Are you interested in Russian culture? Then you should know the origins of Russian folklore and folk music in particular. You can understand it better if you learn the Russian language. And, opposite, the listening of folk Russian music can provide you with a deep immersion into Russian culture and understanding of Russian folk.
The origins of Russian folk music lead to the folklore of the Slavic tribes who lived on the territory of Kievan Rus, the first Russian state that emerged in the 10th century.
The songs of the ancient Slavs were associated with ritual forms of pagan religious beliefs, ritual actions. The performance of the rituals was accompanied by singing, playing musical instruments, dancing with elements of theatrical action, which turned into “games”
Types of Russian folklore
The genre system of Russian folklore includes the following main types: calendar, ritual, wedding, lyrical songs, ditties; epic; dance genres.
The special place takes a cycle of calendar songs in song folklore. It consists of small cycles strictly confined to the season and holidays of the pagan calendar (dates of Christian holidays are often “superimposed” on them).
Folk music instruments
The most common instruments are a whistle, a gusli, a pipe, a zhaleyka (horn). Such instruments as balalaika, domra, accordion came at the very late period (19–20 centuries).
Everybody knows that balalaika has become a symbol of Russian culture. It is a three-stringed, triangular-shaped plucked instrument. The classical balalaika originated from the East Slavic domra with a hemispherical body and three strings in the Russian version.
Brilliant performance of 11 year-old girl playing balalaika:
