Traditional Sounds of Sivac Pipes Take Center Stage

Maksim Mudrinić, Oskar Kovač – Made in Sivac: Serbian Music from Vojvodina (Antonovka Records, 2025)

This field recording captures traditional music from Vojvodina, the autonomous province in northern Serbia shaped by the Danube, Sava, and Tisa rivers. Its three historic regions, Bačka, Banat, and Srem, extend into neighboring countries and form the cultural backdrop for this release.

The album spotlights two musicians from the village of Sivac in Bačka. Maksim Mudrinić, a prominent gajde player and instrument maker, performs on the Vojvodina gajde, a type of Balkan bagpipe characterized by a double chanter, a wooden horn, and a single drone. Unlike the mouth-blown versions found elsewhere, this gajde uses elbow bellows, allowing the player to sing while playing.

Oskar Kovač contributes performances on the samica, a traditional plucked string instrument. Mudrinić appears on tracks 1–14, Kovač on tracks 15–23, and both perform together on track 24. Several melodies are presented in alternate versions for both instruments.

The repertoire reflects the musical geography of the region:

• Bačka: Tracks 1, 2, 6–9, 12–14, 15–19, 22
• Srem: Tracks 3, 4, 10, 23, 24
• Banat: Track 5
• Slavonia (Croatia): Tracks 20, 21
• Track 11 features a medley of Serbian songs from various regions.

All recordings were made at Mudrinić’s home in Sivac on April 29 and July 7, 2023.

Track list:

1. Gajde Tuning Melody 1 | Тонски низ 1
2. Đurđevica (Gajde Version) | Ђурђевица
3. Todor (Gajde Version) | Тодоре
4. Come On, Todor | Аjде, Тодоре
5. Peasant Kolo | Паорско коло
6. Тhe Wild Duck (Gajde Version) | Лишка патка
7. Now My Dear (Gajde Version) | Сад’ мој дика
8. Slow Bećarac | Лагани бећарац
9. Fast Bećarac | Брзи бећарац
10. Gajde Kolo from Srem (Gajde Version) | Сремачко гајдашко коло
11. Gajde Songs | Сплет гајдашких песама
12. Harness the Horses, Lenka | Тера Ленка
13. Big Kolo from Bačka | Велико Бачко коло
14. Gajde Tuning Melody 2 | Тонски низ 2
15. I Like Much, I Like as Well | Ала волем, па волем
16. Whose Сart Rattles Along the Street? | Чија кола клепећу сокаком?
17. Тhe Wild Duck (Samica Version) | Лишка патка
18. Đurđevica (Samica Version) | Ђурђевица
19. Todor (Samica Version) | Тодоре
20. The Wheat | Жита
21. Calendars | Календари
22. Now My Dear (Samica Version) | Сад’ мој дика
23. Gajde Kolo | Гајдашко коло
24. Gajde Kolo from Srem (Duo Version) | Сремачко гајдашко коло

Buy Made in Sivac: Serbian Music from Vojvodina