READ: MARK NUCKOLS' Musings on Travel, Music and All Things Related
Meet Mark, the Galloping Gypsy!
Travel is enriched by culture, major components of which are: music, literature, history and language. I've been blessed to become familiar with these facets of Central and Eastern Europe (and some parts of Western Europe) through living there and/or extended or repeated visits. I also learned the language, delved into local history, and studied the region(s) academically when I came back to the States.
When I lived in Slovakia (1990-92, 1993-97), I sang in choral groups and hung out with Gypsy musicians, which put me in contact with the broader artistic community. As an example, the violinist leader of a Gypsy ensemble from one town put me in touch with the cathedral organist and choir director in another city, to which I was about to move. Returning for a 3-month stay in 2011, I sang with the cathedral choir again, this time with special instruction and conducting from Marek Stryncl, a baroque specialist from Prague. Thanks to Facebook, I learned that another friend, a Czech organist I'd met in St. Petersburg, Russia, was friends with those conductors. Ah, degrees of separation. Europe by Choir Bus TouR
As a member of those Slovak choirs, I made bus trips around Europe for international festivals and other occasions. One trip involved singing Mass at St. Peter's Basilica and an exchange with a chorus in Alba, Italy (home of Rocher chocolates, BTW). That Piedmontese town of 25K was celebrating 50 years of the Republic of Alba, a temporary period of being the capital at the end of WWII. Other travels with the choir included a visit to Trent, Italy (as in Council of Trent) for another exchange concert, followed by stops in the Republic of San Moreno, Venice, a vintner on the Italian-Slovenian border. The highlight was another exchange choir in the town of Krizevci, Croatia. (The map above is from that trip.) Living on a bus and in hostels with Slovaks was my crazy - and dirt-cheap - way of seeing Europe in my twenties! The thrust of this website is to give background – through videos of Gypsy and East European music with previously unseen translations of song lyrics, as well as historical information on travel destinations, plus personal observations. Linking to sites on non-European/non-Western culture and travel is a long-term goal of the site. |
MUSIC:
Central- and East-European music, including many Gypsy tunes, most of which I've learned while living or travelling abroad.
Expanding into other genres, geographical spaces (recently Ireland) and time periods. Always eager to link to other artists, videos and sites of interest. |