Music In Belarus: Do Cds Still Play A Role?

Belarus, an Eastern European country, has a rich tradition of folk and religious music. The country's folk music can be traced back to the times of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. In recent years, musicians, artists, and theatre groups have been driven underground by the increasingly authoritarian regime of President Alexander Lukashenko. Despite this, Belarus has a thriving music scene, with a variety of genres such as folk, rock, pop, and electronic music. CDs of Belarusian music are sold in Ukraine, Russia, and elsewhere, and there is also a market for second-hand CDs in the country.

CDs for sale in Belarus

CDs are still available to buy in Belarus, with a range of genres on offer. The music of Belarus has a rich tradition of folk and religious music, and this is reflected in the CDs available to buy in the country. Folk music in Belarus can be traced back to the times of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and this style of music remains popular today.

A quick search reveals that CDs for sale in Belarus include a range of genres, from folk and world music to heavy metal and rock. CDs can be purchased from online stores such as Discogs, which has a specific section for Belarusian music. Here, you can find CDs by Belarusian artists such as Мамульки Bend, Сурганова И Оркестр, and Александр Пушной. There are also CDs from artists from other countries, including Maroon 5 and Laibach.

Many CDs available to buy in Belarus are from local artists performing folk music, or modern iterations of the genre, such as folk rock. Some popular folk and folk-rock acts from Belarus include Stary Olsa, Bristeil, and Kriwi. There is also a market for heavier genres, with CDs available from Belarusian metal bands like Demon of the Sabbat, Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus, and Вольныя Танцы.

The Belarusian government has attempted to limit the amount of popular music aired on the radio in favour of traditional Belarusian music. This has encouraged some Belarusian bands to sign with Russian labels and tour more in neighbouring countries. Despite these restrictions, there is a vibrant political and arts underground scene in Belarus, with musicians, theatre groups, and artists expressing their opposition to the country's authoritarian regime.

Belarusian music and musicians

Belarus has a rich tradition of folk and religious music, with influences from neighbouring countries like Russia, as well as further afield, including the United States and Canada. The country's folk music traditions can be traced back to the times of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

In the 15th century, skomorokhs were the major profession for musicians. A neumatic chant, called "znamenny", was used in Orthodox church music until the 16th century. The 17th century saw the rise of "Partesnoe penie", or part singing, which became common for choruses. During this time, private theatres were also established in cities like Minsk and Vitebsk.

In the 20th century, the first secondary education institute for music was founded in Belarus, along with the country's first operas. Popular Soviet Belarusian music was composed and performed by various bands, including the folk rock act Pesniary, formed in 1969.

After Belarus gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, new bands emerged, such as N.R.M. and Bi-2. Modern pop stars from Belarus include Boris Moiseev and Lyapis Trubetskoy, who cater to Russian speakers. In the early 2000s, a new wave of electronic bands appeared, including Randomajestiq and Dreamlin.

Today, Belarus remains a centre of folk and folk-rock music, with bands like Stary Olsa, Bristeil, and Kriwi carrying on this tradition. The country also has a vibrant underground arts scene, with musicians, theatre groups, and artists who have been driven underground in recent years due to the authoritarian regime of President Alexander Lukashenko. Despite the challenges, groups like the Belarus Free Theater and its director Nicolai Khalezin continue to thrive and gain recognition abroad.

Some notable Belarusian musicians and bands include:

• Valeria Sergeevna Kazhukhovskaya, also known as prosto Lera, a singer-songwriter from Minsk.
• NizKiz, a rock band from Mahiloŭ, performing in both Belarusian and Russian.
• AKUTE, a promising artist on the Belarusian independent rock scene.
• Mevl, a singer, rapper, and songwriter who debuted as a solo artist in 2018.
• NAVIBAND, an indie pop duo led by Arciom Lukjanienka and Ksienija Žuk.
• BeZ bileta, a band that started with Belarusian folk and later transitioned to indie-rock.
• Detidetei (Children's Children), a group playing soft rock.
• Krambambula, a music project by several famous rock musicians, including Lavon Volski and Siarhiej Michałok.
• Max, a YouTuber and musician who creates a new image of Minsk in his romantic videos.
• LSP, a hip-hop band that gained popularity with their song "Monetka", which collected 26 million views in 2017.
• Brutto, Sergey Michalok's band that formed after the breakup of Lyapis Trubetskoy.
• Mustelide, an electronic project by Natalia Kunitskaya, popular in Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, and Europe.
• Petlya Pristrastiya, a post-punk band with metaphorical lyrics, led by Ilya Cherepko-Samokhvalov.
• Super Besse, a representative of the post-punk and cold wave movements from Belarus.
• Serebryanaya Svadba, a band with a unique style that has toured in countries like Germany and the United States.

Belarusian folk music

Belarus is an Eastern European country with a rich tradition of folk and religious music. The country's folk music traditions can be traced back to the times of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The country's musical traditions spread with its people to countries like Russia, Canada, the United States, Kazakhstan, and Latvia.

Documentation of its music stretches back to at least the 15th century. Prior to that, skomorokhs were the major profession for musicians. A neumatic chant, called znamenny, from the word 'znamia', meaning sign or neume, was used until the 16th century in Orthodox church music. This was followed by two hundred years of stylistic innovation that drew on the Renaissance and Protestant Reformation. In the 17th century, part singing became common for choruses, followed by the establishment of private theatres in cities like Minsk and Vitebsk.

Popular Soviet Belarusian music was composed by several bands, many of whom performed Belarusian folk music. Folk rock act Pesniary, formed in 1969 by guitarist Vladimir Mulyavin, toured all over Europe. The band is an example of the country's rock music, which arose in Perestroika times. Other bands from this period include Bi-2 and Lyapis Trubetskoy.

The tradition of Belarus as a centre of folk and folk-rock music is continued today by bands like Stary Olsa, Bristeil, and Kriwi. These groups have been driven underground in recent years under the increasingly authoritarian regime of President Alexander Lukashenko.

Belarusian rock music

Rock music in Belarus has been developing since the early 1980s. The country's rock bands include Mroja (later renamed N.R.M.), Ulis, Daj Darogu!, Kriwi, Lyapis Trubetskoy, Verasy, Open Space, Neuro Dubel, Accent, and Otrazhenie. Metal bands include Asguard and TT-34.

Basovišča, a Belarusian rock music festival organised in Gródek, Poland, is the biggest festival of Belarusian rock music. Other festivals include "Be Free" and "Rock-kola".

Despite these challenges, Belarusian rock music continues to thrive and evolve, with new bands appearing after the country's independence in 1991.

Belarusian pop music

Belarus, an Eastern European country, has a rich tradition of folk and religious music. The country's folk music traditions can be traced back to the times of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The country's musical traditions have spread to countries like Russia, Canada, the United States, Kazakhstan, and Latvia, with the people of Belarus mostly exposed to Russian pop music during this period and after independence in 1991.

In 2002, President Alexander Lukashenko signed a decree requiring 50% of all FM broadcast music to be of Belarusian origin. This rule was further tightened in 2005, with 75% of daily broadcast music now required to be Belarusian. However, this does not regulate the language of the songs, so most broadcast music is still in Russian.

The Belarusian government has attempted to limit the amount of popular music aired on the radio, in favour of traditional Belarusian music. These restrictions have driven many musicians, theatre groups, and artists in Belarus underground in recent years under Lukashenko's increasingly authoritarian regime. Despite this, some groups have managed to thrive, such as the Belarus Free Theater, which is gaining recognition abroad for its political plays.

Modern Belarusian pop stars include Boris Moiseev and Lyapis Trubetskoy, who tend to orient themselves towards Russia and Russian speakers. In addition, a new generation of electronic bands emerged around 2002, including groups like Randomajestiq and Dreamlin.

Belarus has also produced several pop music groups, such as Aleksandra and Konstantin, who represented Belarus in the 2004 Eurovision Song Contest, and Napoli, a music project.

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