Aromanian music ( rup, Muzica armãneascã) is the music characteristic of the

Aromanians The Aromanians ( rup, Armãnji, Rrãmãnji) are an Ethnic groups in Europe, ethnic group native to the southern Balkans who speak Aromanian language, Aromanian, an Eastern Romance language. They traditionally live in central and southern Alba ...

. The Aromanians are an

ethnic group An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...

scattered throughout the

Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

, living in

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

North Macedonia North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Socialist Feder ...

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

and

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...

. Aromanian music has received influence from the music of other ethnic groups of the Balkans, such as that of the

Albanians The Albanians (; sq, Shqiptarët ) are an ethnic group and nation native to the Balkan Peninsula who share a common Albanian ancestry, culture, history and language. They primarily live in Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Se ...

Bulgarians Bulgarians ( bg, българи, Bǎlgari, ) are a nation and South Slavic ethnic group native to Bulgaria and the rest of Southeast Europe. Etymology Bulgarians derive their ethnonym from the Bulgars. Their name is not completely understo ...

Greeks The Greeks or Hellenes (; el, Έλληνες, ''Éllines'' ) are an ethnic group and nation indigenous to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea regions, namely Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, and, to a lesser extent, oth ...

, Macedonians,

Romanians The Romanians ( ro, români, ; dated exonym ''Vlachs'') are a Romance languages, Romance-speaking ethnic group. Sharing a common Culture of Romania, Romanian culture and Cultural heritage, ancestry, and speaking the Romanian language, they l ...

and more. However, it has developed throughout history its own distinctive features and peculiarities that set it apart from other

Balkan music Balkan music is a type of music found in the Balkan region of southeastern Europe. The music is characterised by complex rhythm. Famous bands in Balkan music include Taraf de Haïdouks, Fanfare Ciocărlia, and No Smoking Orchestra. Historical ...

genres, and has also influenced the music of the previously mentioned peoples. Aromanian music has not been extensively studied by researchers, often being overshadowed by the music of other ethnic groups in the Balkans. One of the main characteristics of Aromanian music is the importance of

polyphonic music Polyphony ( ) is a type of musical texture consisting of two or more simultaneous lines of independent melody, as opposed to a musical texture with just one voice, monophony, or a texture with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords, h ...

(music with two or more performers), as Aromanian musicians tend to perform in groups. The performance of polyphonic music follows a series of common rules among the Aromanians. For example, there is always a lead singer who starts the

song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetitio ...

and acts as a leader, known in Aromanian as the ("the one who takes it

he song He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...

). There is also a second singer, ("the one who cuts it"), who begins singing shortly after the main singer, as well as other positions.

Monophonic music In music, monophony is the simplest of musical textures, consisting of a melody (or "tune"), typically sung by a single singer or played by a single instrument player (e.g., a flute player) without accompanying harmony or chords. Many folk ...

(music with one single performer) is also present in Aromanian music, and has historically been more researched than Aromanian polyphonic music. Despite being a unitary music genre, Aromanian music has several variations, styles and ways of performing it that can be classified according to the countries in which they live and which in turn can be subdivided into more variations and styles. Some of the subgenres of Aromanian music include

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

dancing Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoire ...

songs, epic songs and lyrical songs. Today, there are several projects and cultural organizations advocating for the preservation of the music of this ethnic group. An example is the

Lunjina Serbian–Aromanian Association The Lunjina Serbian–Aromanian Association ( rup, Sutsata sãrbeascã-armãneascã Lunjina; sr, Српско-цинцарско друштво Луњина / , / ) is an organization of Aromanians in Serbia with its headquarters at Belgrade, ...

in Serbia, which in 2021 announced that it was working on the publication of a CD of traditional Aromanian music. Another example is the ''Conservation and promotion of the singing traditions of the Fãrsherot Aromanians of Dobruja'' project, organized by several Aromanian organizations in Romania. Some examples of popular Aromanian music performers or musicians of Aromanian ethnicity include

Eli Fara Eli Fara (; born 21 May 1967) is an Albanian singer. Prior to 2000, she was awarded the Merited Artist of Albania by the Government of Albania. Life and career Fara was born on 21 May 1968 into an Albanian family of Aromanian descent in t ...

Elena Gheorghe Elena Gheorghe (born 30 July 1985; ) is a Romanian singer. In the first half of the 2000s, she joined the Romanian pop group Mandinga, with whom she released two albums. In 2006, she separated from the group and pursued her solo career. She has ...

, Nikos Karakostas,

Toše Proeski Todor "Toše" Proeski ( mk, Тодор "Тоше" Проески, ; 25 January 1981 – 16 October 2007) was a Macedonian multi-genre singer and songwriter. Considered a top act of the local Macedonian and Balkan music scene, Proeski's music w ...

, Parashqevi Simaku and Adrian Uzum. A notable Aromanian song is "

Dimãndarea pãrinteascã "Dimãndarea pãrinteascã" (), also known as "Pãrinteasca dimãndari" (), is an Aromanian poem written in 1888 exhorting parents to teach their children the language, instead of assimilating into other Balkan ethnicities. As a result it is o ...

" ("The Will of the Forefathers"), often used as the ethnic

anthem An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to short ...

of the Aromanians.

References

{{Balkan music

Music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspect ...

Balkan music

See also

References