Historia opowiedziana w pieśniach Lowarow Olaskich
Abstract
The article is an overview of the Olah Romas‘ song folklore and lyrics in the former
Czechoslovakia – in Bohemia, Moravia and Slovakia, where until today it
has retained its active existence in an unchanged form – in particular among the
group Lovari. While the music and folk songs of the Roma are relatively known, the
Olah folklore in its authentic form remains rather unknown. It has been transmitted
through generations in an uninfluenced form even after these societies were forced
to stop being migratory by the power of the communist state in 1959. Their song
folklore is differentiated in structure, forms, types and way of performance, and divided into two main groups of songs: Mulatousha, louke djila which are long, slow
songs, and Khelimaske djila which are rhythmical songs to be danced to.
This article examines the lyrics and content of these songs and also focuses
on their specific function in the Olah society. The majority of these songs are traditionally without a musical accompaniment which increases the importance of their lyrics. The singer tells through them a story to the community to whom he dedicates the song by the way of a ritual formula – which adds to the atmosphere of the song as far as both content and rhythm are concerned. The author of the article chose examples of the lyrics from her large collection of original recordings made between the years 1956 and 1990. The texts are transcribed from the recordings in the Olah Roma language and then loosely translated.
Collections
- Artykuły / Articles [16165]
Using this material is possible in accordance with the relevant provisions of fair use or other exceptions provided by law. Other use requires the consent of the holder.