Kitka presents: Svetlana Spajić’s Wintersongs Offering
A Serbian Christmas Carol: Two Nightingales Started to Sing
Svetlana Spajić is a Belgrade-based singer, scholar, teacher, and performance artist internationally renowned for her work in the field of microtonal a cappella Balkan and Serbian traditional singing and its role in cultural transmission. Svetlana's artistry blurs the borders between ancient and avant-garde vocal performance. She has collaborated with many of the world's greatest traditional song bearers and experimental performance makers including Hronis Aidonidis, Domna Samiou, Yanka Rupkina, Robert Wilson, and Marina Abramović, among many others. Since 2012, Kitka has worked with Svetlana and her ensemble, The Svetlana Spajić Group, on projects in both the USA and Serbia, most recently, Vocal Ecology, a virtual artist residency.
ZAPELI SE DVA SLAVEJA (Two Nightingales Started to Sing)
Ošljane, A Torlak Village on the slopes of the Stara Planina (Old Mountain), in Eastern Serbia.
From Ljubica Đorđević (b. 1920) , Ljubica Pujić (b. 1920), Zorka Miladinović (b. 1925), and Stamena Jovanović (b. 1932)
A song for the Orthodox Koledarska (Christmas caroling) ritual.
Two nightingales started to sing
Refrain:
Oh day, my day! Oh, my brother, my Koledo!
They sang in the green grove,
To give birth to the young God,
The young God, Jesus.
When they went across the field,
To come to His baptism,
All the crops bent down
Except the oat!
The oat didn’t want to bend!
Mother of God cursed the oat:
“May you never be made into bread,
May you never be brought to the church!”
Learn more about Svetlana Spajic at: http://www.kitka.org/svetlana and
Click here to explore the Wintersongs Village
Kitka presents: Svetlana Spajić’s Wintersongs Offering
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