The musical culture of Terchová is an oral tradition cultivated by the community of Terchová, which is known for its original collective vocal-instrumental performances.
This performance is practiced with collective vocal and instrumental music in Terchová in northern Slovakia. Terchová (Hungarian: Terhely) is a large village in the northern Slovakian region of the Vinnica District and a municipality in the Malá Fatra mountains.
In Slovakia, folk crafts, costumes, music, and dances are passed down from generation to generation. Every valley has a unique culture and folklore. Festivals and performances of folklore take place throughout the year in Slovakia.
It goes beyond a typical instrumental body with a little two-string bass, as it also applies to an entire music tradition. The completeness of the Music of Terchová is only achieved when accompanied by a singing repertoire, a folk dance terchovská krutená or cardás (a typical rotating dance) with its own style, and musicians who think of it as a key part of their culture and religious equipment.
Approximately in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the first direct evidence of the existence of the Music of Terchová dates back when three musicians called Kvockovská muzika, a band from Terchová, were active in the village of Kvockovia. As early as 1935, Franc Balát's Istvaniarska muzika was recorded both in word and in the picture in director Martin Fric's film Jánosik. Many recordings of the Music of Tercho.
An ancient legend says Terchová was settled by the court musicians of a wandering celestial star, and the first settlers of Terchová were celestial musicians. According to another legend, the inhabitants were taught by the tututu "Vadic family" to play the violin and viola. The term Terchová music was later generalized to the string music from the area of Kysucká vrchovina.
Terchová is associated with polyphonic singing and the dancing of folklore. It also includes solo instrumental performances on shepherds’ fifes. It’s performed at various events, both religious and secular.
The most important is the Jánosik Days International Festival, which occurs at a variety of cyclical and occasional events. Music culture is a matter of pride and a marker of identity among the inhabitants of Terchová and the surrounding area.
Currently, there are more than twenty professional musical ensembles in Terchová, while amateur ensembles perform at family, traditional, and other events. These ensembles involve instrumental and vocal music, dance, and knowledge of the musical tradition, as well as the skills associated with making instruments.
References
(https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/music-of-terchov-00877) https://www.ludovakultura.sk/en/list-ich/music-of-terchova/) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terchov%C3%A1) (https://slovakia.travel/en/about-slovakia/who-we-are)