performed by Linsey Pollak
(starting at 2:30)
key: A aeolian
mode: A B C D E F G A
melody: Sltdrm
form: ritornello-verse-refrain
ritornello — aa’ab
verse — cdcd
refrain — a’’a’’’a’’a’’’b
meter: duple
English function names: tonic subdominant
Tagg (modified): home counterpoise (away)
Riemann: t s
Scale degrees: i iv
Chords: Am Dm
ritornello (instrumental interlude that returns)
Am
|/ / |/ / |/ / |/ / |
Am Dm Am
|/ / |/ / |/ / |/ / |
verse:
Am
|/ / |/ / |/ / |/ / |
Am
|/ / |/ / |/ / |/ / |
refrain:
Am
|/ / |/ / |/ / |/ / |
Am
|/ / |/ / |/ / |/ / |
Dm Am
|/ / |/ / |
Like many tonic-subdominant songs, this song feels mainly like a drone with one little moment of counterpoise to mark the end of each section. The chord change serves more as punctuation than another place to be or a sense of direction.
I picked this recorded version of the song because it's in a key that works nicely for beginners on uke, but at the time I first taught this none of the versions with singing were in A aeolian. That said, Linsey Pollack is all over YouTube with a cornucopia of homemade single reed instruments that he makes from all sorts of things, not to mention that he simply is a fine player. A character worth checking out.
Perhaps it's a Slavic-brethren thing, but I was surprised how much my middle school students in the Czech Republic dug this song. Czech folksongs are closer in style to Germanic ones than they are to Balkan songs, which are highly influenced by their former Turkish overlords. (We will listen to some Czech folksongs later, as songs that only have tonic-dominant are especially common.) As far as I'm concerned, any song that has "zumbai zum ba ba" as a lyric is a fine, fine song, but I know that the overlap between my tastes and my students' tastes is thin.
I learned about this song from this fantastic website: http://hopp-zwei-drei.de
http://www.hopp-zwei-drei.de/Noten/Makedonien/Ceniv%20se%20u%20popa.pdf
They have a slew of folksongs, lovingly transcribed, and links to other sites with more lovingly transcribed folksongs.
Also exists in Bulgarian version, from this also fantastic website:
http://www.folkloretanznoten.de/MalisevskoSarenaGajda.pdf
other recordings:
Tangoyim, Dobriden, self released. D aeolian
Gothart, Adio querida, Black Point Records. A aeolian
Nasko Džorlev, Macedonian Folk Evergreens, Mister Company. A aeolian (different melody)
Kumanovskoto Trio, Dve Neveste Tikve Brale, PGP RTB. Bb aeolian