SAMOGITIAN FOLK SONGS

Palanga Folk Ensemble  Meguva

The folk ensemble very often  is a collective of young people who have come together to preserve and promote the songs, oral tradition, and the traditional music and dances of Samogitia. All members are typical representatives of their local traditions, who speak in their native regional dialects. It is said that Samogitians are slow, reserved, of few words, and stubborn. However, it is in Samogitia, the western part of Lithuania, that the happy, clever, humorous, and irony-full traditions of Shrove Tuesday with traditional masks and sharp-tongued dialogues of cross-dressed revelers are preserved. They use various old clothes for their dress and the wooden masks.  Meguva members bring old songs from their home villages, but they also collect and record songs, stories, dances, and instrumental music from other village dwellers. Samogitian songs are slow and usually harmonic. Generally, Samogitians sing in low, rich, strong voices.

Please use the Internet Explorer browser and the special software (RealAudio Player, available at http://www.real.com) to listen to the items below:

1.   "Eisem sesres i darzeli, pinsem rutu vainikeli"
2.    "Pruo visneliu suodneli"
3.   "Turejo bobute zela uozeli"
4.   "Oi kleve, kleveli, zaliasis medeli"
5.   "Tena ont kalnele"
6.   "I karuze lidiedami, vesi gailei verke"
7.    "Geltuons apvinis ont stala svajuoja..."
8.   "Vai Anite, Anitele"

© Center of the Regional Cultural Initiatives Page updated 2008.10.10 . Comments to: samogit@delfi.lt