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Music of Romania

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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, 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 (and even international) fame.

Contents

Classical

Jazz

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 kobza. 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 the violin, often with drums. Taragot, saxophone and accordion have more recently been introduced.

In Oaş, a violin adapted to be shriller. 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.

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.

Moldavia is known for brass bands similar to those in Serbia.

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.

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:

Other styles of doina:

Contemporary

Some of the most prominent contemporary musicians of Romania:

Dance

Electronic

Folk

Hip-Hop, Rap

''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, R.A.C.L.A., Codu' Penal and Nico.

Pop

Punk

Rock and Metal

Notable Romanian metal bands:

Manele

See main article: Manele
Music of Southeastern Europe
Albania - Bosnia and Herzegovina - Bulgaria - Croatia - Cyprus - Greece - Macedonia
Montenegro - Roma - Romania - Serbia - Republic of Macedonia - Thrace - Turkey

References

External links

 

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