Bluesmen's World(Music)

Zurgó was formed in 1993, in Budapest, in Hungary.
The members' aim is to collect the music of the "csángó" - a Hungarian minority living in Romania - to present it in concerts and thus preserve it for the coming generations.
In 2004 the Zurgó became the first Hungarian folk group to be given the Bezeredj Award of Ministry of Cultural Heritage, and in 2007 the Zurgó was awarded the title Béla Bartók Prize by the Advisory Board of Hungarian Arts Award.

"On the present album we invoke Gregorian melodies, ballads, laments and love songs, dance melodies of medieval, renaissance and modern origin, recalling the festivities, joy and sorrow of generations that have passed. All this is music of the Hungarian speaking minority in Moldva (Moldavia), Romania, the Csángó people, that we have been collecting from their elders and their grandsons and granddaughters. The past has a message for the present in all these wonderful melodies, the heart of time is beating in them."

The Zurgo Ensemble on this CD release present the music and traditions of the ‘Csango’ Hungarians living in Moldavia. Since 1992 they have collected dance music and songs from the Moldavian Csangos and play them on traditional instruments such as the violin, kaval, kobza, whistle and drum etc. In their native Hungary they are regular performers of their art and have appeared on many radio and television programmes.

The "Csángó"-s
Moldavia is the territory, beyond the East Carpathian mountains, belonging to Romania today, where there were Hungarians arrived in several waves. From the 13th to the 18th centuries there were several migrations of Hungarian settlers to Moldavia. Their descendants are the people we call 'Csango' today.
They established their own settlements in Moldavia and have preserved their independence from the Orthodox Moldavian Romanians. Thus their culture has medieval European and Asian elements as well as Romanian, Balkanian, Slav and Turkish ones due to living close to those peoples. This is true for the music, as well as the dances, that are diverse even in their forms: beside round and pair dances, the so - called chain or line dances are also characteristic. Gregorian melodies, laments, ballads and new-style folk songs can be found in their culture as well as chain and line dances of ancient origin, the renaissance 'kettős'- a walking and fast couple dance-and the 19th-century Hungarian csardas.
On 23rd May 2001, the Permanent Committee of the General Assembly of the European Council accepted the Finnish Tytti Isohookana Asunmaa's report which stated that the Csangos of Moldavia speak a former version of Hungarian and have archaic traditions, colourful folk art and culture which are of special importance for Europe.


01. Magyaros - Old Hungarian dances
02. Antaloké - Two Antals' melodies
03. Györgyi Ilonával - At the end of the garden...
04. Nunta - Wedding (5'48")
05. Vőlegénysirató - Mourning song
06. "Fenn a csillag, fenn az ég..." - Stars and the sky above
07. "Szeretőm e táncba..." - My lover in the dance...
08. Márton víg Gergele - Gergely's song
09. Juhajgatás - Shepherd's song
10. "Ha folyóvíz volnék..." - If I were a river...
11. Kyrie eleison
12. Havajgatás - Consolation
13. Szép asszonyok éneke - Song of the witches

Musicians:
Lídia Draskóczy - fiddle
Andrea Navratil - voice
Félix Benke Ágoston - drum, jew's harp, leaf whistle
László Demeter - koboz (lute)
Bercel Nagy - wooden whistles, tale-teller
Csaba Sófalvi Kiss - wooden whistles, kaval

Guests:
Mária Petrás - voice
Géza Fábri - koboz, voice

Link

pass: bluesmen-worldmusic.blogspot.com