Big Blog II: Music of the Romani People

Who are the Romani people?

You might know them by another name. They’re sometimes referred to… as a word that rhymes with “tipsy” and starts with a ‘g’. It’s the name of a Fleetwood Mac song. And a Shakira song. I don’t want to type it because there’s a large debate going around over whether or not that word is a derogatory term due to its association with centuries of mistreatment and discrimination. I’ve heard some Romani people say that it is and some say that it isn’t. Either way, I’m not Romani, so I’ll refrain from using it. Anyways, the Romani (or Romany, Rromani, or Roma) people are a traditionally migratory group that likely originally hail from northern India. (It’s important to note that their migratory nature was not of choice, but rather as a result of constant persecution.) The agreement that their origin is northern India is based on genetic and linguistic research, as the history of the Romani people was never documented. Today, they’re mostly settled and predominantly live across Europe and western Asia, although a sizeable population exists in the Americas as well. Most speak an unwritten language known, conveniently, as Romany.

 

If there’s such a diaspora, then wouldn’t that sort of inhibit their music’s collectivity?

Well, yes and no. There are going to be regional influences anywhere you go. The music of Romani people living in Spain is going to be a bit different than in Turkey. However, there are some characteristics that are similar regardless of location.

 

What are these characteristics?

What tends to happen is that Romani people add a bit of flair to preexisting regional music. This can look like elevated rhythms, heavy syncopation, significant tempo changes, emphasis on natural vocal ability, altered scales, and more intricate harmonies. The use of vocables is also fairly common in Romani music, which likely comes from their origin in northern India. Many Romani folk songs also tend to carry an air of melancholy as well, which is thought to come as a result of the oppression, prejudice, and terrible hardships that the community has faced worldwide. Themes of family and loyalty are also highly visible in Romani music. 

^^^

a Romanian-Romani folk song

 

What instruments are traditionally prominent within Romani culture?

As we discussed with the Native American music, portability is extremely important for traditionally migratory groups. Because of this, traditional instruments include things like tambourines, saxophones, flutes, trumpets, accordions, and fiddles. A long history of the Romani community playing string instruments has been documented, and brass ensembles are another common occurrence among many Romani communities. Actually, you know what? Let’s look at some specific instruments that are commonly used in Romani music.

·        The pan flute

·        Double bass (which was widely used but not preferred because it didn’t allow for virtuosic demonstrations, which is a fact that I thoroughly enjoy)

·        Cobza (or lauta) which appears to be a direct descendant of the oud! (Nice class connection and also further evidence of the northern Indian origins)

·        Cimbalom, which is European chordophone that pretty much replaced the cobza

·        Clarinet

·        Tarogato, a woodwind instrument (which has basically been replaced by the saxophone)

·        Various brass instruments

·        Percussion is often simple, with techniques like clapping, tongue clicks, or wooden spoons

 

What role does music play within Romani culture?

Romani people have always been heavily associated with music and dancing. This shows up in a number of representations, like in a number of Shakespeare plays or Victor Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Or its Disney movie counterpart. They’re known for having a seemingly innate affinity for music, which likely comes from being raised in a culture where music and dance is greatly celebrated. Not only has it travelled many, many miles with them, but it’s also how many Romani have survived for centuries. They have a terribly disproportionate unemployment rate because of societal discrimination, but the gadjos (the word for anyone that isn’t Romani) couldn’t get enough of Romani music. Because of this, they often would make a living busking or would find gigs as performers entertaining the upper classes.

 

How have the Romani people influenced other music?

A large portion of European music has been shaped by Romani folk music!

·        French jazz owes a lot to Romani music

·        Composers like Liszt, Bizet, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Bartok, and more were all influenced by Romani music and its non-adherence to standard European norms

·        The origins of flamenco music and dancing has been credited to the influence of the Romani population in Spain

 

What does Romani music look like today?

·        As mentioned, a number of popular genres have been influenced by Romani music (the most notable being flamenco)

·        Manouche jazz blends Romani music with jazz and is popular throughout parts of Europe

·        Romany hip-hop is, like it sounds, hip-hop in the Romany language. The beats are also inspired by traditional Romani music

·        Again, I don’t love typing the outdated term for Romani people, but there is a genre called… tipsy punk. Except it’s not actually “tipsy” it’s the outdated term. Anyways, this is a blending of Romani music with punk rock music and I think this sounds really cool.

 

Miscellaneous fun facts!

·        Elvis Presley is part Romani. (This is… sort of music!)

·        In English, we’ve adopted “pal” from the Romani word for “brother”.

·        One Romani musician, Toni Iordache, got his claim to fame as the “Paganini of the Cimbalom”, which is a European chordophone, was able to play 25 notes per second! (This is definitely related to music!)

·        There’s a Romani anthem! It’s called “Gelem Gelem” and has been adapted into the numerous different Romani dialects to build a sort of pan-Roma community.

Sources

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/apr/22/roma-culture-influence-mainstream

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/a-rough-guide-to-roma-music

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Rom

https://nafme.org/focus-on-folk-music-music-of-the-romani/

https://travel-bugg.org/2015/04/21/music-of-the-roma/

https://www.romarchive.eu/en/music/

https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/romani-influence-on-european-music