Music of Romania
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Template:SoutheasternEuropeanMusic Romania is a European country whose population includes ethnic Romanians, Hungarian and Roma (Gypsy) populations. Like Hungary and other neighboring countries, Romania's modern popular music is heavily influenced by Roma musicians, the lăutari, whose World War II-era café music they have modified into orchestral popular ensembles. Romania also has thriving scenes in the fields of hip hop music, heavy metal and rock and roll. Traditional Romanian folk tarafs remain popular, and some folk musicians have come to national fame.
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1.1 Banat |
Traditional music
Banat
In Banat, the violin is the most common folk instrument, now played alongside imported woodwind instruments; other instruments include the taragot (often played with the saxophone), 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 Translvania 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, Turkish and Bulgarian music among those populations.
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, accompanied by the zongora is used. 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.
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 men's dance. The Csángós have a distinct Hungarian dialect and ancient music, and are known for a sort of percussive cello called a gardon.
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.
Moldavia is known for brass bands similar to those in Serbia and Montenegro,
Wallachia
Main article: Music of Wallachia
Wallachia is home to the taraf bands, which are perhaps the most well-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.
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.
Doina
The most widespread form of Romanian folk music is the doina. There are other styles of folk music strongly influenced by Turkish music; these include the bocet, cântec batrânesc (traditional epic ballads) and the când ciobanu şi-a pierdut oile.
Doina is poetic and often melancholy, sometimes compared to the blues for that reason. 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
- Haiduceşti
- Hora lungă - Maramures
- 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
- De jale - mellow, mournful doina
- De leagăn - a lullaby
- De pahar - Romanian doina
- Foaie verde - classical form
Modern times
Contemporary
Some of the most prominent contemporary musicians of Romania:
Classical and Folk
- Tudor Gheorghe
- Taraful Haiducilor (a.k.a. Taraf de Haiduks)
- Maria Tănase
- Gheorghe Zamfir
- Zece prăjini
- Shukar Collective
- Nicolae Furdui-Iancu
- Dumitru Farcas
- Nicu Novac
- Aurel Tamas
- Lupu Rednic
- Veta Biris
- Ionela Prodan
Jazz
Hip-Hop, Rap, Alternative
Main article: Romanian hip hop
The hip hop scene in Romania has produced several well-known groups, including B.U.G. Mafia, Paraziţii, La Familia, Don Baxter, Codu' Penal and Nico.
Pop
- Holograf
- Hara
- Loredana
- Nicola
- Spitalul de Urgenţă
- Taxi
- Voltaj
- Hi-Q
- 3rei Sud-Est
- O-zone (from Moldova)
- The Cheeky Girls
Rock and Metal
- Cargo
- Celelalte cuvinte
- IRIS
- Sarmalele Reci
- Phoenix
- Zdob şi Zdub (from Moldova)
- Viţa de Vie
- Vama Veche
- Direcţia 5
Turkish music manele
- Nicolae Guţă
- Adrian De'Vito
- Vali Vijelie
- Stana Izbasa
- Nicu Paleru
- Liviu Guta
- Adi de la Valcea
- Florin Salam
- Florin Peste
- Costi Ionita
- Lucian Seres
- Baronu`
- Catalin Arabu`
- Carmen Serban
References
- 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
External links
- BBC guide to world music: Romania - discography (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/world/guideromaniad.shtml)
- Regional ensembles (http://www.eliznik.org.uk/RomaniaMusic/region_summary.htm)pt:Música da Romęnia