Folklore ensemble
preiļi

On concert in honour of 70'th anniversary of Preili city, 6 June 1998

      Name: preiļi
          meaning: mummers, maskers, merrymakers
          recommended transcription in English: preili
          approximate pronunciation in English: preili
          Listen pronunciation in AU format (10 Kb)

      Created: 8 February 1995
      Location: Preili, Latgalia
      Leader: Jānis Teilāns
      Number of participants: 21, of them by age:
          younger than 14 years: 5
          from 14 to 24 years: 6
          from 25 to 44 years: 9
          from 45 to 64 years: 1
      and by gender:
          males: 5
          females: 16
      Forms of activity: sing, play music, dance, play roundelays
      Musical instruments: violin, zither, pipe, flute, various pulsatile instruments: threesticks, bell trees, sticks.

      Description: Folklore ensemble preiļi was formed on 8 February 1995 in Preili culture house.
    The name of ensemble coincides with the name of our city, but we write it with a small letter, as we want to emphasize its importance in a counterbalance to the toponym.
    The first "christening by fire" of the ensemble was held in March 1995, when Preili was visited by Māris Gailis, President of the Cabinet of Ministers.
    Rehearsals of the ensemble were carried out in Preili culture house before its ceiling had caved in. Then the ensemble wandered to miscellaneous places, but in spite of it the rehearsals have continued.
    The ensemble participates in town actions on a regular basis, has participated in the Baltica folklore festivals, in the Songs and dances festival in Riga.
    Repertoir of the ensemble basically contains songs from Preili vicinities, singing about sun, earth, bread, also wedding and mummers' songs. Participants of the ensemble sing songs, play instruments, dance, but most of all they like to play roundelays.

On Songs hill, Sigulda, 1996

      Sound sample: Pārkiuņs vede vedekleņu (Thunderer drive daughter-in-law) (1998)
One couplet in AU format (697 Kb)
Full song in MP3 format (665 Kb)

      Address:
          in Latvian: Jānis Teilāns, Rancāna 3-13, Preiļi, LV-5300, Latvija
          in English: Janis Teilans, Rancana 3-13, Preili, LV-5300, Latvia
      Phone: (+371) 53-22072

      Date of presenting the information: 25 August 1998