The "songs of olden times"
as the folk call them the "ballads" represent the most important part of
the epic genre of Romanian folk music. Their origin is lost in the mists
of time.
The Ballads have been enriched
by new themes in the course of the centuries. They flourished especially
from the 16-th to the 18-th century, and have continued to exist to this
day.
Being improved in the course
of time, the ballads contain stratification of all the centuries through
which they have passed. They represent in artistic images the common people's
conception of the world, their struggle for a better life. By turns, the
folk heroes defy the fantastic wilderness of darkness, they fight the invaders
of the ancestral land and the class enemy.
Mainly played at the peasant
wedding festive dinner, the ballads are sometimes preceded by an instrumental
prelude designed to create an atmosphere propitious to narration.
Imperceptibly, the musician
borrowed from the musical content of the ballad he is to perform. The performer
has several typical formulas, with which he may address his audience in
order to arouse their interest and to ensure attentive listening, after
which the thread of the narrative continues its natural course. |
