Byelorussia: Musical Folklore of the Byelorussian Polessye

Various Artists

Covering southern Belarus and northern Ukraine, the region of Polessye is known as “the land of legends, fairy tales, and songs.” Influenced by a landscape filled with forests and meadows, the traditional music from this area often revolves around seasonal changes, harvests, and related festivities. The vast terrain also inspired the practice of open-air group singing, which can be heard throughout the album. These spirited songs are colored by polyphonic chants around instruments including the fife, violin, and, on one track, the dulcimer—rare in Polessye music.

The liner notes provide full details on instruments and the cultural significance of each track.

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Harvest Songs

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This album is part of the UNESCO Collection of Traditional Music. More than 125 albums are being released by Smithsonian Folkways Recordings to make the series publicly available again, including more than a dozen never-released albums of musical traditions from around the globe.

Track Listing

101	Christmas carols and New Year's songs	Anna Vengoora, Christina Doroshevich, Tatiana Safronova, Serafina Petrova, Aksinya Targonya; Olga Vakoolchyk, Anna Roosack, Nadeshda Roosack, Lubov Sl	4:10
102	Violin play	Michail Shkadoon	0:43
103	Round	Tatiana Orlenin, Nadeshda Shogol	2:08
104	Dancing tune on the fife	Ivan Petshooha	0:38
105	Harvest songs	Fayna Olesich, Watalya Adreykoviets, Heema Doroshevich, Tatiana Fedorova; Olga Vakoolchyk, Anna Roosack, Nadeshda Roosack, Lubov Sleesh; Katerina Doro	4:12
106	Reed-pipe solo	Ivan Petshooha	1:10
107	Wedding Songs and Instrumental tunes	Anna Vengoora, Christina Doroshevich, Tatiana Safronova, Serafina Petrova, Aksinya Targonya; Vasily Shved; Olga Vakoolchyk, Anna Roosack, Nadeshda Roo	6:02
108	Housewife	Ivan Petshooha	0:34
109	Comic love songs	Anna Vengoora, Christina Doroshevich, Tatiana Safronova, Serafina Petrova, Aksinya Targonya	2:59
110	Ballad	Fayna Olesich, Watalya Andreykoviets, Heema Doroshevich, Tatiana Fedorova	3:58
111	Poetic Song	Fayna Olesich, Watalya Andreykoviets, Heema Doroshevich, Tatiana Fedorova	2:10
112	Lyrical Polyphonic Song	n/a	2:14
113	Preemac	Olga Vakoolchyk, Anna Roosack, Nadeshda Roosack, Olga Masalskaya, Ysef Roosack, Adam Masalsky	2:52
114	Dramatic Song	Olga Vakoolchyk, Anna Roosack, Nadeshda Roosack, Lubov Sleesh, Yusef Roosack, Alexander Korenchuck, Adam Sleesh	1:22
115	Peoples' songs from the time of World War II	Anna Vengoora, Christina Doroshevich, Tatiana Safronova, Serafina Petrova, Aksinya Targonya; Olga Vakoolchyck, Anna Roosack, Nadeshda Roosack, Olga Ma	6:52
116	Love Songs	Christina Doroshevich	3:42
117	Festive Songs and Dances	Vasily Shved, Nikolay Leshchinsky, Ygnat Shookalov, Pavel Shookalov, Olga Vakoolchyk, Anna Roosack, Nadeshda Roosack, Lubov Sleesh, Yusef Roosack, Ale	7:46