Cântec batrânesc is a traditional form of ballad which originates from

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 ...

. It is similar to an

epic poem An epic poem, or simply an epic, is a lengthy narrative poem typically about the extraordinary deeds of extraordinary characters who, in dealings with gods or other superhuman forces, gave shape to the mortal universe for their descendants. ...

and it is one of the most typical genres of

Romanian literature Romanian literature () is literature written by Romanian authors, although the term may also be used to refer to all literature written in the Romanian language. History The development of the Romanian literature took place in parallel with that ...

Origin

The name comes from the Latin word ''ballare'', meaning "dancing". Both terms were entailed by the Romanian poet

Vasile Alecsandri Vasile Alecsandri (; 21 July 182122 August 1890) was a Romanian patriot, poet, dramatist, politician and diplomat. He was one of the key figures during the 1848 revolutions in Moldavia and Wallachia. He fought for the unification of the Romani ...

. However, the usual term for this form of ballad is still epic song.

Notes

Being a folkloric genre, the ballad has specific notes of folkloric literature: * is anonymous * is oral and collective (is transmitted from generation to generation) * is syncretic (represents the contribution of many artistic patterns, like sung poetry, carols, incantations, etc. Ballads are epic creations in which the next themes are brought out: * the outlaw's actions * historical events * bravery of the hero * human behavior The characters have almighty features, presented in antithesis, being the opposite of each other.

Themes

* love * the good and the bad * the hankering, the longing * the immolation for the creation * the connection between humans and the nature * the revolt, the riots * the irreversibility of time

Myths in epic songs

* the immolation for the creation * the erotic myth (the myth illustrates how girls at puberty long for the unknown feeling of love, which comes unexpectedly and makes them feel something very deep and spontaneous) * the formation of the Romanian collectivity * the transhumance myth (human attitude towards death)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cantec Batranesc Music of Romania Ballads Song forms