The Adventures of Marko Kraljević – Epic Slavic Music of the Balkans

Arrangement by Farya Faraji. This isn't an original composition but rather a collage and piecing together of different South Slavic melodic motifs I researched and recorded. Marko Mrnjavčević is a 14th century historical figure and king of the Serbs, and a national hero of Serbs, Bulgarians and North Macedonians. This piece however, is about the folkloric version of the character, called Kraljević Marko. Mythologised in South Slavic epic poetry cycles, Marko is a heroic figure who fights injustice, protects the weak, and embarks on great adventures. A lover of brawls and drinking, he is also a comical figure, both in his jests against his ennemies and his appearance: "Marko grew up into a large, strong man, with a terrifying appearance, which was also somewhat comical. He wore a wolf-skin cap pulled low over his dark eyes, his black moustache was the size of a six-month-old lamb and his cloak was a shaggy wolf-pelt." His inseparable companion is Šarac, his horse with whom he always shared an equal amount of wine. In the epic cycle, Marko lives for 300 years, encountering numerous real life historical figures as allies, such as John Hunyadi, the Hungarian voivode of Transylvania, or Hrelja, a Slavic feudal lord. In many of the versions, his blood sister is the vila (a sort of fairy) Ravijojla who often comes to his aid.

With all this, I was inspired to come up with a theme for this character, something that could express his lively adventures and companions, like a South Slavic equivalent of a Pirates of the Carribbean theme. I found the answer in the traditional dances of South Slavs, specifically that of the Serbs, Bulgarians and Slavic Macedonians. This song mixes two styles of dance music called Opas and Trite Pati in Bulgarian. Their music revolves around the gaida bagpipe providing the melody, and the davul drums providing the percussions. I found the lively and dancey tone fitting for the adventures of Marko.

The instrument heard in the beginning is the gusle, a one string fiddle used in the Balkans and most associated with epic poetry—in Serbia, for examples, the guslars recite the poems of Marko's epic cycle using the gusla and singing in a freeform, vibrato-based style unbound by rhythm and metre. Here is an example:    • Marko Kraljević i Musa Kesedžija-Naro...