The fujara was originally developed and played by Slovak shepherds. Its unique voice was used to play slow, lyrical, melancholic folk melodies, which the fujarist played in alternation with sung lyrics about various topics: shepherds’ daily routines and hard lives; love; the beauty of nature; and the adventures, capture, and execution of forest outlaws. In this presentation, Bob Rychlik will demonstrate the fujara’s versatility by playing examples from the traditional repertoire as well as classical and contemporary music, including several of his own compositions.
Multi-instrumentalist Bohuslav "Bob" Rychlik was born in Czechoslovakia, where he fell in love with the acoustic guitar, and later, the 5-string banjo. He taught classical guitar, studied various folk and blues finger-picking guitar styles, established several country and bluegrass groups, and organized musical gatherings and festivals even prior to moving to America in 1984. He received his first fujara as a gift from Slovak friends in 1999. After mastering the instrument, he started sharing its beauty with others.
He has played the fujara with the modern dance troupe CityDance, and has given over 70 fujara and overtone flute performances at folk festivals and Czech and Slovak events. Bob became the first foreign member of the exclusive "Fujarasi" guild in Slovakia, recorded his first CD, Ideas with Fujara, and was featured on Czech and American TV and Czech and Slovak radio.
Lectures take place at noon. For more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/folklife/events/botkin-lectures.html or call 202-707-5510.
The American Folklife Center is located at Library of Congress 101 Independence Ave. SE Washington DC 20540-4610.
Photo 1: Bob Rychlik, photo 2: Dušan Holik and Bob Rychlik playing fujara at the Maryland Fujara Workshop, June 10, 2006. Photo courtesy of Bob Rychlik.
