West-Slovakian Songs
When the Slovak composers started to dream about the possibility of the autonomous Slovak music, those dreams had to begin with a recognition of Slovak folk song. In this respect Matica slovenská and its first editors (Ján Kadavý, Karol Ruppeldt, Miloš Ruppeldt) made a huge step. Their Slovak Songs created a basic song repertory which stimulated the following collection as well as autonomous creation. Following the concert of East-Slovakian songs (BMF 2006) the festival presents the arrangements of West-Slovakian songs. The concert is in itself a special remembrance of Janko Blaho, the main collector, connoisseur, and inspirator of new creation leaning on the West-Slovakian folklore. His collections served as a source material not only for Vítězslav Novák and Štefan Németh-Šamorínsky, but also for Eugen Suchoň. Janáček's activities are joined with the songs sung to him by the Slovak worker Eva Gabel.