Gorenjska Polka – Klarinetten Polka (V. & S. Avsenik) [Sheet music] [Tutorial video]

Gorenjska Polka (Slovenian for ‘Polka from Gorenjska‘) or Klarinetten Polka (German for ‘Clarinet Polka’) is an instrumental polka by the legendary Avsenik brothers, Vilko and Slavko Avsenik from Slovenia, dating back to the 1950s (not related to the older ‘Clarinet Polka’ or ‘Polka Dziadek’ from Poland). ‘Gorenjska’ refers to a region in Slovenia known as Upper Carniola in English, or Oberkrain in German. This upbeat polka is usually played by Oberkrainer style quintets instead of trios, featuring a complex clarinet solo in part B, and normally played very fast, sometimes performed as fast as 170bpm by the Avsenik ensemble in some live recordings. Many performances end by repeating part C (E♭) at a slow pace, gradually increasing speed, and ending at a greater speed than the song started at. Unlike many Avsenik polkas, this one only spans 2 keys: B♭ and E♭. If you haven’t heard it before, please listen to the live recordings by Avsenik – the energy of the ensemble and mastery of the clarinet players (Franci Tržan in the 1950s, followed by Albin Rudan) is amazing to listen to. More recently, Slavko Avsenik’s grandson, Sašo Avsenik, recorded this polka with his father Gregor Avsenik on classical guitar.

Inspired by the live recordings of Ansambel bratov Avsenik, I began to play this polka in my trio a few years ago, re-packaged a bit for the accordion. In my sheet music and tutorial video, I’ve more accurately adapted the clarinet solos while ensuring that it can be managed on the accordion. I hope you like it.