Songs from Aulejas

This album of 16 a capella songs comes out of a doctoral thesis by Latvian musicologist Asnate Rancâne who studied the repertoire of several generations of one of Latvia's oldest vocal groups Aulejas Sievas (Women from Auleja), founded in 1940. One of the requirements was to perform the music, which led to this six-member female group, Tautumeitas (Folk Maidens).

The seasonal songs and the choir Rancâne was studying come from the rural village of Aulejas in the south of the country. It's a specialised local repertoire and the liner notes don't tempt me to explore her thesis. This record is the preferable alternative. The short songs are in two-part harmony, often with call-and-response lines. The singers clearly know what they are doing. The six young voices are beautifully blended, the melodic lines are smooth and flowing. It's a reminder of the number of little-known vocal traditions hidden across the continent of Europe.