Romanian Contemporary Music

Music? What's music? For many people this question is very difficult. The poet Nichita Stanescu said about 20 years ago that "The music is an answer of a question which had never been made". It is so real... Better told, the music is the answer of all the problems, is the moral sustainer of our troubles, that "stimulating thing" which can change easily our physical state. It can impress us until our tears fall or it can make us happier. Depending on its character, music can change the affective statement of a person. But what can people understand from music? How does it sound a "good music" now? This name constitutes all the plays which contain the combination so appreciated now: roar, sentences inspired from the "reality" an alert rhythm or a slow one. But reality was always reflected in music. It is not necessary to use a language from streets or dirty words. An idea can be sustained, very easy, in sentences with a real poetical character.

But life goes on and the society too (in creation). Now appears new methods of composition and recording of sounds. The computer or the synthesizer, for example. I miss the music concerts made with an orchestra. A good friend of mine, Angela Similea, told me two years ago: "It is very hard for me to sing with a recorded tape. When I was singing with an orchestra, I knew what I had to do, I showed my real vocal capacity, and the public was more satisfied than it is now. With an orchestra the music sounds more emotionally. " I can' forget those words as long as I care about music.

How many of our "singers" sang a real music? If our real easy music means and sends love and beautiful feelings, now where are we? How many of our teens heard about Mihaela Mihai, Mondial or Aurelian Andreescu. These are just a few examples of our values. The same Angela Similea told me that her idol was Maria Tanase. This woman and her music made her to make a career in music. We've got to learn, once and forever, to respect and to exploit our cultural and national values. We've got to learn to be patriots. It is clear, the international music is very valuable. Names like Louis Armstrong, Jerry Lee Lewis, Patti Page, Connie Francis, Franck Sinatra, Abba, Tom Jones and many others can't be excluded. But that doesn't mean that we have to forget everything that was beautiful and it can be beautiful in our music. It isn't necessary to put away the values. It isn't moral, it isn't fair. This means to trade one of the most beautiful souvenirs let by God on Earth: MUSIC.

Let's take a short look in our musical history from 1950 until 1990. This for being more convincible. The Romanian music find its roots in another musical style (but not totally different): the romance. Three big names for the '50s in Romania which represent this style in those years: Gica Petrescu, Luigi Ionescu and Alexandru Jula. A style that remains for years. Remarkable for Alexandru Jula and for the 50s are the plays: "My friend's wife" and "White flower from Pireu", both from France repertoire of the 30s/the 40s. If the romance put her prints on the 50s music, at the beginning of the 60s we find some other musical influences.

The musical styles which marked the 60s are twist, rumba and fox (especially the middle one). Those were the years when great names appeared in music. Constantin Draghici (his song "A leave fall" still on top), Marcela Rusu, Luigi Ionescu (who sings now another style, cha-cha. The composition of Henry Malineanu and Harry Negrin- "Darling" is an example), Ilinca Cerbacev, Margareta Paslaru ("How is it" made her famous) and Aurelian Andreescu ("In everything what's beautiful in the world I see you", the composition of Elly Roman and Sasa Georgescu, enjoyed a lot of listeners). In 1969 another name appears: Dan Spataru, who wins the 1969 edition of Mamaia Festival with the song "A man is waiting for you" (written by Ion Cristinoiu and Nicolae Stroe). Mihaela Mihai makes her appearance too on the musical scene with 2 gorgeous plays: Trurli (a song from 1939) and "The Tango". Doinea Badea is shocking too with her singular voice and with her better chosen plays: "The Rain and us" and "A Sailor was singing". These 2 plays are a big success. At the end of the 60's (1969-1970) it appears a band which will become a legend in the Romanian musical world: Mondial. "If the wind will come to you ", "So gentle" or "Romance without echo" are "fine pieces of China" that will remain always on the shelve of  great hits.

All these new names and hits are opening new horizons in our music. After 1972 a series of names appear. These will become in time values. In 1972- a new voice is known to us: Angela Similea. Aurelian Andreescu is a success (in spite of his vice, who will bring his death 10 years later, Lidia Andronascu (Peasant Woman- the master piece of I. Vasilache), Pompilia Stoian with "Dear Friend", Florin Bogardo, excelled both, in composition and in performing (an example is the verse: "Do not forget the Roses"), Mirabela Dauer( who in 1978 releases a remarkable duet with Aurelian Andreescu: the hit "If you know how much I love you", remains in the history of music. In one of the young singer manifestation, made in Costinesti, a new group, Semnal M, is remarked (put together by Iuliu Merca- he wrote all the songs). Anda Calugareanu brings a new tendency with the play "The Evening". Stela Enache did the same.

In 1982 Mihai Constantinescu,, who is known to the listeners singing with Marius Teicu and Olimpia Panciu since 1968, releases "Up in the hill", that will remain a long time on all the music's lovers' lips. The same happens with the play "High school years" sung by Stela Enache. The group Steaua 23, that will change its name in Savoy, sings songs, some of them inspired from the folklore and others being compositions of Marian Nistor, the leader of the band. With "If you will not come" Angela Similea wins the first prize in 1984 at the National Festival Of Mamaia ; the same thing happens with Mirabela Dauer with "I wait for you to come".

Aurelian Andreescu dies because of a heart attack in Eforie Sud, a big loss for the music, but the other composers and performers will continue his work. A lot of folk music: Ducu Bertzi, Phoenix, Pasarea Colibri, Vasile Seicaru, Maria Nagy ("A girl in love" the prove of his creations), Stefan Hrusca and other singers.

Angela Similea continues the series of successes with "My Home", "An Endless Blue", White lily water" (performed in duet with Florin Piersic). These songs will always remain. The communist regime has also influenced the music- Angela Similea is forced to perform "The Yellow Train" (the idea of the song- the subway big success of the regime).

Names like Gabriel Dorobantu ("Come again in our little train station"), Eva Kiss ("The Power Of Love" an old song performed by Shirley Bassey and Jeniffer Rush), Mihaela Runceanu (she dies tragically in 1988), Catalin Crisan, Gabriel Cotabita, Loredana Groza, and many, many others.

After 1990 the Romanian music is exploited with a minimal intensity. The wave of international music floods everything that was build by our great singers in 40 years. In 1996 disco music appears. You know its history better than me, but it's incomparable.

I have a question: When we're going to continue the tradition, stopped so suddenly in 1989?