Both of my parents were born in Poland. Different parts of Poland have different customs and different music every person listens to. A very popular music genre in Poland is the Krakowiak. Today, it is considered a national dance and genre of music. It was developed over time in the southern parts of the country and most importantly in Krakow, Poland. This type of music has been around the time of the dynasties. While listening to krakowiak, we are able to realize how quick and fast the beats are. In the dance itself, our feet are supposed to imitate horses to mimic their movement. Usually, the dancer performing the krakowiak will wear polish folk costumes. The fast syncopated style of Polish folk music has everyone on their feet. Considering it is a very upbeat and dance style genre, most of its music contains a consonant interval. Throughout the music, it has a short long short type of rhythmic pattern.
The Krakowiak is in duple meter. Its melody has patterns containing extra notes, dotted rhythms, and use repetition. Some of the types of instruments used are baroque violins, recorders, fortepianos, trumpets, and the accordion. Today, different bands perform it at polish culture festivals and many special events. This type of music is still listened to today but most importantly it is performed. It is carried on through many generations and many people still dress up to perform. The example I choose is performed in the city it originated from in Krakow. In the video there dance women and men partnered up dancing together in front of a crowd at the main square of the city.
I liked how you also added some musical elements into your blog, which made it more interesting to follow along with the names of all the instruments. I found it interesting how you would compare the tapping sound to a horse’s movement and the beat speeds. I just wonder if the spear used in the video was a prop for that performance or does it relate to your culture somehow.