Folk musician
Definition
A folk musician from Romania and the Republic of Moldova who performs traditional music (party, wedding, mourning music) within traditional troupes (taraf), usually playing the lute, violin, cimbalom, cobza, or accordion. In a historical sense, the lăutari formed special guilds passed down from generation to generation, being the core keepers of the oral musical folklore heritage.
Bilingual Equivalents
- Folk musician
- Fiddler
Grammatical & Source Details
| Inflection Type | Masculine noun, regular structural plural and case variations. |
| Formation | Noun of agent derived from the archaic musical noun 'alăută' (lute) using the standard operational suffix '-ar'. |
| Spelling / Pronunciation | [a.ləw.ˈtar] |
| Source | Lexicon of Romanian Ethnography, Folk Arts, and Musical Ethnomusicology |
Contextual Usage Examples
RO: Un alăutar bătrân a început să zică o doină de jale care a emoționat toți mesenii adunați la praznic.
EN: An old folk musician began to play a mourning song that moved all the guests gathered at the feast.
RO: Tânărul s-a format ca alăutar în propria familie, învățând secretele viorii direct de la bunicul său.
EN: The young man trained as a folk musician within his own family, learning the secrets of the violin directly from his grandfather.
RO: Fiecare mare alăutar din taraf stăpânea sute de melodii tradiționale pe care le interpreta exclusiv după ureche.
EN: Each great folk musician in the troupe mastered hundreds of traditional tunes which he performed exclusively by ear.
Idioms & Phrases
Taraf de alăutari / Traditional folk band
RO: Grup mic de muzicanți populari care combină instrumente cu coarde și de percuție pentru a acompania dansurile tradiționale.
EN: A small group of folk musicians combining string and percussion instruments to accompany traditional dances.
Muzică de alăutar / Lăutari music
RO: Gen muzical folcloric complex, caracterizat prin improvizație tehnică rapidă, ritmuri variate și o mare încărcătură emoțională.
EN: A complex folk music genre characterized by fast technical improvisation, varied rhythms, and high emotional expression.
Zicătoare de alăutar / Fiddler's tune
RO: Melodie instrumentală scurtă, adesea improvizată pe loc pentru a ridica atmosfera la o petrecere comunitară.
EN: A short instrumental tune, often improvised on the spot to lift the atmosphere at a community party.
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