Music of Romania
This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2007) |
Part of a series on the |
Culture of Romania |
---|
![]() |
People |
Languages |
Sport |
Romania is a European country whose population consists mainly (approx. 90%) of ethnic Romanians, as well as a variety of minorities such as German, Hungarian and Roma (Gypsy) populations. This has resulted in a multicultural environment which includes active ethnic music scenes. Romania also has thriving scenes in the fields of pop music, hip hop, heavy metal and rock and roll. Traditional Romanian folk music (sometimes performed by tarafs, or bands of Gypsy musicians) remains popular, and some folk musicians have come to national (and even international) fame.
History
Folk music is, on the one hand, the oldest form of Romanian musical creation, characterised by great vitality until our times, and on the other hand, a defining source of the cultured musical creation, both religious and lay. In the conservation of folk music an important role has been played, besides the permanence of the audience, by the great performers. One of them, Gheorghe Zamfir, is famous throughout the world today, having made known a typically Romanian folk instrument, the panpipes.
The religious musical creation, born under the influence of Byzantine music adjusted to the intonations of the local folk music, saw a period of glory between the 15th-17th centuries, when reputed schools of liturgical music developed within Romanian monasteries. Russian and Western influences brought about the introduction of polyphony in religious music in the 18th century, a genre developed by a series of Romanian composers in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Traditional music
Banat
In Banat, the violin is the most common folk instrument, now played alongside imported woodwind instruments; other instruments include the taragot (today often the saxophone plays the taragot role in bands), which was imported in the 1920s from Hungary. Efta Botoca is among the most renowned violinists from Banat.
Bucovina
Bucovina is a remote province, and its traditions include some of the most ancient Romanian instruments, including the ţilincă and the cobza. Pipes (fluieraş or fluier mare) are also played, usually with accompaniment by a cobza (more recently, the accordion). Violins and brass instruments have been imported in modern times.
Crişana
Crişana has an ancient tradition of using violins, often in duos. This format is also found in Transylvania but is an older tradition. Petrică Paşca has recently helped popularize the taragot in the region.
Dobrogea
Dobrogea's population is especially diverse, and there exist elements of traditional Tartar, Ukrainian, Turkish and Bulgarian music among those populations. The most popular dance from Dobrogea is the geamparale, which is very different from the other traditional dances of Romania. In fact, Dobrujan music is characterized by Balkan and Turkish rhythms.
Maramureş and Oaş
The typical folk ensemble from Maramureş is zongora and violin, often with drums. Taragot, saxophone and accordion have more recently been introduced.
In Oaş, a violin adapted to be shriller is used, accompanied by the zongora. The singing in this region is also unique, shrill with archaic melodic elements.
Moldavia
Violin and ţambal are the modern format most common in Moldavian dance music. Prior to the 20th century, however, the violin was usually accompanied by the cobza. Brass ensembles are now found in the central part of the county. Among the most renowned violinists from this region is Ion Drăgoi. There are also many musicians among the Csango, ethnic Hungarians who live in the Seret Valley. Moldavia is also known for brass bands similar to those in Serbia.
Transylvania
Main article: Music of Transylvania
Transylvania has been historically and culturally more linked to Central European countries than Southeastern Europe, and its music reflects those influences. Inhabited by Romanians, Szeklers, Hungarians, Germans, Serbs, Slovaks, Roma (Gypsies) and others, Transylvania has long been a center for folk music, which was preserved here stronger than in the rest of Romania. Bartók and Kodály collected many folk songs from Transylvania early in the 20th century. In our days, Deep Forest included folk songs from Transylvania on their albums.
Violin, viola and double bass, sometimes with a cimbalom, are the most integral ensemble unit. They are used to played a wide variety of songs, including numerous kinds of specific wedding songs.
Hungarians from Transylvania are known for their vibrant musical cultures, especially around Hunedoara and other areas, which are famous for hajnali songs and legényes (young men's dance). The Csángós have a distinct Hungarian dialect and ancient music. They are known for a unique primitive stringed percussion instrument called an ütögardon (literally, "beaten 'cello"). This heavy instrument, crudely carved out of a solid block of wood, has four gut strings, all tuned to D, which are struck with a stout stick.
Drum, guitar and violin make up the typical band in Maramureş, and virtuoso fiddlers are also popular in the area. In the end of the 1990s, the Maramuzical music festival was organized to draw attention to the indigenous music of the area.
Wallachia
Main article: Music of Wallachia
Wallachia is home to the taraf bands, which are perhaps the best-known expression of Romanian folk culture. Dances associated with tarafs include brâu, geamparale, sârba and hora. The fiddle leads the music, with the cimbalom and double bass accompanying it. Lyrics are often about heroes like the Haidouks. Taraf de Haidouks is an especially famous taraf, and have achieved international attention since their 1988 debut with the label Ocora. The Haidouks first attained visibility as lăutari, traditional entertainers at weddings and other celebratory occasions.
Muntenia
Long the capital region of Romania, Muntenia have a more diverse set of instrumentation. The fluier and violin are the traditional melodic element, but now clarinets and accordions are more often used. Accordionists include the renowned performers Vasile Pandelescu and Ilie Udilă.
Oltenia
Oltenia's folk music and dance is similar to Muntenia. Violins and pipes are used, as are ţambal and guitar, replacing the cobza as the rhythmic backing for tarafs. The cimpoi (bagpipe) is also popular in this region.
Doina
The most widespread form of Romanian folk music is the doina. There are other styles of folk music. These include the bocet ("lament"), cântec batrânesc (traditional epic ballads; literally "song of the elders") and the când ciobanu şi-a pierdut oile ("when the shepherd has lost the sheep").
Doina is poetic and often melancholic, sometimes compared to the blues for that reason. Doinas are often played with a slow, free rhythm melody against a fast accompaniment pattern in fixed tempo, giving an overall feeling of rhythmic tension. Melodies are sometimes repeated in differing songs, and typically follow a descending pattern.
Regional styles of doina:
- Ca pe luncă - found along the southern Danube
- De codru - codru means "forest"
- Haiduceşti - haiduc means "thief" or "brigand"
- Hora lungă - means "long dance", from the region of Maramureş, Transylvania
- Klezmer - originally played by Jewish musicians from Bessarabia and Moldavia
- Oltului - found along the River Olt
Other styles of doina:
- Ca din tulnic - unique type in which the melody imitates a type of bugle called the tulnic
- Ciobanul - shepherd's doina
- De dragoste - popular form, usually about love; dragoste means "love".
- De jale - mellow, mournful doina; jale means "grief".
- De leagăn - a lullaby; leagăn means "cradle".
- De pahar - drinking song; pahar means "drinking glass".
- Foaie verde - classical form; literally "green leaves".
Classical
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/96/Enescu24.jpg/150px-Enescu24.jpg)
Contemporary
Some of the most prominent contemporary musicians of Romania:
Ambient
Cafe singers
- Jean Moscopol (pre-war singer reminiscent of Carlos Gardel)
- Gică Petrescu
Dance
Electronica
- Adrian Enescu
- Electric Brother
- Şuie Paparude
- Infectator com
- DJ Project
- Kord(band)
- Shukar Collective
- Sunday People
- Alien Pimp
- Aria Urbana
- Brigada Artistica Urbana
- Yvat
- Mesmer (breakbeat producer)
- TRG
- K-pital
- Silent Strike
Folk
Folk-rock
- Pasărea Colibri
- Zdob şi Zdub (ethno-rock band from Moldova they combine rock, hip-hop and metal music with traditional Moldovan music and Roma music)
Psych-folk/world fusion
Folkloric
- Maria Tănase
- Alexandru Cercel
- Fanfare Ciocărlia
- Taraful Haiducilor
- Mahala Raï Banda
- Grigore Lese
- Gheorghe Zamfir - it was reported to have sold more than 100 million albums worldwide [1][2]
Hip-Hop, Rap
Main article: Romanian hip hop
- B.U.G. Mafia
- Paraziţii
- La Familia
- Da Hood
- R.A.C.L.A.
- Bitză
- Zale
- C.T.C. Controlul Tehnic de Calitate
Jazz, Acid jazz
Pop
- 3rei Sud Est
- Activ
- Akcent
- Andreea Bălan
- Ştefan Bănică, Jr.
- The Cheeky Girls
- Razvan Fodor
- Hara
- Hi-Q
- Holograf
- Kripton
- Morandi
- Loredana
- Nicola
- O-zone (from Moldova)
- Alina Sorescu
- Spitalul de Urgenţă
- Cleopatra Stratan
- Taxi
- Voltaj
- Zdob şi Zdub (ethno-rock band from Moldova they combine rock, hip-hop and metal music with traditional Moldovan music and Roma music)
- Altar
- Avatar
- Celelalte Cuvinte
- Coma
- Compact The leading Romanian rock band of the 80s, Paul Ciuci, vocalist.
- Dies Irae
- IRIS
- Kripton
- Kumm
- Legion
- Luna Amară
- Negură Bunget
- Timpuri Noi
- Phoenix
- Urma
- Zdob şi Zdub (ethno-rock band from Moldova they combine rock, hip-hop and metal music with traditional Moldovan music and Roma music)
Bibliography
- Broughton, Simon. "Taraf Traditions". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), World Music, Vol. 1: Africa, Europe and the Middle East, pp 237-247. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. ISBN 1-85828-636-0
References
External links
- Traditional music in Romania,
- Romanian music and video clips archive
- COMUNITATEA OFICIALA METAL/ ROCK din Romania, inclusa in site-ul oficial al unei dintre cele mai importate trupe de metal din SUA in Romania!
- BBC guide to world music: Romania - discography
- Regional ensembles
- LostTrails.com: a commercial site, but has extensive photos and many free download samples of complete recordings of traditional Romanian music
- Play or download traditional music from all regions of Romania
- Manele This kind of music is something like Chalga music from Bulgaria or Laika music from Greece