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Sheet Music for Traditional Macedonian Music
This book is the first of several dozen volumes that LOMA is arranging and compiling. It contains sheet music for 100 traditional Macedonian folk songs. The songs come from all regions of Macedonia – from Tetovsko in the northwest to Dramsko in the southeast – and many of them are kept in their original dialects. There will be several thousand folk songs when we are done with this project.
Using dozens of resources, we transcribed and rearranged many of these songs. The reasons for doing so are several. First, many Macedonians living outside of Macedonia may be able to speak Macedonian but cannot read Cyrillic; and if they can read Cyrillic, they cannot read it as quickly as they can read the Latin script. Thus, we turned all the Cyrillic script into the Latin script so it is easier for Macedonians living in the US and other countries to read and understand.
Second, in many instances, chords and notes were wrong, or we found more suitable chords and notes. Thus, we took this as an opportunity to enhance the songs. In other instances, we put the songs in keys that are easier to play and sing in.
Third, the lyrics in most Macedonian books containing sheet music are written in block texts after the melody is complete. We figure that it is easier to read music and lyrics when the lyrics
are directly below the corresponding pitches. Thus, we ensured that it is as easy as possible to read and play Macedonian music without having to memorize lyrics and notes or constantly glance from text to melody.
Finally, there are hundreds upon hundreds of old Macedonian folk songs that do not have melodies associated with them – either they have gotten lost in time or were never recorded in
the first place. Furthermore, there are other songs containing melodies that just don’t sound might, in our honest opinion. Thus, we created melodies for hundreds of songs in the Macedonian style that will allow the stories presented in the lyrics to survive for generations to come.
One of our many goals at LOMA is to provide Macedonian-Americans with access to information about their culture, history and identity. We hope that these volumes of traditional
Macedonian folk songs will encourage Macedonians to obtain a deeper understanding and love of Macedonian music and culture. Perhaps you play an instrument and want to learn Macedonian music. Or maybe you love Macedonian music but haven not found the most easily understandable sheet music. Or maybe you want to learn more about the stories that are passed down in traditional music. Perhaps you even know someone that could use these songs.
Well, here they are, the first 100!
(This is the newly created Cultural Resources page on our website).
Enjoy!
This book is the first of several dozen volumes that LOMA is arranging and compiling. It contains sheet music for 100 traditional Macedonian folk songs. The songs come from all regions of Macedonia – from Tetovsko in the northwest to Dramsko in the southeast – and many of them are kept in their original dialects. There will be several thousand folk songs when we are done with this project.
Using dozens of resources, we transcribed and rearranged many of these songs. The reasons for doing so are several. First, many Macedonians living outside of Macedonia may be able to speak Macedonian but cannot read Cyrillic; and if they can read Cyrillic, they cannot read it as quickly as they can read the Latin script. Thus, we turned all the Cyrillic script into the Latin script so it is easier for Macedonians living in the US and other countries to read and understand.
Second, in many instances, chords and notes were wrong, or we found more suitable chords and notes. Thus, we took this as an opportunity to enhance the songs. In other instances, we put the songs in keys that are easier to play and sing in.
Third, the lyrics in most Macedonian books containing sheet music are written in block texts after the melody is complete. We figure that it is easier to read music and lyrics when the lyrics
are directly below the corresponding pitches. Thus, we ensured that it is as easy as possible to read and play Macedonian music without having to memorize lyrics and notes or constantly glance from text to melody.
Finally, there are hundreds upon hundreds of old Macedonian folk songs that do not have melodies associated with them – either they have gotten lost in time or were never recorded in
the first place. Furthermore, there are other songs containing melodies that just don’t sound might, in our honest opinion. Thus, we created melodies for hundreds of songs in the Macedonian style that will allow the stories presented in the lyrics to survive for generations to come.
One of our many goals at LOMA is to provide Macedonian-Americans with access to information about their culture, history and identity. We hope that these volumes of traditional
Macedonian folk songs will encourage Macedonians to obtain a deeper understanding and love of Macedonian music and culture. Perhaps you play an instrument and want to learn Macedonian music. Or maybe you love Macedonian music but haven not found the most easily understandable sheet music. Or maybe you want to learn more about the stories that are passed down in traditional music. Perhaps you even know someone that could use these songs.
Well, here they are, the first 100!
(This is the newly created Cultural Resources page on our website).
Enjoy!
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