Yesterday I experienced Moldovan shopping at its best. I depended on our good friend who is an expert. She asked if wanted to go the Malldova or the Bazaar (market). Of course I chose the market! Within an hour we had ridden the minibus to the market, gone to the ATM, and made excellent purchase so I can now look more like a real Moldovan. Pretty classy stuff and I really enjoyed watching my friend lead us around the market. It is quite extensive and has all kinds of good (and not so good) things to purchase. There are informal food markets in many places around the city, including a small alleyway near my apartment. I must try it out.
Then this morning I met with an excellent Moldovan ethnomusicologist. She soon realized that I have an intense interest in musical instruments of all kinds so she put on her coat and led me through the streets of busy Chisinau to another building of the Academy which is dedicated to "Arts Plastice." There she left me with a collector and player of a very wide variety of instruments - drums, mouth harps, flutes, trumpets (some ten feet long), bagpipes, and amazing string instruments. We had a great time together and even played some music on cobza (lute like instrument) and nineteenth century flute. We barely got started on the instruments so we will meet again. I plan to photograph and record a lot of instruments and hope to be some help notating music from old recordings. There are 16,000 recordings of Moldovan music made since 1964.
Tomorrow is "city day" in Chisinau, a day off with lots of public entertainment and action in the city.
Malldova!!! No, really?? wow. But what else could it possibly be?
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