The musical tradition that took shape in Russia in the region between the upper reaches of the River Dniepr and the rivers Vikhra, Sozh and Desna has ancient Slavic roots. The majority of the tracks on this CD were recorded during an ethnographic expedition conducted in January 1993, by the Moscow Conservatory under the direction Prof. Vyacheslav Shurov, who also wrote the liner notes. A special place on this CD is reserved for folk songs recorded from the Smolensk songstress Agrafena Glinkina (1898 - 1971), a native of the Monastyrsk district. The recordings of this outstanding master of the folk vocal style made by Moscow Radio