When I saw online that Carolina Eyck was a “German-Sorb composer” I thought, “that’s an interesting typo…I wonder what part of Serbia she’s from.”
What I didn’t know was that Sorbs are not from Serbia. They share Slavic roots with Serbians, but they are their own distinct group indigenous to what is now eastern Germany. Their culture, language (actually two languages) and way of life has hung by a thread over centuries of European wars. Various invading empires outlawed their languages, burned their books, and generally did their best to suppress them.
Each time Germany was defeated in a World War, the Sorbs would lobby for their own independent nation to rise from the ashes, but those pleas always fell on deaf ears. Following the reunification of Germany in the 1990s, Sorbians did get a certain level of support and assurances from the government that their cultural uniqueness would be protected.
But with a population of only about 50 000, it feels like this unique and fascinating minority might have to continue hanging by a thread for the foreseeable future.
And so: please enjoy this song by my new favourite German-Sorb composer – Carolina Eyck.
What makes this a beautiful song:
1. If you’ve been listening while reading this, you’ve probably already noticed that her voice is fantastic, and the way she loops it is hypnotic. But you probably didn’t realize that…
2. …you’re also hearing an instrument in there. It’s a Theremin, and watching her play it is like watching a magician. In this track, it’s hard to pick out which lines are vocal and which are played on the Theremin.
3. The percussion and bass line, provided by Dutch producer Eversines, provides the perfect backdrop for Eyck’s magic.
Recommended listening activity:
Rooting for the underdog.