Manele

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Manele is a Romanian music style that has dominated popular music there since the 1990s, but at the same time divides the population into ardent fans and vehement rejecters. The majority of Manele composers and performers are Roma . The word Manele is actually the plural form of Manea , a traditional Romanian song form that originated from the Balkan lute music and goes back to Turkish roots. Manele has similarities with other popular musical styles in Southeast Europe, especially with Popfolk or Chalga in Bulgaria , Tallava in Albania, Laiko in Greece and Arabesque in Turkey. Just as popular in Serbia as Romanian manele music is turbo folk , which is better known in the West , but which usually has faster rhythms and works with more modern elements, for example from rock music.

history

Early manea

The traditional lute musicians Taraful lui Ochi-Albi , Bucharest 1860. Graphic by Carol Popp de Szathmáry
The composer Anton Pann

In addition to traditional Romanian folk music, which consisted of melancholy chants by Wallachian shepherds and peasant festival and wedding songs , in the early modern era there were only the exclusively sung songs of the Orthodox Church. From the 17th century, however, Ottoman influence made it common for the rich urban ruling class of the Phanariotes and the rural landowners of the boyars to organize representative festivals and to hire professional musicians. These often came from the Roma minority and brought new oriental rhythms and new musical instruments from the Ottoman cultural area to Wallachia and Moldova for the Romanians . One of the few surviving writings on the music of this time comes from Dimitrie Cantemir , an enlightened scholar and music theorist and later ruler of Moldova. Since little written information about the music of this time has survived in the Ottoman Empire, Cantemir's works are also one of the most important sources for historical Turkish music.

In the early 19th century the song form of the manea emerged . This word is first documented in 1820 and denoted love songs in the oriental style, which were mainly performed at the court of the gospodar and with rich boyars. The word Manea itself has an Ottoman origin and goes back to the Turkish “manì” , a form of romantic folk tunes and couplets . One of the first surviving Manea songs is the work "Spitalul amorului sau cântătorul dorului" (1852), written by Anton Pann , which is notated in neumes . Due to the new notation, however, only the basic melody of the song has been handed down. In the 20th century, however, the violinist Victor Predescu created an arrangement in the Turkish style based on orally handed down historical models, which became famous in the interpretation of Maria Tănase . The Byzantine neumes were used until around 1880, only then did the detailed musical notation from the West become established. One of the few Romanian singers of the 19th century known through written tradition was Stănică Pârlează, who appeared in Constantinople as a Manea interpreter.

After the end of the Ottoman rule over the Danube principalities, the Romanian artists and intellectuals oriented themselves towards Western Europe, the oriental traditions faded completely into the background. The up-and-coming Romanian bourgeoisie emulated the French example , but also took artistic influences from Germany, Austria and Italy. French chansons , operas and operettas , as well as marching music dominated the music . Romanian composers created classical music based on the Western model, often with inspiration from original Romanian folk music. The heyday of this phase was the interwar period (rum .: perioada interbelică ), the 1920s and 1930s.

Modern manea

After the Second World War, the communists took power in the country and ended this bourgeois musical tradition. Instead, art and music should now serve the political goals of the communist party . Since the communists relied on Romanian nationalism alongside socialism at an early stage , folk music was primarily promoted, but in strictly regulated forms in state music colleges and at state-organized festivals. This academization and politicization of culture ( Proletkult ) triggered a counter-movement among the traditional Roma musicians, who had little earning potential in this environment. It is assumed by musicologists that initially little paid attention to the official society, in the 1950s and 1960s these Roma in the villages began to revive the old tradition of the oriental manea. Since they were often illiterate and could not read music, the melodies and texts were only passed on by listening, so that they could be changed as required and adapted for the respective occasion (birthday, engagement, wedding, etc.). That led to an incredible variety of songs.

Since all media were state-owned under communism, this modern manea music could only exist in a village environment, especially in Wallachia. In addition, due to the economic situation it was difficult or even impossible to get modern musical instruments (e.g. keyboards ) and recording devices. In the 1970s, the communist regime under Nicolae Ceaușescu opened up somewhat and allowed liberalization, at least in the cultural field. The Romanian record company Electrecord was then able to bring Roma musicians into the studio for the first time and record their music. During this time, records by Romica Puceanu , the "grande dame of the cantece de mahala", by Gabi Luncă , famous interpreter of traditional lute music ( muzica lăutarească ), and Fărâmiță Lambru were made .

In the 1980s a new pop music emerged in the western Romanian Banat in response to the state's cultural policy . State control from Bucharest was less present in this region and the proximity to Hungary and Yugoslavia meant that foreign television and radio could be received. The Serbian pop music of the time particularly influenced the musicians in the Banat. They were also the first to bypass the state-controlled distribution of goods and obtain modern musical instruments from Western or Japanese production, such as electric guitar , electric bass , drums , synthesizers and electric keyboards . This gave rise to a new Romanian pop music, also known as “Muzica bănățeană” (German: Banat music), which spread secretly in the country through self-recorded and copied cassettes . This music was classified as "dirty" and "rotten" by government agencies and banned or tolerated to the maximum. This new pop music did not appear on the radio or at state festivals.

Manele

These state restrictions and economic obstacles changed suddenly with the Romanian Revolution in 1989 . The record company Electrecord, as well as numerous newly founded labels such as Eurostar and CDS, could now freely publish what they wanted. This was the first time that professionally recorded records were made. Now there was also the opportunity to travel to studios abroad and make recordings there, which the singers Costel Geambașu, Nelu Vlad and Dan Ciotoi were the first to use. At the same time, the front men of such formations were built up as stars who presented themselves accordingly on record covers and at performances, mostly with sunglasses, gold chains, western branded clothing and corresponding macho attitudes . As a result, the singers came more and more to the fore, while the instrumentalists lost importance. This combination of star cult, modern electronic musical instruments, new recording and effect options, as well as the increasing commercialization of the industry, gave rise to the new pop music style of "Manele" from the still relatively traditional Manea of ​​the late communist period.

The first big stars of Manele after 1990 were Albatros din Bucureşti (later renamed Acustic ), Real B din Găeşti (with front man Cristian Rizescu), Accent din Târgovişte , Meridian din Ploieşti , Tomis Junior din Galați etc. In 1991 Bucharest held the Miss Piranda election for the first time , a combination of a beauty and dance competition in which the new manelists provided the musical background. This event has subsequently developed into a kind of annual meeting point for the Romanian manele scene, where all the important greats of the manele have performed over the years.

Further major influencing factors on the development of the Manele arose after the year 2000. The emergence of private TV channels, including some music channels (K Lumea - today Etno TV , Taraf TV etc.) fueled the commercial success of the Manelists. Music videos were produced for the first time , which were very amateurish at the beginning, but later became more professional. This made the formations and their singers known outside the urban Roma subculture throughout the country and among all Romanians. At the same time, the great wave of emigration from Romania to Western European countries began, whereby the musicians came into contact with pop music styles from other countries. In particular, Spanish Roma music, Latin American rhythms and American hip-hop now influenced the Manele scene. In addition to the Balkan-Turkish roots, influences from flamenco , Puerto Rican reggaeton , Jamaican reggae and western rock ballads were added.

Due to the tradition of transmission through listening and replay, many manelists also copied songs they had heard abroad and provided them with newly composed Romanian texts, which on the one hand made these melodies popular in Romania for the first time, and on the other hand soon led to criticism because of the Roma musicians Concepts like copyright and royalties were completely alien to the original composers. Romanian record companies, radio and music television stations did not care much at first because in the chaotic post-communist years the state and the judiciary were in ruins and no one could have sued for such violations of rights. This situation only changed with Romania's accession to the EU in 2007, as EU laws now also apply and are enforceable in Romania, at least on paper. At the same time, the Internet became more and more important and countless Manele songs can be found on various download and streaming platforms, especially on YouTube . The big hits of the Manele scene reach several million views there . In the meantime, smartphones are also very widespread in Romania and Roma teenagers in particular stream Manele videos on them, which they play in public, on the bus and in places, usually at maximum volume.

Manele today

Manele is now the most widespread style of pop music in Romania. Manele is played on many radio and music television channels, in bars and discos. You can hear it from passing cars, played by young people on their cell phones , at concerts and festivals. Modern Manele with his texts taken from everyday life is particularly popular with the poorer sections of the population, especially but not only with the large minority of the Roma in Romania . Another part of Romanian society rejects the Manele completely and feels disturbed by its omnipresence in public space. How ambivalent the opinions on Manele are can also be seen in the annual controversies as to whether Romania should send a Manelist to the Eurovision Song Contest or not. Some argue that Manele is also well received in other countries in Southeastern Europe and therefore has a chance of victory. Others see Romania's reputation abroad at risk if a Roma macho manelist were sent to such a competition. So to date no Manele song for Romania has taken part in the Eurovision Song Contest. However, the Romanian title of the year 2012, presented by the band Mandinga , was written by Manele composer Costi Ioniță. The song Zaleilah , however, is a Latin dance pop song with mixed Spanish and English lyrics, not a Manele.

The melodies mostly follow a rigid traditional pattern, which differs from the classical manea only by a slight change in emphasis. However, the modern Manele songs are arranged with all the means made available by technology. This style can be described as modern, electronic processing of traditional Balkan music, therefore, often elements of Roma music contains. Often used instruments are keyboards , accordions , glass harmonica or saxophone with the simplest chord and attack rhythms. Manele is characterized by the singer's subtly brought forward or delayed accents against the rhythm of the accompanying band and the instrumental riffs of one or more instruments placed between the individual lines of text.

The texts are about love, money, competition, family, everyday problems, corruption and conflicts as well as about profound things like the meaning of life, here a reference to God is often established. The texts are characterized by simple language, in which sometimes little emphasis is placed on grammatical accuracy. Manele is often played in discos, bars and clubs in the Balkans. Outside Romania, Manele is best known in the Republic of Moldova and Serbia as well as among Romanian emigrants in Italy, Spain, Portugal and France.

Well-known artists of this genre are Sandu Ciorba , Nicolae Guță , Adrian Copilul Minune , Denisa Manelista Răducu (†), Cristi Dules, Cristi Rizescu, Ştefan de la Bărbuleşti, Fero, Casanova, Narcisa, Costel Ciofu, Dani Mocanu de la Frechen (Daniel Rizescu) .), Sorin Copilul de Aur, Gabi de la Oradea, Adi de la Vâlcea, Florin Salam , Vali Vijelie, Sorina Ceugea and Mihai Priescu.

It is important to distinguish, however, that not all Roma music from Romania is called Manele. Traditional formations such as the Taraf de Haïdouks , Fanfare Ciocărlia or Lavinia Raducanu & Rromak, known in the West , do not play a manele. The large number of Romanian or Moldovan dance-pop or folk-pop bands such as Hi-Q, O-Zone or Zdob și Zdub don't play a manele either.

Examples

* These clips were uploaded by the official rights holders (record label).

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Miron Manega: Cui ii e frica de manele? Jurnalul.ro, January 9, 2006 (Romanian)
  2. ↑ Silviu Mihai: Gender Issues and Balkan Music . maedchenmannschaft.net, April 5, 2012
  3. ↑ Antje Blinda: Gangster Pop from Romania - For a handful of bills . Spiegel Online , June 5, 2007
  4. ↑ Trimitem un manelist la Eurovision? Liviu Mititelu a trecut de preselecţia pentru concursul din Azerbaijan . Libertatea.ro, February 28, 2012 (Romanian)
  5. ↑ Kirsten Schlier: ESC 2012: Romania creates a summer feeling with Cuban flair . Showbiz.de, May 26, 2012