Bringing Balkan Folk to Western Music: Examining elements within the Croatian and Serbian regions’ traditional folk music to create historically-informed arrangements for classical musicians.
Presentation Type
Poster
Presentation Type
Submission
Keywords
Ethnomusicology, Balkan Folk Music, Serbian Folk Music, Croatian Folk Music, Historically-Informed Performance, Folk Music Transcription, Cross Cultural Music Adaptation.
Department
Music
Major
Applied Music (Vocal Performance)
Abstract
For centuries, western composers such as Haydn and Bartók have been captivated by the alluring musical qualities of traditional Balkan folk music, and have integrated melodies from the region into their orchestral compositions. Folk music holds strong significance to Balkan cultural heritage, and various styles have been preserved and performed through trained folklore ensembles. In an attempt to bridge the classical world and Balkan folk practices, a thorough examination of various genres from the region was conducted. Primary source village recordings of ancient genres of Balkan folk including the gusle epic poems and ganga choruses gave insight to musical characteristics indigenous to the region. Such musical characteristics were cross-examined with analyses of secondary source recordings and transcriptions from scholars of modern Balkan folklore. With this analysis, inferences were created regarding how foreign groups in the region’s history such as the Romani, Austro-Hungarian, and Ottoman influences impacted the development of the folk music. Through these findings, a historically-informed approach to the performance of Balkan folk music in the western contexts of choral ensembles and art song was created. By honoring and implementing musical aspects of the most ancient styles as well as modern genres, folk melodies can be performed in the western format of art song and choral works in historically-informed arrangements. A genre that has been traditionally passed down orally through generations can now be opened up to musicians worldwide, exposing audiences to a multitude of unique musical characteristics Balkan folk has to offer.
Faculty Mentor
Dr. Natalie Buickians
Funding Source or Research Program
Academic Year Undergraduate Research Initiative
Location
Waves Cafeteria
Start Date
10-4-2026 1:00 PM
End Date
10-4-2026 2:00 PM
Bringing Balkan Folk to Western Music: Examining elements within the Croatian and Serbian regions’ traditional folk music to create historically-informed arrangements for classical musicians.
Waves Cafeteria
For centuries, western composers such as Haydn and Bartók have been captivated by the alluring musical qualities of traditional Balkan folk music, and have integrated melodies from the region into their orchestral compositions. Folk music holds strong significance to Balkan cultural heritage, and various styles have been preserved and performed through trained folklore ensembles. In an attempt to bridge the classical world and Balkan folk practices, a thorough examination of various genres from the region was conducted. Primary source village recordings of ancient genres of Balkan folk including the gusle epic poems and ganga choruses gave insight to musical characteristics indigenous to the region. Such musical characteristics were cross-examined with analyses of secondary source recordings and transcriptions from scholars of modern Balkan folklore. With this analysis, inferences were created regarding how foreign groups in the region’s history such as the Romani, Austro-Hungarian, and Ottoman influences impacted the development of the folk music. Through these findings, a historically-informed approach to the performance of Balkan folk music in the western contexts of choral ensembles and art song was created. By honoring and implementing musical aspects of the most ancient styles as well as modern genres, folk melodies can be performed in the western format of art song and choral works in historically-informed arrangements. A genre that has been traditionally passed down orally through generations can now be opened up to musicians worldwide, exposing audiences to a multitude of unique musical characteristics Balkan folk has to offer.
Comments
I will be contacting Savanna Hanneyan for the poster submission.