My Favorite Accordion and/or Folk Songs

yigitkilicoglu.com/blog/accordion-and-folk/

[Türkçe]

The accordion is one of the most underrated instruments in the world, and traditional folk music is one of the most underrated music genres in the world. I decided to use my website’s humble page rank to popularize pieces that are either traditional folk songs, or are frequently played with the accordion. There might be a few that don’t really fit either category. I dedicate this list to Anonymous, my favorite composer, who gifted our world an infinite number of traditional folk songs.

You will notice that Finnish pieces are well-represented in this list. Finland is probably the country with the highest polka per capita, so this is perhaps not that surprising.

No particular order.

• Säkkijärven polkka

• Metsäkukkia

• Tavallinen tyttö

• Satumaa

• Kulkurin kaiho

• Soittajan kaipuu

• Sirkkojen tanssi

• Ale brider

• Papatya (Necdet Koyutürk)

• Sevdim Bir Genç Kadını

• Finska polka

• Ievan polkka (vocal version)

• Pytała się Pani

• Rebeka (the one that is a Yiddish tango)

• Der Rebbe Elimelech (original tune of “Memleketim” by Ayten Alpman)

• Accordion music from the regions around the Alps. All these songs are nice, but especially the one at 20:45.

• In Heaven There is No Beer

• Hej, Sokoły

• Volevo un gatto nero (doesn’t fit this list)

• Yıldızların Altında

• Tarantella Napoletana

• Bella ciao

• На сопках Маньчжурии (“On the Hills of Manchuria”)

• Коробе́йники (“Korobeiniki”) (tune of Tetris)

• Журавли (“Cranes”)

• Kuiskauksia tango

• Üsküdar’a Gider İken

• Strose Mou Na Kimitho (doesn’t fit this list)

• Полюшко-поле (“Song of the Plains”) (maybe fits this list)

• Two Guitars (Russian)

• Sarı Gelin

• Yön Kuningatar tango (“Queen of the Night”)

• Kesäillan valssi

• Westphalia waltz

• Illan hämärtyessä

• Lyckobringaren

• Очи чёрные (“Dark Eyes”)

• Hatırla Sevgili

• Muistojen valssi. It’s so similar to Hatırla Sevgili. Is there a connection??

• Уральская рябинушка (“Ural Rowan Tree”)

• Hava Nagila

• Yine Bir Gülnihal

• Emma’s waltz (Finnish, e.g. sung by Leo Kauppi)

• Deniz ve Mehtap

• Her Akşam Votka, Rakı ve Şarap

• Bei Mir Bist Du Schejn

• Bubamara

• Csárdás

• Heinäpolkka

• Horgalåten

• Laps olen Karjalan

• Kazatchok

• O Tannenbaum

• Perles de Cristal

• Red River Valley

• Дорогой длинною (“The Long Road”) (original tune of “Those Were the Days”)

• Kankaan Kaunis Katriina

• What Shall We Do with the Drunken Sailor?

• Ema süda (Estonian) / Äidin sydän (Finnish)

• John Brown’s Body (original tune of “Battle Hymn of the Republic”)

• Bana Ellerini Ver

• Kıskanıyorum (tango)

• Waltzing Matilda (but “And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda” is better)

• Amazing Grace

• Woods of Finland

• Kulkurin valssi

• Aloha Oe

• Haaveita

• Romance Anónimo (piano version)

• Häämuistojen valssi

• Valssi menneiltä ajoilta