi kroz pjesme stizale poruke: „Pjevaj mene, osjeti me!“, „Poslušaj pjesmu; ona je i tvoja!“.

Ne znamo tko su stvarni autori tradicijskih narodnih pjesama, pa tako one pripadaju svima, što nije daleko od istine. Narodne pjesme izvodili su različiti ljudi, prenosile su se usmenim putem, pa su se i mijenjale (i usavršavale) tijekom vremena; nije bilo pisanog „originala“.

No, podvlačeći crtu, prisjećajući se svojega životnoga puta i okolnosti koje su me vodile kroz život, savršeno je jasno: najvažniju ulogu u mojem životu odigrale su, zapravo, knjige s notama i riječima starih narodnih pjesma iz raznih zemalja – pjesmarice. Nisu okolnosti bile odlučujuće da jednog dana postanem pjevačica i za širi auditorij (tek sa 47 godina), niti porijeklo, ni roditelji, ni ljudi, već pjesme iz knjiga koje sam učila tijekom dugog niza godina, počevši od djetinjstva. One su poput dobronamjernih prijatelja odredile moju životnu putanju, znajući da ću u konačnici shvatiti kako mi je najuzbudljivija, najzanimljivija i najljepša stvar na svijetu napraviti prema notama svoju interpretaciju neke tradicijske pjesme koju nikad prije nisam čula. Tako je bilo od prve pjesme na samom početku kad sam imala trinaest godina, pa sve do danas, 20 albuma i šezdesetak godine kasnije.

Afinitet i ljubav prema narodnim pjesmama vjerojatno su probudili trenuci dok sam kao dijete slušala odrasle kako se vesele dok pjevaju svi zajedno; najčešće su to bili roditelji i članovi obitelji.

Uvijek je bilo veselo, zabavno uz predivan osjećaj zajedništva. Širile su se pozitivne vibre koje su nadjačale sve ono sivo i manje lijepo iz svakodnevnog života.

Očev posao nas je odveo u razne zemlje.Uvijek sam pjevušila, ili slušala neku glazbu. U SAD-u, „zaljubila“ sam se u Burl Ives-a, folk pjevača i sakupljača narodnih pjesama i njegove jednostavne pjesme uz gitaru. Fascinirali su me jednostavnost, iskrenost, osjećajnost i minimalizam u interpretaciji kojim me osvojio i kojim mi je više toga ispripovijedao nego ostali pjevači s pjesmama koje su bile umotane u daleko bogatije i kompleksnije forme. Do dana današnjega još mi je uvijek najveći izazov postići da je sama pjesma u središtu zbivanja, da je istaknuta ljepota melodije i stihova uz minimalno „ukrašavanje“, te da „ambalaža“ ne bude samoj sebi svrha.

Prva pjesma koju sam ikad naučila na temelju nota, a da je prethodno nikad nisam čula, bila je „The Wraggle Taggle Gypsies, oh!“ iz knjige „The Fireside Book of Folk Songs“ koju je otac nabavio u Americi za vrijeme trogodišnjeg boravka tamo i koja je bila jedna od knjiga koju smo donijeli pri povratku u domovinu.

Kako se to dogodilo? Imala sam 13 godina, učila sam svirati klavir u glazbenoj školi u Karlovcu i pokušala odsvirati pjesme iz lijepo ilustrirane knjige narodnih pjesama. Zaintrigirala me pjesma o lady koja se tek udala, ali je ubrzo pobjegla s Romima koji su svirali i pjevali pred njenim dvorima, te je radije ostala živjeti s njima slobodna, bez udobnosti koju pružaju materijalne stvari. Možda tada nisam svjesno shvaćala duboko značenje priče i „poruke“. Tek puno godina kasnije spoznala sam da je to vrlo popularna i široko rasprostranjena pjesma, ne samo u Velikoj Britaniji. Čula sam je u izvedbi tada sve popularnijih irskih glazbenika, ne sluteći da će ona postati na neki način i moj životni moto, moja životna priča – kad sam napustila posao u velikoj firmi i (tek) sa 47 godina postala pjevačica za širi auditorij.

          

1. The Wraggle Taggle Gypsies : https://dunjaknebl.bandcamp.com/track/the-wraggle-taggle-gypsies-engleska-england

Nije bilo lako naučiti pjesmu samo na temelju nota i teksta, no bila sam uporna, a zadovoljstvo je bilo veliko. Imala sam osjećaj da je pjesma tako postala „moja“.

Nakon te prve, meni nepoznate pjesme koju sam pretvorila u „svoju“, ubrzo sam pronašla i neke druge koje su me privukle i melodijama i svojim „pričama“; naučila sam ih i pjevala uz gitaru.

Okolnosti su se ponovo promijenile za cijelu obitelj. Očev novi posao odveo nas je u vrlo daleku zemlju – Indoneziju. Naravno, glazba je i dalje bila utočište. Nisam imala klavir, ali sam imala gitaru i radila sam pjesme prema – pjesmaricama. Među njima bila je i knjižica narodnih pjesama iz Indonezije. Naravno da sam počela učiti pjesme iz te knjige, te nabavila i sve druge knjige s indonezijskim pjesmama do kojih sam mogla doći. Nije mi bilo teško savladati neobičan način bilježenja glazbe pomoću brojki, crtica, točkica, jer sam uobičajeni notni sistem naučila u glazbenoj školi u Zagrebu.

         

2. Tari Bali https://dunjaknebl.bandcamp.com/track/tari-bali-indonezija-indonesia

Indonezijske narodne pjesme, one jako popularne, zvuče tako da bi mogle bi biti i iz nekih drugih zemalja svijeta jer su vrlo melodiozne, lako se pjevaju. Zanimljive su riječi pjesama. Često su to kratki stihovi koji se ponavljaju, sa skrivenim značenjima, mogu se interpretirati na različite načine. To je i inače karakteristika svih dobrih narodnih pjesama – svevremenost i univerzalnost.

Vrativši se u Zagreb upisala sam studij ruskog i engleskog jezika i književnosti na Filozofskom fakultetu. I dalje sam pjevala prateći se na gitari, i dalje sam nabavljala pjesmarice.

           

3.Ked som ishol/Кед сом ишол  https://dunjaknebl.bandcamp.com/track/ked-som-ishol-rusinska-ruthenian

Video: https://youtu.be/_BrwhtuwJvo

Zalazila sam u knjižare i antikvarijate. U tadašnjem antikvarijatu u Masarykovoj ulici (u Zagrebu) našla sam knjigu rusinskih narodnih pjesama koje je sakupio Vinko Žganec. Naučila sam nekoliko rusinskih pjesama, ne sluteći da ću puno godina kasnije saznati koliki je, zapravo, golem opus tog našeg vodećeg etnomuzikologa. Nisam pojma imala da je on zabilježio u Hrvatskoj (i šire) tisuće pjesama. Znala sam samo za one popularne, često obrađivane i izvođene narodne pjesme koje su se mogle čuti na radiju, ili su se nalazile u popularnim notnim izdanjima. Nisam znala za tisuće manje poznatih i zaboravljenih pjesama u knjigama koje su se mogle nabaviti samo u antikvarijatima ili knjižnicama. Nisam znala da one postoje. No, sada je prekasno filozofirati o tome “što bi bilo, da sam znala”. Ono što mogu, to činim od kada sam postala pjevačica za širi krug ljudi, pa i ovim tekstovima – širim znanje o zaboravljenim pjesmama u zaboravljenim knjigama gdjegod je to moguće.

Moji roditelji pjevali su sve rjeđe, pa sam uz svoju „prijateljicu“ gitaru pokušavala raditi nešto što me vraćalo u lijepe trenutke djetinjstva. Naučila sam usput da trebamo sami stvarati lijepe trenutke u životu. I tako sam pjevala prijateljima… Ili smo svi pjevali i svirali. Ili sam pjevala kod kuće sama.

Studij ruskog jezika i književnosti obuhvaćao je i neke druge predmete; dva semestra slušala sam „Ukrajinski jezik“. Ukrajinsku pjesmu „Ne pitaj“ naučila sam iz jedne male knjižice-pjesmarice. Pjesmarica se izgubila, ali je pjesma ostala u sjećanju.

4. Ne pitay/Не питай  https://dunjaknebl.bandcamp.com/track/ne-pitay-ukrajina-ukraine

Pjevanje uz gitaru nastavilo se u društvu studenata s faksa, imali smo čak i „Klub ruske pjesme“. Pridružili bi nam se i profesori koji su predavali književnost. Iz posuđenih pjesmarica prepisivala sam pjesme koje su mi se svidjele, učila ih sama, a zatim učila i druge jer sam vodila „Sekciju za učenje ruskih pjesama“. Sastajali smo se u podrumskoj prostoriji Filozofskog fakulteta i pjevali. Lijepa su bila ta druženja, često smo se nastavili družiti i izvan fakulteta.

Sačuvala se iz tih vremena notna bilježnica (donesena iz Indonezije) u koju sam prepisivala narodne pjesme iz posuđenih knjiga. Među ostalim, u njoj je i prijepis jedne od najpoznatijih i najizvođenijih ruskih narodnih pjesama uopće, a koju sam tada naučila prema notama. Tek sam je, puno godina kasnije, čula u raznim interpretacijama.

5. Vniz po matushke po Volge/Вниз по матушке по Волге

https://dunjaknebl.bandcamp.com/track/vniz-po-matushke-po-volge-rusija-russia

       

I tako su za vrijeme mojih studentskih dana narodne pjesme iz sve većeg broja zemalja postale dio moje svakodnevice. To je bilo doba bez interneta; izvor informacija bile su knjige, časopisi, novine… Povremeno su u mali broj zagrebačkih knjižara stizale neke inozemne knjige, časopisi, ploče; no, bila je stvar sreće naći nešto zanimljivo.

Učila sam nove pjesme, ali nisam zaboravljala ni one  „stare“. Ponovo su došle do izražaja pjesme iz jedne američke knjige narodnih pjesama, “The Fireside Book of Favorite American Songs“.

Pjesmu „Over There“ naučila sam jer su me zaintrigirale riječi („,Da sam barem guska! One žive i odu (umiru) u miru, fino utovljene…“) Očito je pjesmu spjevao netko kojemu je glad bila svakodnevica.). Impresionirala me i ilustracija uz pjesmu i potpis ispod naslova: „Porijeklo ove pjesme pravi je misterij. Objavljena je 1844.“

6. Over There https://dunjaknebl.bandcamp.com/track/over-there-sad-usa

Tek puno godina kasnije, u jednoj drugoj knjizi našla sam odgovor na pitanje gdje je i kojim povodom nastala ta „misteriozna“ pjesma (pjesma na albumu pod brojem 6).

 

Studentsko eksperimentalno kazalište u Zagrebu postavilo je predstavu „Viet-Rock“ na tragu mjuzikla „Kosa“, te sam dobila poziv da pjevam u njoj songove – zahvaljujući mojem američkom repertoaru. Nikad nisam imala ambiciju postati glumicom, ali kad mi se pružila mogućnost sudjelovati u kazališnoj predstavi, rado sam prihvatila izazov da upoznam svijet kazališta „iznutra“. Nakon tog iskustva zaključila sam da mi je ljepše pjevati za prijatelje onako kako ja želim i osjećam, nego nastojati uspjeti prema uobičajenim kanonima i nepisanim pravilima, slušajući druge i ponašajući se kako drugi žele i zahtijevaju.

Nakon završenog studija zaposlila sam se kao profesorica/predavač ruskog i engleskog jezika u jednoj zagrebačkoj višoj školi. Ali, ne za dugo. Našavši se u Moskvi na jednomjesečnom usavršavanju ruskog jezika, tražila sam posvud „na licu mjesta“ ploče i pjesmarice s ruskim pjesmama. To je svima tamo bilo neobično – „Šta će ti/vam te seljačke pjesme?“ pitali su. Jedino nije bilo čudno mojem prvom mužu koji je i sam volio pjevati baš te, stare narodne pjesme.

 

I tako mi se život ponovo promijenio jer sam se udala i našla u Rusiji u kojoj sam živjela oko dvanaest godina. Naravno da je gitara bila uz mene i da sam i dalje pjevala prijateljima te neke „seljačke pjesme“, meni najdraže. Naravno da sam i dalje kupovala knjige narodnih pjesama, ne samo iz Rusije. Repertoar se širio, pa su se našle i pjesme iz zemalja u kojima nisam nikad živjela.

7. Hrej suňiečko, hrej  https://dunjaknebl.bandcamp.com/track/hrej-su-ie-ko-hrej-slova-ka-slovakia

Ali, nisam zaboravila ni hrvatske. Omiljena pjesma iz poklonjene pjesmarice bila je „Slavuj, tico mala“, koju, poput mnogih drugih nisam nikad čula nego sam je napravila prema notama sredinom sedamdesetih godina prošloga stoljeća. Sasvim nesvjesno promijenila sam slavuja iz naslova u „malu“ ticu, a ne „mladu“ ticu kako je u knjižici. Nisam se baš u potpunosti  držala niti notnog predloška. Kad sam to primijetila, odlučila sam zadržati svoju varijantu. U početku sam imala grižnju savjesti što sam to napravila, ali tijekom vremena sam došla do spoznaje da su pjevači dosta često mijenjali riječi nekih pjesama, vjerojatno nesvjesno. Nisu mogli slušati snimke (ako ih je uopće bilo), nisu imali niti su znali čitati note; sve je išlo prema sjećanju.

    

8. Slavuj, tico mala https://dunjaknebl.bandcamp.com/track/slavuj-tico-mala-hrvatska-croatia

Poslušajte pjesmu i pogledajte video! :  https://youtu.be/RjUEUS5AmTw

Pjesmu „Slavuj ‘tica mlada“ zapisao je Ludvik Kuba, češki folklorist, slikar, profesor, putujući po Slavoniji. To je jedan od zapisa u knjižici „Narodne pjesme i kola iz Slavonije“ objavljenoj 1963. u redakciji Stjepana Stepanova i Ive Furića.

Varijante pjesme mogu se pronaći i u drugim krajevima Hrvatske, te u Bosni i Hercegovini. U varijanti iz Dalmacije melodija je potpuno drukčija, ali je shema stihova slična: tri tuge i njihov „opis“.

U obradi pjesme izostavila sam svjesno nekoliko stihova prema svojem osjećaju i želji da “priču” napravim jednostavnijom, a time i univerzalnijom. Nije nam iz ovih zapisanih stihova Ludvika Kube poznato radi čega je čovjek iz pjesme tugovao, pa možemo zamišljati koji bi to mogli biti razlozi. To mi se puno više svidjelo nego detaljan opis na koji sam naišla u jednoj od varijanata pjesme gdje naš “junak” jadikuje jer je – bolestan.

Prva moja obrada te pjesme objavljena je 1995. na albumu ETHNO AMBIENT LIVE (s Lidijom Bajuk i skupinom Legen) https://youtu.be/pK43sp92gKk

 

Prekrasna i vrlo neobična melodija zainteresirala me za pjesmu iz Bjelorusije. A tek predivni stihovi… Ljubavni, naravno.

9, A na vozery/А на возеры   https://dunjaknebl.bandcamp.com/track/a-na-vozery-bjelorusija-belarus

  

Kad sam boravila u Rusiji (sedamdesetih i osamdesetih godina prošloga stoljeća), još je uvijek bilo uobičajeno družiti se uz gitare i pjesme. Bilo je to vrijeme kad su svi znali i pjevali pjesme najpopularnijih tada u Rusiji pjesnika/kantautora Bulata Okudžave i Vladimira Visockog. Njihove pjesme postale su narodne prema današnjem poimanju tog termina – autori su poznati, ali su pjesme jako široko rasprostranjene, svi ih znamo pjevati i osjećamo ih svojima. A ja sam baš voljela pjevati „seljačke“, prave narodne pjesme. Voljela sam iznenaditi ruske prijatelje ruskim narodnim pjesmama koje nikad nisu čuli.

10. Oy Ivan/Ой Иван   https://dunjaknebl.bandcamp.com/track/oy-ivan-rusija-russia

 

Nakon povratka u Hrvatsku život je i dalje bio lakši uz pjesmu. Pjevala sam, ali nisam stigla učiti neke nove pjesme.

12. Poveč, golob https://dunjaknebl.bandcamp.com/track/pove-golob-hrvatska-croatia

Do velike promjene došlo je 1993. kad su ratne okolnosti promijenile puno toga. Izvukla sam iz svoje zbirke kupljenih knjiga-pjesmarica jednu iz koje nisam nikad ništa obradila. Bila sam na godišnjem odmoru, a nije se putovalo zbog rata. I u Zagrebu su se često čule sirene, a najgora je bila neizvjesnost. U knjizi „Hrvatske pučke popijevke iz Međimurja“ koje je sakupio Florijan Andrašec, pjesnik i zaljubljenik u međimursku tradiciju, naišla sam na neke pjesme koje su pričale o ljudima zahvaćenima ratnim zbivanjima, pa se to poklopilo s mojim emocijama. Bio je to snažan impuls da naučim te, meni sasvim nepoznate pjesme, iz dijela Hrvatske u kojem nikad do tada nisam bila. Bilo je teško u početku, ali su me pjesme u potpunosti opčinile svojom ljepotom.

Naravno, pjevala sam ih prijateljima koji su bili više nego iznenađeni prekrasnim pjesmama koje nikad nisu čuli, pa su organizirali moj prvi javni koncert na kojem sam pjevala taj novi repertoar, sama uz pratnju gitare. Nakon tog nastupa, pjesme iz knjiga-zbirki hrvatskih tradicijskih pjesama povele su me na dugačak put kojim koračam sada već gotovo 30 godina.

   KIC – Kulturno-informativni centar, Zagreb, 16.04.1993.

Postala sam pjevačica za široki auditorij. Uz sve veći broj pjesama iz raznih zemalja, ipak sam učila i snimala prvenstveno one pjesme iz Hrvatske koje nisam nikad čula, ali i slabo poznate pjesme koje su možda i snimljene, ali ih više nitko ne pjeva.

Povremeno sam radila i pjesme iz drugih zemalja. Nakon jednog putovanja u SAD, moja sestra Biljana donijela mi je knjigu pjesama koje je sakupio Burl Ives, onaj moj omiljeni pjevač, još od djetinjstva. Nisam znala da ta knjiga postoji. U njoj sam pronašla odgovor na misterij oko porijekla pjesme „Over There“.  Pjesma iz knjige Ives-a „The Praties They Grow Small“  ima sličnu melodiju i riječi kao misteriozna pjesma i mogla bi se zvati „Over Here“.

11. The Praties They Grow Small https://dunjaknebl.bandcamp.com/track/the-praties-they-grow-small-engleska-england

  

Očigledno je, da su je u Ameriku donijeli iz Irske nakon velike krize sredinom 19. stoljeća kad je nekoliko uzastopnih godina bila katastrofalno velika nestašica krumpira, pa su Irci masovno odlazili u Ameriku „trbuhom za kruhom“. Sa sobom su ponijeli i svoje pjesme koje su se ponekad u potpunosti prilagodile novim uvjetima života. I tako su nakon dolaska u Ameriku pjevali o tome što se događalo „tamo“ u Irskoj (over there). Odličan primjer kako pjesme putuju, mijenjaju se i prilagođavaju okolnostima.

Na fotografiji su moja sestra Biljana i njezin sin Goran kada nismo ni sanjali da će on jednoga dana otići živjeti i raditi “over there”.

A otkrila sam tijekom godina brojne druge knjige s notama narodnih pjesama; one starije zbirke doktora Žganca, te sve veći broj novih pjesmarica koje su se počele objavljivati.

Jedna od novijih knjiga-pjesmarica je „Pjesmom na vezove“ s pjesmama zabilježenima u Slavoniji. „Moj se dragi u boj sprema“ varijanta je vrlo rasprostranjene pjesme koja ima dosta inačica, ne samo u Hrvatskoj: negdje se dragi sprema na put, a negdje u boj, ali u svim primjerima njegova draga plače i ne miri se s tim da je on ostavlja u svom dvoru kod majke. Odabrala sam je kao primjer otpora prema patrijarhalnim običajima, ali i kao svojevrstan protest protiv rata koji razdvaja voljene osobe.

13, Moj se dragi u boj sprema  https://dunjaknebl.bandcamp.com/track/moj-se-dragi-u-boj-sprema-hrvatska-croatia

   

Pjesma iz Žgančeve zbirke koju sam ostavila za kraj albuma govori o tome kako se prepelica-majka boji za svoje mlade jer će ih stalno i posvuda u životu vrebati opasnosti. Ne zna kako da ih zaštiti, pa im daje najbolji savjet koji zna: „Jedite, pijte, moje male (prepelice),  kako biste što prije narasle i mogle letjeti“.

14. Prepelica prepeluje https://dunjaknebl.bandcamp.com/track/prepelica-prepeluje-hrvatska-croatia

.    

Spotić: https://youtu.be/rToKuJDIh9o

Divna poruka svima nama…Treba rasti i letjeti, ne samo na krilima pjesme.

Ponekad nam za to trebaju – knjige.

Recenzija albuma: Marija Vitas – ETNOUMLJE 10.02.2022.

https://worldmusic.org.rs/2022/02/10/magazin-etnoumlje-usi-pisu-dunja-knebl-i-roko-margeta-songbook-songs-recenzija-albuma/

SONGBOOK SONGS (album) – Nazivi knjiga u kojima su pjesme s albuma

  1. The Wraggle Taggle Gypsies (Engleska)

Fireside Book of Folk Song

Simon and Schuster, 1947

  1. Tari Bali (Indonezija)

LAGU2 Indonesia 2 – nema podataka o izdavaču

  1. Ked som ishol /Кед сом ишол (Rusinska/Ruthenian)

Dr. Vinko Žganec – PJESME JUGOSLAVENSKIH RUSINA/ПІСНІ ЮҐОСЛАВЯНСКІХ РУСИНІВ

Naklada autorova

Tisak Nakladnog zavoda Hrvatske, Zagreb, 1946

  1. Не питай /Ne pitay (Ukrajina)

Pjesma iz izgubljene knjige ukrajinskih narodnih pjesama, prema sjećanju

  1. Вниз по матушке по Волге/Vniz po matuške po Volge (Rusija)

Pjesma prepisana davno iz posuđene knjige zaboravljenog naslova

  1. Over There (SAD)

The Fireside Book of Favorite American Songs

Simon and Schuster, inc., 1952

  1. Hrej suňiečko, hrej (Slovačka)

Slovenske l’udove piesne IV (Slovačke narodne pjesme IV)

Vydavatel’stvo Slovenskej akademie vied, Bratislava 1964

  1. Slavuj, tico mala (Hrvatska)

Narodne pjesme i kola iz Slavonije

Savez muzičkih društava i organizacija Hrvatske, 1963.

  1. А на возеры /A na vozery (Bjelorusija)

Анталогія беларускай народнай песні (Antologija bjeloruskih narodnih pjesama

Выдавецтва “Беларусь” Мінск 1975

  1. Ой, Иван / Oy, Ivan (Rusija)

М. Стахович: Русские народные песни (M. Stahovich: Ruske narodne pjesme)

Издательство Музыка, Москва, 1964

  1. The Praties They Grow Small (Engleska)

The Burl Ives Song Book

Ballantine books, New York, 1953

  1. Poveč, golob (Hrvatska)

Florijan Andrašec – Hrvatske popijevke iz Međimurja

Tisak/Publisher: „ZRINSKI“ Čakovec, 1981.

  1. Moj se dragi u boj sprema (Hrvatska)

Pjesmom na vezove

Turističko društvo „Đakovački vezovi“, Ogranak Matice hrvatske Đakovo

„TIPOGRAFIJA“ d.d. Đakovo, 1994

  1. Prepelica prepeljuje (Hrvatska)

Vinko Žganec: Hrvatske pučke popijevke iz Međimurja, Knjiga I.

Zavod za istraživanje folklora, Zagreb, 1990.

O PROJEKTU  “SONGBOOK SONGS” ili „MOJ ŽIVOT UZ PJESME IZ KNJIGA – PJESMARICA”

Moja životna priča bila bi potpuno drugačija da nisam još u djetinjstvu zavoljela učiti pjesme prema notama iz knjiga. Kad napuniš 75 godina, sve je jasnije, slika je potpunija. Slijedi (još jedna) šetnja kroz moj život, s knjigama u fokusu. Ovo će biti kronološka priča o tome što je bilo prije moje „hrvatske priče“ – moja autobiografija pomoću knjiga iz kojih sam učila pjesme i pjevala ih kod kuće ili prijateljima.

Knjige su važne! Nije sve na internetu

Naučila sam tijekom godina da su pjesmarice, knjige s notama i riječima tradicijskih narodnih pjesmama naročito važne, jer mnoge od njih čuvaju pjesme koje se nigdje više ne mogu čuti. Naime, problem je „samo“ u tome da neke pjesme nisu nikad snimljene, te ih se može naučiti pjevati i svirati isključivo na temelju nota. U današnje vrijeme postoji veliki broj muzičara koji su izvrsni umjetnici, bez obzira na to što se nisu školovali. Oni najčešće ne znaju čitati note jer  smatraju da im to ne treba, a to je često i točno za vrstu glazbe koju izvode.

Ciljevi ovog projekta:   

  1. – Naglasiti današnje apsurdne okolnosti gdje se narodne pjesme zaboravljaju baš zato što se nalaze u knjigama/pjesmaricama u obliku nota i tekstova, a koje su marljivi etnomuzikolozi decenijama pa i stoljećima bilježili – da bi se sačuvale. Možda bi mnogi pjevači/muzičari potražili te pjesme u knjigama kad bi znali da ih ima tako veliki broj (i da su tako lijepe). Danas je izuzetno malo onih koji rade obrade na temelju nota. Općenita je pojava, ne samo u našoj zemlji, da se recikliraju u bezbroj varijanti one pjesme koje su već uspješno obrađene, već imaju svoju publiku i već su snimljene. Možda se nikad više neće čuti narodne pjesme koje nisu nikad snimljene, a ima ih na tisuće u knjigama (zato sam počela pjevati i snimati zaboravljene hrvatske pjesme).

U ovom projektu nisu u pitanju „samo“ hrvatske pjesme nego općenita pojava da ako nešto nije na internetu – ne postoji. Odnosno, ako nije snimljeno.

  1. – nabrojati knjige/pjesmarice iz kojih su pjesme na popratnom albumu, jer sam kao djevojčica upravo tako počela učiti pjesme koje nisam prije toga čula.
  2. – nabrojati hrvatske zbirke za koje nisam znala da postoje, a koje su u potpunosti promijenile moj život – možda bi se još poneki muzičar zainteresirao za pjesme iz knjiga i pokušao s obradom onih zaboravljenih.
  3. – pobuditi zanimanje za ovaj projekt i izvan naše zemlje, jer su pjesme obrađene prema notama/pjesmaricama iz raznih zemalja, na različitim jezicima.

Osim toga, album ima svoju „priču“ i značajne poruke..

Poruka ovog uvoda je:  Čuvajte baštinu, nije sve na internetu, listajte knjige!

Projekt je multimedijalan; puno toga će se moći pročitati, poslušati i vidjeti na internetu (na mojoj web stranici, na mojem YouTube kanalu, Fb stranicama …). U planu je video gdje pričam o svemu ovome i pokazujem konkretne knjige, konkretne pjesme, pjevam i govorim o tome kako obrađujem njihove tekstove i glazbu.

Neke od pjesama koje sam odabrala za album SONGBOOK SONGS snimila sam ranije i objavila na pojedinim albumima. One su sada u drugačijem aranžmanu, u suradnji s Rokom Margetom.

 

 

I N    E N G L I S H:

A SHORT AUTOBIOGRAPHY BASED ON FOLK-SONG SONGBOOKS

WITH SONGS FROM THE SONGBOOK SONGS ALBUM AS STATIONS ALONG THE WAYReleased by Geenger Records on November 5, 2021:

https://dunjaknebl.bandcamp.com/album/songbook-songs

  1. The Wraggle Taggle Gypsies (Engleska/England)
  2. Tari Bali (Indonezija/Indonesia)
  3. Кед сом ишол/Ked som ishol (Rusinska/Ruthenian)
  4. Не питай /Ne pitay (Ukrajina/Ukraine)
  5. Вниз по матушке по Волге/Vniz po matushke po Volge (Rusija/Russia)
  6. Over There (SAD/USA)
  7. Hrej suňiečko, hrej (Slovačka/Slovakia)
  8. Slavuj, tico mala (Hrvatska/Croatia)
  9. А на возеры /A na vozery (Bjelorusija/Belarus)
  10. Ой, Иван/Oy, Ivan (Rusija/Russia)
  11. The Praties They Grow Small (Engleska/England)
  12. Poveč, golob (Hrvatska/Croatia)
  13. Moj se dragi u boj sprema (Hrvatska/Croatia)
  14. Prepelica prepeluje (Hrvatska/Croatia)

For a long time now I have had the feeling that folk songs have been leading me through life; as if they had taken me by my hand and directing me as to which way to go, which choices to make. It seemed to me I was getting messages from many of the folk songs I found in books: „Sing me, feel me!“, „Listen to the song, it is your song too!“

We do not know the real authors of the majority of traditional folk songs, so they belong to all of us, and this is not far from being the truth. Folk songs were performed by different people, they were passed on through time from person to person orally, and in such a way they underwent changes and were perfected through time. There never was a written original.

However, when remembering my life path and the circumstances that paved my way, it is perfectly clear that songbooks with notes and lyrics of old traditional folk songs from various countries had played the most important role. It was not the circumstances that had been crucial in making me become a folk singer for the wider public (later in life, at the age of 47), or my descent, or parents, or people, but folk songs I had been learning from books for quite a number of years, since my childhood. They have guided me along my life’s path like kind friends, knowing I would finally realize that the most exciting, the most interesting and the best thing in the world for me was when I was learning and deciding how to interpret and arrange some traditional folk song I had never heard before. It was the way I felt at the very beginning when learning the first song when I was thirteen, and nothing has changed since – 21 albums and some sixty years later.

The affinity and love for folk songs were probably awakened by those moments in my childhood when I listened to grownups having fun while singing together; most often my parents and family members. It was always jolly, entertaining and fun, with a wonderful feeling of togetherness, sharing something precious. The result was always with the positive vibes overpowering the not so nice moments in life.

Father’s job took us all to various countries. I was always singing to myself or listening to music. In the USA I fell in love with the music of Burl Ives, the folk singer and folk song collector, and with his simple guitar accompanied songs. I was fascinated with the simplicity, sincerity, warmth and feeling of interpretation (his early recordings). The minimalism was sufficient in conveying much more complex stories and emotions than many others who had a vast variety of musical components and tools at their disposal.

To this very day it is still a challenge to let the song itself be at the center of everything, and to accentuate the beauty of the melody and lyrics with minimum decoration, not letting the “wrapping material” be an end in itself.

 

The first song I had never heard previously but learned on basis of notes was „The Wraggle Taggle Gypsies!“ from the book „The Fireside Book of Folk Songs“ that my father had received as a gift in America during our three-year long stay there.

                   

1. The Wraggle Taggle Gypsies https://dunjaknebl.bandcamp.com/track/the-wraggle-taggle-gypsies-engleska-england

How did this happen? I was learning to play the piano, and tried to play some of the songs from the nicely illustrated books of folk songs we brought with us when returning from the States. I was intrigued by the story of a lady who had just married a lord, but shortly ran away with some Gypsies and voluntarily lived their life of freedom without the comfort of material things. Perhaps I did not quite understand at the time the deep meaning of the story and the conveyed “message”. Only years afterwards I learned it was a very popular and widely known folk song not only in Great Britain. I then heard the interpretation of a very popular Irish band, still not having the slightest idea that in a way it would become the story of my life when I quit the steady job of a translator in a big company in order to become a folk singer at 47, considered by most people to be a very unusual age for such a step in life. It was not easy to learn a song on basis of written music and lyrics only, but I was very persistent, and the pleasure was great. I had the feeling that in a way the song had become mine. After this first unknown-to-me song that I turned into “mine”, I found some other songs that I liked because of their nice melodies and stories, and I learned to sing them to a simple guitar accompaniment.

After several years in my home country the circumstances once again changed for my whole family and me. Father’s new job took us all to a very distant exotic land – Indonesia. Of course, music remained a sanctuary for me. I did not have a piano, but I had a guitar and learned to play songs from – songbooks. Among them were songbooks with popular folk songs from Indonesia. It was not difficult to learn how to read the unusual manner of writing music with the help of numbers, dots and lines because I had previously learned to read the usual sheet music system.

            

2. Tari Bali https://dunjaknebl.bandcamp.com/track/tari-bali-indonezija-indonesia

Indonesian folk songs, the very popular ones known by everyone in that vast country, resemble folk songs from some other countries. The lyrics are very interesting. Although the verses are often short and repetitive, they have many hidden meanings that can be interpreted in many ways. But, this is true for the all good folk songs – they are timeless and universal.

When I returned to Zagreb, I enrolled with the Faculty of Philosophy choosing to study Russian and English languages and literature. I continued to sing accompanying myself on my guitar, and I continued to collect songbooks, visiting the regular bookshops and second-hand ones as well. In one of the second-hand bookshops I bought a songbook of Ruthenian folk songs collected by Vinko Žganec. I learned several Ruthenian songs, not knowing that one day I would learn about the huge body of work left behind by this leading Croatian ethnomusicologist. I had no idea at the time about his collecting not only hundreds, but thousands of folk songs not only in Croatia. I only knew about the most popular folk songs that could be heard on the radio, or the ones found in songbooks containing popular folk songs. I did not know about the thousands of less popular or forgotten songs that could be found in second-hand bookshops or libraries only. I did not know about their existence. Perhaps my life would have been quite different, had I discovered this earlier.

3. Ked som ishol/Кед сом ишол   https://dunjaknebl.bandcamp.com/track/ked-som-ishol-rusinska-ruthenian

Video: https://youtu.be/_BrwhtuwJvo

  

My parents spent less and less time singing, and so I sand songs with my friend – my guitar, the ones that reminded me of those happy childhood days. Along the way I learned a lesson that helped me throughout my life: we ourselves should be the ones generating our happy moments. And so, I sang to friends, or we all sang and played music together. Or I was singing at home alone.

Alongside my Russian language and literature studies I took courses of Ukrainian. Of course, I also bought some songbooks with Ukrainian folk songs. I learned the song „Ne pitay“ („Don’t ask me“) on basis of notes from a small songbook that got lost along the way. I don’t have the songbook any more, but I still remember the song.

4. Ne pitay/Не питай   https://dunjaknebl.bandcamp.com/track/ne-pitay-ukrajina-ukraine

Singing to my guitar’s accompaniment continued in the company of fellow-students; we even had a club dedicated to singing Russian folk songs. Sometimes we were joined in singing by our teachers of Russian literature. From borrowed songbooks I copied the songs I liked by hand.

When going through my stuff from my student days, I found a music notebook (brought from Indonesia) to which I had copied songs from borrowed songbooks. Among others, I found one of the most well-known and most interpreted Russian folk songs I had learned at the time. It was many years afterwards that I actually heard the song in various interpretations.

5. Vniz po matushke po Volge/Вниз по матушке по Волге   https://dunjaknebl.bandcamp.com/track/vniz-po-matushke-po-volge-rusija-russia

               

During the years to follow the number of folk songs I learned from songbooks grew, and so did the number of countries from where the songs came from. It was a period in time when there was no Internet. The sources of information were books, magazines, newspapers… Only rarely did the Zagreb bookshops get shipments from abroad: foreign books, magazines, and vinyl records. However, it was pure luck to stumble upon anything of interest.

I learned new songs, but I did not forget the „old“ ones. It so happened that once again I renewed my singing of songs from one of the American songbooks: “The Fireside Book of Favorite American Songs“.

I had learned the song „Over There“ because the lyrics intrigued me („I wish I was a geese ’cause they lives and dies in peace, and accumulates much grease eating corn.) I was imressed by the illustartion as well and the words under the title: „The origin of this song is a mystery. It was published in 1844“. Only years later would I find the answers to the mystery of the song, and what it was about.

6. Over There https://dunjaknebl.bandcamp.com/track/over-there-sad-usa

In 1968 Studentsko eksperimentalno kazalište (Student Experimental Theatre) in Zagreb staged the musical show „Viet-Rock“, following the trend of „Hair“ and similar shows, and I was invited to sing thanks to my knowledge of American folk songs. I never had the ambition to become an actress, but this was something I thought I could do, and I grabbed at the opportunity to get to know the theatre from the inside. After the experience I came to the conclusion that I liked best singing to a small circle of friends rather than be instructed to behave in such a way as to comply with the numerous written and unwritten rules of show business.After completing my studies, I began working as a teacher/lecturer of Russian and English with one of the schools in Zagreb, but not for long. When going to Moscow and attending a course for foreign teachers of Russian, I searched everywhere for vinyl records and songbooks with Russian folk songs. It was shocking to hear the words :“Why do you need those peasant songs?“ coming from people working in book shops and record stores. It was then that I fell in love with my first husband who did not find my interest in Russian folk music strange because he himself knew and sang some folk songs (he was not Russian). We got married and sang together for a while.

So once again my life changed completely. I lived in Russia for almost twelve years. Of course my guitar was with me and I continued to sing to my new friends those „peasant“ songs. Those songs remained to be my favourite ones. Of course, I continued acquiring folk song songbooks, and they were not from Russia only, but from some other countries too. My repertoire grew.

7. Hrej suňiečko, hrej  https://dunjaknebl.bandcamp.com/track/hrej-su-ie-ko-hrej-slova-ka-slovakia

However, I did not forget the Croatian ones.

A favourite song from a songbook given to me as a present was the song „Slavuj, tico mlada“. Like many other songs I learned, it was a song I had never heard before, and so the interpretation was my own.

8. Slavuj, tico mala  https://dunjaknebl.bandcamp.com/track/slavuj-tico-mala-hrvatska-croatia

https://youtu.be/RjUEUS5AmTw

 

    

The song was collected by Ludvik Kuba (Czech folklorist, musician, painter, professor at the Academy of Fine Arts) during his field trip in Slavonija. It is one of the songs in the songbook „Narodne pjesme i kola iz Slavonije“ (“Folk Songs and Folk Circle Dances from Slavonija”), published in 1963, edited by  Stjepan Stepanov and Ivo Furić.

Variations of the song can be found in other parts of Croatia, and also in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The melody in the similar song collected in Dalmatia is different, but the pattern of the verses is similar: three sorrows and their “description”.

I was surprised when I first noticed that I was unconsciously changing some words of the folk songs I was singing. I was sometimes forgetting the original lyrics and even the melodies;”original” meaning the songbooks as the source. It was not much : a word or two, or a note or two. It worried me at first, but then I realized it was similar to what happened with the singers of long ago. They did not have any written or recorded sources to remind them of the “original” song versions, everything was interpreted on basis of memory. Sometimes they were even deliberately creative in order to present their own interpretations of a song’s emotions or “stories”.

When arranging this song for the voice and guitar, I deliberately omitted some of the verses, wishing to make the song more simple and thereby more versatile/universal. It is not clear on basis of the lyrics recorded by Ludvik Kuba what the person in the song was grieving about, so we can  make our own assumptions. I liked this much more than to have a more detailed description as,  for instance, in the case of one of the song’s versions where the man is unhappy because he is ill.

I kept my guitar arrangement for this new interpretation, and Roko Margeta added some more instruments taking the song to a different level (tapan, small percussion, bansuri, kalimba, rainstick).

My first arrangement of the song was made and recorded for the 1995 album ETHNO AMBIENT LIVE (a live concert with Lidija Bajuk and Legen) https://youtu.be/pK43sp92gKk

9. A na vozery/A на возеры   https://dunjaknebl.bandcamp.com/track/a-na-vozery-bjelorusija-belarus

A beautiful and unusual sounding melody caught my attention when I decided to learn a song from Belarus, a love song.

  

When living in Moscow (during the 20th century’s Seventies and Eighties), meeting with friends and talking and singing with them was still the usual thing to do. It was a period when everyone was singing songs by the most popular singers-songwriters then: Okudzava and Vysotsky. Their songs became folk songs, everyone knew them. But I continued to love my favorites – the  real „peasant“ folk songs. I loved to surprise my Russian friends by singing Russian folk songs they had never heard before, the ones I learned from songbooks.

10. Oy, Ivan/Ой, Иван   https://dunjaknebl.bandcamp.com/track/oy-ivan-rusija-russia

After returning to Croatia life continued to be easier with the help of music. I continued to sing but I did not often have the time and energy to learn new songs. A dramatic turning point in my life was in 1993, when war circumstances made an impact on all our lives. I finally looked into some songbooks I did not have time to study previously. I could not believe it: I did not know a single song from the book „Hrvatske pučke popijevke iz Međimurja“ (Croatian Folk Songs from Međimurje), a collection of folk songs collected by the Međimurean poet Florijan Andrašec. The songs that impressed me most at the time were songs linked with people caught in circumstances of war, and it was something I could relate to, even though my situation was not as dramatic as that of others. The songs describing life stories of people who had to go to war or of those left behind by men leaving their families and loved ones were very emotional. The impulse to learn the songs was very strong and this was necessary in order to learn songs that were unknown to me, from a part f Croatia I had never visited, in a dialect I did not speak or fully understand. It was very difficult at the beginning, but the songs were so beautiful that I was under their spell completely.

Of course, I sang them to friends who were amazed to hear such magical songs they had never heard before, and a friend organized my first concert open to general public. The program consisted of the „new“ songs I had discovered. From that moment onward, songs from Andrašec’s collection of forgotten or almost-forgotten traditional folk songs took me on a long journey, for almost 30 years now.

12. Poveč, golob https://dunjaknebl.bandcamp.com/track/pove-golob-hrvatska-croatia

  

I became a folk singer, and began recording albums. The goal has remained the same: to record as many traditional folk songs from Croatia as possible, especially the ones I had never heard before, or those that had been recorded in the past, but there was no-one singing them anymore.

I „discovered“ many other Croatian folk song songbooks I did not know existed: the older collections by Vinko Žganec, Franjo Kuhač and others, as well as the growing number of songbooks newly published during the Nineties and to date.

A decade ago I unexpectedly found the answer to the mystery of „Over There“, the song I mentioned describing my early years with songs from songbooks. My sister Biljana brought me a wonderful gift after visiting the USA : a songbook she stumbled upon in a second-hand bookshop with songs collected by Burl Ives, my favourite folk singer since my childhood days. I had no idea such a book existed. One of the sings in the book entitled „The Praties They Grow Small“  has a similar melody and lyrics as „Over There“.

11. The Praties They Grow Small  https://dunjaknebl.bandcamp.com/track/the-praties-they-grow-small-engleska-england

 

It is evident that the song had been brought from Ireland when many traveled to America because of the great disaster caused by several years of crop failure. They brought many songs with them, and sometimes adapted them fully to new circumstances. It is an excellent example of how folk songs travelled and changed depending on many factors. They are an interesting source of information for historians and they tell us many stories about life in different times and different places.

There is a long list of songs I have chosen to record one day for some future album of forgotten or semi-forgotten traditional folk songs. The following song has made its way to the shortlist for this album of songbook songs. I hope I will succeed in recording the other ones as well.

13. Moj se dragi u boj sprema   https://dunjaknebl.bandcamp.com/track/moj-se-dragi-u-boj-sprema-hrvatska-croatia

 

And finally, a Međimurean song collected by the well-known Vinko Žganec. Legend has it that the number of songs collected by him amounts to many thousands.

   

14. Prepelica prepeluje  https://dunjaknebl.bandcamp.com/track/prepelica-prepeluje-hrvatska-croatia

Video: https://youtu.be/rToKuJDIh9o

This song tells about the fears of a mother-quail for her young ones because they will face many dangers in life, regardless of the road they take. She gives them the best advice she knows: „Eat and drink, my young ones, so that you grow strong enough and then you can fly!“

A great message to all…

It is great to fly on wings of songs, but to do this we sometimes need – books.

 

 

SONGBOOK SONGS (album)

Titles of songbooks where the album songs can be found

  1. The Wraggle Taggle Gypsies (Engleska/England)

Fireside Book of Folk Song

Simon and Schuster, 1947

  1. Tari Bali (Indonezija/Indonesia)

LAGU2 Indonesia 2 – nema podataka o izdavaču /no info on publisher

  1. Ked som ishol /Кед сом ишол (Rusinska/Ruthenian)

Dr. Vinko Žganec – PJESME JUGOSLAVENSKIH RUSINA/ПІСНІ ЮҐОСЛАВЯНСКІХ РУСИНІВ (Yugoslavian Ruthenians’ Songs)

Naklada autorova/ self-published by the author

Tisak Nakladnog zavoda Hrvatske, Zagreb, 1946

  1. Не питай /Ne pitay (Ukrajina/Ukraine)

Pjesma iz izgubljene knjige ukrajinskih narodnih pjesama, prema sjećanju /Song from a lost Ukrainian folk song booksong, as remembered

  1. Вниз по матушке по Волге/Vniz po matuške po Volge (Rusija/Russia)

Pjesma prepisana davno iz posuđene knjige zaboravljenog naslova/Song copied long ago manually, from a borrowed songbook, the title of which I don’t remember

  1. Over There (SAD/USA)

The Fireside Book of Favorite American Songs

Simon and Schuster, inc., 1952

  1. Hrej suňiečko, hrej (Slovačka/Slovakia)

Slovenske l’udove piesne IV

Vydavatel’stvo Slovenskej akademie vied, Bratislava 1964

  1. Slavuj, tico mala (Hrvatska/Croatia)

Narodne pjesme i kola iz Slavonije

Savez muzičkih društava i organizacija Hrvatske, 1963.

  1. А на возеры /A na vozery (Bjelorusija)

Анталогія беларускай народнай песні (Anthology of Belarusian Folk Songs)

Выдавецтва “Беларусь” Мінск 1975

  1. Ой, Иван / Oy, Ivan (Rusija)

М. Стахович: Русские народные песни (M. Stahovich: Russian Folk Songs)

Издательство Музыка, Москва, 1964

  1. The Praties They Grow Small (Engleska)

The Burl Ives Song Book

Ballantine books, New York, 1953

  1. Poveč, golob (Hrvatska/Croatia)

Florijan Andrašec – Hrvatske popijevke iz Međimurja (Croatian Folk Songs from Međimurje)

Tisak/Publisher: „ZRINSKI“ Čakovec, 1981.

  1. Moje se dragi u boj sprema (Hrvatska/Croatia)

Pjesmom na vezove

Turističko društvo „Đakovački vezovi“, Ogranak Matice hrvatske Đakovo

„TIPOGRAFIJA“ d.d. Đakovo, 1994

  1. Prepelica prepeljuje (Hrvatska/Croatia)

Vinko Žganec: Hrvatske pučke popijevke iz Međimurja, Knjiga I.

Zavod za istraživanje folklora, Zagreb, 1990.

 

 

ABOUT   THE    SONGBOOK    SONGS   PROJECT

 

My life story would have been completely different if I hadn’t begun learning folk songs from folk-song books since I was 13. When you are 75, everything seems clearer, there is a certain pattern to it all.

This will be a stroll through my life, with the focus on b o o k s. It will be a chronological story about what preceded my „Croatian folksong story“–  my autobiography with the help of books from which I learned songs, singing them at home or to my friends.

Books are important! The Internet does not have it all…

I learned through the years that songbooks, books containing collected traditional folk songs (music and lyrics), are especially important because they preserve songs that cannot be heard anywhere any more. The „problem “lies only in the fact that some traditional folk songs have never been recorded, and one can learn to sing them or play them only on basis of sheet music.

There is a vast number of musicians today who are great artists, even though they do not have formal music school or conservatory education. Most often they do not know how to read music because they do not consider this to be necessary for them, and most often this is all right for the kind of music they perform.

Project goals:

  1. – to stress today’s absurd circumstances when folk songs are being forgotten because they can be found only in written form in books/songbooks, whereas they had been collected in this form by ethnomusicologists and enthusiasts for centuries now, – NOT to be forgotten. Instead of rearranging the already recorded songs that they hear from others or find in „Most popular folk songs … “ editions, perhaps the musicians who do read music and like folk music would look for inspiration in books, if they knew what a vast number of beautiful forgotten folk songs are buried there. The folk songs that have been recorded previously, the ones that have already become popular, are being recycled over and over again. On the other hand, thousands of songs from many old songbooks will probably never be heard again. This is the basic reason I began singing in public at 47, and recording forgotten Croatian folk songs.

This project is not just about forgotten folk songs, but about the general state of things in music: if it is not on the Internet –  it does not exist. On the other hand, if music is not recorded, if it does not have audio files – it cannot be on the Internet.

  1. – to list the titles of the books/songbooks from which I learned the songs on the Songbook Songs album (Release date: November 5, 2021), because I have been learning folk songs in this way my whole life.
  2. – to list the titles of Croatian songbooks I did not know existed, the ones that have changed my life completely. Perhaps some musicians would find this interesting and try to learn and make arrangements for some of the forgotten songs.
  3. – perhaps this could be interesting for people in other parts of the world too, because there is a similar situation in many countries: forgotten songs in forgotten songbooks.

The overall message is : Take care of your heritage! There are many interesting things that you cannot find on the Internet. Try searching for them in books!

%d bloggers like this: