The Adventures of Marko Kraljević – Epic Slavic Music of the Balkans

Arrangement by Farya Faraji. This isn’t an original composition but rather a collage and piecing together of different South Slavic melodic motifs I researched and recorded. Marko Mrnjavčević is a 14th century historical figure and king of the Serbs, and a national hero of Serbs, Bulgarians and North Macedonians. This piece however, is about the folkloric version of the character, called Kraljević Marko. Mythologised in South Slavic epic poetry cycles, Marko is a heroic figure who fights injustice, protects the weak, and embarks on great adventures. A lover of brawls and drinking, he is also a comical figure, both in his jests against his ennemies and his appearance: “Marko grew up into a large, strong man, with a terrifying appearance, which was also somewhat comical. He wore a wolf-skin cap pulled low over his dark eyes, his black moustache was the size of a six-month-old lamb and his cloak was a shaggy wolf-pelt.“ His inseparable companion is Šarac, his horse with whom he