In Romania, the syntagm muzică populară () is used to denote a musical genre based on folklore, but distinct from it. The distinction is both in form and essence and it arises mainly from the commercial aspect of the popular music. In English the term is ambiguous since it could also refer to Romanian pop music.

Meaning of the term

The Romanian term "muzică populară" has been used with different meanings. In the 1930s, for example, in the writings of

Constantin Brăiloiu Constantin Brăiloiu (13 August 1893 – 20 December 1958) was a Romanian composer and internationally known ethnomusicologist. He was born in Bucharest, the scion of an old boyar family from Oltenia. His father, Nicolae Brăiloiu, and his ...

, it refers to Romanian folk music as the music of Romanian peasants. Later the term acquired a new meaning: since the 1950s it has been used in opposition to "proper" folk music to exclusively describe the more commercially produced music reminiscent of folk music.

Origins

The popular music originated at the beginning of the 20th century when the first recordings were made. Traditional songs were collected and were adapted so they would have more appeal to the general public. Original compositions with motifs inspired by the traditional music (both

peasant A peasant is a pre-industrial agricultural laborer or a farmer with limited land-ownership, especially one living in the Middle Ages under feudalism and paying rent, tax, fees, or services to a landlord. In Europe, three classes of peasan ...

and

lăutărească music Lăutărească music (, ) is a musical tradition widespread in the historical regions of Romania (Wallachia, Moldova, and Transylvania. Its performers, known as lăutari, are professional musicians, typically of Romani origin, who play at wedding ...

) also started to appear. Some of the most important singers of popular music from this period are

Maria Tănase Maria Tănase (; 25 September 1913 – 22 June 1963) was a Romanian singer and actress. Her music ranged from traditional Romanian music to romance, tango, chanson, and operetta. Tănase has a similar importance in Romania as Édith P ...

and .

Involvement of the communist regime

An important development in the popular music happened with the arrival of the

communist regime A communist state, also known as a Marxist–Leninist state, is a one-party state in which the totality of the power belongs to a party adhering to some form of Marxism–Leninism, a branch of the communist ideology. Marxism–Leninism was ...

, that took an interest in the popular music (for its tie with the masses) and imposed its own aesthetics. The music become standardized with short and simple structures as opposed to the longer and more irregular song structures that frequently occur in the traditional music. Improvisation, that plays an important part in both the peasant and the

, was completely left out. The performers were required to have formal musical studies and were required to sing and play in a "nice and easy" manner in contrast to the coarser styles found in traditional musics. The regime promoted its own palette of "popular stars", while authentic performers of traditional musics were totally ignored (except a very few that were able to adapt to the new requirements). One of the most important changes done by the communist regime was the creation of large popular ensembles. This current started in the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

and spread in all the countries of the communist bloc, as it was seen as a "superior way of rendering the folklore". Some of the most important artists of this era are

Ion Dolănescu Ion Dolănescu (; 25 January 1944 – 19 March 2009) was a Romanian singer of folk music and a politician. He was married to singer Maria Ciobanu. He was a member of the Greater Romania Party and was elected to the Chamber of Deputies The ch ...

, Maria Ciobanu,

Irina Loghin Irina Loghin (born February 19, 1939) is a Romanian singer and politician, known as the best-selling artist from her domain in Romania. Born in Gura Vitioarei, Prahova County, she had a career as a folk music soloist. She made her radio debut in ...

, Sofia Vicoveanca, and instrumentalists like

Gheorghe 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 ...

Dumitru Fărcaș Dumitru Fărcaș (13 May 1938 – 7 August 2018) was a Romanian taragot player. He played on all major stages in the world and made the taragot known all over the world. He was born in the Groși village, in Maramureș. He grew up in a family of ...

and Dumitru Zamfira. Some of the most important ensembles were the national "Ciocârlia" ensemble, the "Barbu Lăutaru" ensemble of the State Philharmonic, the "Doina" ensemble of the Romanian Army, etc. Most of this ensembles disband after the fall of the communist regime or reduced their personnel. Today, the most famous orchestras are the "Lăutarii" ensemble (based in

Moldova Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova, is a Landlocked country, landlocked country in Eastern Europe, with an area of and population of 2.42 million. Moldova is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. ...

) and a so-called "National Orchestra for Folklore" ("Orchestra Naţională de Folclor").

References

External links

The presentation of a festival that aimed at reconnecting the "popular stars" to the genuine folklore
{{Authority control Romanian folk music

Meaning of the term

Origins

Involvement of the communist regime

See also

References

External links