POLISH FOLK MUSIC - Oberki - The Oberek (Obertas)

Label: Polskie Nagrania - Muza (1993)
Catalogue No: PNCD 252
Format: CD
Condition: GENUINE, BRAND NEW, FACTORY SEALED

Tracks:

1.Oj, jody, jody
2.Oblekoński oberek
3.Z Międzyborowa
4.Poznański oberek
5.Wesele w Jezioranach
6.Było nie było
7.Sandomierski oberek
8.Z Budziszynka
9.Z Sulejowa
10.Oberek ślubny
11.Na rynku
12.Z Korytowa
13.Uparty klarnet
14.Dandys
15.Puchacz
16.Leniwy
17.Smyk
18.Zawierucha
19.Błyskawiczny
20.Moje strony
21.Na pastwisku
22.Wiejskie odgłosy
23.W karczmie

Performed by:

Tracks 1-6: Feliks Dzierzanowski's Polish Folk Band
Tracks 7-11: Tadeusz Wesolowski's Accordions Ensemble
Tracks 12-17: Stefan Maciejewski's Clarinets Ensemble
Tracks 18-23: Karol Namyslowski's "Wloscianska " Orchestra

Recorded:

1963-1975, archival recordings from Polskie Nagrania's archives

About:

Oberek, also known as obertas (common in the 19th century), or ober (the name used less frequently), is - in its stage versions performed by Polish folk dance ensembles - the most vivacious and acrobatic of the so-called five national dances (with polonaise, mazur, kujawiak, krakowiak). The oberek originated in the villages of Mazowsze in central Poland; it is danced by couples to instrumental music in triple meter. The name oberek is derived from the verb obracac się - to spin. The dance's main movement is rotational: the dancers spin and twirl around the room.

The term obertas appeared for the first time in 1679, in a book by Korczynski, Lanczafty. Oberek belongs to the group of dances which feature the so-called mazurka rhythms (see the entry on Mazur for an explanation of this pattern and an example). The dances include kujawiak (the slowest), mazur or mazurka (in a moderate tempo), and oberek (the fastest dance of this group). All three dances are of peasant origin, but due to contract with town people and the nobility, they all underwent considerable changes, especially the mazur and kujawiak.

The lack of clarity in the definition of the oberek and its differentiation from related dances was further increased by a variety of names that had been used in reference to it. In addition to obertas and ober, the dance was also called: obertany (from "turn"), wyrwas (from "pull out"), wykrętacz (from "turn"), drygant (related to "move"), zwijas, zwijacz (from "roll" or "twist"), drobny (from "small or "minced"), and okrągły (from "round"). These names reflect the fast tempo, circular movement, and the whirling character of the dance.

In central Poland, the music for the oberek was typically performed by a small village band, kapela, dominated by the violin. The size and exact make-up of the kapela depended on the part of the region from which it originated. The accompaniment for the dance was inseparably connected with singing. The musicians respond to the initial couplet sung by a soloist who "calls on them" to play, at times mocking their skills and ridiculing their poverty, at other times teasing other dancers and participants in the social occasion. The obereks were often danced in wedding celebrations and a variety of texts contain sexual overtones. A notable feature of the sung oberek is the presence of meaningless syllables and phrases, which may imitate the sound of the instruments, express the vigor and enjoyment of the dancers, and have other functions. The most popular of these exclamations are: oj dana, dana, , or uch, ucha-cha, or oj dziś, dziś. The latter expression which means "oh, today, today" is - in Dziewanowska's explanation - either an imitation of a percussion instrument, or "it conveys the typical trait of the Polish character, that today we live and are merry, and who cares what tomorrow might bring" (Dziewanowska). The music includes the same type of mazurka rhythms as the kujawiak and mazur. Due to the very fast tempi, tempo rubato is almost non-existent. In instrumental obereks the longer notes of the melody are filled in with fast-paced sixteenth-note figuration, often following the outline of a triad arpeggio. The lead violinist shows off his skill by playing ever new variants of the same melody; the tempo is either steady, or gradually increases towards the end of the dance, making the performance (both the musicians and the dancers) more and more virtuosic.

Each phrase of the music usually consists of 4 or 8 measures and they are grouped in pairs. The main accent usually falls on the third beat in each measure. The oberek is the quickest of the five national dances and in folk performances reaches dizzying speeds.

text courtesy of © the Polish Music Center (USC)