About Hungarian Folk Music

HISTORY OF HUNGARIAN FOLK MUSIC

Hungarian folk songs (Népdalok) are samples of a rich musical trove. The database of the Hungarian Science Academy records over 150.000 songs originating from all rural villages of the Hungarians living within the Carpathian Basin of Central Europe. Some of these melodies reach back into centuries. Composers like Béla Bartók and Zoltan Kodály realizing how exact the singing population preserved the musical heritage of their ancestors, started to collect such songs. Today many Hungarians, even when living in foreign countries, know numerous of such old songs, called Népdalok, not only their melody but usually also all of their lyrics. This is reflected online in numerous Websites with lyrics of Népdalok, like Népdal gyujtemény.com.

Hungarian city- or urban music (Magyar Nóta) is only partly based upon Népdalok. It is a musical style developed in the early years of the 20th century. Not uncommonly this music is also referred to as "Gipsy Music". But although Gipsies, like Dankó Pista, certainly played their role in the development of this music, there is a clear distinction between the Hungarian urban music, the Magyar Nóta and Gipsy music (see further.) This compelling music became quite popular in many Western countries during the first decades of the 20th century. In many restaurants the orchestra played this music at the table of individual guests: "Am Tisch". Today it still is popular in Hungary and as an example of that popularity it is advisable to look at this nice video of a concert in Paris of young Hungarian musicians. The same Hungarian musical heritage also contributed to many operetta areas.

STYLE
Hungarian folk songs (Népdalok) include a broad variety of styles varying from slow songs to dance music like the csárdás. Just an example of a good Népdal Csárdás: Kalocsai Csárdás és mars. Some of the further types are the Verbunkus, or recruitment dance like the Györkei verbunk and the Katona or soldiers song like for example: Oroszország felé.
The music uses a strophe structure, usually but not always isometric, that is in even numbers. Also Pentatonic or five tone formations do occur.

Urban Hungarian Folk Music (Magyar Nóta) includes a broad array of styles like:
- Slower songs called Halgato, Rubato, or Lassan, (category Rubato in Cimbalom.nl )
- Dance music like Csárdás, Friss csárdás (quick dance) Palotás (palace dance) and Verbunkus, or recruitment dance. (category Csárdás in Cimbalom.nl) and
- Songs or Nóta, with a great variety of styles including Andalgó and Esztam. (category Song in Cimbalom.nl). Example of Andalgó: Jaj de szép kék szeme (with typical rhythm support of the bratch)
This music uses strophes both in even and uneven numbers. Usually the first strophe is repeated again as last strophe. In many cases the first strophe is repeated as second strophe, but in a fifth higher pitch. Not uncommonly in the last of more verses the last two strophes are repeated again.

INSTRUMENTS
Hungarian folk songs (Népdalok)
- Song or Lyrics are the core of this music, presented by (a) voice(s) or a chorus.
Of the better known instruments the most commonly used for accompaniment are:
- Violin or fiddle like in the Csávási cigány csárdás',
- Viola: Characteristic for many songs is the use of a second violin or rather a viola as a so called "bratsch", supporting the songs rhythm by touching together two or more strings like this example of a single Bratch or this example of a bratch with a violin in Cigany Verbunk
- Double bass like with violin, bratch and accordion in this Transsylvanian gipsy dance
Some of the more specific instruments used are:
- Hungarian tambura. Example of an orchestra of tambura's: Szárma Tamburazenekar
- Bagpipe like in Dancing for Hungarian Pipe Music
- Cither or a cithers orchestra like the Szabó Ferenc Csoportja
- Hurdy gurdy like in Playing on the tekerő (hungarian hurdy-gurdy)
- Cimbalom. (see picture below) This instrument was developed by Schunda in Pest from on 1874 as a larger version of the previously used Hammered Dulcimers. To day in some cases this instrument is also used to play Népdalok, like in this example,
Váraljai muzsika (2 violins, cimbalom. bratch and double bass)
The most common and typical use or a cimbalom, however, is to accompany the Magyar Nóta or Urban Hungarian Folk music (See below).

Hungarian urban music (Magyar Nóta)Instruments: the most typical instruments for orchestras playing this type of music are the first violin played by the Prímás, a second violin or rather a viola used as (rhythmic) bratch, the cimbalom and the double bas, like in this example: Terék József és barátai.  In larger orchestra's, a cello, a taragot or clarinet, a second cimbalom and, especially in western countries, a piano.

Some more video impressions

              

           Transsylvanian dance         Cimbalom solo                 Csardas