Articles by Initial Letters
A Szászcsávási Zenekar hitelességéről – I.
Authenticity and the Szászcsávás Band. Written by the person – a Hungarian musician from Budapest’s dance house movement – who since the early 1990s has supported, recorded, befriended and toured this group of traditional musicians from the Transylvanian village of Szászcsávás /Ceuaș, in Maros/Mureș County, Romania. In this article he describes the band and the musicians addressing the following eight basic questions/observations/criticisms – that have arisen surrounding the band over the years: 1) Their practice of harmonizing has changed as a result of their contact with dance house circles and foreign tours; 2) The group (in that format) has never performed at home in their region; 3) The younger members of the band only became musicians because the band offered them the possibility of travel – their quickly acquired skills cannot be considered authentic; 4) Because of all their travels abroad the band has acquired so many new melodies that they can no-longer be considered authentic; 5) Now they don’t even remember melodies they knew 20-30 years ago; 6) What they know now – they play in a ‘very Gypsy style’ – not in the original style….”; 7) The newly acquired foreign melodies and line-up of musicians for touring – further the disintegration of the folk music traditions of their region – the Küküllő Region; 8). The name “Szászcsávás Band” is actually a detrimental thing…In his responses to the above points, Szánthó provides us with plenty of history on the members of the band and their music over the nearly 40 years he has been working with them. By Szánthó Zoltán.