Marriage

Marriage - album RADA & TERNOVNIK 2005

"A pridet pora" (the time will come)"U kolodezya voda" mp3

"Marriage" is a unique fusion of Russian archaic folk music with a modern psychodelic sound - a marriage of folk themes written millenia ago with songs written by Rada, a rightful successor of folk tradition. Rada i Ternovnik are a living testimony of breadth and lividness of folklore tradition; their music is Russian folklore of modern age, netted from genetic memory of Russian culture.

The artwork for the album, done by Moscow arist Anton Ochirkov, is based on traditional wood painting of Gorodets artisans.

The folk songs are performed by a tradition al folk ensemble "Yasny Den" ("The Bright Day") , with utmost authenticity, based on experience and scholarship by reknown researchers. "Yasny Den'" strives to perform the folk music all peculiarities of intonation, melody and dialect, as recorded in isolated villages.

track1 - "A pridet pora" (the time will come) is a song with most simple melody and lyrics, acquired from pra-memory, from the pagan past of Slavic peoples. The collaboration with "Yasny Den'" has began from here: during the performance of this song, ensemble "Yasny Den'" started singing the folk song "U kolodezya voda" simultaneously with Rada. The folk song and the song of Rada were not altered. "U kolodezya voda" is a song of Cossaks-Nekrasovtsy, who left Russia in XVIII century for Turkey, and partially absorbed the Eeaster musical tradition. This song reflects the Turkish motifs along with the traditions of Southern Russia.

track 2 - Strela (the arrow) is a song of communication with the nature, with the elemental forces. This song was performed during a ritual "an arrow's burial". It was used to all therain durong a draught - performers went through the fields singing this song.

track 3 - "B'yut klyuchi podzemnye" (underground springs are bubbling) - in Russian a spring and a key are one word. An image of undergroung spring which opens an unknown door is taken from Russian witch spells. The melody is close to lyrical Northern Russia songs.

track 4 - "Dubrovushka" (a little grove) - one of the few epic songs (bylinas) preserved in Southern Russia. The main body of bylinas were preserved in the North, this kind of epics is uniquely Northern. The righ melody is highly unusual for a bylina genre, requiring rare mastery of a performer. "Ya rasskazhu tebe o tom..." (I will tell you about...) is a song about our blindness to fantasy, fairy-tale, to ancient images living alongside with us. The soloist of "Yasny den'" follows Rada in highly stylized voice, creating an effect of coexistence of two worlds - ancient and modern. The melody is similar to Russian lullabies, and the beginning (I will tell you about...) also reminds of fairy-telling. Zarya (the dawn) - a song of Smolensk region with traditional plot which is typical for the whole Russia. This is a classical lyrical song, performed by women on festive occasions.

track 5 - "A ne byt' vetram" - "Govorili govorili" (there shouldn't be any winds; they spoke, they spoke) - both of these songs were written by Rada, in tradition of old bridal ritual songs. In Russian folk tradition, the bridal songs were usually quite sad, because female initiation rites were compared with the death of she who underwent initiation. These songs are similar to mourning songs, sung during such bridal rites.

track 6 - "Vykhodil knyaz' molodoj" (a young prince appeared) - a song is performed in a very ancient manner of "vozhokanie" - a style of singing marked by prolonged "ooo" singing. This tradition was studied by A. S. Pushkin, a Russian famous poet of XIX century, because it was very prominent in the place he grew. There are only two small districts in Pskov region where such tradition survives. A very ancient form of choir singing is used, similar to ancient Greek and Byzantium performance - a soloist sings a phrase, the choir answers after a small pause.

track 7 - "A ne chto-to - vse ischezlo" (not something, everything disappeared) - this song by Rada is continued fluidly by a folk song. "A ne chto-to" is completely build on folk imagery. At the end of the song, a fairy-tale bird is mentioned; immediately "Yasny Den'" begins singing about a marvellous bird, who "knew so much, remembered so much". "Ptica-ptashica" (the bird-birdy) is a street festival round-dancing song; with this song young women came first outside after the winter passed, inviting everybody to dance. All kinds of intricate Pagan dances were traditionally accompanied by this song.

track 8 - "Polozhu ya tosku-gore" (I shall leave the sorrow, the sadness) is a latter-day folk ballad. It was created at the end of XIX century under an influence of city romance culture and traditional poetry. There is in ambiguity in this song - it a romance and a folk song at the same time.

track 9 - "Dushen'ka" (my soul) - it's written as a lyrical song, the relationship with the Soul as a separate being you could have a dialog with is quite typoca for Russian folklore. In a previous song a similar metamorphosis forced the Sadness to acquire a human impression.

track 10 - Solovej moya solov'ya (a nightingale, my nightingale) is an ancient song with deep ritual undertones, connected to the pagan calendar. A nightingale appeares commonly in Russian folk songs. This song was sung in open spaces, using a special screeching tone. It is a cry, directed to the Nature.

track 11- Zhenit'ba (a marriage) - this song is written by Rada after a folk song, with characteristic folklore motifs of advices given to a bridegroom about how to speak with the bride. In the "Marriage", as it is common to all folk songs of similar plot, the relatives of a bride are antagonists of the relatives of the groom and they encourage the groom to close the bride under key and lock. Rada develops this image towards the parallel between the death and enclosure - the bride is captured by the grave.

track 12 - Skomoroshina (the clown's song) - it's a bridal song, sung as the ransom for the bride was paid. It is a struggle of two families, the bride's and the groom's put on music. Another musical motif is created by Rada i Ternovnic musicians, who envelop the voices of "Yasny den'" vocalists with instrumental meditations.

track 13 - Solovejka (a little nightingale) - is a lyrical song, born from an older ritual, which is seen from the pattern of repeating the cry "Solovejka". "Ehtnicheskaya" (An ethnic song) - is one of the oldest songs of Rada i Ternovnic, who early showed their commitment to ethnic music. Its a shamanic, pagan song, which attempts to join with a voice different planes, dofferent times and different worlds. "Etnicheskaya" is succeeded by the folk songs, which are joined by Rada's voice in turn. "Na gryaznoj nedele" (on a dirty week) - is a rusalic song, a song, performed during the Rusalia - a Spring festival dedicated to spirits of drowned girls and women. "Gukanie" is an attempt to contact the spirit world and obtain a reply from the rusalkas. A contact with rusalkas requires a very high, clear voice. This song is a way of communication with a Myth and a Nature. "Grunya" - it's a round-dance, during which young guys get to chose their partner and show publicly their feelings to a certain girl. To chose a girl for this dance means to show that she is considered a loved one and a future bride. U Egor'ya (at Egorij's) - an ancient ornamental Pagan round-dance. It is called that way because from the above it looks like a kaleidoscope - the multi-figured lines strangely come and go. It is common in Northern Russia.

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