The Romani, known as Gypsies in past decades, have a long and rich history and still continue their traditions nowadays. To realize Romani music, it is required to fully grasp their roots.
Originating from India, they wandered from East to West with only their language and their music. We know how deep are the traces that exist in their language of the Indian origin of their race, but it is typically believed that the Romani merely adopted and then adapted the music and instruments in whatever country they had been in and as they found it.
Amongst nomadic clans of Romani rhythmic incantations are believed to be able to cure illnesses. In Eastern European Romani tribes, they have their dances to bring rain like the Native American tribes of New Mexico. Like the Orientals, too, they think the scale in their music is divine and the instrument on which they play supernatural. They tell several stories of its creation, but they commonly credit it not to God but to the Beng or Devil, who by his informal magic helps the minstrel.
The Romani very first entered Western Europe about 1400 CE who was seen as vagrants, as they lived a hand to mouth existence. To earn a living they performed fortune-telling and acts of sorcery, which created them each fearer and respected. Even so, it was music that would increase their sway amongst the people, and began to increase their understanding of music.
The Romani, in their wanderings from village to village, learnt songs that had been passed down orally and began to play them for the peasant to win his favour. “The peasant recognized the melodies his grandfather had sung by the fire in the winter evenings, but when the brown-faced Gypsy played them they seemed to have caught up magic qualities. The slow song would meander on in endless melancholy, then the speedy rhythms of the dance would lash him into the fury of the pursuit the repetitions of the tempestuous theme would be a call to arms. And the Gypsy vagabond with his fiddle or his guitar became a necessity for the peasant following the daily toil, and the Gypsy minstrel, knowing the latent power of the old melodies and dances, kept his mind well-stored with them”. The Romani musician would be able to tell what kind of mood their audience was in and then play the proper music to suit them. This is why Romani approaches the table of the revellers and plays to the expression on his listener’s faces.
There are a number of types of instruments that the Romani use in their music the Tzimbal, Pan’s pipe, the bagpipes, the oboe, the violin, the vertical flute, the Spanish mandolin, the lute, the tambourine and castanets. In every location, the Romanies favour a specific instrument. For example, the vertical flute is employed to a excellent extent by Romani in the Orient but only utilized by some in the south-eastern portion of Europe and the bagpipes are typically used in Europe. However, the violin, played beautifully and skilfully by the Hungarian Romani, is favoured among all the Romani, as well as the lute (in all its forms), the tambourine, castanets and the Spanish mandolin.
The Tzimbal is an instrument that is virtually exclusively employed by Romani musicians and can safely be referred to as a characteristic Romani instrument. In Hungary, it is recognized as the ‘prima-donna’ instrument and is generally played at the same time as the very first violin. Two small hammers move over the several wires with such spectacular speed and dexterity as to take the place of a number of instruments in an ordinary orchestra. “The music is ringing, harmonious, and has a peculiar weird, fascinating impact on the hearer”. This instrument is in addition used a lot amongst the Romanian and other Balkan Romani.
The Romani also had a deep impact on the Spanish style of music and dance, the flamenco. Spanish scholars have known as this style, both in terms of vocal style and text content, the “cry of pain” of the persecuted Romani. Jazz music owes part of its culture to the Romani musicians as properly. The Russian folks to this day still sing Romani songs including “Ochi charniya” and “Black eyes”. Their music strikes a chord deep in the souls of their listeners, at very first fiery and warlike, savage and primitive, and then soulful and heart-wrenching. In spite of the view by many that these folks are outcasts, Romani music is a way to gain a deep insight into a neglected chapter of cultural history.
