Hajduks of Raška - Epic Slavic Music of Serbia

Music composed by Farya Faraji. Next up in the series about the Hajduks (freedom fighters of the Balkans against Ottoman rule) is this one with a Serbian musical theme. The instrumentation harkens to the historical instrumentation that was present during the period of the Hajduks; drums, different Saz-type instruments like the Šargija, and the typical Kaval flute of the Balkans, as well as the gajda bagpipe, mostly associated with Bulgaria but also utilised by Serbs. The time signature is in 7/16, an extremely rare occurrence in world music outside of the Balkans, which is known for its asymmetrical rythmic structures. The melody imitates the typical folk songs of Serbia, such as Žali, Zare, da žalimo and others, and the instrumentation is heavily based on that of bands like Kulin Ban, who use an older, 16th to 18th century Serbian instrumentation compared to the more recent addition of accordions, clarinets, saxophones etc. Raška is a historical and geographical region of modern-day Serbia which was conquered by the Ottomans around 1455, and liberated gradually starting from 1833. In the middle-ages, it was one of the central regions of the Serbian principality, with the important city of Ras which gave the broader region its name, and Rascia of was often used as the Latin exonym to mean Serbia in Latin sources during the Middle-Ages, pointing to the significance of the region. The figure at the center of the image is Veljko Petrović, more commonly known as Hajduk Veljko, one of the most prominent leaders of the Serbian revolution against Ottoman rule. The lyrics are from an operatic-style piece by Stevan St. Mokranjac (9 January 1856 – 28 September 1914), a Serbian composer, and the passage these lyrics are from is called the Sixth Garland, Šesta Rukovet, and recounts the historical event in which Hajduk Veljko, during the Battle of Negotin, proclaimed “I’ll give my head, but I’ll not give Krajina!“ (Krajina meaning the frontier, or the border). The battle ended with a victory and massive Ottoman losses, but Veljko was struck by a cannonball and died almost immediately. Lyrics in Serbian: Јер ти иде силна војска, Силна војска, до три паше. Одговара Ајдук-Вељко: И ја имам силну војску, Силну војску: три нахије. Главу дајем, Крај’ну не дајем! Xај, хај, хај, хај! Jer ti ide silna vojska, Silna vojska, do tri paše. Odgovara Ajduk-Veljko. I ja imam silnu vojsku, Silnu vojsku: tri nahije. Glavu dajem, Kraj’nu ne dajem! Haj, haj, haj, haj! English translation: Because a mighty army is coming to you, A strong army, up to three pashas.“ Ajduk-Veljko answers: “And I have a mighty army, A strong army: three nahiyas. I’ll give my head, I’ll not give Krajina!“ Hey, hey, hey, hey!