Roma music
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Typically nomadic, the Roma have long acted as wandering entertainers and tradesmen. In all the places Roma live—in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and northwest India— they have become known as musicians. The wide distances travelled have introduced a multitude of influences, starting with Indian roots and adding Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Slavic, Romanian, German, French, Spanish and Celtic touches.
Roma music characteristically has vocals that tend to be soulful and declamatory, and the music often incorporates prominent glissandi (slides) between notes. Instrumentation varies widely according to the region the music comes from.
Though no conclusive proof has been found, most historians believe that Roma are descended from an Indian people and migrated westward in several waves, probably all before 1000 AD. Roma still live in India, however, in Rajasthan and other areas, and work in multiple castes. These include the puppeteer Bhat, snake charmer Sapera and juggler Kamad castes, as well as Bhopa, Langa and Manganiyar musicians. Rajasthani Roma instruments include the kamayacha, a sort of fiddle, and khartal, a kind of castanets.
Roma moved west from India, spreading throughout what is now Iran, Iraq, Armenia and other Middle Eastern countries. By 1050, the Roma are believed to have been playing music in Constantinople. By the end of the 15th century, Roma people lived in Bulgaria, Egypt, Romania, Hungary, Sudan, Greece and Serbia. From there, they spread to the remainder of Europe, and now exist in small numbers abroad.
Roma communities are common in Arab and Middle Eastern countries, but are often found in southern parts of India as well. There is a strong tradition of Roma music in Central and Eastern Europe, notably in countries such as Hungary, Romania and the former Yugoslavia. The quintessentially Spanish flamenco is the music (and dance, or indeed the culture) of the Roma of Andalusia.
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[edit] Macedonia and Albania
Macedonian and Albanian Roma play Greek koumpaneia most frequently, with the Macedonian style distinctively known as calgia. Macedonian Roma music has been popularized by Goran Bregovic's "Ederlezi" from the soundtrack to Emir Kusturica's Time of the Gypsies, which was shot and set in the Macedonian Roma community.
Albanian Roma music is called Tallava. It has a distinct sound and is greatly influenced by Middle Eastern sounds. Drums and the daf are essential instruments. Other than its name, some people refer to it by the names given to the Albanian Roma people such as Hashkali, Magjup, Cigan, Jevg, Harrixhi, etc. Tallava is now gaining much popularity in Albania and many non-Roma singers are also singing and using it.
[edit] Russia
Roma have played a major part of Russian musical development since the reign of Catherine the Great. Their music became a romantic, urban form in the 19th century and thrived until the 1917 revolution. The Bolsheviks persecuted Roma as former entertainers of the bourgeoisie, and many chose to leave to country. Several legendary performers emerged from this period, especially Jean Goulesco and Pyotr Leshchenko.
[edit] Hungary
Hungary has a long and famous history of Roma musicians, with Janos Bihari being the most well-known of the traditional orchestra leaders. The Lakatos family now dominates the music.
Rural Hungarian Roma play a sparsely accompanied form of song called loki djili and dance songs called khelimaski djili.
[edit] Serbia
The Roma of Serbia, especially in the city of Guca and the Dragacevo district, are known for maintaining a distinctive style of brass band music, rooted in the military band music of the Ottoman Empire. Boban Marković and the Serbian Orkestar are among the best known players in this style internationally. [1][2] "Kecarac kolo" "Sunen romalen, sunen cavalen" Since the mid-1960s, the singer and bandleader Šaban Bajramović has been a popular exponent of a less traditional, more pop-oriented Roma music style.
[edit] Greece
Roma in Greece are known for the zurna and davul duos (analogous to the shawm and drum partnership common in Roma music) and Turkish-influenced koumpaneia music. Koumpaneia has long been popular among Greek Roma and Jews (the latter being some of the most popular performers before World War II), especially in the city of Ioannina, and has recently been popularized by artists like Kostas Pavlidis and Yianni Saleas.
[edit] France
French Roma can be divided between those of Spanish origin, known for rumba gitana, a commercialized Catalonian-derived genre which was popularized by The Gipsy Kings, and those of Manouche or German origin such as Django Reinhardt, a French Roma who was one of the most influential jazz players of the 20th century.
[edit] Romania
Romanian Roma musicians are called lautari, and typically form string bands called taraf. Tarafs include fiddles, cimbaloms, accordions and a double bass, and are common throughout the country. The most popular are Taraf de Haïdouks and Fanfare Ciocărlia, who have gained an international following.
Manele is a contemporary movement of Roma music in Romania and elsewhere in the Balkans, incorporating elements of popular music genres into traditional Gypsy music.
Some notable Romanian Roma musicians are:
- Romica Puceanu, much admired woman singer
- Nicolae Guţă, manele singer
[edit] Turkey
Roma perform in nightclubs and restaurants across Turkey, and are known for fasil and belly dance music. Fasil is a sort of light classical music, dominated by the clarinet, violin, qanún (a zither), darbuka (drums) and, more rarely, ud (a lute) and cümbüş (a banjo). The Gypsies of Turkey have gained a large musical reputation throughout the country, and have adopted Turkish musical principles, including "taqsims" or improvised solos. They are also responsible for performing the music of holidays and parties. Turkish Roma performers include the Erköse brothers, Mustafa Kandirali, Kibariye, Tarik Menguc, and Gypsy Music of Constantinople.
[edit] Spain
Spanish Roma music is widely known across the world, having been popularized as flamenco. Flamenco was born in Andalucia and was only linked with Roma some time after the genre evolved. Flamenco is associated with the Roma of Spain (Gitanos) and quite a number of famous flamenco artists are of this ethnicity. However, flamenco is not of Roma origin but is rooted in the Andalusian musical tradition, although Gitano interpretation has heavily influenced modern-day flamenco. This explains the huge difference between flamenco and the Roma music of, for example, Eastern Europe.
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Albania - Bosnia and Herzegovina - Bulgaria - Croatia - Cyprus - Greece - Macedonia |
[edit] Bulgaria
Due to the large Gypsy population in Bulgaria, this ethnic group's music is very popular. It is also a part of the roots of chalga music, which is widely played at dances and parties in Bulgaria.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Broughton, Simon. "Kings and Queens of the Road". 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 146-158. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. ISBN 1-85828-636-0
