European Music
Traditional & Popular Sounds from the Continent
Germany (CDFO / 943)
Regional folk traditions in Germany were largely de-stroyed through political manipulation, particularly by
the Nazis during World War II. Today, Volkstumliche Musik or “folksy” music is often heard, particularly on German television, but it has little connection to the genuine folk tradition. In the past decade, modern bands such as Corvus Corax and Ougenweide have been playing a folk-rock music that seeks to restore some Medieval German folk music traditions. The familiar oom-pah music of the beer halls remains popular.
Poland (CDFO / 943.8)
Klezmer music is currently very popular in Poland, while in the United States, polka is the favorite in Polish immigrant communities. The Warsaw Village Band is a contemporary Polish folk-rock band. Somewhat experimental, they borrow from other traditions, but their music remains solidly grounded in tradition, with a unique Polish singing style called “white voices” and a variety of folk instruments.
Hungary(CDFO / 943.9)
The traditional music of Hungary features a unique type of hammered dulcimer called the cimbalom. Under Communist rule, Hungarian cultural traditions suffered terrible repression, but the underground kept the music alive. Marta Sebestyen, one of the heroes of this effort, is the lead singer for the string band Muzsikas.
France (CDFO / 944)
France has a number of regional music traditions, the most famous of which come, predictably, from Paris. Chanson is an ancient vocal tradition; Georges Brassens was one of the most popular and poetic of modern songwriters in this lyric-driven music. Chanson realiste, a variation that came out of the cafés and cabarets of the poor and working classes of Montmartre, was made famous worldwide by Edith Piaf.
A related café tradition is bal musette – dance hall band music dominated by the accordion. Paris Café Music is a good place to start exploring this folk tradition while the group Paris Combo offers a more modern take.
Various French bagpipe-like instruments are showcased on Les Cornemuses: Groupes Regionaux.
For a taste of the current popular music scene in France check out Françoise Hardy (the ye-ye girl), Camille, Manu Chao, or Carla Bruni.
Italy (CDFO / 945)
Unification came late to Italy, so its traditional music, like its cuisine, shows great regional variation. There are polyphonic singers from Sardinia, bagpipes from Calabria, and the Trallaleri male choruses of Genoa. Folk Music and Song of Italy, from original field recordings by Alan Lomax, offers a nice sampler of this diverse folk tradition.
other European country to being “popular” music. Opera is a national favorite and music from the Renaissance is widely enjoyed. A growing club culture in Italy has produced a “hybrid” music combining traditional sounds with electronic beats and rhythm. Rough Guide’s Italia Nova showcases this development in the living folk tradition.
Spain (CDFO / (946)
Flamenco! Though native to only one region, flamenco influences all popular music traditions in Spain. Originating in Andalusia, there are now many regional variations and a fusion-type flamenco called cantes de ida y vuelta or “roundtrip songs” to describe the styles that have come about through the interplay of Old and New World music. The Gipsy Kings play a pop-flavored flamenco; Son de la Frontera and Ojos de Brujos are also good groups for a taste of the current flamenco scene.
The merger of flamenco with other styles continues today with Radio Tarifa playing world fusion, flamenco-style, and Ketama, hot flamenco-Latin salsa.
Portugal (CDFO / 946.9)
Fado, a distinctive vocal music with instrumental accompaniment, has obscure origins but has been an identifiable part of the Portuguese music scene since the late 18th century. Said to reflect saudade, a Portuguese word expressing yearning and
“beautiful melancholy,” fado is simply life.
Amália Rodrigues was one of the most revered fadistas (fado singers) in Portugal – when she died in 1999, the government proclaimed three days of official mourning. She was also the first to do substantial recording and brought international attention to Portugal and the fado tradition. Today, fadistas such as Mariza, Mísia, Cristina Branco, and Ana Moura carry on the tradition.
Portugal’s approach to colonization was such that by the 19th century a substantial African and mixed-race population lived in Lisbon. This continues to influence the music scene. Sara Tavares, for example, is a Portuguese singer of Cape Verdean descent, whose music is reflective of the unique Afro-European experience and, unlike fado, focuses on messages of hope and self-worth.
Norway (CDFO / 948.1)
Norwegian folk music divides into two separate traditions. The vocal tradition, often unaccompanied, includes ballads, lullabies, and hymns. Trio Mediaeval offers a sampler of this type; for a modern take with traditional roots, try the album Rosensfole where a medieval ballad-singer is accompanied by jazz musician Jan Garbarek.
The instrumental tradition features the Hardanger fiddle, a unique small fiddle with a bright tone and resonating strings that dates back to at least 1651. Declared the “Devil’s instrument” by the church in Norway, the Hardanger fiddle has survived centuries of attempted suppression. The most authentic practitioner in our collection is Knut Hamre. Annbjørg Lien and Flukt take a slightly more modern approach.
Sweden (CDFO / 948.5)
Traditional music in Sweden centered on songs accompanied by the keyed fiddle, sackpipa (the Swedish bagpipe), and wooden whistles. The modern folk-rock band Garmarna offers a taste of this traditional instrumentation, but the music scene in Sweden today is overwhelmingly rock ‘n’ roll. A better example of the Swedish tradition actually comes from the Republic of Karelia: Karelia Visa by Hedningarna (947.15).
Finland (CDFO / 948.97)
The oldest and most distinctively Finnish instrument in traditional music is the kantele, which is a type of plucked zither. Finnish Kantele Music showcases the ringing bell-like tone of this ancient instrument.
Varttina, an internationally known vocal group from Finland, sings music based on an ancient and distinctive polyphonic tradition from Karelia, an area that extends from eastern Finland into Russia. Though these songs are traditionally unaccompanied, Varttina has experimented with different instrumental ensembles over the years, some of which include the kantele.
The accordion came to Finland in the mid-19th century and soon became the favorite instrument for dance music. Today, Maria Kalaniemi plays an eclectic mix of Finnish folk and modern tango on the accordion while Kimmo Pohjonen takes the traditional Finnish accordion all the way to the avant-garde.
Greece (CDFO / 949.5)
While Greece has many regional folk music traditions, its most famous music – rembetika – is actually a 20th-century development. Sometimes called the “Greek blues,” rembetika is a blend of Mediterranean musical traditions with lyrics from the urban underclass frequenting the bazaars of Athens. The bouzouki, a long-necked lute with metal strings, is the favored instrument for rembetika.
Initially discouraged and censored because of its “low life” origins, rembetika eventually became the primary “traditional” music of Greece – a position it still holds today. Putumayo’s Greece: A Musical Odyssey is a nice starting place to sample modern Greek popular music -- the continuing popularity and pervasive influence of rembetika are immediately apparent.
Serbia (CDFO / 949.71)
Balkan brass band is one of the most popular styles of music in Serbia, Macedonia, and Bulgaria. This music originated in the 19th century during the First Serbian Uprising against the Ottoman Empire. Trumpets were used to awaken and gather soldiers for battle. During downtimes, the trumpeters entertained the troops by playing popular folk songs.
This style of brass instrumentation followed soldiers back into civilian life and soon became the common music for weddings, baptisms, and other special occasions. Boris Kovac and the Boban Markovic Orkestar are the stars of the modern Balkan brass band world.
Bulgaria (CDFO / 949.9)
Geographic isolation and domination by the Ottomans produced much regional variation in the traditional music of Bulgaria. Singing, especially by women and girls, was extremely important throughout the country with songs accompanying most daily activities.
After Communist takeover in 1944, Bulgarian traditional music was “nationalized” and in 1955 the first women’s choir of this new “tradition” performed outside the borders of Bulgaria. The most famous of these choirs is undoubtedly the Mystere des Voix Bulgares, a choir of rural women who sing in a distinctive diaphonic style described as spine-tingling and beautiful.
Remarkably, wedding music escaped government control, and, because of the freedom it offered, evolved into a unique genre featuring improvisations on traditional Bulgarian dance music. Ivo Papasov and his Bulgarian Wedding Band have achieved international recognition for their development and performance of this style.
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