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Folk vocal traditions in the eastern borderlands (Polish-Lithuanian-Belarusian-Ukrainian)

General data

Course ID: 3106-LTW-OG
Erasmus code / ISCED: 03.2 Kod klasyfikacyjny przedmiotu składa się z trzech do pięciu cyfr, przy czym trzy pierwsze oznaczają klasyfikację dziedziny wg. Listy kodów dziedzin obowiązującej w programie Socrates/Erasmus, czwarta (dotąd na ogół 0) – ewentualne uszczegółowienie informacji o dyscyplinie, piąta – stopień zaawansowania przedmiotu ustalony na podstawie roku studiów, dla którego przedmiot jest przeznaczony. / (0215) Music and performing arts The ISCED (International Standard Classification of Education) code has been designed by UNESCO.
Course title: Folk vocal traditions in the eastern borderlands (Polish-Lithuanian-Belarusian-Ukrainian)
Name in Polish: Ludowe tradycje wokalne na pograniczu wschodnim (polsko-litewsko-białoruskim)
Organizational unit: Institute of Musicology
Course groups: (in Polish) Fakultety, Pracownie, OG
General university courses
General university courses
General university courses in the social sciences
ECTS credit allocation (and other scores): 3.00 Basic information on ECTS credits allocation principles:
  • the annual hourly workload of the student’s work required to achieve the expected learning outcomes for a given stage is 1500-1800h, corresponding to 60 ECTS;
  • the student’s weekly hourly workload is 45 h;
  • 1 ECTS point corresponds to 25-30 hours of student work needed to achieve the assumed learning outcomes;
  • weekly student workload necessary to achieve the assumed learning outcomes allows to obtain 1.5 ECTS;
  • work required to pass the course, which has been assigned 3 ECTS, constitutes 10% of the semester student load.
Language: Polish
Type of course:

elective courses
general courses
Short description:

Classes focusing on vocal folk traditions shaped in the eastern border belt of Poland. The goal is to introduce the basics of traditional music through practical performance of traditional songs and analysis of recordings and transcriptions.

The course is aimed at anyone interested in traditional musical culture.
Full description:

The course has a workshop character and is addressed to everyone interested in traditional musical culture. Ethnomusicological studies and articles, as well as an extensive collection of sound recordings from the Suwałki, Podlasie, Poniemnia and Polesie regions, will be the basis for discussing the vocal techniques and styles of the eastern border belt.

Each meeting will consist of theoretical and practical parts. Each participant will have the opportunity to prepare and then perform (ensemble and/or solo) three selected songs.

Class topics:

1. Borderland - typology and types. Ambiguity of the borderland. Eastern borderlands: Polish-Lithuanian; Polish-Belarusian; Polish-Ukrainian. Musical phenomena in the eastern borderland.

2. Suwałki - ethnographic and musical region. History of research on traditional music of Suwalszczyzna. Vocal traditions of the ritual cycle.

3. Podlasie - historical and ethnographic-musical region. Vocal traditions of the ritual cycle. Examples of solo musical expression.

4. Poniemnie - historical and cultural conditions and influence on the study of the folklore of the region. Repertoire remembered vs repertoire practiced. Common traditional repertoire.

5. Polesie - history and ethnographic-musical division. Macro- and micro-regions. Types of polyphony. Family rituals vs lyrical common songs.

6. Voice as a tool of communication. Basics of voice emission useful for performance of traditional songs. Method of active listening. Musicalization techniques.

7. Musical folklore - knowledge of the people vs codified elaborations. Folk musical traditions - terms, issues, typologies. Transformation of the role and importance of musical traditions.

8. Contemporary performance of folk music - panorama of phenomena, trends, tendencies. Contemporary varieties and forms of use of musical folklore.
Bibliography: (in Polish)

- Tożsamość – Język – Rodzina. Z badań na pograniczu słowiańsko-bałtyckim. Red.: A.

Engelking, E. Golachowska, A. Zielińska. Warszawa 2008, s. 10-24.

- Podlasie. Część I. Teksty pieśni obrzędowych. Red.: Ludwik Bielawski. Warszawa 2012, s. 7 – 93.

- Podlasie. Część II. Teksty pieśni powszechnych. Red.: Ludwik Bielawski. Warszawa 2012, s. 24 – 47.

- „Tradycyjnaja mastackaja kultura biełarusaŭ. Tom 3. Hrodzienskaje Paniamońnie. Kniha 1”, Minsk 2006.

- Tradycyjnaja mastackaja kultura biełarusaŭ. Tom 4. Bresckae Paliessie. Minsk 2008 (wybrane fragmenty).

- Gustaw Juzala, Semiotyka folkloru muzycznego pograniczy polsko-litewskich. Kraków 2007 (wybrane fragmenty).

- Marian Pokropek, Ludowe tradycje Suwalszczyzny. Suwałki 2010, s. 275 – 286.

- Weronika Grozdew-kołacińska, Barwa głosu jako kryterium konstruowania koncepcji stylu – do badań nad ludowym śpiewem tradycyjnym w polsce. W: Etnomuzykologia na

przełomie tysiącleci: historia, teoria, metodologia / Etnomuzykolohiya na zlami tycyacholit’: istoriya, teoriya, metodolohiya. Red.: Zbigniew Przerembski. Wrocław–Lwów 2015, 31–44.

- Branko Tadić, Metody wspomagające zapamiętywanie melodii. W: Śpiew tradycyjny — modele edukacji. Doświadczenia polskie i serbskie. Red. Weronika Grozdew-Kołacińska, Bartłomiej Drozd. Lublin 2027.

- Bogumiła Tarasiewicz, Mówię i śpiewam świadomie. Podręcznik do nauki emisji głosu, 2014.

- Ciecierska-Zajdel B., Trening głosu. Wyd. 2. Warszawa 2020.

- Materiały własne prowadzącej zajęcia.

Literatura uzupełniająca zostanie podana podczas zajęć.
Learning outcomes:

After completing the course, the participant:

- knows the basic forms and genres of traditional music in the eastern borderlands (Polish-Lithuanian, Polish-Belarusian, Polish-Ukrainian)

- knows the basics of "good" voice emission and is able to apply selected performance techniques in his/her vocal practice,

- lists the characteristics of musical folklore characteristic of each ethnographic-musical region

- is able to indicate the differences and similarities of the elements of the singing culture of the eastern borderlands,

- masters the form of songs during performance,

- is able to perform selected song genres and present the chosen style, reproducing the sound, dialect as accurately as possible,

- is aware of the historical variability of forms and genres of traditional music.
Assessment methods and assessment criteria:

- Attendance and active participation in class (1 absence is allowed);

- Preparation and performance of three songs (solo and/or ensemble).

Classes in period "Summer semester 2023/24" (in progress)

Time span: 2024-02-19 - 2024-06-16
Selected timetable range:
Navigate to timetable
Type of class:
Workshops, 45 hours, 15 places more information
Coordinators: Anastasiya Niakrasava
Group instructors: Anastasiya Niakrasava
Students list: (inaccessible to you)
Examination: Course - Grading
Workshops - Grading

Classes in period "Winter semester 2024/25" (future)

Time span: 2024-10-01 - 2025-01-26
Selected timetable range:
Navigate to timetable
Type of class:
Workshops, 45 hours, 13 places more information
Coordinators: Anastasiya Niakrasava
Group instructors: Anastasiya Niakrasava
Students list: (inaccessible to you)
Examination: Course - Grading
Workshops - Grading
Course descriptions are protected by copyright.
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