Chords for Croatian Folk Songs

Index:

1. Bozze ccuvaj Hrvatsku
2. Dobro jutro, moj sveccaru (Imendanska, Roddendanska)
3. Fala
4. Hej, salassi
5. Kolo igra, tamburica svira (himna Bunjevacckih Hrvata)
6. Kraj kapele sv. Ane
7. Ne dirajte mi ravnicu
8. Oj, jesenske duge nochi
9. Popevke sem slagal
10. Ribar plete mrizzu svoju
11. Sidi Mara na kamen studencu
12. Sinoch kad sam ti prossa
13. S onu stranu Plive
14. S ponistre se vidi Ssolta
15. Tena
16. Uzalud vam trud sviracci
17. Vech odavno spremam svog mrkova
18. Vila Velebita
19. Vu plavem trnaci
20. Za nikaj na svetu ja menjal te nebi

Meddimurske narodne pjesme

North Hills Junior Tamburitzans, USA

Several useful harmonic recepies

Croatian tamburitza band from Busevec near Zagreb,
performing in Cleveland, USA, in 1905 (Archives of Seljacke sloga - Busevec)
many thanks to Mr. Marinko Katulic for permission

Let me start with a very nice (and simple) song Ne dirajte mi ravnicu (listen to it!), which for sure will live among the Croats for many generations.

A word of caution for the Croatian reader: the tone or chord B is used in the meaning of the American notation, which differs from the Croatian: in Croatia we would write H instead of B. Thus

the American B = the Croatian H, and
the American B flat (Bb) = Croatian B.

The American notation, which we use here, is accepted also in some European countries, especially in jazz literature.

Boulder-based Croatian tamburica orchestra in Boulder, Western Australia, 1910s, see [Sutalo]

Ne dirajte mi ravnicu

Miroslav Sskoro

       G             Am
1. Vecceras mi dobri ljudi

           D7           G
   nemojte nissta priccati.

                    Am
   Neka suze mirno teku

          D7         G
   pa che manje boljeti.



   Refrain (2x):

   C                D7
   Ne dirajte mi vecceras

   G        B7  Em  Cm
   uspomene u meni.

   G                Am
   Ne dirajte mi ravnicu,

       D7             G
   jer ja chu se vratiti.


2. Mene zovu moja polja,
   mene zovu tambure,
   prije nego sklopim occi,
   da joss jednom vidim sve.
   2xR.

3. Joss u sebi ccujem majku,
   kako tuzzno govori:
  "Kad se jednom vratiss sine,
   ja chu te ccekati."
   2xR.

My deep gratitude for the above very nice authentic photo goes to Dr. Zdenka Lechner. The photo below I obtained by Mr. Ivo Lusic from South Africa.

Croatian Tamburitza players from Johannesburg,
South Africa, 1940s

I shall try to describe some general principles that are useful for guitar accompaniment. Of course, all that follows applies to any other polyphonic instrument (piano, harmonica), not only guitar. I believe I have some "qualifications'' after many years of amateur experience (I started to play guitar as a student). This manual (or rather a harmonic cook-book) is a gift four You, if You are a "beginner". Let me concentrate on two most important things for the guitar harmony:

1. back-cycling (in Croatian: ~odmotavanje),
2. parallel chords,

without dwelling into cumbersome theoretical details. We strive to be practical oriented. Don't be scared with what follows. All this is quite easy if you have a minimum of patience.

Croatian tamburitza orchestra Jadran
Johannesburg, South Africa, 1937

Comments There are three interesting harmonic points in this song: back-cycling, the role of B7 and Cm.

• The Am (appearing above `ljudi') is a start of a well known harmonic mechanism called back-cycling (from G in our situation). If the tonic (to be defined below) is G major, we simply play two or three chords on the cycle of fourths (12 chords)

  B -> E -> A -> D -> G -> C -> F -> Bb -> Eb=D# -> G# -> C# -> F# (-> B)

  preceding G, i.e.:

  A -> D -> G, or in our situation Am -> D7 -> G.

  In other words, we go BACK along the CYCLE of fourths. The above cycle of fourths, if read in the opposite direction (i.e. by reversing the arrows), becomes the cycle of fifths (quints). You will do a great thing in understanding your guitar play if you try to learn it by heart (this will not come just overnight).

• For what follows we need a little preparation:
  1. Let us give a simple, practical definition of the parallel minor corresponding to some major chord. I'll give a geometrical definition based on the cycle of fourths. If we start say with the G major chord on the cycle of fourths, then we go three steps BACK to obtain E(m). So Em is the parallel minor chord corresponding to G. Similarly, the parallel minor of C is Am, of D is Bm etc.
  2. Less important, but often useful (especially for some songs from Meddimurje) is the notion of secondary parallel minor chord corresponding to a given major chord. We go one step more back on the cycle of fourths, i.e. four steps (instead of three). Thus for instance, starting from G, then going back four steps, we arrive to B(m), which is the secondary parallel minor of G.
  3. Conversely, if we start with say Em, then we say that G is the parallel MAJOR corresponding to Em. Similarly, G is the secondary parallel major corresponding to Bm.
  4. It is quite important to know the major chords and their parallel minors (and conversely). To summarize, we give a list of six most important triples of chords (in the natural order with respect to the cycle of fourths):

                      Parallel        Secondary
     Major chords   minor chords   parallel minors
         E              C#m             G#m
         A              F#m             C#m
         D              Bm              F#m
         G              Em              Bm
         C              Am              Em
         F              Dm              Am
     

     For the remaining six cases you can try to find the corresponding tripples yourself. In any case, the pairs in the first two columns in the above table are the most important.

  5. If you ever try to harmonize of a song, you first start with a cycle of fourths. Next you think about parallels that will fill a trivial harmonization.
  6. One more convention: if a song is harmonized in, say, G major as a basic tonality (the so called tonic), then its left and right neighbour on the cycle of fourths are called dominant and subdominant respectively.
  7. A very useful remark: if a song has a minor tonality, then for sure you must expect the chords corresponding to the tonality of the PARALLEL MAJOR to appear in the song.
• The role of B7 in this song is to connect G (tonic) and Em (the corresponding parallel minor). It is possible to omit it, but the accompaniment then loses a lots of its flavor. Note that B7 precedes Em on the cycle of fourths, so it can be considered as a `local back-cycling' from Em with only one step.
• The Cm can be viewed to have a subdominant role with respect to G (subdominant is C), and it can also be omitted (at the expense of the loss of a very nice harmonic drive). In practice most often Eb is used instead of Cm (Zlatni dukati). Note that the chord Eb (=D#) is just a parallel major to Cm. In my opinion, Cm is much better, and more in the spirit of the song.
• A small but nice variation is possible in the second line, and the corresponding lines in the song:

               C     D7  G
       Nemojte nista pitati
  

  We have introduced C instead of D7. Here C is in fact a parallel major of Am. Through this variation of Am we proceed with backcycling: Am -> (C) -> D7 -> G.
• A useful exercise for the beginner would be to play the whole song using trivial harmonization: G (tonic), D (dominant) and C (subdominant), and then to see how the above mentioned harmonic mechanisms ``fill in''.
• Exercise: try to harmonize the whole song starting with D as tonic (then try with C, A,...)

The Lika Night in Bazenheid, Switzerland
two generations of female players of tamburica from Lika

Croatian Christmas on Strawberry Hill, Kansas City, USA

Broken Hill-based Croatian tamburica orchestra in Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia, 1929, see [Sutalo]

Let me add one of my favourite songs, a true jewel in both music and verses, very popular among the Croats and others in Baccka and Srijem. The harmonization below differs considerably from the usual one that we can hear on recorded materials, including also the interpretation of the famous orchestra of Janika Balazz, the uncrowned king of tamburitza (sedam tamburassa Janike Balazza). This Bogdan's song is written in ikavina dialect (for example "divojka, pisma"), typical Croatian dialect, now disappearing among the Croats in Backa (Bunjevci and Sokci), due to intensive serbization. Ikavian dialect is still very widespread also in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and has a tremendous literature since the time of Marko Marulic (15th century).

Vech odavno spremam svog mrkova

Zvonko Bogdan

   Dm          Gm  Dm   G0 D0 A7Dm  C
1. Vech odavno spremam svog mrkova,

   F             Bb F   C    C7 F  A7
   da se proddem ka-som od miline.

   Bb  E7     F  D7  Gm    C7      F    A7
   Da obiddem staze, staze svog djetinjstva,      |
                                                  |
   Dm          Gm Dm  C     C7 F A7               | 2x
   Dm          Gm Dm  G0 D0 A7Dm                  |
   za salassom zzelja da me mine.                 |

Refrain:

   F           C
   Nechu visse ichi na tu stranu,
   jer ne mogu suze oku skriti.
   Nema visse starog ccardaka ni djerma, | 2x (the same 
   ni debela 'lada od bagrema.           | harm. as above)
   Ili moram tugom okrenuti glavu, | 2x (the same
   il plakati ili se napiti.       | harm. as above)

2. Nema visse dobrih tamburassa,
   fijakera, snassa, i salassa.
   nema visse konja, konja koji jure,  | 2x
   a u stvari nikuda ne zzure.         |
   (without refrain)

3. Vrag nek nosi moje snove puste,
   divojaccke duge kose guste.
   Vrag nek nosi tugom dobre tamburasse,
   fijakere, pisme i salasse.

Refrain:

   Nechu visse ichi na tu stranu,
   jer ne mogu suze oku skriti.
   Ili moram tugom okrenuti glavu,
   il plakati ili se napiti.

Comments:

• D0 = Ddim. Its usage often yields a very nice `sporadic' bass melody. You can also play A7 instead of D0.
• E7 is surprising, and sounds very nice. It connects the chords Bb and F. More precisely, the idea is to fill in the passage from Bb to F by using the chord diminished by ONE degree with respect to F: this is E7. In other words, we enter F from below. It is worth noting that it is precisely the seventh in the E7 chord, which gives the same tone as the one in the melody in the moment of usage!
• To see the meaning of this chord (E7), try to play the song without E7, i.e. with Bb instead.
• There is a lots of back-cycling here:
  1. C -> F,
  2. D7 -> Gm -> C7 -> F (look at the cycle of fourths above).

CroatiaFest 2005, Seattle, USA, Photo - Jal Schrof

Croatian tamburitza orchestra from Virje, nicely decorated with white scarfs;
beginning of 20th century [Ivancan, p. 121]

Croatian tamburitza orchestra in Australia, 1910

Tamburica orchestra from Bjelovar, around 1900.

Another jewel. Kajkavian verses by Dragutin Domjanic, music by Vlaho Paljetak (born in Dubrovnik!).

Popevke sem slagal

    G
 1. Popevke sem slagal,

      Em   D7 G      E7
    i rozzice bral,

        Am         D7
    i (v)su svoju radost

         D7        G
    sem drugim ja dal.

 2. Al' zzalost navek sem,
    vu srcu ja skril,
    ni nigdo me zzalil,
    i sam sem tak bil.

    G            G7
 3. Al' v mojem srcu,

        E7        Am
    tam suzah vam ni,

      Cm        G   Em
    i cce mi je tessko

       A7    D7 G
    popevka zvoni.

    Cce siromak sem
    se drugim bi dal
    popevke i srce
    i ne bu mi zzal.

Vlaho Paljetak (1893-1944), born in Dubrovnik, left us beautiful verses and music in kajkavian language of the Croatian north-west.

Vocinski tamburaski orkestar (Vocin tamburitza orchestra), 1928,
photo kept in Zavicajni muzej Slatina

Dragutin Domjanic (1875-1933), a very popular kajkavian poet, wrote that according to their family tradition they stem from Bosnia. He was a stipendist of the cultural society Napredak from Bosnia and Herzegovina. See his verses1, verses2, verses3.

Tamburitza players from Virje from the turn of 19/ 20th centuries [Ivancan, p. 205]

Many thanks to Ipik for very nice photos of Croatian national costumes.

Women in Croatian national costumes from the environs of Zagreb, Bocarski dom, Zagreb, 2006 (festival of Croatian gastronomy)

Fala

Verses: D. Domjanic, music: V. Paljetak

      G    C     G
1. Za saku dobru recc,

       C     G0    G
   kaj recci si mi znala!

      Am          D7
   Za saki pogled tvoj,

      A7    D7       D
   za saki smeh tvoj fala!

2. Tak malo dobrega,
   v zzivlenju tuj se najde.
   I cce je sunca trag,
   za oblak tak i zajde.

       G  F  E7   Am
3. Jer ti si srcu mi,

   Am       D7    G
   tak puno sunca dala!

       G F   E7     Am
   Kaj morem ti neg recc,

      Am       D7   G
   od seg ti srca fala.
   (repeat 3.)

The song has been rearranged by a well known conductor Emil Cosetto, on the occasion of Tito's death in 1980. It is regrettable that the message of this beautiful, innocent song has been so distorted.

Hrvatsko pjevacko drustvo "Lovor" founded in Slunj in 1876.
(Toma Zganec: Rastoke, Na slapovima Slunjcice, Zagreb 1990., str. 106)

It is interesting and little known that in Japan there exist two recordings of Vlaho Paljetak's well known song Marijana - in the Japanese language, and the song was very popular in that country! I had opportunity to listen them on two records issued in Japan, when I visited Mr. Mario Kinel in his apartment in Zagreb (Mr. Kinel was a well known pop-music composer and translator; he even translated Vu plavem trnaci into Italian and German). Of course, out of Japanese verses I understood only - Marijana. Marijana is also very popular in Czechia. It was included in both Croatian original and Czech translation into the book "Sveove Evergreeny" (World's Evergreens), published in Prague in 2000 (Petr Jansky - MUSIC CHEB). Except in Czech and Japanese, Marijana has been translated and sung in Italian, German, Russian, and Romanian.

In addition to this, I learned that a famous american actor Harry Dean Stanton ("Texas Paris Texas") sang the whole Marijana in superb Croatian to Mr Nenad Bach (personal information by Mr Nenad Bach).

United choirs of the Kastav region near Rijeka, 1908

Tamburitza orchestra Spincici in Kastav, 1922

Omaha Tamburitzans, USA

I know it would be a fatal mistake not to provide an example for the people from Dalmatia (they are quite sensitive). Here is a nice back-cycling:

C#7 -> F#m -> B7 -> E

Try to harmonize the rest of this exceptional song yourself.

S ponistre se vidi Ssolta

text: Zdenko Runjic
music: O. Dragojevic

    E
    Ssoto voce piva klapa,

         C#7          F#m
    u to gluho litnje doba,

              B7
    i prolazi ispod skala

    F#m         B7      E
    di se sussi tvoja roba.


    Do pergula ricci lete,
    tu se misec smije gradu.
    Ti se dizzess iz kocceta,
    da poslussass serenadu.

                    C#7        F#m ...
            S ponistre se vidi Ssolta,
            piva klapa ispod volta.
            U daljini svitle kocce,
            piva klapa ssoto voce.

            Ti se oziress po sobi,
            slika je na kantunalu,
            onceg cha ga more odni
            u dalekem fortunalu.

    Opustila davno riva,
    zatvoreni su portuni.
    Soto voce klapa piva,
    tvoji mirissu lancuni.

    Tiho razmiccess koltrinu,
    zrila si ka litnje voche,
    o ljubavi i o vinu,
    piva klapa soto voce.

            S ponistre se vidi Ssolta,
            piva klapa ispod volta.
            U daljini svitle koche,
            piva klapa ssoto voce.

            Niko neche te kasstigat,
            kad bi skinila korotu.
            Zzivot che te svu desstigat,
            A joss moress dat lipotu.

     S ponistre se vidi Ssolta,
     zzmiga svitlo ispod volta.
     U po volta kada pasa,
     piva klapa ispod glasa.

By the way, don't miss the following beautiful Dalmatian klapa songs web site. Chapeau! See also another klapa songs web site.

Tamburitza orchestra performing after Easter Mass 2006 in South Africa
(many thanks to Mr Ivo Lusic, Johannesburg)

Sinoch kad sam ti prossa

    A          Aj7     A6 Aj7
    Sinoch kad sam ti prossa,

    A       Aj7  F#7     Bm           E
    mimo te bile dvore vidim te dusso Mare.

    D              E
    Vidim te dusso Mare,

                E7  A
    di s drugim govoriss.

    ....

F#7 -> Bm -> E -> E

Tamburitza orchestra conducted by left-handed player Antun Kranjec,
Molve 1918 [Ivancan, p. 196]

Of course, many songs do not `tolerate' excessive harmonization, which is probably the case with the above song too. Another `extreme' is for instance Vu plavem trnaci, a real (harmonic) challenge. I like this song very much.

Vu plavem trnaci

Gjuro Prejac (1870 - 1936)

    G           Gm      Am D7    G
1.  Vu plavem trnaci mi hizza stoji,

       G       D        A7     D
    od zelenih vejah je videti ni.

      C D7       G Gm     AmD7    G
    Bogica je z'dreva, ne vufa se reva

      G0          G  Em     Am D7   G
    pokazat pred ljudmi kak da se boji.


         Em        Am          B7     Em
    Vre slaba je, stara prek stotinu let,

         F#      B      F#         B
    od njezine brajde posussil se cvet.

       Am        B7       Am        B7
    Od blata je zbita, i sskopom pokrita,

       Am            Em       C          B7
    ne moress prav znati je'l hizza il' klet.


        Am        D7       G        Em
    Nju musski su zzuli prinesli na svet,

       Am       D7       G
    za onda dok Zagorec bil je joss kmet.

      Am      D7        C0     Em
    I bila je bela, i z'mirom vesela,  |
                                       | 2x
      D#7      G Em    Am D7    G      |
    a danas od tuge se hoche podret.   |


2.  I vnogi se lajtich vu njoj je ispil,
    plebanuss, vuccitelj tu vinccek je pil!
    Z gosponom pogaccu i orehovnjaccu
    je muzzek rad drobil i srechen je bil.
    Pod malim obloccekom fantich je stal,
    prelubleno dekle potiho je zval.
    I vnogi je pusslec zamenil za kusslec,
    i morti je fantich v komori i spal.
    V toj hizzi se rodil je vnogi vojak,
    i vsaki je sledni bil pravi junak!
    Za tujca vojeval i krv je proleval,
    za falu su rekli mu da je bedak!


3.  I hizzica tiha ssccekuje on ccas,
    kad jenkrat i Zagorcu dossel bu spas!
    Na oko je tiha, al veter zmir njiha,
    vu vejah ssumechih starinski jen glas:
    em Zagorcu samo je Zagorje raj,
    nigdar nebu zabil govoriti kaj.
    Dok krv je proleval on zmir je popeval:
    Sse jenkrat bi rad videl zagorski kraj!
    Pretrpel je muke ccrez jezero let,
    al zopet bu brajda potirala cvet.
    Iz nassega gorja vre javla se zorja,
    vesela i srechna bu hizza i klet!

Milan Grakalic (Medulin, 1909 – 1979), an excellent Croatian guitarist (and architect), has arranged Vu plavem trnaci for classical guitar, see the partitures. For more details see Andrija Tomasek: "Vu plavem trnaci", Matis d.o.o. Pregrada, 2005, ISBN: 953-96561-9-2. Many thanks to Professor Tomasek for partitures.

When you visit the castle of Veliki Tabor, don't miss to see the room devoted to Gjuro Prejac, who was born in the nearby village of Desinic.

Tamburitzas of Stjepan Radic, source [Tomicic]

Stjepan Radic with Croatian peasants in Zagreb, source [Tomicic]

The accompaniment of the following very nice song can be also be ``sprinkled'' with back-cycling: Em -> A7 -> D, or B7 -> Em -> A7 -> D.

Oj, jesenske duge nochi

Ivan Trnski

    D             Em   A7    D
    Oj, jesenske duge nochi, oj!

    D     B7     Em    A7
    Oj, jesenske duge nochi,

    D           A7           D
    reko dragi da che dochi, oj!

     D       A7     D
    Ccuj me dragi ccuj!

    (repeat last three lines)
    ....

    D      Bm  Em     A7     D
    reko dragi da che dochi, oj!

CroatiaFest 2005, Seattle, USA, Photo - Jal Schrof

Children's tamburica orchestra Zvijezda (Star) in Boulder City, Western Australia, 1936, see [Sutalo]

Kad se Tena udavala

          G         B7
1. Kad se Tena udavala,

   C            D7      G
   od ccasse se nisam mako.

        G            B7
   Zzalio sam sudbu svoju,

   C            D7      G
   Danima sam stalno plako.


   Refrain (2x):

   G         B7   C
   Udasse mi moju Tenu,

   Am       D7      G
   Doveli i tamburasse,

   G         E7       Am
   Meni osta samo zzelja

   Am       D7      G
   I neispijene ccasse.

2. Majka vicce: Ssto si bisan,
   zassto konje tuccess sine?
   Pa i drugih cura ima,
   sve su lipe sve su fine.
   2xR.

Many thanks to Mr. Darko Varga for having contributed nice photos representing national costumes from the village of Draz (Baranja near Danube river).

Ivanovci, Slavonija, Croatia, from the blessing ceremony of installing two church bells made in Innsbruck, Austria, 2006. The ceremony has been led by bishop Marin Srakic, born in that village.

Uzalud vam trud sviracci

Prljavo kazalisste

Listen to it!

    Bm                 Em
1. Sto put sam se evo zakleo,

   A7            D    F#7
   pred jutro te prevario.

   Bm                   Em
   Drugoj ja sam bagrem nosio,

   A7            D
   tebe iznevjerio.


2. Sto put sam se evo zakleo,
   pa te prevario.
   Sad bih dukate od jada
   D0     F#7      Bm
   Bass u blato bacio.


   Refrain (2x):

   Bm                Em
   A za oblak mi se mjesec skrio,

   A7        D F#7
   sakrio mi pute.

   Bm                  Em
   Uzalud vam trud sviracci,

   Bm    F#7          Bm
   za drugog su dunje zzute.


2. A ja evo nekad sjetim se,
   ssto moj chacha znao rechi je,
   Sveti dusse s idile slavonske,
   uz pjesmu prebole, al ne oproste.

   2xR.

3. Uz pjesmu mi se evo rodimo
   uz pjesmu umiremo.
   Slavonijo, tko te nije volio,
   ne zna ssto je izgubio.

Croatian tamburitzans in Slovenia around 1910

S onu stranu Plive

Traditional song of Bosnian Croats

     D             A
1. S onu stranu Plive

   A      Em    A6 D
   gajtan trava raste.

   G            Em D
   Po njoj pasu ovce,

   Bm A D  G  D    A     D
   ccuvalo ih mo - o - mcce.

2. Momcce tuzzno placce,
   joss tuzznije jecci:
   Svaka tudda zemlja
   tuga je golema.

3. U tuddemu svijetu
   bez oca i majke,
   svaka tudda zemlja
   tuga je golema.

Since the creation of Bosnia and Herzegovina as an independent state in 1992, this song has been chosen as the national anthem of this state.

Mixed tamburitza orchestra from Kresevo, 1908, BiH

Virovitica (Zivjela sloga), 1919

Another song by Zvonko Bogdan written in the sweet Croatian ikavian dialect.

PIVAJTE PISME BUNJEVACCKE!

Hej, salassi

Zvonko Bogdan

     A     E               E7  A
1. Hej, salassi na sjeveru Baccke,

   A    E               E7  A
   u vama su pisme bunjevaccke.

   A         F#7          Bm  Dm
   A tambura tako lipo svira,     |
                                  |
   E           A          E A     | 2x
   ko da note par slavuja bira.   |

R. Ni svatova nigdi takih nema,
   ko kad bacho kcher na udaj' sprema.
   Na snassi se bili sslajer vije,
   ko kad zimi snig salass pokrije.

2. Hej, Bunjevci na sjeveru Baccke!
   Saccuvajte pisme bunjevaccke!
   Pivajte ih joss puno godina,
   vassa j' grana mala, al' je fina.

R. I lumpujte, al' lipo polako.
   Nek se divi i nek vidi svako.
   Pa nek vranci pokidaju sstrange,
   kad se krenu momci na vassange.

   sstrange = remenovi
   vassange = masskare

The melody of the song Fijaker stari, for which Zvonko Bogdan wrote verses, is known in Croatia for very long, at least from the beginning of 20th century. Indeed, Bogdan has taken the melody of an old Croatian song Zrtva ljubavi, known at least from the beginning of the 20th century. I owe this information to Dunja Knebl, well known interpreter of old, forgotten Croatian songs, in particular from Medjimurje.

Those wishing to learn more about the history of Backa Croats (Bunjevci and Sokci) in today's Yugoslavia may consult the following books written by Ante Sekulich (born in Backa):

• Baccki Hrvati - Narodni zzivot i obiccaji, Zbornik za narodni zzivot i obiccaje Juzznih Slavena 52, JAZU (now HAZU), Zagreb, 1991 (519 pages)
• Rasprave o jeziku bacckih Hrvata, Matica hrvatska, Zagreb, 1997 (291 pages)
• Umjetnost i graditeljstvo bacckih Hrvata, Matica hrvatska, Zagreb, 1998 (171 pages)

Another classic of tamburitza play, one of the most popular among the Bunjevci Croats in Backa.

Kolo igra, tamburica svira

verses by N. Kujundzzich, music by S. Mukich

    D               A     D
1. Kolo igra, tamburica svira,

   G  D7  G D   G D   D    A7 D
   pisma jecci, neda nochi mira.

   Svud se ccuje, svud se ssirom znade,
   Da Bunjevac dussu ne izdade.

   G           C          G0 G
R. Veseli se, svako mu se divi,    |
                                   |2x
   D             C  G  D G   D G   |
   nek se znade da Bunjevac zzivi! |

2. Nije majka rodila junaka,
   ko' ssto j'sinak divnih Bunjevaka!
   Nit che majka roditi junaka,
   ko' Bunjevca, tak(v)og veseljaka.

R. Kolo vodi, svaki mu se divi,
   nek se znade da Bunjevac zzivi!

3. Ni divojke ne bisse u nane,
   ko' ssto j'cherka bunjevaccke grane.
   Svilu nosi, a zlatom se krasi,
   crne occi, crne su joj vlasi!

R. Kolo igra, svaki joj se divi.
   Nek se znade da Bunjevac zzivi!

4. Ori, pismo, tambur tamburice,
   nek se ccuju daleko ti zzice.
   Nek se gori, a i doli znade,
   da Bunjevac dussu ne izdade!

R. Prelo kupi, svaki mu se divi.
   Nek se znade da Bunjevac zzivi!

Hajo (third from the right) with his orchestra
in Langolen, England, 1952

Tamburitza orchestra from Varazdin, Croatia, in the USA, 1900. Note a nice lady playing bass, which is rather unusual. Source: Mr. Vladimir Novak, Zagreb.

Kraj kapele sv. Ane

Marko Vukasovic, Stojdraga, Zumberku

   Dm                     Gm
U tankoj knjizi mojega zzivota
  A7                       Dm
pronadde se mnoga lijepa strana
     Dm                     Gm
al srechu chutim ponajvechu tada
 A7                        Dm
kad se sjetim mladenacckih dana.

  F                         C7  
Slussam pjesme svojih prijatelja,
 C7             Bb7         A7
slussam pjesme radosti i veselja.
 Dm                        Gm E
Vidim dragu ssto me sad ostavlja,
 C                           F   C7
nju mi srce joss ne zaboravlja.
  
                  F
Kraj kapele svete Ane
F+           Gm     C7    F
prossla je mladost nassa sva.
F             C7
Mala je klupa ona,
     C7                          F     F7
sve slatke nasse tajne priccat zna.
	
Bb    Bb0                     F    Dm
Tamo,  sprovodili smo sretne dane,
             C7
u zagrljaju ljubavnom,
C7         C7Bb7A7         C7
u carstvu prirodnom. 

		  F     F+
Kraj kapele svete Ane,
              Gm      C7    F
u samoborskom divnom kraju tom

Kapela sv. Ane is near the town of Samobor.

www.croatoan.ca, Croatian folklore ensemble Croatoan, Ottawa, Canada

Tamburitza instruments exhibited in the Museum of Croatian Fraternal Union in Pittsburgh, USA. Source: George Prpic, The Croatian Immigrants in America, New York, 1971.

Sidi Mara na kamen studencu

Traditional Croatian song from Srijem

         Em              Am B7
1. Sidi Mara na kamen studencu,

          Am6  B7         Em
   svoju tajnu otkrila je vincu.

       G     C       G0 G
   Suzama ga orosila Mara,     |
                               |
   G           C    G   D7 G   | 2x
   sudbinu je svoju oplakala.  |


2. Maro, Maro, od bisera grano,
   Maro, Maro, sunce ogrijano.
   Lipcca si od biloga goluba,
   poddi za me i budi mi ljuba.

3. Od lozice mladog vinograda,
   Lipa Maro, pravi'chu ti lada.
   Nosi'chu te na rukama dvima,
   jer od mene boljeg momka nima.

4. Ssto che meni i srebro i zlato,
   kad ja nimam ssto je srcu drago.
   Imala sam svoga zaruccnika,
   bio mi je i ponos i dika.

It is little known that this very old and popular Croatian song was originally sung in IKAVIAN dialect. Here we present its version from the city of Subotica, as the Bunjevci Croats used to sing until mid 20th century. I learned this from older people from Subotica, whose grandparents sang it like this.

CroatiaFest 2005, Seattle, USA, Photo - Jal Schrof

It seems that "Sidi Mara..." is the origin for the melody of ALOHA OE (Farewell to Thee), famous Hawaiian song and the national anthem of Hawaii. Its words were written by Her Majesty Queen Liliuokalani around 1877. Possible Croatian origin for the melody of ALOHA OE is indicated in an article written by John Berger in HAWAII MAGAZINE, August 1996, p. 41. Very close relation between the melody of "Sidi Mara..." and ALOHA OE has been indicated by Branimir Vidmar, Timmins, Ontario, Canada, 1978. Vidmar also indicated that the melody is close to American gospel "How Great Thou Art," composed by K. Hine. It is also worth noting that "Sidi Mara..." has Austro-German version called Die Träne, and the English version is The Tear (this can also be seen from Vidmar's sheet music). As stated in Ripley's Believe it or not, Hawaiian music is the creation of a German bandmaster captain Henry Berger (1844-1929), invited to Hawaii by King Kamehameha V in 1872. Berger composed the first Hawaiian songs which "he adapted from German folk tunes." He composed 72 famous Hawaiian songs, including ALOHA OE and the Hawaiian national song. We can be pretty sure that the "German tune" adapted to Hawaiian ALOHA OE was in fact Croatian song "Sidi Mara...", which Berger obviously knew as "Die Träne."
I express my gratitude to Adam Eterovich, USA, for copies of sheet music which very clearly confirm the above views, and for the above mentioned article from Hawaii Magazine. It is also worth noting that, according to Eterovic, the husband Hawaiian Queen Liliuokalani was a Croata - John Dominis, whose father was born in Venice, and whose grandfather was born on the Croatian island of Brac, in the lovely town of Pucisca. Recall that Dominis = Gospodnetic, for example Marko Antun de Dominis. Eterovic believes that Hawaiian Queen could have opportunity to hear the Croatian song "Sidi Mara..." when she was hosted by the English Queen.

Very beautiful and original type of songs among Bunjevci Croats in Baccka are the so called GROKTALICE. They are very emotional, sung slowly in a trembling voice, without any instrumental accompaniment.

Croatian tamburitza orchestra Falcon - Hrvatski tamburaski orkestar Sokol,
Argentina, 1919 (from an exhibition Los Croatas en Argentina, Carmen Verlichak,
Matica iseljenika, Zagreb 2007)

Here is a well known children's verse from Subotica, as older people still remember:

Eci, peci, pec,
ti si mali zec,
a ja mala pripelica,
eci peci pec.

Note "pripelica" instead of "vjeverica"!

ZAPIVAJ PISMU RIBARU STARI!

Ribar plete mrizzu svoju

Traditional Croatian song

          D      G     D
1. Ribar plete mrizzu svoju,

    Bm   Em    A D
   koja njemu triba.

          G      A      D
   A tko che je sutra plesti,

    Bm      Em   A D   D7
   bass ga nije briga.


           G                 D
   Zapivaj pismu, ribaru stari,

    Bm       Em      A D
   jer to je pisma o moru.  2x


2. More divno, more plavo,
   ti si meni drago.
   Ti si ccezznja srca moga,
   ti si moje blago.

   Biseru divni, rodnog mi kraja,
   lipota tvoja me opaja.

Tamburaski zbor "Kluba uciteljica" (Tamburitza orchestra of Women's Professor's Club, Vrbnik, island of Krk), source: Prof. Mira Katunar, Vrbnik - grad "popi i mestric", Vrbnicki Vidici, p 16, 2006, Vrbnik (photo around 1900?)

VILA VELEBITA

          A               E
1. Oj ti vilo, vilo Velebita

   E                A
   Ti nasseg roda diko

           A                 E
   Tvoja slava jeste nama sveta

         E       A
   Tebi Hrvat' kliko:

           D      A
R. Ti vilo Velebita 

              D     A
   Ti nasseg roda diko.

    A
   Zzivila premila

    A
   Zzivila premila

     D          E    A
   Zzivila, oj premila

             E      A
   Ti vilo svih Hrvata.

2. Velebite, vilovito stijenje,
   ja ljubim tvoje smilje,
   Ljubim tvoga u gorici vuka
   licckoga hajduka.
 
R.

If you want to create excellent atmosphere at a birthday party, I suggest you the following very attractive traditional song from the north of Croatia, with fantastic music and verses:

Dobro jutro moj sveccaru (Roddendanska)

Traditional from Podravina

          D     G       D
1. Dobro jutro moj sveccaru,

          D     G    D
   dobro jutro ti zzelim!

          D       G      D
   Ja ti sviram, ja ti pjevam, |
                               | 2x
         Em     A7     D       |
   ccestita-am ti roddendan!   |

2. Sretna bila tvoja majka,
   koja te je rodila!
   Koja te je svojim mlijekom
   na noge postavila!

3. Srebra nemam, zlata nemam,
   nemam nissta da ti dam!
   Samo ovu pjesmu pjevam,
   za tvoj mili roddendan!

   sveccar = slavljenik

One can hear very often the following variant instead the third stanza (you can add it as the fourth stanza if you want):

3' Mnogo ljeta sretan bio,
   mnogo ljeta zzivio!
   U ljubavi sretan bio,
   mnogo lje-eta dozzi-ivio!

Wedding in Zumberak (near Zagreb), 1930.

Beautiful song about Zagreb in the kajkavian language.

Za nikaj na svetu ja menjal te nebi

Unofficial anthem of Zagreb

         G      B7       C         G
1. Za nikaj na svetu ja menjal te nebi,

       Am          D7      G      C  G
   moj Zagreb tak imam te rad!

         G       B7       C         G
   Svoj dom i veselje se nassel vu tebi,

       Am      D7         G
   za mene najljepssi si grad!

       C        D7         G      E7
   Se vugle ti poznam, se vulice znam,

      A7                  Am7        D7
   vu tebi sem srechen i nigdar nis' sam.

       G          B7      C         E7
   I gde god vu svetu, popeval bum rad,


       A7              Am7     D7 D+
   tu malu popevku posluhni ju sa-ad:

        G  Am D7    G        G7

R. Jer ti, ti, najdrajssi si mi,

        C       D7           G       Em
   najslajssa popevka v zzivlenju si mi!

       C      D7      G     F    E7
   Vu mojemu srcu najlepssi si grad,

       Am7         D7      G   C G
   moj Zagreb tak imam te rad!


2. Nigdar se ne vrneju najljepssi cajti,
   kaj v tebi sem sprovel ih ja.
   Ali ipak vu tebi ja sstel bi se najti,
   i srechen bi bil, to se zna.
   Ja sikud bi issel, naluknul se rad,
   z uspinjaccom otpelal bi v gornji se grad.
   Pogledal bi Zagreb, i kusslec mu dal,
   joss jenput spopeval kaj lepsse bi znal!
   R.

3. Se kaptolske hizze i vu njem se crkve
   se blesschiju v suncceku sad.
   Al' ipak to jesu najlepsse starine
   kaj ima ih nass gornji grad.
   I Sava se cakli, i potoki si,
   a z Gornjega Grada nam cinkuss zvoni.
   I gda buss me Zagreb ti trebal il zval,
   svoj zzivot i srce za tebe bum dal!
   R.

Bozze ccuvaj Hrvatsku

    D     Em     A     D
1. Bozze ccuvaj Hrvatsku, 
   D    A     D
   moj dragi dom, 
     G    A     D  Bm
   ljude koji blaguju 
    Em   A      D
   pri oltaru tvom. 


2. Nek se sliju molitve, 
   sve u jedan glas. 
   Ccuvaj ovo sveto tle, 
   blagoslovi nas. 


    Em  A     D
3. Ako treba Gospode, 
     Em  A    D      D7
   evo primi zavjet moj. 
    G     A     D  Bm
   Uzmi zzivot od mene 
   Em     A     D
   pa ga podaj njoj. 


4. I u dobru i u zlu 
   budi s nama, budi s njom. 
   Bozze ccuvaj Hrvatsku, 
   moj dragi dom,

   Bozze ccuvaj Hrvatsku, moj dragi dom. 

Interesting harmonic passages can be obtained in some of our folk songs using + (or aug) chords, for example in ``Poleg jene velke gore'' or ``Kraj kapele sv. Ane''.

Croatian national costume from the Pokupsko region (river Kupa, south of Zagreb).

Croatian women from the Pokupsko region (Kupa river south of Zagreb).

Pokupsko tamburitza players celebrating Christmas...

... in their ruined church on the left. Reproduced from [Pokupsko], many thanks to Mr. Bozidar Skrinjaric for permission. On the right is the renovated church (2007), with three shattered bells in front of it, destroyed during the Greater Serbian agression in 1991.

I hope that with these few musical examples I managed to convince You in the usefulness of back-cycling and parallel chords. You will hear them very often on recorded materials on the radio and elsewhere (just listen carefully). I assure you that Croatian folk provides an amazing amount of examples for many interesting harmonic mechanisms! If you don't believe, look at:

More details can be found in my booklet ``Gitara za radoznalce'' (some libraries in Zagreb possess it). For those interested I must say that at this moment it is not available.

Remark In the literature you will see the song ``Oj, jesenske duge nochi'' sometimes attributed to Branko Radiccevich, which is wrong (this error appears in my booklet as well!) - the author is Ivan Trnski, a Croatian poet.

CroatiaFest 2005, Seattle, USA, Photo - Jal Schrof

A final remark (with best intentions): The Institute of Folklore in Zagreb possesses an extremely valuable collection of more than 2000 folk songs collected mostly among the Croats in Baccka and Srijem by dr. Josip Andrich (1894-1967). Unfortunately, they are still unpublished. Maybe this remark will be a necessary impetus to make this invaluable collection accessible to the wider audience, especially to those youngsters playing tamburitza. Our national instrument is an object of the study on the Academy of Music in Zagreb, similarly as done by other nations having their own national instruments.

Croats in Punta Arenas, Chile (Magallanes region), with their tamburitzas
Croatian tamburitza band Tomislav in Punta Arenas, 1905
Hrvatsko tamburasko drustvo Tomislav, Punta Arenas, 1905
(photo from Lj. Antic, Hrvati u J. Americi, Zagreb, 1991, pp 182 and 266)

The most beautiful book I know, devoted to the thorough treatment of Croatian folk songs in Croatia as well as in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia (i.e. on the territory of ex YU), comprising excellent photos of various dances and national costumes, is

dr. Vinko Zzganec: Hrvatske narodne pjesme (Croatian folk songs)

published by Seljaccka sloga, Zagreb 1951, with the parallel text in English. I saw it (to my greatest surprise) for the first time in May 1995. I suspect it was simply removed from our libraries in the fifties, for the reasons we can easily guess.

Tamburitza orchestra "Zivila Hrvatska" (Long Live Croatia), USA,
performed in White House for president F. Roosewelt in 1900.

I would recommend the reader an excellent book by Mr. Leopold, with a short history of tamburitza and accompanied with many Croatian folk songs, as well as some other references:

• Mihael Feric: Zasvirajte tambure 1, 2, Kulturni centar Gatalinka, Vinkovci, 2002 and 2003, ISBN:953-98989-1-9 and ISBN 953-98989-2-7 repectively
• Sinisa Leopold: Tambura u Hrvata, Golden marketing, Zagreb, 1995; for those wishing to know more about tamburitza play see
• Zeljko Bradic, Sinisa Leopold: Skola za tamburicu, 2, kvartnog sustava, udzbenik za 1. i 2. razred osn. gl. skole, Skolska knjiga 92.
• Michael Savor: The Tamburitza and the preservation of Croatian folk music, on this web.
• Kolar, Walter W., An Introduction to Croatian Musical Folklore, (Tamburitza) Pittsburgh, PA 1981
• Ivan Ivancan: Narodni plesni obicaji Podravine 1., Kulturno-prosvjetni sabor Hrvatske, Zagreb 1989.

CroatiaFest 2005, Seattle, USA, Photo - Jal Schrof

Tamburica links in Austria:

• www.tamburica.at, by Kristijan Karall
• Tamburaski Orkestar i zbor Pinkovac
• Krostischer Musikverein Tamburica, Hrvatsko glazbeno drustvo Tamburica, Voralberg

Tamburitza music in the USA:

• Croatian Fraternal Union (has 35 junior tamburitza ensembles!)
  • Jr. Tamburitzan Groups
  • Adult Tamburitzan Groups
• www.sidromusic.com

For further information (sheet music, collections etc.) please contact:

• Muzicka naklada, Zagreb, Nikole Tesle 10, Zagreb, tel. (+385-1) 481 14 41. Musical instruments.
• LADO
• Savez glazbeno-estradnih umjetnika izvodaca Hrvatske, Zagreb, fax 01/445716,
• Skolska knjiga.

Croatian Tamburitza Orchestra Zvonimir, 1900, San Francisco, USA,
photo from Croatian American Web

Mr. Djuro Zaric, Vinkovci, builder of tamburitzas

We would like to provide several addresses for those wishing to buy top quality tambura instruments (bisernica, prim, brac, bas prim, bugarija, celo, bas):

• Djuro Zaric, Vinkovci, Duga ul. 37, tel. +385 32 334 743
• G. Tatic, Osijek, Kneza Borne 85, tel. +385 54 163 606 (prim)
• Nikolic Ilija, Osijek, Medulinska 20, tel. + 385 54 557 224 (brac = bas-prim)
• Marinko Katulic, Croatia - 10417 Busevec, Novo Selo bb, tel. +385 1 765 238
• Ivan Djuretich, Velika Gorica, tel. +385 1 714 385
• Postojnski Stanko, Srebrnjak 109, Zagreb (metal strings for all tambura instruments)
• Mr Kos, Pitomaca.

Tomo Kos, a well known builder of tamburas,
with his band from Pitomaca, 1924 [Ivancan, p. 177]

CroatiaFest 2005, Seattle, USA, Photo - Jal Schrof

• Croatian music
• Meddimurske narodne pjesme
• Chords for Croatian Christmas songs
• Tekstovi mnogobrojnih hrvatskih narodnih pjesama
• The largest collection of Croatian songs on internet
• Planinarska pjesmarica

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