Eastern European Romani Music

I will be talking about the origin of Romani music where it is most prominent, what kind of influence it had on music in general, and some famous Romani musicians.

Some Context

I chose this subject because from a young age i have been fascinated with Romani music. As a young boy i received a vinyl from my grandfather of Gregor Serban. From that moment on, i was hooked. The intensity and passion, the different emotions it can emit and the general history behind it intrigued me.

The History of the Romani Culture

I wanted to start by taking it back to where it all began around the 1400’s in india. Most of the Romani Culture derives from northern india.

At this point in time, gypsy music consisted of primarily voices, dancing, clacking tongues, clapping, clacking wooden spoons and other techniques.

Once the population arrived in Hungary and Italy, they discovered and used the Lute. To financially support themselves they performed with non-gypsy musicians as well, at weddings, baptisms, circumcisions and funerals. At this point in history it became more common to call gypsy people Romani’s. Though, the name “Gypsy” is still seen as a derogatory term and used as one to insult the culture^[1].

Because there wasn’t one specific Romani state, most of them were forced to create their own living spaces and sub cultures within a country. Because of this most of their musical and cultural influences were taken from the country they were settled in at the time. This extends to the language of some songs, the instruments they used and the general matter of music itself, though sometimes they kept the Romani language in their songs.

Where are they now?

In this age the Romani culture is one of the largest group of ethnic minorities in Europe remaining, with about 12 to 15 million people. Most of them live in France, Spain, Russia, Ukraine, but most in the Balkan region. Especially in the Balkan area, Romani music ( or Folk music as they like it to be called ) is still on of the most popular genres to be played. Just like the old days, it still gets played almost everywhere.

Some modern day Romani’s still live their lives like they did so many years ago. Going from place to place with their caravan as seen below .

In the tradional way, the Romani people live in caravan’s called: “Vardo”. And usually they travel with their entire family, or even more people. This creates a very tight bond between all the travellers. This is also why these kind of Romani people are called “Travellers”.

Of course, not all travellers live exactly like the the olden days were. Some even have solar power, mobile phones and even facebook. But one thing hasn’t changed, because their Vardo’s are still being drawn by horses. The travellers are also very passionate bout their way of living. They are absorbed in the lifestyle they live, and take care of their horses and build more Vardo^[2].

I have also had a conversation with a Romani friend of mine, who still lives the in traditonal way of the Travellers. This conversation can be found below.

The musical aspect of Romani culture

The musical aspect of the Romani culture is what interests me the most. It isn’t by coïncidence that a lot of the big names of the western world have written some pieces that have been influenced by the Romani culture. Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Schubert, Johannes Brahms, Antonin Dvorák and Franz Liszt to just name a handfull^[2:1].
It’s nice to see how much influence it has ofcourse, but i think some actual Romani musicians deserve some credit too. Gregor Serban and Pali Lakatos, Django Reinhardt and Gogol Bordello are all big names that seemingly dont get the attention they deserve.

Romani music is in this day and age usually assosciated with the Czarda’s by Monti, or the hungarian dances by Brahms and the hungarian rhapsodies by Liszt. But believe it or not, some actual Romani musicians still actively perform. A globally renowned cimbalom player called Giani Lincan is still active to this day. He has made multiple albums and performs with his two sons.

His music is exactly what you’d think of when thinking about Romani music. His wonderful music can also be found on spotify.

My conversation with Hannes Dufour, a Traveller.

Context: Hannes is a traveller, not a gypsy. the difference between the two is that a gypsy travels around, while a traveller does not. Him and his family live in a Traveller camp in Breda. he lives with his family in their Caravan ( Vardo )

Me: “Hello Hannes, thank you for the time to talk to me about your lifestyle and about your music.”

Hannes: “Ofcourse! I’m happy to enlighten you and your readers.”

Me: “So, some people have some stereotypes surrounding the Traveller’s life, could you shine you rlight upon some of the things that you’ve heard?”

Hannes: “I’ve heard everything you can possibly imagine. That we’re all criminals, that we’re lazy and that women are practically abused in our society. I can assure you that that’s not true at all. We travellers are honest people who work hard to come by. Our women do live the in the old ways of the travellers, because they mostly take care of the children and clean our caravans.”

Me: “That’s interesting to hear. Are there any groundrules in the community? Things you should take note of or respect?”

Hannes: " One of the things every traveller does, is keep his caravan clean. If you enter someone elses caravan with your shoes on, its a like saying “fuck you and your house” to the person you are visiting. Another rule in the community is that you respect your family, and the elders. Your family will always be the one group you can rely on and trust. That’s why you respect them and always are there for them when needed."

Me: “And how about the music? Is “gypsy” music still ongoing in your community?”

Hannes: " Music is where i come in, in our community. Every two nights we have a music night where we play our traditional reportoire and all have fun with eachother. Think of the stuff the Rosenberg trio and Django make. For us the music is always most important for special occasions, or to bring a long hard day to a close."

Me: " My final question is about the language of your community. Do you all speak a different language, or dutch?"

Hannes: " I’m glad you asked this question! Language to us is a very special thing. We travellers speak a language called “Sinti” while gypsies speak a language called “Bargoens”. Some of us who are still in contact with other travellers from Germany or England also speak those languages."

Me: " Thank you for taking the time to talk to me about your community!"

Hannes: "Tot in de Pruimentijd! "

Closing statement

During my research, interview and walkthrough through day in the life of someone in the Romani world, i have found that i felt home in a place where i never knew i’d find it. this subject is personal to me even if i have no roots in the Romani world. Now that i know more about the subject i feel that i have become more connected to it. One would even call it enlightend. I hope the feeling is mutual for the reader.

References

^[2:2] https://www.fastcompany.com/3023430/inside-the-mysterious-world-of-modern-day-gypsies