SLOVENIAN SONG: Slovenski Kvartet Ljubljani / Gor Čes (Čez) Izero / Columbia 25037-F

In the years following the European revolutions of 1848, Slovenian cultural self-identification revolved around National folk songs, harmony singing and avoiding “Germanization.” Collecting and publishing Slovenian folk songs was one of the main tasks of the Slovenian Music Society (Glasbena Matica) after it was established in 1872. In 1883, the Music Society published the first collection of folk songs in men’s choir arrangements which became very popular and widely used. Other collections followed.

Between 1908 and 1911 the record companies Gramophone and Favorite had recording sessions in the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana. Participants included the Glasbena Matica quartet, octet, and chorus, with the octet recording patriotic songs and the quartet primarily folk songs.

In subsequent years, recordings were made of groups with generic sounding names like “Slovenski Kvartet Ljubljani” (Slovene Quartet of Ljubljani), “Glasbeno Društvo Ljubljana" (Ljubljana Music Society), “Slovenski Kvartet” (Slovene Quartet), “Kwartet Ljubljana” (Ljubljana Quartet), or “Kwartet Slovenija” (Slovenia Quartet). Some were probably actual group names, and others were descriptive names the record company decided to use for its releases.

Misspelt on the label, the folksong is “Gor Čez Izaro” and begins, “Gor čez izaro, gor čez gmajnico, kjer je dragi dom z mojo zibelko” [Up over the Izaro, up over the clearing, where dear home is with my cradle].

[Gor Čes Izero (Up Through Izaro), Slovenski Kvartet, Columbia 25033-F, recorded late 1920s, matrix H-493]
The flip side of this disk is Oj Tam Za Gor:    • SLOVENIAN SONG: Slovenski Kvartet Lju...