Vajdasági magyar népdalok II.

FOREWORD

Following the lyrical songs of the first volume, the second volume of the four-volume planned series, "Vajdasági magyar népdalok" (Hungarian Folk Songs of Vojvodina), presents a selection of ballads, outlaw and shepherd songs to the folk music-loving public. The aim of the series is to comprehensively introduce and popularize the Hungarian folk song heritage of Vojvodina. Once again, we strive to present a tradition whose texts and melodies rightfully represent the folk music values not only of Vojvodina but of the entire Hungarian nation.

The previously published materials and ongoing collections make it possible to survey and make a representative selection of the ballads, outlaw and shepherd songs of the diverse Hungarian population in Vojvodina. We cannot aim for completeness even now, although the collected material is very extensive, it is not evenly distributed geographically. We have tried, where possible, to represent as many accessible Hungarian-inhabited places as possible. On the other hand, the incidental melodies of the ballad types found here are not all necessarily worthy of popularization, as not all of them equally represent the core layer of the folk music tradition.

The material in this volume largely covers our oldest folk music heritage, which has now been almost completely erased from the memory of tradition bearers by the new style of folk songs and changed lifestyles. It is only exceptionally heard in folk practice. This material represents exceptional value not only in its melodies and texts but also in its performance style. “He only half knows our musical mother tongue who does not have a complete picture of the folk song, formed from original auditory perceptions, who has heard little or nothing directly from the people.” “Interpretation from paper or second-hand (...) is insufficient in terms of performance style and understanding.” “Traditional performance style disappears and perishes much faster than the associated melodic material; although to varying degrees by region, age group, and even individual” – writes Imre Olsvai. For a more complete understanding, we include audio material with the volume. This will hopefully help our young folk music enthusiasts to cope with the performance of songs that may seem difficult to them. This mode of expression, along with its innate melodic material, did not only supply the musical life of the people. “It is still connected to life, to the life of all of us today. It contains the seed, the plan of a great national musical culture. It is the task of the educated class to develop and complete this. But it will only have the strength to do so in spiritual unity with the people. To become a nation, we must first become a people again and again.” “The forms of tradition may change, but its essence remains the same as long as the people whose soul it expresses live.” The folk song “is very often a masterpiece (...). It is not primitiveness, but art refined and distilled through millennia of development. It is perfect because the culture that created it is a balanced unity” – writes Zoltán Kodály.

The Vojvodina Hungarian folk music archive, established within the framework of the Hungarian Cultural Association of Yugoslavia and the City Museum of Senta with the support of the Illyés Public Foundation, was of great help in compiling our volume. This made it possible to review the source material and select authentic audio examples illustrating the performance. Thanks are also due to the staff of the Folk Music Department of the Institute of Musicology of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, who provided indispensable and valuable assistance in this work.

Our second volume contains 382 ballads, outlaw and shepherd songs with 206 melodies, encompassing a total of approximately 680 variants. We hope that the reader will find as much joy in the selection as the compiler of the volume's material. And may the recordings illustrating the performance, despite their technical and human imperfections, provide an enjoyable auditory experience and serve a more complete understanding of style and authentic, uncorrupted interpretation. We wish you much success in bringing them back to life! All of them represent our precious folk music values, worthy of being integrated into our public culture, and a valuable contribution of the Hungarians of Vojvodina to the entire Hungarian folk music heritage.