Grove's dictionary of music and musicians

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564 SONG
Caudella. The latter was the creator of the
Roumanian national opera, and together with
Ventura, Soheletti, audCavadi, composed numerous
and favourite songs. These closely resemble
the typical French and Italian rornances, and
have little in common with the German or
Russian art -song. Mention should also be
made of Eduard Hiibsoh, the composer of the
national hymn. Musicesou and Kiriac have
reproduced in their compositions the old Roumanian
church and folk-songs. Margaritesco,
Stephanescu, Spirescu, Ciran, Ercole, and Dumitresco
have written numerous songs and ballads,
besides other works ; and among the younger
generation, Enescu and Lcarlatescu, who have
already won for themselves European reputations
in more than one branch of music, perhaps
stand the highest.
The cultivation of the national poetry and
songs is due to the poet Vasili Alexandri,^ to
Asaki, Carmen Sylva, H. Vacaresco, Wachmann,
Adamescu, Kogolnkeanu, and others. And the
establishment of Conservatoires at Buoarest
and Jassy, where young musicians can obtain a
scientific training in their own country, augurs
well for the future of Roumanian song-writers.
There is also a considerable Roumanian
colony of Balkan origin in Hungary, who first
established themselves here in 1230. They
lead a more or less wandering life among the
mountains, pasturing flocks. Their language,
of a Latin stem, is much intermixed with
Albanian, Slavonic, and Hungarian words, but
their folk-songs and dances are quite distinct,
and essentially their own. Among the dances
we find the true Roumanian Jwra, sirba, tarina,
and arddeana ; and their innumerable songs
and ballads are of Balkan rather than Hungarian
origin. The oldest are theological or mystical
in subject, but in the historical ones the heroes
fight against the Turks. Among the kolindas,
the religious kind are the commonest, treating
of the life of our Lord, of the Virgin and saints,
and the melodies are in plain-song. ^
Bibliography
Sulzer, F. J. Geachichte dea tranatUpinischen Daoiena, Vienna,
1781-2.
Zuatand der Mugik in der Moldau, AUg. Muaik. Zeitwng, xxiii.
Leipzig, 1821.
Grenville Murray, E. C. Doine, or the National Bongs and LegeTida
of Rov/mamia. LondoD, 1854.
Wagner, O. 2}as rumftmiache Volkalied, Bammelb&Ttde, I.M,G,
1902,1.
Me Schorr, J. Musik in Bvmanien, Muaik, 1903, No. 22.
(The principal material for the above sketch was Itindly supplied
to the writer by M. Margaritesco, Bucarest.)
Collections
Pann, A. ' C&ntece de stea ' (Cantiques de NoBl). Bucarest, 1830.48.
MusicsBcu, O. ' 12 Melodil nationale armonizate.' Jassy, 1889.
Gebauer, 0.,andFed^r, M.
'
VollcsliederundVollcstftnze.' Bucarest.
Wachmann, J. A. 'Mdlodies Valaques pour le piano.' MUller,
Vienna. 'Bumftnlsche VollcBmelodien.' Vienna, 1666.
Mil£uli, C. 'Airsnationauxroumains.' Ldopol.
lonescu, H. 'Col. de cantece rationale.' Bucarest.
Vacaresco, H. 'Airs pop, roumaina.' Bucarest, 1900.
1 Vasili Alexandri was the first to collect the folk-ballads. His
collection was published In 1852. See Otto Wagner's article 'Das
rumSnische Volkslied,' Sammelbdnxie, I.M.G. No. 1, 1902, where the
treatment of the literary side of the folk-song is far superior to the
musical.
2 These Boumanians belong to the Greek Church. See O.
Moldarau's article Die RumSner ' ' in Die OeUerretchiaeh-imgariscM
Monarchie, vol. vi.
Faulmann, S. 'Album na^onal, colec^iune d'e arii romanesci.'
Bucarest, 1902. „ , ., ., , i
'Cbltaristui romfln' (Colec^iune de ani si roman^i nayonale).
Bucarest, 1903. .. , „ . ,. .
Kiriac, D. G. 'Conirlpopulare romanesti. Bucarest, 1904-5.
Modern Greece
It is difficult if not impossible to avoid the
mention of Oriental Songs, when treating
those of Greece, because in the islands and on
the mainland the songs are intermingled.
M. Bourgault-Ducoudray says that in Greece
the oriental chromatic scale is often found :
^i^^
Ex. 1.
And again in Smyrna and other parts of Asia
Minor the Aeolian scale ^ is in constant use.
The melodies sung along the coast and in the
Ionian islands are very Italian in character,
and are easily distinguished from the genuine
Greek melodies by being in the European
minor scale. But inland, and away from the
coast of Asia Minor, the pure Greek songs
predominate.*
Until within a recent period there existed a
number of minstrels or bards who combined
the profession of musicians with that of
chroniclers, and whose function it was to hand
down by word of mouth, and thus keep alive,
the great traditions of their country's history.
These men were held in high esteem in theu'
time ; but, as in other countries, education and
the introduction of printing have brought
about their rapid disappearance. Yet we are
told that only a few years ago, an old and
blind minstrel, by name Barba Sterios,^ sat,
surrounded by a crowd, on the roadside by the
gate of Kalamaria in Thessalonica. He played
and sang in a melancholy and monotonous tone
to his \ipa,^ without raising his voice to a
high pitch, and in pathetic parts drew deep
emotion from his audience. In epic recitations
of this kind the lyre is only used as an
accompaniment in succession to the chanted
words, and not with them. For instance, the
old man to w.hom reference has just been made,
would start by touching a prelude on his lyre,
and then commence intoning a couple of verses,
after which the instrument came in again, and
so on to the end, alternately playing and
singing.^
3 The Greek names of the modes are here retained in preference
to the ecclesiastical, and those readers not conversant with the
interchange of nomenclature are referred to the article on Modes,
Ecclesiastical.
' M. Bourgault-Ducondi^y says in the preface to his "Trente
MtSlodies Fopulaires de Grdce et d'Orient ' (using the Greek names)
that the Greek Hypodorian, whicli only differs from the European
A minor scale by the absence of the leading-note, is of frequent
occurrence among the popular melodies of Greece. The Greek
Dorian, Fhirgian, Hypophrygiaii, and Mlxolydian modes are also
fairly often met with ; and the Hypolydianwith the fourth lowered
(which may easily be confused with the Western major scale of F)
is at the present time the commonest of all.
B Bofba Buucle, is used as a term of endearment, like dyadya=
uncle in Russian. .
B A rough sort of stringed instrument, recalling the classic Xvpa
with five sheep-guts : the bow consisting of a stick bent at one end
and a bunch of horsc-hiir strung along it.
7 G. F. Abbott's Songa of Modern Greece.