Read the discussion in Worlds of Music about R?chenitsa (a wedding dance from Bulgaria) and follow the Active Listening guide as you listen to the selection. Why does Worlds of Music call this selection a “counter example” to the three pieces referred to above? What terms does Worlds of Music use to describe the meter? Where is this type of meter commonly used? What common European type of

Question

phrase structure does the example share with the other three examples? What is the instrumentation used in the selection?

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

• The music is based on measures/bars of S-S-L, S-S-L, etc. or
| 1 2 1 2 1 2 3 | 1 2 1 2 1 2 3 | . . . etc. (vertical lines are used to set off the measures)
• This type of meter is called an "additive" or "asymmetrical" meter.
• Such "meters are common in the Balkan region of Europe, as well as throughout the Middle East."
• While built on an asymmetrical metrical pattern, the music is constructed of two four-bar phrases, which are combined into a series of longer eight-bar phrases. Thus, the example shares with the other examples the European propensity for using four- and eight-bar phrases.
• The dance is played by a traditional band consisting of a gaida (bagpipe), kaval (end-blown, bevel-edged flute), g?dulka (bowed, pear-shaped fiddle), and t?pan (double-headed bass drum).