Moravian traditional music represents a part of the European musical culture connected with the regions around the western Carpathian Mountains. It is characterized by a specific melodic and harmonic texture related to the Eastern European musical world. According to Czech musicologist Jiří Plocek, Moravia is the area where the European East musically meets the West.[1]
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Moravia, today a part of the Czech Republic, was settled by Slavic tribes in the 6th century. Today, however, little is known about this period. Following the decline of Great Moravia in the 9th and 10th centuries, Moravia was captured by the Přemyslid dynasty and became a part of the Bohemian Kingdom. During the medieval war-invasions, exotic armies of Turks and Tatars came to the region. It is possible to find echoes of these dramatic events in the texts of Moravian folk songs.[2] Distinct styles of folk music began to emerge during the Wallachian colonization of the 16th and 17th centuries, separating Czech and Moravian traditional music. The "new hungarian" style has influenced the music of the area in the past three centuries, especially in Southern Moravia.[2] This influence has left a deep imprint on the unusual melodic variegation of Moravian traditional music providing an inspirational source for subsequent Classical, Jazz and Pop music composers.[2]
The Czech National Revival in the 19th century represents an important turning point for traditional music. The "Gubernial Collecting Action" at the beginning of 19th century was responsible for documenting folk music of the entire Austro-Hungarian Empire. Later, in 1835, the priest František Sušil (1804–1868) published Moravské národní písně (Moravian National Songs), the founding collection of Moravian folk songs.[3] The second important collector of folk songs was the dialectologist and folklorist František Bartoš (1837–1906), who published his collection Nové národní písně moravské s nápěvy do textu vřaděnými (New Moravian National Songs with Melodies Integrated to Text) in 1882.[4] He closely collaborated with Czech composer Leoš Janáček who later became the leader of the Moravian folklore movement. During the 1930s, Janáček published his folk-song collection called Moravské písně milostné (Moravian Love Songs), and also organized the first recordings of the folk music with phonograph.[5] His recordings represent the oldest documentation of Moravian folk music.[3] Many other valuable regional folk-song collections were also published during this time and collecting activities continued through the second half of the 20th century. Today tens of thousands of folk songs from Moravia are archived in the Ethnographic Division of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic.[3]
The traditional music of Western Moravia is closely related to the music of Bohemia. It was influenced by folk music of Germany and other western regions as well as classical music, especially in the Baroque and Classical eras. The music is mainly written in major keys, and its rhythm and structure are regular and firm.[2]
The music of Southeastern Moravia differs substantially. Its character is closely related to the musical style of Eastern Europe[2] using rather minor keys and melodic elements characteristic of eastern countries such as Ukraine, Slovakia, Romania and Hungary. Here it is also possible to find elements of gypsy scales which contain augmented intervals unusual for the traditional music of Western Europe. The key element of the traditional music of Southeastern Moravia is emotional variegation and greater rhythmic leeway.
Moravian folk music performances use various typical and also unusual instruments. "Cimbalom bands" are the typical interprets of traditional music today. The "small" cimbalom characteristic of Moravian music in the 19th century, however, has been replaced by the "standard" (or Hungarian) cimbalom, a rather new instrument only gaining wide use in the 20th century.[6] The leader and "conductor" of the cimbalom band is often a violinist, called "primáš" in Czech, who plays the leading melody with ornamentation. A second violinist, "obligát", often plays the plain melody and supports the "primáš". The harmonic variety of the string instruments is often supported also by other violinists or violists. They are called "kontry" or "terc" as they usually play a third lower than the leading melody. Other important instruments of the Moravian cimbalom band are clarinet, ornamenting the melody, and double bass.
Moravian folk bands often perform in various line-ups as some types of songs require specific instrumental accompaniment. For example, "hudecké" songs only require a string section. The traditional line-up of hudecká muzika (string band) consists of fiddle (prim), viola (kontra) and bass. Bagpipes, gajdy in Moravian dialects, are integral to the fabric of "gajdošská muzika", often accompanied by violin (prim), viola (kontra) and double bass. Removing some typical violin features lead to the origin of an instrument nicknamed the squeaking fiddle in the former Bohemian-German area of the Jihlava region. This type of homemade "folk fiddle" is the leading instrument of skřipkařská muzika ("squeaking fiddle band"). Other songs may require unusual instruments such as simpe whistles, pipes, flutes and recorders, hurdy gurdy, jaw harp, among others.
Moravian traditional folk songs are separated into various specific types, of which the most famous is probably the verbuňk, the specific male recruit dance of Moravian Slovakia. Koichiro Matsuura, the General-Director of UNESCO in 2005 proclaimed the Moravian verbuňk as the part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Mankind.[7][8]
Moravia is ethnographically divided into approximately ten regions,[11] some of which, Dolňácko for example, are divided further into subregions.
| Region | Main characteristics |
| Central and western Moravia | |
| Horácko and the subregion Podhorácko |
An extensive region located at the boundary between Bohemia and Moravia. The major part of Horácko belongs to the Vysočina Region. The Horácko region encompasses areas around the towns of Dačice, Telč, Jihlava, Žďár nad Sázavou, Polička, Havlíčkův Brod, Pelhřimov, Kamenice, Pacov. The Podhorácko (or Dolácko) region consists of Moravské Budějovice, Třebíč, Velké Meziříčí, Nové Město na Moravě. The folk music of Horácko was influenced by Bohemian folklore and also by the Bavarian colonization.[12] The character of the music of Horácko is rather intrumental. Here it is possible to find the influence of Bohemian regions such as Chodsko, Southern Bohemia and Central Bohemia.[12] Major scales substantially predominate the music; few songs are written using minor scales. The tempi are moderate, mainly in 2/4 or 3/4 time. The folk music of Horácko uses syncopation.[12] |
| Haná | An ethnographic region in central Moravia approximately between the towns of Zábřeh, Holešov, Vyškov and Uničov. It is the largest and oldest traditional Moravian region. Today, however, the original folk music of Haná is lost. Its musical character was similar to Bohemian folk music and was also influenced by court music. |
| Northeastern Moravia | |
| Valašsko (Moravian Wallachia) | A mountainous region in the easternmost part of Moravia, near the Slovak border. The Moravian Wallachs supposedly came from the East, from the Slovak side. They established a shepherd culture in the Beskydy and nearby mountains, close to the towns of Rožnov pod Radhoštěm and Velké Karlovice. The area surrounding the towns of Vsetín, Valašské Klobouky, Vizovice and Zlín also belongs to Wallachia. The traditional music of Moravian Wallachia is influenced by Lachian and Polish folk culture on the north, and that of Slovakia in the south. Wallachian folk songs can be divided into several categories. Helekačky and hečené (hollering songs) were used for communication by children and women while herding cattle and horses. Whirling dance and rolling dance are types of dance songs in southern Wallachia. Slovakian influence can be seen in the old Hungarian dance, which is close to the csárdás. A well-known male dance is also the odzemek. The simplest of traditional Wallachian instruments was the koncovka, a shepherd's end-blown flute. The early bagpipe music (gajdošská muzika) was later replaced by the string band with small portable hammered dulcimer or the table hammered dulcimer, an instrument which almost disappeared when it was replaced by the large Hungarian cimbalom. |
| Lašsko (Lachia) | A region located between the towns of Frýdek-Místek, Frýdlant nad Ostravicí, Frenštát pod Radhoštěm, Nový Jičín and Kopřivnice in northeastern Moravia. Lachia is known for its traditional folklore, and especially for its typical dance forms. Leoš Janáček, a Lachian native, created the orchestral cycle Lachian Dances, inspired by the music of Lachia. |
| Southeastern Moravia | |
| Uherskohradišťsko a subregion of Dolňácko |
The regional center is Uherské Hradiště. It consists of the following municipalities: Uherský Ostroh, Polešovice, Nedakonice, Kostelany, Boršice, Zlechov, Tupesy, Velehrad, Modrá, Staré Město, Mařatice, Sady, Kunovice, Huštěnovice, Jankovice, Babice among others. Folk music and arts traditions are highly developed in this agricultural area.[13] Here many Czech scholars and composers such as Leoš Janáček, František Bartoš and František Sušil collected "peasant songs" – a specific folk song type from the neighbourhood of Bílovice. The most notable representants of the folk music of this region are Jaroslav Čech Cimbalom Band, Kunovjan, Včelaran and Dolina. |
| Strážnicko a subregion of Dolňácko |
Located around the town of Strážnice, this region consists of Petrov, Sudoměřice, Radějov, Tvarožná Lhota, Kněždub, Tasov, Hroznová Lhota, Kozojídky, Žeraviny. Notable representants of this region include primáš Slávek Volavý (1922–1983) and cimbalom bands Danaj and Strážničan. |
| Kyjovsko a subregion of Dolňácko |
With the central town of Kyjov, this area includes Kelčany, Osvětimany, Vracov, Milotice, Vacenovice, Ratíškovice, Dubňany, Mutěnice, Hovorany, Svatobořice-Mistřín. Kyjovsko has long been one of the most significant ethnographic regions of southern Moravia. The first written reference to the cimbalom originated here in 1799.[12] The region's usual ensemble line-up was 1 or 2 violins, double bass, cimbalom and later also clarinet. The musical development in Moravia during this time was diverse as bagpipe music existed almost excusively in Horňácko to the west. During the first half of the 20th century, cimbalom bands were nearly replaced by brass music, called "dechovka". However, the tradition was revived since the 1950s and the popularity of cimbalom bands continues to grow.[12] The most characteristic folk dances of the Kyjovsko region are "skočná", "slovenská" and "verbuňk". The most important representative ensembles of this region are primáš Jura Petrů (1922–1984) and the Jura Petrů Cimbalom Band, Varmuža Cimbalom Band. |
| Horňácko | The small region located at the northwestern base of the White Carpathian Mountains. Its center is in Velká nad Veličkou. Horňácko consists of Hrubá Vrbka, Malá Vrbka, Kuželov, Javorník, Nová Lhota, Vápenky, Suchov, Lipov, and Louka. Leoš Janáček considered Horňácko "the most important center of traditional folk music in Moravian Slovakia".[14] The development of Moravian traditional music remained uninterrupted only in the Horňácko region. The characteristic regional music style is represented mainly by the Martin Hrbáč Cimbalom Band. |
| Uherskobrodsko and the subregion Kopanice |
The region at the borders of Moravia and Slovakia close to the town of Uherský Brod. It is sometimes considered a part of the Dolňácko Region. This region shows features of both traditional Moravian folk music and Slovak music. Slovakian influence can be found in the mountainous part at the border of the region, namely in the villages of Strání, Březová, Starý Hrozenkov and surroundings – called Kopanice as a whole. The musical development in Uherskobrodsko was similar to the other regions in the Southern Moravia. Flutes (whistles), pipes, violins and other bowed instruments were consecutively added to a human voice. A string band (hudecká muzika) with a clarinet was a typical set up for Moravia of the 19th and part of the 20th century. However, it is impossible to find the original forms of the folk music of Uherskobrodsko. The notable cimbalom band of the region is Olšava. |
| Luhačovické Zálesí | A transitive region between Moravian Slovakia, Moravian Wallachia, and Haná Region. The center is in Luhačovice. |
| Podluží | The southernmost part of Moravian Slovakia, it consists of southern Podluží (Ladná, Stará Břeclav, Poštorná, Charvátská Nová Ves, Hlohovec, Kostice, Lanžhot, Tvrdonice, Hrušky, Týnec, Moravská Nová Ves) and northern Podluží (Mikulčice, Lužice, Josefov, Dolní Bojanovice, Starý Poddvorov, Prušánky). The musical development of this region was somewhat segregated. The most important representants of the traditional music of the Podluží Region are primáš Jožka Kobzík (1929–2000) and the cimbalom bands Břeclavan and Jožka Severin Cimbalom Band. |
| Hanácké Slovácko | A transitive region between Moravian Slovakia and Haná. The southern part consists of Čejkovice, Čejč, Kobylí, Brumovice, Vrbice, Bořetice, Velké Pavlovice, Velké Bílovice, and Rakvice. The middle part consists of Krumvíř, Klobouky u Brna, Boleradice, Diváky and Těšany. The eastern part, close to the Kyjovsko Region, consists of Žarošice, Archlebov and Věteřov. The notable representant of this folk music is Cimbalom Band Vonica. |
Moravian traditional folk music has served as a source and inspiration to many different musical genres including classical composers such as Antonín Dvořák, Leoš Janáček, Vítězslav Novák and Bohuslav Martinů.[12] Following World War II and the Czechoslovak coup d'état of 1948, folk songs were abused as a part of the communist cultural programme. Ideology-influenced folk-song propaganda was created in order to support the new régime. The movement soon vanished, however, and the principles of traditional folk music headed toward more sophisticated processing. The "off-key and creaky" music of old village musicians was often replaced by the academic and virtuosic expression of professional players,[12] typically represented by the Brněnský rozhasový orchestr lidových nástrojů (BROLN) (The Orchestra of Traditional Folk Instruments of the Brno Radio). In the second half of the 20th century, traditional folk bands were replaced with "chamber orchestras" which performed sterile and mechanical folk arrangements. Regional variability and originality was almost lost. Traditional music partially returned to its roots in the last decade of the 20th century and slowly began to restore its distinctives.[15]
The musical structure of Moravian folk song also influenced many interprets of jazz. Czech jazz musicians led by Karel Velebný and Jaromír Hnilička recorded the album "Týnom, tánom" in 1970, the first attempt to arrange the folk songs into jazz compositions. Other jazz musicians who have used elements of folk music include Jiří Stivín (Inspirations by Folklore CD) and Emil Viklický (Morava, 2003 CD, together with Billy Hart, George Mraz and Zuzana Lapčíková).
The songwriter Petr Ulrych, the founder of the band Javory, was one of the first musicians to deal with traditional music in the 1980s.[16] Ulrych closely collaborated with a violinist Jiří Pavlica, the leader of the cimbalom band Hradišťan. Hradišťan, well-known traditional folk band, later turned away from folklore and focused on fusion in various world music projects (Yas-Kaz, Dizu Plaatjies and Altai-Kai collaborations among others).
Widespread use of traditional folk music in the repertoire of Czech rock bands began in the 1990s. Significant representatives of this genre are Čechomor, Fleret and Vlasta Redl. Another important musician who deals with Moravian traditional music is the avant-garde singer and violinist Iva Bittová.
Annual festivals:[17] The following festivals are held annually unless otherwise noted.[17]
Horňácko region
Hradištské Dolňácko region
Strážnické Dolňácko region
Kyjovské Dolňácko region
Hanácké Slovácko region
Podluží region
Luhačovské Zálesí region
Uherskobrodsko and Kopanice regions
Valašsko region (Moravian Wallachia)
Lašsko region (Lachia)
Haná region
Horácko region