Farya Faraji | Gusta Mi Magla Padnala - Serbian Song @faryafaraji | Uploaded July 2024 | Updated October 2024, 3 days ago.
Kaval and gaida by @Dimitrios_Dallas, saz by Yorgos Mourkousis, vocals & arrangement by Farya Faraji. This is a Serbian folk song said to hail from the southern part of Serbia, namely the Kosovo and Metohija region. One of the most popular Serbian folk songs, it's often arranged in a more modernised form using contemporary instruments such as the accordion, but I wanted the instrumental soundscape to hearken to an older time circa the 1500's to 1700's, with more archaic but still utilised instruments such as the kaval flute, the gaida bagpipe, and the saz.
The music is structured in a 7/8 time signature, one of the most common ones in Serbian music. I was also careful to render the vocals with intonation that is deliberately archaic: instead of matching the modern 12 tone equal temperament notes found in Western music, some traditional Serbian vocalists still sing notes that fall outside of that spectrum, notably with the second interval being a little sharper, and the fourth being somewhat flatter, giving this rendition a more archaic flavour that is neither perfectly minor nor phrygian, which are commonly the notes now utilised in much of more modernised Serbian folk music. Typical drone harmony accompanies the vocals, with the secondary voice switching from tonic to subtonic as a form of pedal note underneath the main melody.
One interesting aspect to note is the line "Кол’ко су sвезде на небо, море, Кол’ко су sвезде на небо. Тол’ко су шарке на њега, море, Тол’ко су шарке на њега," which translates to "as many stars as there are in the sky, there are hinges/patterns on this vest." This turn of phrase is a common one found in many Slavic songs of the Balkans, also found in Bulgarian music, with the phrase "as many leaves as there are in the forest, that much happiness be bestowed upon this house," or similar alternatives, etc.
Lyrics in Serbian:
Густа ми магла паднала, море,
Густа ми магла паднала.
На тој ми рамно Косово, море,
На тој ми рамно Косово.
Ништа се живо не види, море,
Ништа се живо не види.
До једно дрво високо, море,
До једно дрво високо.
Под њег ми седив терзије, море,
Под њег ми седив терзије.
Они ми шијев јелече, море,
Они ми шијев јелече.
Кол’ко су sвезде на небо, море,
Кол’ко су sвезде на небо.
Тол’ко су шарке на њега, море,
Тол’ко су шарке на њега.
English translation:
A dense fog has fallen down,
Upon this plane Kosovo field.
Nothing can be seen,
but one tall tree.
A tailor is sitting under (the tree).
He is sewing a vest for me.
As many stars there are in the sky,
that many colours are on the vest.
Kaval and gaida by @Dimitrios_Dallas, saz by Yorgos Mourkousis, vocals & arrangement by Farya Faraji. This is a Serbian folk song said to hail from the southern part of Serbia, namely the Kosovo and Metohija region. One of the most popular Serbian folk songs, it's often arranged in a more modernised form using contemporary instruments such as the accordion, but I wanted the instrumental soundscape to hearken to an older time circa the 1500's to 1700's, with more archaic but still utilised instruments such as the kaval flute, the gaida bagpipe, and the saz.
The music is structured in a 7/8 time signature, one of the most common ones in Serbian music. I was also careful to render the vocals with intonation that is deliberately archaic: instead of matching the modern 12 tone equal temperament notes found in Western music, some traditional Serbian vocalists still sing notes that fall outside of that spectrum, notably with the second interval being a little sharper, and the fourth being somewhat flatter, giving this rendition a more archaic flavour that is neither perfectly minor nor phrygian, which are commonly the notes now utilised in much of more modernised Serbian folk music. Typical drone harmony accompanies the vocals, with the secondary voice switching from tonic to subtonic as a form of pedal note underneath the main melody.
One interesting aspect to note is the line "Кол’ко су sвезде на небо, море, Кол’ко су sвезде на небо. Тол’ко су шарке на њега, море, Тол’ко су шарке на њега," which translates to "as many stars as there are in the sky, there are hinges/patterns on this vest." This turn of phrase is a common one found in many Slavic songs of the Balkans, also found in Bulgarian music, with the phrase "as many leaves as there are in the forest, that much happiness be bestowed upon this house," or similar alternatives, etc.
Lyrics in Serbian:
Густа ми магла паднала, море,
Густа ми магла паднала.
На тој ми рамно Косово, море,
На тој ми рамно Косово.
Ништа се живо не види, море,
Ништа се живо не види.
До једно дрво високо, море,
До једно дрво високо.
Под њег ми седив терзије, море,
Под њег ми седив терзије.
Они ми шијев јелече, море,
Они ми шијев јелече.
Кол’ко су sвезде на небо, море,
Кол’ко су sвезде на небо.
Тол’ко су шарке на њега, море,
Тол’ко су шарке на њега.
English translation:
A dense fog has fallen down,
Upon this plane Kosovo field.
Nothing can be seen,
but one tall tree.
A tailor is sitting under (the tree).
He is sewing a vest for me.
As many stars there are in the sky,
that many colours are on the vest.
