The Slovaks are a Slavic people, closely related to the Czechs. Slovak folk music has been playing an important role in the rural culture. Its richness of forms can be attributed to geographic profile of Slovakia with mountain ridges separating smaller regions. Despite its diversity it exhibits forms of distinctively Slavic and Carpathian character (especially the extensive use of modality). Slovak folk motifs have made their way to classical works of several central European composers, namely Béla Bartók, Leoš Janáček.
Due to long-term political ties, Hungarian music has also been influential in Slovakia.
Popular music began to replace folk music beginning in the 1950s, when Slovakia was a part of Czechoslovakia; American jazz, R&B, and rock and roll were popular, alongside waltzes, polkas, and czardas, among other folk forms. By the end of the '50s, radios were common household items, though only state stations were legal. Slovak popular music began as a mix of bossa nova, cool jazz, and rock, with propagandistic lyrics. Dissenters listened to ORF (Austrian Radio), Radio Luxembourg, or Slobodna Europa (Radio Free Europe), which played more rock. Czechoslovakia was more passive in the face of Soviet domination, and thus radio and the whole music industry toed the line more closely than other satellite states. As communist power declined, the popularity of reggae, hip hop, and punk rock increased.
After the Velvet Revolution and the declaration of the Slovak state, domestic music greatly diversified as free enterprise allowed a great expansion in the number of bands and genres represented in the Slovak market. Soon, however, major labels brought pop music to Slovakia and drove many of the small companies out of business. The 1990s saw German dance music, American grunge and alternative rock, and Britpop gain a wide following, as well as a newfound popularity in musicals.
Folk music
Folk instruments include the fujara (a huge shepherd's flute), bagpipes, both played usually solo. Folk groups typicaly consist of violins, double bass and cymbalum, performing various genres of usually dance music, like Verbung, or Czardas in southern, Hungarian influenced regions. Such dance folk music was frequently performed by traveling gipsy groups. Lyrics often concern a local hero named Jánošík, a legendary highwayman who brought justice for the oppressed and poor.
In November 2005 the fujara and its music were named Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.
Samples
- Download recording "Ej lúčka, lúčka široká" Slovak song from the Library of Congress' Florida Folklife from the WPA Collections; performed by Lillian Jakubcin and Emily Mertán on July 31, 1939 in Slavia, Florida
- [1]Muzička - a band playing authentic Slovak folk music.
Late 20th century's and today's musicians and music groups
Metal
List of metal bands from Slovakia
Pop
Rap
- A.M.O
- Čistychov
- Kontrafakt
- Vec
- Zverina
- Moja Reč
- H16
- Drvivá menšina
Rock
Punk Rock
References
- Plocek, Jiri (2000). “East Meets West” Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.) World Music, Vol. 1: Africa, Europe and the Middle East, p. 49-57, London: Rough Guides. ISBN 1858286360.
The content of this page is retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_Slovakia under GFDL
