Description
Discover the fascination of new folk dance tunes with “modern/trad. – Volume 2”, a collection of freshly composed waltzes and polkas by Johannes Mayr and Christoph Pelgen. This second volume continues the tradition of innovative dance music and combines classical dance forms with modern compositions.
Perfect for music enthusiasts who want to expand their repertoire and shine at dance festivals. Immerse yourself in the world of contemporary German folk dance music and experience music that moves legs and hearts. Schottisch, waltz, mazurka, polka are just a few of the most common couple dances that are widespread in large parts of Europe and for which we use “modern/trad. – Volume 2” will release new melodies.
Experience musical diversity
Only through constant change and renewal can a dance festival (or Bal Folk) remain as good as it used to be. Dance music has evolved creatively since the folk revival of recent decades, and not just in France, Ireland or Scandinavia. For some years now, there has also been a colorful music and dance scene in German-speaking countries that is inspired by the traditional music of our neighboring countries and is equally rooted in our own musical past.
Tradition meets innovation
The “modern/trad. – The newly composed dance pieces collected in “Volume 2” with a view beyond the horizon are thus in the best tradition, are ‘new German folk dance music’ in the best sense! And dance music should get you moving, it shouldn’t be cerebral, it should sound light and yet not banal. When selecting the melodies, great importance was therefore attached to good playability and the fun of making music together!
Discover new compositions
Johannes Mayr and Christoph Pelgen have now selected “modern/trad. – Volume 2”. Once again there are beautiful, rousing waltzes and polkas (again, of course, only newly composed). These melodies – around 47 waltzes and 28 polkas – were also composed by musicians who are well-known and respected in the scene.
Proven concept, fresh melodies
The proven concept of the first volume has been adopted. The dances are suitable for the usual musical instruments and here too, care has been taken to ensure that in most cases they can be played on drone instruments such as bagpipes or hurdy-gurdy (in G/C tuning) in terms of key and range.
Music to go
The book “modern/trad. – Volume 2” comes with an excellent accompanying CD, recorded by the Duo Cassard, on which all the melodies can be played.
Music connects
With this “modern/trad. – Volume 2” now completes the “Big Four” – the dances that no Bal Folk should be without: Schottisch, Mazurka (see Volume 1), Waltz and Polka. When collecting the melodies, we were once again surprised at how many musicians still dedicate themselves to traditional folk dance music today and put their own “modern” ideas into compositions.
Global music community
Our composers come from Germany and Austria, from the North and Baltic Seas, from the Tyrolean mountains, from the Danube, from the Palatinate and from the Swabian Alb…, they are students, teachers, doctors, craftsmen, lawyers…, they are young and old and somehow all very different. But when they meet, no big words are needed, age and origin are irrelevant, they let their instruments do the talking.
International musical language
And the longer you deal with traditional dance music, the larger the repertoire you have in common with others. This also works on an international level, despite all language barriers. Who hasn’t experienced the joy of playing a waltz or a schottisch at a festival in the heart of Auvergne together with the French, Spanish, Swedes, Italians and Hungarians? A familiar melody is heard in the place where you were just sitting together talking, you pick up your instrument and join in. This is non-verbal communication at the highest level!
Enrich your musical experience
Get “modern/trad. – Volume 2” and experience how new melodies can enrich your dance and music events. These carefully selected and professionally recorded compositions are waiting to be discovered and played by you. Take the chance to become part of a living musical tradition and order now.
Foreword
With this volume 2 of the “modern trad” series, the “Big Four” are now complete – the dances that no bal folk should be without:
Schottisch, Mazurka (see volume 1), Waltz and Polka.
When collecting the melodies, we were once again surprised at how many musicians still dedicate themselves to traditional folk dance music today and put their own “modern” ideas into compositions.
Our composers come from Germany and Austria, from the North and Baltic Seas, from the Tyrolean mountains, from the Danube, from the Palatinate and from the Swabian Alb…, they are students, teachers, doctors, craftsmen, lawyers…, they are young and old and somehow all very different.
But when they meet, no big words are needed, age and origin are irrelevant, they let their instruments do the talking.
And the longer you deal with traditional dance music, the larger the repertoire you have in common with others. This also works on an international level, despite all language barriers. Who hasn’t experienced the joy of playing a waltz or a schottisch at a festival in the heart of Auvergne together with the French, Spanish, Swedes, Italians and Hungarians? A familiar melody is heard in the place where you were just sitting together talking, you pick up your instrument and join in. This is non-verbal communication at the highest level!
We learn a lot at these get-togethers: we listen to the other musicians, listen to their melodies and broaden our own musical horizons. We share this practice with the musicians of times long past.
In the 21st century, things are getting easier and easier for us: the exchange of sheet music and audio material via the modern possibilities of the Internet is accelerating rapidly. What has been compiled over an entire musical life is just a mouse click away.
If you succumb to the charm of the old melodies, it can quickly happen that you want to “give something back”. If at the beginning of your dance music career you still drew from the big pot of traditional music, it is now time to compose something of your own.
As composers and editors, we have now selected as varied a spectrum as possible from the great wealth of melodies received.
However, far be it from us to give instructions on “correct” or even perfect music-making in this volume. “Folk music” should be alive and as such can be interpreted in different ways! This applies above all to the choice of accompanying harmonies. Where only the melody was submitted, we have provided it with chords that we consider suitable.
Thus there is now a rich stock of “new-old” melodies waiting to enrich a Bal Folk and to be played and spread. Whether it’s a “one o’clock in the morning waltz” to end a dance party or an “uptempo polka” for the insatiable among the dancers!
With this in mind: Wishing you good music-making
Christoph Pelgen and Johannes Mayr
April 2010
P.S.: A big thank you to all our composers who once again agreed to have their melodies published, and to Jürgen Treyz for his usual professional and pleasant working atmosphere in the “artes” recording studio in Esslingen when recording the CD included in the book.
Contents
- Polka Plug ‘n’ Play (Ulli Rüdiger)
- Mice on the Ceiling (Stephan “Stoney” Steiner)
- A Polka on a Thursday Morning (Olaf Sickmann)
- Polka of October 3rd (O. Krauss, J. Mayr, E.Rogge)
- Rümpelpolka (Johannes Mayr)
- Dance festival (Jochen Eßrich)
- Lippische Hochzeitspolka (Ellen Pott)
- Tavern (Jochen Eßrich)
- Drunter (Johannes Mayr)
- Over (Johannes Mayr)
- I Passaporti! (Christoph Pelgen)
- Spin cycle polka (Lisa Wolf)
- Whiplash Polka (Lisa Wolf)
- Lord Greystoke’s Vengeance (Christoph Pelgen)
- Geissen-Power Polka (Niki Fliri)
- Busenbach schoolyard polka (Sven Puchelt)
- Polka Boulette (Tilman Teuscher)
- Racing Teddy Bear (Johannes Mayr)
- Deitsch Polka (Gudrun Walther)
- Commercial punk (Angelika Maier)
- I have to go outside (Niki Fliri)
- Patatras! (Christoph Pelgen)
- Ensinger Polka (Richard Buchner)
- Lukas Polka (Jürgen Treyz)
- Polka May 3 (Konstanze Kulinsky)
- 3/3-Polka (Franziska Pott)
- Polka 2 (Stefan Straubinger)
- Pulse 160° (A. Dieter Rurländer)
Text on the back of the book
“Tradition is the passing on of fire and not the worship of ashes.”
Gustav Mahler (1860-1911)
In their search for traditional dance music that does not sound old and dusty or even heard a hundred times, but fresh, independent and modern, the two editors have collected waltz and polka melodies from German and Austrian composers in this 2nd volume. An illustrious gathering of the best-known contemporary folk musicians as well as young up-and-coming talents from both countries…
The sheet music collection “modern/trad” will be continued as a series and is dedicated to the most popular dances of a traditional dance festival / bal folk.
All melodies are provided with chords and recorded live on acoustic instruments (bagpipes, accordion, etc.) on the enclosed CD.
Author:inside
Johannes Mayr
Born. 1967 in Augsburg, I grew up in a family in which folk dance and the traditional music of the Swabian-Bavarian homeland dominated life.
After classical instrumental lessons (piano, double bass, church organ), boys’ choir and school orchestra, I discovered the accordion as an autodidact at the age of 18, which was to be my “main instrument” from then on. Later, hurdy-gurdy and bagpipes were added, and more recently the keyed fiddle.
Parallel to an Irish folk band formed as a school band, I played bass in the “Bergschuster Spielleut” (Bavarian dance music with bagpipes, hurdy-gurdy and violins). My newly discovered enthusiasm for drone instruments led me to work for several instrument makers (hurdy-gurdies, historical instruments) for two years after completing an apprenticeship as a carpenter and organ builder.
I have been living in the Westerwald with my family as a freelance musician since 1993.
In addition to numerous concerts with HÖLDERLIN EXPRESS, LYNCH THE BOX, the trio DÁN (fine Irish music), which has existed since 2004, I also work as a choir director and give accordion workshops.
I have been playing accordion with LAMARMOTTE since 2005. In 2007, the duo CASSARD emerged from several ensemble courses conducted together with Christoph Pelgen.
After many years as a folk musician, I am always on the lookout for a contemporary, original (German?) folk music that also works outside the Bavarian folk music biotope and integrates neighboring (e.g. French, Irish or Swedish…) as well as regional music without blinkers.
“Folk is the music that rocks from the inside out”
Christoph Pelgen
Born. 1967 in Wiesbaden and grew up in Rheinhessen.
First music lessons at the age of six (flute), followed by guitar and clarinet (both instruments were initially a complete failure). A childhood spent between going to the opera (my father was cultural editor at SWF Mainz until he retired, specializing in opera and medieval music, among other things) and “housewife radio” (is there any oldie my mother can’t whistle along to?).
First folk experiences on countless trips abroad with the scouts. In 1987, I received the long-awaited crumhorn as a graduation present. After that, everything happened very quickly:
Member of the legendary Mainz folk band SANS FAMILLE around Dieter Güttler, who died too early, and who kindled the fire for traditional French and especially Breton music in me. Self-study of bagpipes, bombarde, mandolin …
Between community service and carpentry apprenticeship, 1989/90 in search of my own self, a common European culture and the music that fascinates me, on foot from the Southern Palatinate to Santiago de Compostela on the Way of St. James.
Then I moved to Tübingen, where I found my musical family in the group LA MARMOTTE in the fall of 1990.
Independent musician since 1993, numerous CD productions, appearances as a bagpipe player at the Stuttgart State Theater, with the Medieval
Rock band ADARO, with ESTAMPIE and L’HAM DE FOC, bagpipe teacher, founder of the WURMLINGER ZUPFKAPELLE HILARITAS, passionate sheet music collector and ukulele enthusiast!
My declared aim is to find my own means of musical expression by studying traditional melodies from every region. Music as a feeling, not as a competition – that’s what moves me!
