Maria Tănase
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Maria Tănase (25 September 1913 - 22 June 1963) was a Romanian singer of traditional and popular music.
Born in the Bucharest suburb of Cărămidari, Maria Tănase studied at the Şcola primară nr. 11 Tăbăcari, then at the Ion Heliade Radulescu highschool before she dropped out.
In 1934, she joined the "Cărăbuş" theatre of Constantin Tănase, but she became famous only in 1938, when she had the first recordings for the Romanian Radio, which were however destroyed by the anti-semitic Iron Guard in 1940 under the pretext that they distorted the Romanian folklore. The real reason of this appears to be the circle of friends of Maria Tănase, which included a number of Jewish intellectuals, such as the ethnologist Harry Brauner (the brother of the painter Victor Brauner) and the journalist Stefan Roll.[1]
After a trip in Turkey, she sang in some shows organized for the wounded soldiers together with other important names of the Romanian music and theatre, such as George Enescu, George Vraca and Constantin Tănase.
In December 1943, she sang at the Christmas festivities at the Royal Cavalery Regiment, where as guests were present King Michael I of Romania, Ion Antonescu, Mihai Antonescu and all the members of the government. In 1955, she received the "State Prize" and in 1957 the title of "Emerit artist".
[edit] Notes
- ^ Grit Frierich, http://www.glattundverkehrt.at/728_ENG_HTML.htm „Blue-hearted diva“: Europe discovers the songs of Romanian Piaf. Undated. Accessed 3 July 2006.
