The doina () is a

Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania **Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language ***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language **Romanian cuisine, traditional ...

musical tune style, possibly with

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

ern roots, customary in

Romanian peasant music The Romanian peasant music is the music of the Romanian peasants. The Romanian ''peasant'' music has largely disappeared, but it can still be found in isolated villages in regions like Maramureş, Hunedoara, Tulcea or Bucovina.Lăutărească. It was also adopted into

klezmer Klezmer ( yi, קלעזמער or ) is an instrumental musical tradition of the Ashkenazi Jews of Central and Eastern Europe. The essential elements of the tradition include dance tunes, ritual melodies, and virtuosic improvisations played for l ...

music.The Jews of North America
/ref> Similar tunes are found throughout Eastern Europe and the Balkans. In some parts of the Balkans this kind of music is referred to as or .

Origins and characteristics

Béla Bartók Béla Viktor János Bartók (; ; 25 March 1881 – 26 September 1945) was a Hungarian composer, pianist, and ethnomusicologist. He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century; he and Franz Liszt are regarded as H ...

discovered the ''doina'' in Northern Transylvania in 1912 and he believed it to be uniquely

. After he found similar genres in Ukraine, Albania, Algeria, Middle East and Northern India, he came to the belief that these are part of a family of related genres of Arabo-Persian origin.Béla Bartók Essays
/ref> He particularly linked the Romanian doina to the Turkish/Arabic ''

Makam The Turkish makam ( Turkish: ''makam'' pl. ''makamlar''; from the Arabic word ) is a system of melody types used in Turkish classical music and Turkish folk music. It provides a complex set of rules for composing and performance. Each makam speci ...

'' system. Bartók's conclusions were rejected by some Romanian ethnomusicologists, who accused Bartók of anti-Romanian bias. Nevertheless, the similarities between the Romanian ''doina'' and various musical forms from the Middle East have been subsequently documented by both non-RomanianThe Romanian Doina
/ref> and Romanian
/ref>World Library Of Folk And Primitive Music Vol 17: Romania - Linear Notes by Speranța Rădulescu scholars. Until the first half of the 20th century, both lăutari and klezmer musiciansStacy Phillips - ''Klezmer collection for C instruments'' were recorded using a '' taksim'' as an introduction to a tune. The ''taksim'' would be later replaced by the ''doina'', which has been described as being similar, though not totally identical to the ''taksim''. Romanian ethnomusicologist and musician Grigore Leşe, after performing with a group of

Iranian Iranian may refer to: * Iran, a sovereign state * Iranian peoples, the speakers of the Iranian languages. The term Iranic peoples is also used for this term to distinguish the pan ethnic term from Iranian, used for the people of Iran * Iranian lan ...

musicians, noticed that the ''doinas'' of Maramureş have "great affinities" with the Arabo-Persian music.Interview with Grigore Leşe
/ref> The ''doina'' is a free-rhythm, highly ornamented (usually

melisma Melisma ( grc-gre, μέλισμα, , ; from grc, , melos, song, melody, label=none, plural: ''melismata'') is the singing of a single syllable of text while moving between several different notes in succession. Music sung in this style is referr ...

tic),

improvisational Improvisation is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. Improvisation in the performing arts is a very spontaneous performance without specific or scripted preparation. The skills of impr ...

tune. Peter van der Merwe - ''Origins of the Popular Style'' The improvisation is done on a more or less fixed pattern (usually a descending one), by stretching the notes in a

rubato Tempo rubato (, , ; 'free in the presentation', literally ) is a musical term referring to expressive and rhythmic freedom by a slight speeding up and then slowing down of the tempo of a piece at the discretion of the soloist or the conductor. Rub ...

-like manner, according to the performer's mood and imagination. Usually the prolonged notes are the fourth or fifth above the floor note. The peasant ''doinas'' are mostly vocal and

monophonic Monaural or monophonic sound reproduction (often shortened to mono) is sound intended to be heard as if it were emanating from one position. This contrasts with stereophonic sound or ''stereo'', which uses two separate audio channels to reproduc ...

and are sung with some vocal peculiarities that vary from place to place: interjections (''măi'', ''hei'', ''dui-dui'', ''iuhu''), glottal clucking sounds, choked sobbing effects, etc. Instrumental ''doinas'' are played on simple instruments, usually various types of flutes, or even on rudimentary ones, such as a leaf. The peasant ''doina'' is a non-ceremonial type of song and is generally sung in solitude, having an important psychological action: to "ease one's soul" (''de stâmpărare'' in

). Grigore Leşe believes that, while scholars describe in great detail the technical aspects of the ''doina'', they fail to understand its psychological aspects. ''Doinas'' are lyrical in aspect and their common themes are melancholy, longing (''dor''), erotic feelings, love for nature, complaints about the bitterness of life or invocations to God to help ease pain, etc. Unlike peasant ''doinas'', lăutar and klezmer ''doinas'' are usually accompanied and played on more complex instruments (violin, pan-pipe, cymbalom, accordion, clarinet, tarogato, etc.). Also, unlike peasant ''doinas'', lăutar and klezmer ''doinas'' are mostly played as an introduction to another tune, usually a dance. In the regions of Southern Romania,

Romani Romani may refer to: Ethnicities * Romani people, an ethnic group of Northern Indian origin, living dispersed in Europe, the Americas and Asia ** Romani genocide, under Nazi rule * Romani language, any of several Indo-Aryan languages of the Roma ...

lăutari developed a type of doina called ''cântec de ascultare'' (meaning "song for listening", sometimes shortened to ''de ascultare'' or simply ''ascultare''). The ''cântec de ascultare'' spread to other regions of Romania, with local particularities. Klezmer Doinas are influenced by Hassidic niguns.

Etymology

Before being studied by ethnomusicologists, the ''doina'' type of song was known by many names varying from region to region throughout

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

Moldova Moldova ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Moldova ( ro, Republica Moldova), is a Landlocked country, landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. The List of states ...

, ''doina'' being one of them. It was Constantin Brăiloiu, director of the National Archive of Folk Music, who proposed that the word ''doina'' be used to describe all these songs. The origin of the word ''doina'' is unknown. It could be an old

Indo-European The Indo-European languages are a language family native to the overwhelming majority of Europe, the Iranian plateau, and the northern Indian subcontinent. Some European languages of this family, English, French, Portuguese, Russian, Dutch ...

term, since a similar form ('' daina'') can be found in

Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...

with the meaning of "folk song" and in

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

with the meaning of "song". Dimitrie Cantemir mentions ''Doina'' in his '' Descriptio Moldaviae'' among a series of old pre-Christian (

Dacia Dacia (, ; ) was the land inhabited by the Dacians, its core in Transylvania, stretching to the Danube in the south, the Black Sea in the east, and the Tisza in the west. The Carpathian Mountains were located in the middle of Dacia. It thus r ...

n) deities, persistent in popular oral tradition, adding that ''Doina, Doina'' is a starting phrase incantation in many folk songs. In the region of Maramureş the word ''horă/hore'' is still the most commonly used; it is a Romanian word which translates into "shepherd's lament" or "shepherd's longing", which helps explain why ''doinas'' can be very melancholy, but have melodies that are rather poignant and heartfelt. The Maramureş ''horă/hore'' is not related to the word '' horă'' found in southern and eastern Romania, which may stem either from the Greek ''choros'', meaning "(circle) dance" or (less likely) from Latin ''oro/orare'', meaning "to say/saying/pray".

Types of doina

Hora lungă ''Hora lungă'' (Cîntec lung, Rom., literally 'long song'), is a Romanian regional folksong style characterized by the union of a lyrical text and improvisational melody. Also called hora lunga or horea lunga, (hora here is derived from the Romani ...

- Maramureş. *

Ca pe luncă CA or ca may refer to: Businesses and organizations Companies * Air China (IATA airline code CA) * CA Technologies, a U.S. software company * Cayman Airways, a Cayman Islands airline * Channel America, a defunct U.S. television network * Classic ...

- found along the

Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...

. *

Oltului Oltului is a type of Romanian folk song, or Doina The doina () is a Romanian musical tune style, possibly with Middle Eastern roots, customary in Romanian peasant music, as well as in Lăutărească. It was also adopted into klezmer music. S ...

- found along the

Olt River The Olt (Romanian and Hungarian; german: Alt; la, Aluta or ', tr, Oltu, grc, Ἄλυτος ''Alytos'') is a river in Romania. It is long, and its basin area is . It is the longest river flowing exclusively through Romania. Its average disch ...

. * De codru - ''codru'' means "forest". *Haiduceşti (cântece haiduceşti, Cântece de haiducie) - "haiduc's songs" ''haiduc'' means "outlaw" or "brigand". * Ca din tulnic - unique type in which the

melody A melody (from Greek language, Greek μελῳδία, ''melōidía'', "singing, chanting"), also tune, voice or line, is a Linearity#Music, linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most liter ...

imitates a type of

Alpenhorn The alphorn or alpenhorn or alpine horn is a labrophone, consisting of a straight several-meter-long wooden natural horn of conical bore, with a wooden cup-shaped mouthpiece. Traditionally the Alphorn was made of one single piece, or two parts ...

called the

tulnic The ''bucium'' (, also called ''trâmbiţă'' or ''tulnic'') is a type of alphorn used by mountain dwellers and by shepherds in Romania and Moldova. The word is derived from Latin '' bucinum'', originally meaning "curved horn", an instrument ...

. * Ciobanului -

shepherd A shepherd or sheepherder is a person who tends, herds, feeds, or guards flocks of sheep. ''Shepherd'' derives from Old English ''sceaphierde (''sceap'' 'sheep' + ''hierde'' 'herder'). ''Shepherding is one of the world's oldest occupations, i ...

's doina. * De dragoste - popular form, usually about love; ''dragoste'' means "love". * De jale - mellow, mournful doina; ''jale'' means "grief". * De leagăn - a

lullaby A lullaby (), or cradle song, is a soothing song or piece of music that is usually played for (or sung to) children (for adults see music and sleep). The purposes of lullabies vary. In some societies they are used to pass down cultural knowled ...

; ''leagăn'' means "cradle". * De pahar - drinking song; ''pahar'' means "drinking glass". * Foaie verde - classical form; literally "green leaf". *

Klezmer Klezmer ( yi, קלעזמער or ) is an instrumental musical tradition of the Ashkenazi Jews of Central and Eastern Europe. The essential elements of the tradition include dance tunes, ritual melodies, and virtuosic improvisations played for l ...

- played by

Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""Th ...

ish musicians from

Bessarabia Bessarabia (; Gagauz: ''Besarabiya''; Romanian: ''Basarabia''; Ukrainian: ''Бессара́бія'') is a historical region in Eastern Europe, bounded by the Dniester river on the east and the Prut river on the west. About two thirds of Be ...

and

Moldavia Moldavia ( ro, Moldova, or , literally "The Country of Moldavia"; in Romanian Cyrillic: or ; chu, Землѧ Молдавскаѧ; el, Ἡγεμονία τῆς Μολδαβίας) is a historical region and former principality in Centr ...

Current status

While at the beginning of the 20th century, the ''doina'' was the most common type of peasant song (in some areas the only type), today it has almost completely disappeared from peasant life, as most peasant music has. This process has been accentuated during the communist era, with the rise of the new, so-called "

popular music Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.Popular Music. (2015). ''Fun ...

", bringing a new style of performance that diluted the peasant styles. The ''doina'' is still, however, common in the repertoire of the lăutari from

Ardeal Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...

and

Banat Banat (, ; hu, Bánság; sr, Банат, Banat) is a geographical and historical region that straddles Central and Eastern Europe and which is currently divided among three countries: the eastern part lies in western Romania (the counties of T ...

regions. In 1976

Gheorge Zamfir Gheorghe Zamfir (; born April 6, 1941) is a Romanian nai (pan flute) musician. Zamfir is known for playing an expanded version of normally 20-pipe nai, with 22, 25, 28 or even 30 pipes, to increase its range, and obtaining as many as eight ov ...

found popular success in the English-speaking world when the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

religious television programme ''The Light of Experience'' adopted his recording of "Doina De Jale" as its theme. Popular demand forced

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America Sony Corporation of America (SONAM, also known as SCA), is the American arm of the Japanese conglomerate Sony Group ...

to release the tune as a single and it climbed to number four in the UK charts. In 2009 the ''doina'' has been included in the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

References

{{UNESCO Oral and Intangible music Romanian music Moldovan music Klezmer Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity