Horňácko
Encyclopedia
Horňácko is an ethnographic microregion
situated in the Hodonín District
, South Eastern Moravia
, Czech Republic
. The region is home to approximatelly 10,000 people. It is significant for its traditional folk culture
, especially the folk music
. The region hosts annually the Horňácko Folk Festival.
Microregion Horňácko is located in the northwest foothills of the southern part of the White Carpathians
, close to the border with Slovakia
. The highest peak of the region is Velká Javorina (970 m. above sea level), a traditional place of meetings between Czechs and Slovaks
. Horňácko consists of nine municipalities: Lipov
, Louka
, Malá Vrbka
, Hrubá Vrbka
, Javorník
, Kuželov
, Suchov
and Nová Lhota
(the village of Vápenky, a part of Nová Lhota, is sometimes considered as the tenth village of Horňácko); the centre of the area is the village Velká nad Veličkou
. The highest located village is Nová Lhota, 467 m. above sea level; the lowest is Lipov, located at 240 m. above sea level. The climatic conditions are different from the nearby region of Slovácko, the hilly and somewhat isolated landscape has influenced crafts, folk costume, arts, traditions, the development and distinctive regional character of the area. The extraordinarily well-preserved historical landscape of the Horňácko region was shaped by traditional ways of farming, by the natural diversity and historical development of the area, and by remoteness from industrial centers.
era. There are no archaeological remains from the time, such as pottery, that indicate permanent settlement in the area, however, some stone tools and weapons have been discovered nearby Velká nad Veličkou. The 9th century is marked by the beginnings of a Slavic
settlement in the area. The Slavs apparently settled in the valley between Lipov and Velká nad Veličkou, but the lack of findings and evidence precludes accurate dating of their arrival. The first written record about the area dates back to 1228. A part of the estates nearby Velká nad Veličkou was attributed to the monastery in Velehrad
in a document confirmed by the Bohemian king Ottokar I
.
In the early 15th century, some villages in the Horňácko region were heavily damaged or destroyed during the Hussite wars
. The 16th century is marked by the emergence of new protestant churches, such as Lutherans. The colonization of the area in the late 16th century caused significant cultural and economic growth, however, conflicts and wars of the 17th century interrupted the promising development. The religious conflict between Protestants and Catholics during the Thirty Years' War
influenced the composition and density of the population, as many followers of the protestant religions were forced to flee to neighboring countries to escape recatholization. After the Thirty Years' War, 216 of 253 houses in Velká nad Veličkou were abandoned and empty.
Another disaster came in the second half of the 17th century, during a conflict between the Ottoman Empire
and European powers. Turkish armies captured and burned the town of Velká nad Veličkou; the inhabitants were killed and raped; young boys were kidnapped as future Turkish spies. The bad situation in the area in the late 17th and 18th century worsened by epidemics of plague, military conflicts, and continuing counter-reformation
. Moreover, the Napoleonic wars
and subsequent epidemic of cholera (1831) negatively affected further development of the region in the early 19th century. The 19th century is generally characterized by strong influence of the Slovak population on the opposite side of the border. In Horňácko, it is particularly apparent in dialects, folk customs, music and songs.
In the 20th century, during the Second World War, the Horňácko region became an important strategic area in the fight against the German invaders. At the end of the war, the border region around the White Carpathians
became a place where many partisan
groups were formed. Bishop Gorazd of Prague
, executed by Nazis for his participation in the assassination
of SS-Obergruppenfuhrer Reinhard Heydrich
, was a native from Hrubá Vrbka
.
where the development of traditional music
remained uninterrupted. The culture of the region is considered "to be among the purest and most well-preserved in the Czech Republic". Composer Leoš Janáček
regarded Horňácko "the most important center of traditional folk music in Moravian Slovakia
".
The early bagpipe music of Horňácko, an unusual element in the Moravian traditional music, was replaced by the string instruments in the second half of the 19th century. The initial line-up of a traditional band consisted only of violins (it was called "hudecká"). Other instruments, such as viola
, clarinet
, double bass
and occasionally even brass instrument
s joined in the late 19th century. Cimbalom, a traditional part of today's Moravian folk ensemble, appeared in Horňácko only in the 1930s.
Traditional music of Horňácko is formed by several distinctive stylistic elements. The ornamentation
of the melody varies by instrument and musician. The first violinist (called "primáš", usually a leader of an ensemble) plays the most complicated variations. The other musicians accompany the primáš with their own ornamentations, following only the basic structure of a song. Folk musicians from Horňácko often use unusual combinations of tones and harsh harmonies, seemingly omitting the standard procedures of musical theory. The structure is, however, firmly anchored by rhythmic and harmonic plan.
An important feature of Horňácko folk songs is the communicative function. The lyrics of the songs serve as the means of expression for various opinions and feelings: love, joy, sadness, powerty, unfulfilled expectations etc. The most important form of musical setting of the songs was dance music.
A significant type of folk song in Horňácko is called „táhlé“ (in slow tempo). The style of this music varies for males and females due to their respective roles in traditional society. The male repertoire consists largely of military and dance songs, but also contains songs with explicit sexual content (called "ščeglivé" in the local dialect). On the other hand, the female repertoire often makes use of balladic type songs.
The role of a folk musician, called "hudec", is still prestigiously regarded in Horňácko. The most famous violinists and their way of playing sometimes become subject of "cultish adoration". Jan Ňorek, Jožka Kubík and Martin Hrbáč rank among the legendary violinists of Horňácko.
Horňácko Folk Festival (in Czech
: Horňácké slavnosti) is the most important event in the region. The festival, focused solely on the authentic folklore of the region, is held annually from 1957. It features local musicians and artists and attracts visitors from the every corner of the Czech Republic. The festival is traditionally held around the feast day of St. Mary Magdalene
(on 22 July).
or Kopanice. The oldest influences may perhaps come from the pagan eras. The white color is considered funerial, which is similar to the customs of the old Slavs. The characteristic embroidery of Horňácko has its roots in the Renaissance
period.
Microregion
A microregion is a geographic region of a size between that of a community and that of a district.-See also:* macroregion* mesoregion* Microregion :Category:Microregions of the Czech Republic...
situated in the Hodonín District
Hodonín District
Hodonín District is one of seven districts within South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic...
, South Eastern Moravia
Moravia
Moravia is a historical region in Central Europe in the east of the Czech Republic, and one of the former Czech lands, together with Bohemia and Silesia. It takes its name from the Morava River which rises in the northwest of the region...
, Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
. The region is home to approximatelly 10,000 people. It is significant for its traditional folk culture
Folk culture
Folk culture refers to the lifestyle of a culture. Historically, handed down through oral tradition, it demonstrates the "old ways" over novelty and relates to a sense of community. Folk culture is quite often imbued with a sense of place...
, especially the folk music
Moravian traditional music
Moravian traditional music represents a part of the European musical culture connected with the regions around the western Carpathian Mountains. It is characterized by a specific melodic and harmonic texture related to the Eastern European musical world...
. The region hosts annually the Horňácko Folk Festival.
Geography
White Carpathians
The White Carpathians is the westernmost mountain range of the Carpathian Mountains.They are part of the Slovak-Moravian Carpathians, stretching from the Váh river and the Little Carpathians in the south along the border between the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the Morava and the Javorníky range...
, close to the border with Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
. The highest peak of the region is Velká Javorina (970 m. above sea level), a traditional place of meetings between Czechs and Slovaks
Slovaks
The Slovaks, Slovak people, or Slovakians are a West Slavic people that primarily inhabit Slovakia and speak the Slovak language, which is closely related to the Czech language.Most Slovaks today live within the borders of the independent Slovakia...
. Horňácko consists of nine municipalities: Lipov
Lipov
Lipov is a village and municipality in Hodonín District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic.The municipality covers an area of , and has a population of 1,565 ....
, Louka
Louka (Hodonín District)
Louka is a village and municipality in Hodonín District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic.The municipality covers an area of , and has a population of 1,015 ....
, Malá Vrbka
Malá Vrbka
Malá Vrbka is a village and municipality in Hodonín District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic.The municipality covers an area of , and has a population of 202 ....
, Hrubá Vrbka
Hrubá Vrbka
Hrubá Vrbka is a village and municipality in Hodonín District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic.The municipality covers an area of , and has a population of 663 ....
, Javorník
Javorník (Hodonín District)
Javorník is a village and municipality in Hodonín District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic.The municipality covers an area of , and has a population of 726 ....
, Kuželov
Kuželov
Kuželov is a village and municipality in Hodonín District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic.The municipality covers an area of , and has a population of 398 ....
, Suchov
Suchov
Suchov is a village and municipality in Hodonín District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic.The municipality covers an area of , and has a population of 537 ....
and Nová Lhota
Nová Lhota (Hodonín District)
Nová Lhota is a village and municipality in Hodonín District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic.The municipality covers an area of , and has a population of 699 ....
(the village of Vápenky, a part of Nová Lhota, is sometimes considered as the tenth village of Horňácko); the centre of the area is the village Velká nad Veličkou
Velká nad Veličkou
Velká nad Veličkou is a village and municipality in Hodonín District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic.The municipality covers an area of , and has a population of 3,040 ....
. The highest located village is Nová Lhota, 467 m. above sea level; the lowest is Lipov, located at 240 m. above sea level. The climatic conditions are different from the nearby region of Slovácko, the hilly and somewhat isolated landscape has influenced crafts, folk costume, arts, traditions, the development and distinctive regional character of the area. The extraordinarily well-preserved historical landscape of the Horňácko region was shaped by traditional ways of farming, by the natural diversity and historical development of the area, and by remoteness from industrial centers.
History
The Horňácko region was already inhabited during the NeolithicNeolithic Europe
Neolithic Europe refers to a prehistoric period in which Neolithic technology was present in Europe. This corresponds roughly to a time between 7000 BC and c. 1700 BC...
era. There are no archaeological remains from the time, such as pottery, that indicate permanent settlement in the area, however, some stone tools and weapons have been discovered nearby Velká nad Veličkou. The 9th century is marked by the beginnings of a Slavic
Slavic peoples
The Slavic people are an Indo-European panethnicity living in Eastern Europe, Southeast Europe, North Asia and Central Asia. The term Slavic represents a broad ethno-linguistic group of people, who speak languages belonging to the Slavic language family and share, to varying degrees, certain...
settlement in the area. The Slavs apparently settled in the valley between Lipov and Velká nad Veličkou, but the lack of findings and evidence precludes accurate dating of their arrival. The first written record about the area dates back to 1228. A part of the estates nearby Velká nad Veličkou was attributed to the monastery in Velehrad
Velehrad
Velehrad is a village in the Uherské Hradiště District of the Czech Republic. It has a population of 1,323 and is the most important pilgrimage place in the Czech Republic...
in a document confirmed by the Bohemian king Ottokar I
Ottokar I of Bohemia
-External links:...
.
In the early 15th century, some villages in the Horňácko region were heavily damaged or destroyed during the Hussite wars
Hussite Wars
The Hussite Wars, also called the Bohemian Wars involved the military actions against and amongst the followers of Jan Hus in Bohemia in the period 1419 to circa 1434. The Hussite Wars were notable for the extensive use of early hand-held gunpowder weapons such as hand cannons...
. The 16th century is marked by the emergence of new protestant churches, such as Lutherans. The colonization of the area in the late 16th century caused significant cultural and economic growth, however, conflicts and wars of the 17th century interrupted the promising development. The religious conflict between Protestants and Catholics during the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
influenced the composition and density of the population, as many followers of the protestant religions were forced to flee to neighboring countries to escape recatholization. After the Thirty Years' War, 216 of 253 houses in Velká nad Veličkou were abandoned and empty.
Another disaster came in the second half of the 17th century, during a conflict between the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
and European powers. Turkish armies captured and burned the town of Velká nad Veličkou; the inhabitants were killed and raped; young boys were kidnapped as future Turkish spies. The bad situation in the area in the late 17th and 18th century worsened by epidemics of plague, military conflicts, and continuing counter-reformation
Counter-Reformation
The Counter-Reformation was the period of Catholic revival beginning with the Council of Trent and ending at the close of the Thirty Years' War, 1648 as a response to the Protestant Reformation.The Counter-Reformation was a comprehensive effort, composed of four major elements:#Ecclesiastical or...
. Moreover, the Napoleonic wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
and subsequent epidemic of cholera (1831) negatively affected further development of the region in the early 19th century. The 19th century is generally characterized by strong influence of the Slovak population on the opposite side of the border. In Horňácko, it is particularly apparent in dialects, folk customs, music and songs.
In the 20th century, during the Second World War, the Horňácko region became an important strategic area in the fight against the German invaders. At the end of the war, the border region around the White Carpathians
White Carpathians
The White Carpathians is the westernmost mountain range of the Carpathian Mountains.They are part of the Slovak-Moravian Carpathians, stretching from the Váh river and the Little Carpathians in the south along the border between the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the Morava and the Javorníky range...
became a place where many partisan
Partisan (military)
A partisan is a member of an irregular military force formed to oppose control of an area by a foreign power or by an army of occupation by some kind of insurgent activity...
groups were formed. Bishop Gorazd of Prague
Gorazd (Pavlik) of Prague
Bishop Gorazd of Prague, given name Matěj Pavlík , was the hierarch of the revived Orthodox Church in Moravia, the Church of Czechoslovakia, after World War I...
, executed by Nazis for his participation in the assassination
Operation Anthropoid
Operation Anthropoid was the code name for the targeted killing of top German SS leader Reinhard Heydrich. He was the chief of the Reich Main Security Office , the acting Protector of Bohemia and Moravia, and a chief planner of the Final Solution, the Nazi German programme for the genocide of the...
of SS-Obergruppenfuhrer Reinhard Heydrich
Reinhard Heydrich
Reinhard Tristan Eugen Heydrich , also known as The Hangman, was a high-ranking German Nazi official.He was SS-Obergruppenführer and General der Polizei, chief of the Reich Main Security Office and Stellvertretender Reichsprotektor of Bohemia and Moravia...
, was a native from Hrubá Vrbka
Hrubá Vrbka
Hrubá Vrbka is a village and municipality in Hodonín District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic.The municipality covers an area of , and has a population of 663 ....
.
Music
Horňácko is the only region in MoraviaMoravia
Moravia is a historical region in Central Europe in the east of the Czech Republic, and one of the former Czech lands, together with Bohemia and Silesia. It takes its name from the Morava River which rises in the northwest of the region...
where the development of traditional music
Moravian traditional music
Moravian traditional music represents a part of the European musical culture connected with the regions around the western Carpathian Mountains. It is characterized by a specific melodic and harmonic texture related to the Eastern European musical world...
remained uninterrupted. The culture of the region is considered "to be among the purest and most well-preserved in the Czech Republic". Composer Leoš Janáček
Leoš Janácek
Leoš Janáček was a Czech composer, musical theorist, folklorist, publicist and teacher. He was inspired by Moravian and all Slavic folk music to create an original, modern musical style. Until 1895 he devoted himself mainly to folkloristic research and his early musical output was influenced by...
regarded Horňácko "the most important center of traditional folk music in Moravian Slovakia
Moravian Slovakia
Moravian Slovakia or Slovácko is a cultural region in the southeastern part of the Czech Republic on the border with Slovakia and Austria, known for its characteristic folklore, music, wine, costumes and traditions...
".
The early bagpipe music of Horňácko, an unusual element in the Moravian traditional music, was replaced by the string instruments in the second half of the 19th century. The initial line-up of a traditional band consisted only of violins (it was called "hudecká"). Other instruments, such as viola
Viola
The viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
, clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
, double bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
and occasionally even brass instrument
Brass instrument
A brass instrument is a musical instrument whose sound is produced by sympathetic vibration of air in a tubular resonator in sympathy with the vibration of the player's lips...
s joined in the late 19th century. Cimbalom, a traditional part of today's Moravian folk ensemble, appeared in Horňácko only in the 1930s.
Traditional music of Horňácko is formed by several distinctive stylistic elements. The ornamentation
Ornament (music)
In music, ornaments or embellishments are musical flourishes that are not necessary to carry the overall line of the melody , but serve instead to decorate or "ornament" that line. Many ornaments are performed as "fast notes" around a central note...
of the melody varies by instrument and musician. The first violinist (called "primáš", usually a leader of an ensemble) plays the most complicated variations. The other musicians accompany the primáš with their own ornamentations, following only the basic structure of a song. Folk musicians from Horňácko often use unusual combinations of tones and harsh harmonies, seemingly omitting the standard procedures of musical theory. The structure is, however, firmly anchored by rhythmic and harmonic plan.
An important feature of Horňácko folk songs is the communicative function. The lyrics of the songs serve as the means of expression for various opinions and feelings: love, joy, sadness, powerty, unfulfilled expectations etc. The most important form of musical setting of the songs was dance music.
A significant type of folk song in Horňácko is called „táhlé“ (in slow tempo). The style of this music varies for males and females due to their respective roles in traditional society. The male repertoire consists largely of military and dance songs, but also contains songs with explicit sexual content (called "ščeglivé" in the local dialect). On the other hand, the female repertoire often makes use of balladic type songs.
The role of a folk musician, called "hudec", is still prestigiously regarded in Horňácko. The most famous violinists and their way of playing sometimes become subject of "cultish adoration". Jan Ňorek, Jožka Kubík and Martin Hrbáč rank among the legendary violinists of Horňácko.
Horňácko Folk Festival (in Czech
Czech language
Czech is a West Slavic language with about 12 million native speakers; it is the majority language in the Czech Republic and spoken by Czechs worldwide. The language was known as Bohemian in English until the late 19th century...
: Horňácké slavnosti) is the most important event in the region. The festival, focused solely on the authentic folklore of the region, is held annually from 1957. It features local musicians and artists and attracts visitors from the every corner of the Czech Republic. The festival is traditionally held around the feast day of St. Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene was one of Jesus' most celebrated disciples, and the most important woman disciple in the movement of Jesus. Jesus cleansed her of "seven demons", conventionally interpreted as referring to complex illnesses...
(on 22 July).
Costume
Traditional costume of Horňácko represents an important and characteristic part of local folk culture. The folk costume is classified as a "mountain-type", similarly as the folk clothing at Moravian WallachiaMoravian Wallachia
Moravian Wallachia is a mountainous region located in the easternmost part of Moravia, Czech Republic, near the Slovakian border. The name Wallachia was formerly applied to all the highlands of Moravia and neighboring Silesia, although in the nineteenth century a smaller area came to be defined...
or Kopanice. The oldest influences may perhaps come from the pagan eras. The white color is considered funerial, which is similar to the customs of the old Slavs. The characteristic embroidery of Horňácko has its roots in the Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
period.
Further reading
- Dušan Holý, Václav Frolec et al.: Horňácko, Život a kultura lidu na moravsko-slovenském pomezí v oblasti Bílých Karpat. Blok, BrnoBrnoBrno by population and area is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, the largest Moravian city, and the historical capital city of the Margraviate of Moravia. Brno is the administrative centre of the South Moravian Region where it forms a separate district Brno-City District...
1966. - Horňácké slavnosti, multimediální almanach 1957-2007, Velká nad VeličkouVelká nad VeličkouVelká nad Veličkou is a village and municipality in Hodonín District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic.The municipality covers an area of , and has a population of 3,040 ....
2007. - Jan Němec and František Pojer (eds.): Krajina v České republice. Consult, Praha 2007, p. 246.
- Martin Dosoudil: Velká nad Veličkou, Století proměn městečka „Weliká“ (od počátků do roku 1945), BřeclavBreclavBřeclav is a town in the South Moravian Region, Czech Republic, approximately 55 km southeast of Brno. It is located at the border with Lower Austria on the Dyje River. The nearest large town on Austrian territory is Hohenau an der March...
: Obec Velká nad Veličkou a Petr Brázda vydavatelství Břeclav, 2007. - Dušan Holý: Mudrosloví primáše Jožky Kubíka, Praha: SupraphonSupraphonSupraphon Music Publishing is a Czech record label, it is oriented mainly towards publishing classical music, with an emphasis on Czech and Slovak composers.- History :...
, 1984 - Jarek Miškeřík (ed.): Horňácký zpěvník sedláckých, Břeclav: Moraviapress, 1994
- Oldřich Straka – Ladislav Rutte: Horňácko ve zpěvu, hudbě a tanci, ZlínZlínZlín , from 1949 to 1989 Gottwaldov , is a city in the Zlín Region, southeastern Moravia, Czech Republic, on the Dřevnice River. The development of the modern city is closely connected to the Bata Shoes company...
: Nakladatelství Tiska, spol.s. r. o., 1942 - coll: Kroje horňácké obce Velká nad Veličkou, Zlín: Produkce 24, 2008.
- Josef Vydra: Nauka o kroji, Praha: Státní nakladatelství, 1931.
- Blažena Šotková: Českoslovanské lidové kroje v barevné fotografii, Praha: Artia - nakladatelství československých výtvarných umělců, 1956.
- J. Klvaňa: Český lid – sborník, III. Část, O lidových krojích na moravském Slovensku, Praha: Knihtiskárna F. Šimáček, 1894.