Gundula Stojanova Gruen

Balkan Music from the Danube

I chose a reverse journey, starting in Ukraine and Eastern Romania, near the Danube Delta where the Danube meets the Black Sea, and then traveling westward. The pieces are presented individually, as each has unique features and performance practices. Some pieces are written for a single voice, whilst others have up to three voices. I had to juggle the widely varying ranges of C instruments - whilst violins and accordions, for example, sound amazing and expressive in a lower octave, a flute or recorder cannot reach that range. To offer more flexibility, I have notated higher and lower versions on a duet stave or included separate arrangements in both versions. Details can be found in the Performance Notes below each piece.

Recordings of each piece accompany this book, and are available as downloadable MP3s from www.CliftonEdition.com/C666. The recordings closely follow the notation; however, some pieces cannot be fully captured by Western classical notation, and others require flexibility in phrasing and ornamentation. More details are provided in the Performance Notes for each piece, with the recordings serving as the ultimate guide.

In addition, a range of free video tutorials, along with other informational and listening materials, are available here:
www.magicviolin.uk/danube-balkan-music-book. Regular jam sessions and workshops, both online and in person, will provide opportunities for the music to be shared, played together and kept alive through collective participation. All updates can be found at www.magicviolin.uk.