Gypsy style
Encyclopedia
The term gypsy style refers to the typical way East European music is played in coffeehouses and restaurants, at parties, and sometimes on-stage, in European cities. Music played in this style is known by the general public as "gypsy music".
It is mainly instrumental and usually performed by strings
, except in the Romanian variant where the panflute is the main instrument. The accompaniment may be executed by various instruments, but by preference includes a cimbalom and a double bass
.
Among these items the last one - the idiom - is decisive: it is mainly the way of playing that determines whether a tune is played in gypsy style or not. It is - just like in jazz
– not the combination of instruments that determines the style, but its characteristic performance.
Notwithstanding this, the first two items – instruments and repertoire – will be discussed before the main issue – the idiom – will be dealt with.
Violin and Cimbalom – The primas playing in Gypsy style is at the same time orchestral leader and soloist. He suggests variations in the tempo with subtle movements of his bow and his body. He is supported by the cimbalom-player who beats the rhythm with his small hammers and shapes the harmonies. Franz Liszt
has said of their cooperation:
Violin – There doesn’t exist an instrument called “Gypsy violin”. Players in gypsy style have a preference for violin
s with a dark tone-quality from which they can draw a special sound. The listener gets the impression that he hears a “Gypsy violin” but that is not so.
The Cimbalom – A characteristic instrument for producing the gypsy style is the cimbalom. It has a playing-surface strung with steel strings which are hammered with two beaters. The chord
s are played in arpeggio
: one note after the other in rapid succession. This provides the tinkling sound that adds much to the character of the gypsy style.
Bass – The double bass
support the tunes this with its deep booming sound. He lifts, as if it were, the music above itself and gives it a profound base. Without double bass the strength and the soul of the music would be missing.
Kontras – the melodies win much power by introducing a second violin to the ensemble, the "kontras" who plays second voices and two-stringed harmonies, and adds in this way much to the musical effect of the Gypsy style.
Viola
– The viola
(called here by its German name Bratsche) plays a typical role in the music of this style. In slow movements it takes the two-stringed harmonies from the second violin which then can continue playing second voices. In fast movements the bratsch enhances the rhythm by playing the after-beat – see Beat (music)
– often in a forceful manner, creating the typical Gypsy-style rhythm called “estam”.
Piano – In larger gypsy style orchestras, especially in Western Europe, a piano
is added which does little more than enhancing rhythm and harmony. It is a question of taste: Hungarian and Romanian based orchestras don’t like a piano in their ranks. But a typical Romani band like Tata Mirando leans on its piano, assisted by a (large model) guitar, and creates in this way a highly characteristic Gypsy sound.
Clarinet – Orchestras playing Hungarian melodies sometimes include a clarinet
. It has a unique role by adorning the melody with ornaments and by “playing around” the melody. It can be compared with the role of the clarinet in a Dixieland
ensemble. Sometimes the clarinet takes the lead and plays a variant of the main melody.
The Panflute – In Romanian orchestras the panflute – or naï in Romanian – takes the place of the violin in other combinations. The panflute plays the fierce dance tunes of the Romanian folk music in a way similar to the violin in Hungarian fast movements: with many ornamentations and rhythmic variations, but in a style that is instantly recognizable as Romanian. In slow movements it introduces the Gypsy style by varying the pitch, by sliding to a tone and by using different shades of sound.
Accordion – Romanian and Russian related orchestras often include an accordion
. It reinforces the rhythm and strengthens the after-beat. It shall however sparingly be deployed as otherwise the accordion might drown the other voices. In doina
s and ballad
s or czardasses it sometimes takes care of the solos.
Larger Formations – With the formations described above, a limit in size has been reached. With more than about seven to eight players it becomes difficult to play by heart. Written scores then make their appearance and the Gypsy style is lost.
The Hungarian melodies are always played in a strict succession: first the slow movements, ballad
s or lassan
s, then the medium tempo palotas and thereafter the fast czardas or the even faster friss czardas.
A special role is played by the nóta
, written music in a folk-style, but played by heart in Gypsy style.
The Romanian melodies have an altogether other character, melodically simple but with more complicated rhythms. The fast hora is played in a straightforward 2:2 or 2:4 rhythm, the sirba in a complicated rhythm. The slow doina
resembles the blues in jazz and is often improvised with a rubato background of chords.
The Russian melodies are characterized by songs that easily can be remembered. Well-known melodies, such as Black Eyes or Kalinka, stem from the Russian repertoire. Slow movements alternate with czardasses; also Cossack
songs are played in Gypsy style.
A special class is formed by melodies written by Western European musicians in a Gypsy style, such as the Monti czardas, nicknamed Spaghetti Czardas by its critics.
, that can well be compared with the concept of idiom
in speech: an American and an Englishman speak the same language, but each of them does that with his own accent, uses his own words and expresses himself in his own manner.
In the same way an orchestral violinist and a gypsy violin player use the same instrument, but here as well exist great differences. Each has his own sound, uses his own phrases and expresses himself in his characteristic way. In short, both of them play in their own idiom
.
An effective way of embellishment is the use of rhythmic variations in the melody: just too early, or just too late. In faster rhythms this produces a bouncing effect that may become most exciting.
Characteristic features are:
Another effect is joining in "too late" which enhances the impression of improvisation.
The double-bass player sometimes seems to search for the right tone by gliding over the strings towards the right tone.
In a few phrases only an Oriental influence, or a small part of the Gypsy scale
, was recognized
In these examples the interaction between cimbalom and violin is clearly visible; as well as the role of the double bass, the second violin and the piano; and sometimes those of the clarinet or accordion.
It is mainly instrumental and usually performed by strings
String instrument
A string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones...
, except in the Romanian variant where the panflute is the main instrument. The accompaniment may be executed by various instruments, but by preference includes a cimbalom and a double bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
.
Characteristics
Music played in the Gypsy style can easily be recognized among many other styles. Characteristic elements of the style include:- instrumentation
- the repertoire
- the idiom
Among these items the last one - the idiom - is decisive: it is mainly the way of playing that determines whether a tune is played in gypsy style or not. It is - just like in jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
– not the combination of instruments that determines the style, but its characteristic performance.
Notwithstanding this, the first two items – instruments and repertoire – will be discussed before the main issue – the idiom – will be dealt with.
Instrumentation
Thanks to its accompaniment the tunes are elevated above the level of simple folk-music. Part of the beauty of the music is founded on the harmonies that the cimbalom and the bass add to the score.- A good example is the well-known song Csak egy szép lány, also known as the slow movement in Pablo de SarasatePablo de SarasatePablo Martín Melitón de Sarasate y Navascués was a Navarrese Spanish violinist and composer of the Romantic period.-Career:Pablo Sarasate was born in Pamplona, Navarre, the son of an artillery bandmaster...
's ZigeunerweisenZigeunerweisenZigeunerweisen , Op. 20, is a musical composition for violin and orchestra written in 1878 by the Spanish composer and virtuoso Pablo de Sarasate and premiered during the same year in Leipzig...
. In the sixth bar a modulation from C minor to E flat occurs. Without this modulation the song would not be half as beautiful.
Violin and Cimbalom – The primas playing in Gypsy style is at the same time orchestral leader and soloist. He suggests variations in the tempo with subtle movements of his bow and his body. He is supported by the cimbalom-player who beats the rhythm with his small hammers and shapes the harmonies. Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt ; ), was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.Liszt became renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age...
has said of their cooperation:
- Together they exercise the right to shape the music. The violin develops the melody, he shapes the phrases and introduces tiny pauses. The cimbalom sets the rhythm, indicates accelerations and de-accelerations, and affects the volume.
Violin – There doesn’t exist an instrument called “Gypsy violin”. Players in gypsy style have a preference for violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
s with a dark tone-quality from which they can draw a special sound. The listener gets the impression that he hears a “Gypsy violin” but that is not so.
The Cimbalom – A characteristic instrument for producing the gypsy style is the cimbalom. It has a playing-surface strung with steel strings which are hammered with two beaters. The chord
Chord (music)
A chord in music is any harmonic set of two–three or more notes that is heard as if sounding simultaneously. These need not actually be played together: arpeggios and broken chords may for many practical and theoretical purposes be understood as chords...
s are played in arpeggio
Arpeggio
An arpeggio is a musical technique where notes in a chord are played or sung in sequence, one after the other, rather than ringing out simultaneously...
: one note after the other in rapid succession. This provides the tinkling sound that adds much to the character of the gypsy style.
Bass – The double bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
support the tunes this with its deep booming sound. He lifts, as if it were, the music above itself and gives it a profound base. Without double bass the strength and the soul of the music would be missing.
Kontras – the melodies win much power by introducing a second violin to the ensemble, the "kontras" who plays second voices and two-stringed harmonies, and adds in this way much to the musical effect of the Gypsy style.
Viola
Viola
The viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
– The viola
Viola
The viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
(called here by its German name Bratsche) plays a typical role in the music of this style. In slow movements it takes the two-stringed harmonies from the second violin which then can continue playing second voices. In fast movements the bratsch enhances the rhythm by playing the after-beat – see Beat (music)
Beat (music)
The beat is the basic unit of time in music, the pulse of the mensural level . In popular use, the beat can refer to a variety of related concepts including: tempo, meter, rhythm and groove...
– often in a forceful manner, creating the typical Gypsy-style rhythm called “estam”.
Piano – In larger gypsy style orchestras, especially in Western Europe, a piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
is added which does little more than enhancing rhythm and harmony. It is a question of taste: Hungarian and Romanian based orchestras don’t like a piano in their ranks. But a typical Romani band like Tata Mirando leans on its piano, assisted by a (large model) guitar, and creates in this way a highly characteristic Gypsy sound.
Clarinet – Orchestras playing Hungarian melodies sometimes include a clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
. It has a unique role by adorning the melody with ornaments and by “playing around” the melody. It can be compared with the role of the clarinet in a Dixieland
Dixieland
Dixieland music, sometimes referred to as Hot jazz, Early Jazz or New Orleans jazz, is a style of jazz music which developed in New Orleans at the start of the 20th century, and was spread to Chicago and New York City by New Orleans bands in the 1910s.Well-known jazz standard songs from the...
ensemble. Sometimes the clarinet takes the lead and plays a variant of the main melody.
The Panflute – In Romanian orchestras the panflute – or naï in Romanian – takes the place of the violin in other combinations. The panflute plays the fierce dance tunes of the Romanian folk music in a way similar to the violin in Hungarian fast movements: with many ornamentations and rhythmic variations, but in a style that is instantly recognizable as Romanian. In slow movements it introduces the Gypsy style by varying the pitch, by sliding to a tone and by using different shades of sound.
Accordion – Romanian and Russian related orchestras often include an accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
. It reinforces the rhythm and strengthens the after-beat. It shall however sparingly be deployed as otherwise the accordion might drown the other voices. In doina
Doina
The Doina is a Romanian musical tune style, with Middle Eastern roots, that can be found in Romanian peasant music, as well as in Lăutărească and Klezmer music.-Origins and characteristics:...
s and ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
s or czardasses it sometimes takes care of the solos.
Larger Formations – With the formations described above, a limit in size has been reached. With more than about seven to eight players it becomes difficult to play by heart. Written scores then make their appearance and the Gypsy style is lost.
The Repertoire
The music played in Gypsy style is usually of Hungarian, Romanian or Russian origin. But also melodies from Czech, Bulgarian or other East European origin may be used.The Hungarian melodies are always played in a strict succession: first the slow movements, ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
s or lassan
Lassan (music)
Lassan or more properly lassú is a musical term used to describe the slow section of the csárdás, a Hungarian folk dance, or of most of Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsodies, which take their form from this dance. It generally either has a dark, somber tone or a formal, stately one....
s, then the medium tempo palotas and thereafter the fast czardas or the even faster friss czardas.
A special role is played by the nóta
Nóta
Nóta is a form of 19th century Hungarian popular song. It is one of a number of styles collectively referred to as cigányzene, which literally means Gipsy music but is used to refer to a number of styles of Hungarian folk music that are played in a typical Gipsy musical style...
, written music in a folk-style, but played by heart in Gypsy style.
The Romanian melodies have an altogether other character, melodically simple but with more complicated rhythms. The fast hora is played in a straightforward 2:2 or 2:4 rhythm, the sirba in a complicated rhythm. The slow doina
Doina
The Doina is a Romanian musical tune style, with Middle Eastern roots, that can be found in Romanian peasant music, as well as in Lăutărească and Klezmer music.-Origins and characteristics:...
resembles the blues in jazz and is often improvised with a rubato background of chords.
The Russian melodies are characterized by songs that easily can be remembered. Well-known melodies, such as Black Eyes or Kalinka, stem from the Russian repertoire. Slow movements alternate with czardasses; also Cossack
Cossack
Cossacks are a group of predominantly East Slavic people who originally were members of democratic, semi-military communities in what is today Ukraine and Southern Russia inhabiting sparsely populated areas and islands in the lower Dnieper and Don basins and who played an important role in the...
songs are played in Gypsy style.
A special class is formed by melodies written by Western European musicians in a Gypsy style, such as the Monti czardas, nicknamed Spaghetti Czardas by its critics.
Idiom
As has been said, the most important aspect of the gypsy style is its musical idiomIdiom
Idiom is an expression, word, or phrase that has a figurative meaning that is comprehended in regard to a common use of that expression that is separate from the literal meaning or definition of the words of which it is made...
, that can well be compared with the concept of idiom
Idiom
Idiom is an expression, word, or phrase that has a figurative meaning that is comprehended in regard to a common use of that expression that is separate from the literal meaning or definition of the words of which it is made...
in speech: an American and an Englishman speak the same language, but each of them does that with his own accent, uses his own words and expresses himself in his own manner.
In the same way an orchestral violinist and a gypsy violin player use the same instrument, but here as well exist great differences. Each has his own sound, uses his own phrases and expresses himself in his characteristic way. In short, both of them play in their own idiom
Idiom
Idiom is an expression, word, or phrase that has a figurative meaning that is comprehended in regard to a common use of that expression that is separate from the literal meaning or definition of the words of which it is made...
.
Ornamentation
The Gypsy style differs from the style of the original folk music by its rich and sometimes oriental ornamentation. The music may sometimes be so embellished that the original melody hardly can be recognized. Simple folk songs are transformed into elaborate melodies that often surpass their originals.- The transformation starts already when playing one tone. A long note is not simply played but is either approached by an elaborate ornament, or “slides” towards the tone, or is reached by a number of short notes in a bouncing effect.
An effective way of embellishment is the use of rhythmic variations in the melody: just too early, or just too late. In faster rhythms this produces a bouncing effect that may become most exciting.
Accompaniment
What had been said for the melody is also valid for the accompaniment. The accompaniment doesn’t simply follow the harmonic structure of the original but is embellished as well.Characteristic features are:
- Chords are more often varied than in the original melody
- Harmonic transitions are introduced that did not exist in the original
- A harmonic transition that occurs in the original is emphasized so that it sounds as if it were an added harmony
- At the end of a melody sometimes a transitional chord is added to prepare for the repetition of the melody
- There is a preference for diminished chordDiminished chordA diminished triad chord or diminished chord is a triad consisting of two minor thirds above the root — if built on C, a diminished chord would have a C, an E and a G. It resembles a minor triad with a lowered fifth....
s, like in some types of jazz music
Another effect is joining in "too late" which enhances the impression of improvisation.
The double-bass player sometimes seems to search for the right tone by gliding over the strings towards the right tone.
Breathing space
A Romani violinist taking ample breathing space; small breaks in the development of a melody. The duration of a pause is critical. Too short of a pause has a reduced dramatic effect, and too long of a pause risks losing the attention of the audience. Taking breathing spaces (Luftpausen in German) is characteristic for a good soloist.- Some Romani violinists go to extremes. Once the primas of the Romani orchestra Tata Mirando took his violin from his shoulder and inspected the shoulder rest whilst his orchestra continued its accompaniment and treated his break as a prolonged Luftpause. It just sounded as if it was meant so from the beginning. After a while the primas could proceed without any embarrassment.
Am Tisch
A typical element is playing am Tisch, that is to say that the players assemble around the table of a particular party and give there a kind of private concert. This table-music goes back to an old tradition; more than two hundred years ago the first female primas, Panna Czinka, played in this way at the table of her hosts and was extra rewarded for her efforts.Panel
A panel of three musical experts was once requested to listen to music played in Gypsy style. The panel consisted of an internationally known conductor, a teacher of musical theory and a musician with experience in improvised music. They listened to a variety of Hungarian lassans, palotasses and czardasses; to Romanian cântecs, horas, sârbas and doinas; and to Russian romances and czardasses. Their statements were unambiguous:- Exotic scales like the so-called Gypsy scaleGypsy scaleThe term Gypsy scale, refers to one of several musical scales named after their association with Gypsy music.-Hungarian Gypsy scale:...
are rarely used. All melodies are in the classic minor and major tone scales, the harmonies are uncomplicated and have usually a "classic" sound.
In a few phrases only an Oriental influence, or a small part of the Gypsy scale
Gypsy scale
The term Gypsy scale, refers to one of several musical scales named after their association with Gypsy music.-Hungarian Gypsy scale:...
, was recognized
- It is the improvised way of playing that makes the music sound to be in the "Gypsy style": the rhythmic shifts, the ornaments, the treatment of the tone. "Beautifully played and very characteristic," was the verdict. "Very clever," was said of the small rhythmic shifts in the fast melodies. "It lets the music swing, in a way similar to jazz, although with another character."
- The harmonic structure of the slow movements has a special character: dissolving of a chord is often postponed so that tension is created. “The soloist postpones the solution,” or “He lingers on the dominantDominant (music)In music, the dominant is the fifth scale degree of the diatonic scale, called "dominant" because it is next in importance to the tonic,and a dominant chord is any chord built upon that pitch, using the notes of the same diatonic scale...
,” were characteristic statements.
- In the Romanian music the rhythmic variations were appreciated, but not found complicated.
- When listening to Russian melodies the remarkable statement was made that the style does not differ – at least in the ears of this panel – from that of Hungarian tunes. The melodies may stem from another repertoire, but the manner of playing is not different. Even the balalaikaBalalaikaThe balalaika is a stringed musical instrument popular in Russia, with a characteristic triangular body and three strings.The balalaika family of instruments includes instruments of various sizes, from the highest-pitched to the lowest, the prima balalaika, secunda balalaika, alto balalaika, bass...
in some of the Russian melodies made use of the same characteristic and improvising style as the violin in other records.
Sources
- "Zigeunermusik" by the Hungarian musicologist Bálint Sarosi, Budapest 1970, which book is available in Hungarian, German and English.
- "Zigeunermuziek", Delft 1996, F. H. Kreuger [ISBN 90-407-1362-6], (Dutch).
- "Gypsy Music", the great musical encyclopedias.
Links to Live Performances
- For tunes purely in gypsy style listen to Tata Mirando, an orchestra of Romani musicians in Western Europe, at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFR-L-sHmro or look at them at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JMNPidPJjw
- For typical Hungarian Gypsy music see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LMlpSNhjho, or in a relaxed, almost jam-session-like, atmosphere see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tk6uDEOX8V0
- Romanian Gypsy-style music in a Bucharest restaurant: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HzH5o6x3po
- The Monti czardas is of non-Romani origin, but is played here in a Gypsy style: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUZVCNIjHqU. And listen to the Russian folksong "Les Deux Guitares" by the same virtuoso http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6ZQS8JKTBg
In these examples the interaction between cimbalom and violin is clearly visible; as well as the role of the double bass, the second violin and the piano; and sometimes those of the clarinet or accordion.