Csárdás

This article is about a type of folkdance. For the specific composition by Vittorio Monti, see Csárdás (Monti). For Csárdás compositions by Franz Liszt, see Csárdás (Liszt).

Csárdás

Csárdás rhythm.^[1]

Csárdás (/ˈtʃɑːrdæʃ/, US: /-dɑːʃ/; Hungarian: [ˈt͡ʃaːrdaːʃ]), often seen as Czárdás, is a traditional Hungarian folk dance, the name derived from csárda (old Hungarian term for roadside tavern and restaurant). It originated in Hungary and was popularized by bands in Hungary as well as neighboring countries and regions such as of Slovenia, Burgenland, Croatia, Transylvania, Slovakia, Vojvodina and Moravia, as well as among the Banat Bulgarians, including those in Bulgaria.^[2]

History

Hungarians in Serbia, Doroslovo, dancing the csárdás

The origin of the csárdás was a death dance, when the soldier fought with his opponent, watched him, watched his weak points, then as a victor killed him and danced in joy with the others.

So the origin of the csárdás can be traced back to the Turkish wars.

The csárdás is characterized by a variation in tempo: it starts out slowly (lassú) and ends in a very fast tempo (friss, literally "fresh"). There are other tempo variations, called ritka csárdás, sűrű csárdás and szökős csárdás. The music is in ²
₄ or ⁴
₄ time. The dancers are both male and female, with the women dressed in traditional wide skirts, which form a distinctive shape when they whirl.

Classical composers who have used csárdás themes in their works include Emmerich Kálmán, Franz Liszt, Johannes Brahms, Léo Delibes, Johann Strauss, Pablo de Sarasate, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Franz von Suppé, Vittorio Monti, and others. The csárdás from Strauss' operetta Die Fledermaus, sung by the character Rosalinde, is probably the most famous example of this dance in vocal music. One of the best-known examples of instrumental csárdás is the composition by Vittorio Monti for violin and piano. This virtuoso piece has seven tempo variations.

The original folk csárdás, as opposed to the later international variants, is enjoying a revival in Hungary thanks to the táncház movement.

See also

• Márk Rózsavölgyi, "the father of csárdás"

References

1. Blatter, Alfred (2007). Revisiting music theory: a guide to the practice, p. 28. ISBN 0-415-97440-2.
2. Kaufman, Nikolaj (2002). "Pesnite na banatskite bǎlgari". Regionalni Proučvanija Na Bǎlgarskija Folklor. Tom 4. Severozapadna Bǎlgarija: Obštnosti, Tradicii, Identičnost (in Bulgarian): 36. ISSN 0861-6558.

Bibliography

• Sárosi, Bálint, Zigeunermusik (Gypsy Music), 1977

External links

• StreetSwing's Dance History Archives: Czardas or Csárdás
• Hungarian Lexikon (in Hungarian)
• Hungarian csárdás – around 1200 audiofiles
• Friss Csárdás on YouTube