These are the final releases in the excellent Czech label Indies Scope's survey of Moravian music. While the first four discs covered various geographical regions (volumes one and two were reviewed in #83 and volumes three and four in #94), the remaining discs are thematic: these last two cover courtship and wedding songs, and recruiting songs. The former album features mainly female singers, like Vlasta Grycová and Magdalena Múčková, while the latter disc focuses exclusively on male vocalists (and lots of showy instrumental playing). Standout names are singer Dušan Holý and fiddler Martin Hrbáč. There's a tradition of recruiting songs that developed throughout the 19th century in both Hungary and the Czech Republic, known as verbunkos in Hungarian and verbuňk in Czech. The songs start slow, then move into a moderate dance tempo and finally a fast dance, which has become a showpiece of male dancing. There are regular competitions. Both the wedding songs and recruiting songs are accompanied by a cimbalom (hammered dulcimer) band with the verbuňk music providing opportunities for virtuoso display.

The whole Anthology of Moravian FolkMusic series offers a great introduction to the traditional music of a region that isn’t as well-known as it deserves to be. If you just want to try one disc of Moravian music, I would recommend the first volume of the series, focusing on the Horňácko region in south-east Moravia, which has the most distinctive music. All the albums have extensive liner notes in Czech and English on both the music and artists.