The Instrumental Folk Music in Sândominic Ciuc, County of Harghita

Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Braşov Series VIII: Art • Sport • Vol. 5 (54) No. 1 - 2012 THE INSTRUMENTAL FOLK MUSIC IN SÂNDOMINIC CIUC, COUNTY OF HARGHITA Zoltan SZALAY1 Abstract: Upper Ciuc is an ethnic area rich in tradition to the north of Miercurea Ciuc, which consists of six large villages and a town. Throughout the centuries many folklorists have sought out and visited this countryside to experience and enjoy instrumental folk music. The folk band from Felcsík has uniquely preserved a lineup composed of the old traditional instruments through the turn of the 20th century, consisting of violin, viola and ’gardon’. The members of the orchestra are all expert virtuoso musicians. Their playing on the instruments is characterized by the repetition of tunes from which arise many diverse variations and true to the folk tradition, they are masters of the art of ringing the changes. The analysis of the instrumental techniques and the musical examples demonstrate very well these specialities. Key words: instrumental folk music, instrument technique, variations, ornaments. 1. Introduction tradition. The instrumental band consisting of violin and ’gardon’ has been preserved Sândominic Ciuc lies in the eastern part of to this day. Transylvania, atop the Ciuc Basin, being The composition of the band, from the surrounded by the Harghita and Ciucului traditional band to the orchestra with Mountains, and it is part of the ethnographic electrical instruments so popular today, has micro area called the Upper Ciuc. This area seen many phases of development. Today's extends to the north of Miercurea Ciuc, older generation still remembers the band between the Bogát pass and the town of consisting of violin and ’gardon’. (Cello Bǎlan, and includes the following localities sized and shaped percussion instrument, on (from south to north): Mǎdǎraş, Dǎneşti, the straight refined bridge of which there Cârţa, Ineu, Tomeşti, Sândominic Ciuc and are four equally tuned D strings. The the town of Bǎlan (see Vofkori 1998.11.). strings on it are alternately hit and pinched Ciuc county was a former favourite by right and left hands as well: the ethnographic area of the ethnomusicologists instrumental strings are hit by a bow held of all times. Starting with Bartók Béla until in the right hand (all four strings at the the present days, very many researchers have same time), with left hand the upper string sought this land rich in traditions. is pinched. This is described by Dincsér Sândominic Ciuc is one of the most Oszkár too, in his study from the middle of populated and poorest communities of the the last century, see Dincsér 1943.) Ciucului Basin. The community in Upper Later on, in the folk music band the contra Ciuc can boast of a very rich folklore (the three string viola and the straight bridge 1 Faculty of Music, Transilvania University of Braşov. 72 Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Braşov • Series VIII • Vol. 5 (54) No. 1 - 2012 unknown in this area) was added, then the wage), or at the Saturday night dances. contrabass, which took over the role of the Later, they moved to Bǎlan and played for ’gardon’. When they played for the officials, three years in the local band. After much a dulcimer, a contra or an accordion and a turmoil (they lived in Gheorgheni, contrabass were also added to the traditional Micfalǎu, Cârţǎ), finally, in 1992 they folk band. moved back to Sândominic Ciuc. With the occasion of the collections Meanwhile they played in different places. initiated during the early '90s, the They have been employed everywhere traditional pair was extended with a contra. from Bǎlan to Ciceu, and from time to time Apart from Sinka Sándor and his wife even in the villages of the Gheorgheni Duduj Rozália, the ones who have kept the Depression. During the last period of life – traditional band of two musicians to this as a result of fewer opportunities for day among the Seklers of Ciuc, Duduj traditional dance and the new customs in Ádám was also invited. the composition of bands – they were From László Elek’s account we find that employed less and less. They played at the end of the nineteenth century this primarily for local dance groups and kind of band was already known among during the dance camps in Ghimeş, the Seklers of Ciuc (László 1896.). initiated in 1992. Sinka died in 2001 at the Sinka Sándor was born on the 22nd of age of 65. March 1936 in Sândominic Ciuc. Duduj Ádám was born on the 20th of He attended school until the fourth grade. July 1946, in the village of Sândominic His father, Demeter Demeter was also a Ciuc. He attended school until the seventh musician and his mother, Sinka Borbála grade. He learned to play the violin and played the ’gardon’. Sinka did not know the then the contra, from his father, Duduj how to read music. He himself admits that Lajos. All his relatives were musicians. His no one taught him how to play the violin. He mother, Duduj Ilona played the ’gardon’. learned by ear, especially from his father-in- Most of his father's brothers (thirteen in law, Duduj Lajos, with whom he often number) were musicians. During his played the contra. He later founded his own childhood, he often worked with his folk music band. In the beginning, he played grandfather, Duduj János and with his in various bands with his wife, with his grandmother, Duduj Teréz, as a contra brothers-in-law Adam and Miklós and then player (in fact, his grandparents used to with his son, Sándor. In recent decades he play as a duo). He later taught himself to has only played with his wife. play the contrabass. He has also learned To my question, ’when did they play the bass clef. As a contrabass player he with a larger band’, Sinka said: ’When I first played with his brother-in-law Sinka played for the officials. They always asked Sándor, after which he was involved in for the dulcimer as well.’ The larger band various folk bands (in Bǎlan and Miercurea was initiated by Duduj Lajos, who was an Ciuc). Meanwhile he also sang in educated musician. He attended violin restaurants (in Praid and Sovata). Since classes in Miercurea Ciuc. Sometimes he 1990, for different periods, he was the and his wife played in the traditional band contrabass and the contra player for the (violin and cello). They were hired to sing Harghita National Sekler People’s in the Ghimeş valley. They taught the Assembly in Ciuc. There he learned to play children – five in number – to read sheet the three strings viola. He died in 2004, at music. Two of them studied music and the age of 58. today they are professional musicians. Duduj Rozália was born on November Sinka and his wife have worked in the 27th 1939, in the village of Sândominic local community centre until about 1978, Ciuc. She attended school until the sixth accompanying dance groups (for an houly grade. Her father taught her how to read Z. SZALAY: The Instrumental Folk Music in Sândominic Ciuc, County of Harghita 73 music (which she says she has forgotten), 2. The technique of the instrument and her mother taught her how to play the ’gardon’. On the dulcimer bought by Compared with other musicians from father, her brother Lajos showed her the Transylvania, Sinka Sándor’s violin first cords. By means of self-education she technique is relatively simple. Among the has become a very good dulcimer player. ornaments used, we can especially mention Although in the 80s she could still be heard the appogiattura (ascending or descending, playing the dulcimer, today she no longer stressed or unstressed, made of one or plays this instrument. With her eminent more sounds), the mordent and the trill interpretation on ’gardon’ and also due to (with a higher or lower changing sound, in her ability to provide an atmosphere as the case of the higher one at a distance of a relaxed as possible, Duduj Rozália is tone or a halftone, in the case of the lower considered one of the best instrumentalists one at a distance of a halftone), as well as in the Upper Ciuc. Nowadays she rarely glissando (before the main sound being plays except at various festivals and dance mostly ascending and after it usually camps within the ’folk dance houses’ descending): movement, mostly with educated violin players in this movement. The figurations in movement of sixteenth stereotypical cadences, in the length of one notes are mainly present in the or two bars of 4/4: 74 Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Braşov • Series VIII • Vol. 5 (54) No. 1 - 2012 Especially the latter ones bringing a accompaniment in the band. They can be whole new and unknown tone to the free strings played together with the sound natural melody. of the melody, two free strings and rarely Harmonic intervals are characteristic, other fifths. The intervals which are most which probably come to this area to commonly used are the sixths and the replace the missing harmonic thirds: We can also find more intervals in the interpretation of the last songs. Rarely do cadences of the dance suites, which are they replace the last bar of the song: present especially after the full Sinka only plays two tonalities: as a rule also exploited by him, as well as by the La (more than two thirds of the songs), other fiddlers. The figurative stereotypical rarely Re. Most of the songs are in a minor meters are usually present in the melodies key. On several occasions he happened to and the interludes played in La.

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