Záhorácké pjesňičky

Just as the life and personality of the National Artist JUDr. Janko Blaho (15 September 1901, Skalica – 24 April 1981, Bratislava), the first professional Slovak opera singer, are truly remarkable, so too is his work as a collector of folk songs. Growing up in a family with strong musical roots and inspired by his lifelong love for his native town of Skalica and the Záhorie region, Blaho devoted himself to collecting folk music. Thanks to his exceptional diligence and tireless dedication, he collected 1,224 folk songs and published six volumes of Záhorácké pjesňičky between 1948 and 1986.

To this day, the collection remains the most extensive and valuable comprehensive corpus of folk songs from the Záhorie region. It has inspired many Slovak and Czech composers and ethnomusicologists to create arrangements of Záhorie folk songs.

Dr. Janko Blaho documented the region's song tradition and its most distinctive characteristics as they existed in the westernmost part of Slovakia from the 1940s until the late 1970s.

This complete edition brings together, in alphabetical order, the songs from all six songbooks, including the revised edition of the first volume. The publication also includes editorial commentary and comprehensive indexes. It is jointly published by the Music Centre Slovakia and the Záhorie Museum in Skalica.