A Vén Cigany: Hungarian Gypsy Melodies
Title
A Vén Cigany: Hungarian Gypsy Melodies
"An Old Gypsy"
A Vén Cygany: Hungarian Gypsy Melodies
Subject
Romanies Music
Description
An eight track record with music from a specific gypsy band. Described as "moody...sentimental, mournful, passionate..."
When "A Vén Cigany" Hungarian Gypsy Melodies came out in 1975, it was in the midst of a time of change within and around the Hungarian gypsy community. In the 1960s and 70s radios and televisions began appearing in gypsy settlements throughout Hungary (p 45.) The easier accessibility to mainstream popular culture posed a potential conflict to the ever traditional communities. Romani nomadism was already in decline during the interwar period, and by the 1970s, gypsies were obtaining regular employment more and more regularly (p 45.) Since the beginning of the 1960s the guitar gained popularity steadily overall with Hungarian youth and community, but also in Romani settings. However, while the guitar symbolized more opportunities and expanding music to become more modern to the general public, to the Hungarian gypsy community, abandoning the traditional music style would have meant abandoning inherited communal traditions that had been around for centuries (p 47.) This commitment to traditional music, is echoed in Carol Silverman’s discussion of banning Romani wedding music and other traditions in Bulgaria resulting the continuation of traditions even under threat. This album represents a taste of the ever important traditional music for a gypsy audience, using more traditional instruments including violins and cellos. This more traditional music in the contemporary medium of an LP represents gypsy music staying true, while still evolving with the time.
Works Cited:
Kovalcsik, Katalin. "Popular Dance Music Elements in the Folk Music of Gypsies in Hungary." Popular Music 6, no. 1 (1987): 45-65. http://www.jstor.org/stable/853165.
Silverman, Carol. "Chapter 7." In Romani Routes: Cultural Politics and Balkan Music in Diaspora. Oxford University Press, 2011.
When "A Vén Cigany" Hungarian Gypsy Melodies came out in 1975, it was in the midst of a time of change within and around the Hungarian gypsy community. In the 1960s and 70s radios and televisions began appearing in gypsy settlements throughout Hungary (p 45.) The easier accessibility to mainstream popular culture posed a potential conflict to the ever traditional communities. Romani nomadism was already in decline during the interwar period, and by the 1970s, gypsies were obtaining regular employment more and more regularly (p 45.) Since the beginning of the 1960s the guitar gained popularity steadily overall with Hungarian youth and community, but also in Romani settings. However, while the guitar symbolized more opportunities and expanding music to become more modern to the general public, to the Hungarian gypsy community, abandoning the traditional music style would have meant abandoning inherited communal traditions that had been around for centuries (p 47.) This commitment to traditional music, is echoed in Carol Silverman’s discussion of banning Romani wedding music and other traditions in Bulgaria resulting the continuation of traditions even under threat. This album represents a taste of the ever important traditional music for a gypsy audience, using more traditional instruments including violins and cellos. This more traditional music in the contemporary medium of an LP represents gypsy music staying true, while still evolving with the time.
Works Cited:
Kovalcsik, Katalin. "Popular Dance Music Elements in the Folk Music of Gypsies in Hungary." Popular Music 6, no. 1 (1987): 45-65. http://www.jstor.org/stable/853165.
Silverman, Carol. "Chapter 7." In Romani Routes: Cultural Politics and Balkan Music in Diaspora. Oxford University Press, 2011.
Creator
D. Szutesányi Gypsy Band
Publisher
Peters International Inc.
Date
1975
Contributor
Peri Levin
Rights
Rights of the recording company and of the owner of the recorded work are reserved- no unauthorized reproduction prohibited
Format
LP record in a paper covering case. Approximately 12"x12"
Language
Hungarian
English
Type
LP
Identifier
CSC_GBA_15
PLD2028
https://storiedpeople.oberlincollegelibrary.org/items/show/18
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Files
Collection
Citation
D. Szutesányi Gypsy Band, “A Vén Cigany: Hungarian Gypsy Melodies,” A Storied People, accessed October 28, 2026, https://astoriedpeople.oberlincollegelibrary.org/items/show/52.