Hungarian folk music

Hungarian folk music is a rich and varied tradition that includes many different styles such as the recruitment dance verbunkos, the lively csárdás, and the romantic nóta. It is known for its complex melodic patterns, diverse rhythms, ornamentalisation, and the use of special instruments like the citera, cimbalom, cobza, doromb, duda, mandolin, tárogató, tambourine, tambura, tekero, and ütőgardon.

This music comes from the people of Hungary and Hungarian communities living in places like modern-day Slovakia, Ukraine, Moldova, Romania (Transylvania), Croatia, and Serbia. Its roots go back to the early 1800s among farmers, but it became well-known because of the famous composer Franz Liszt. In 1846, Liszt wrote 19 Hungarian Rhapsodies for piano, which were later played with an orchestra. These pieces were some of the first by a well-known composer to use music from everyday people, and they inspired other great musicians like Johannes Brahms, Zoltán Kodály, and Béla Bartók.

In the 1900s, Hungarian composers were inspired by their nation’s traditional music, wanting to move away from strict classical styles. Béla Bartók used Hungarian music as a base for his symphonic works. Zoltán Kodály and Béla Bartók studied over 300 melodies and found that newer dance tunes often used five-note scales with jumps of four notes.

Notable Hungarian folk bands and artists

• Dankó, Pista, famous musician from the Romani community, known for creating many folk-like songs
• Fonó Folk Band, a group that plays authentic folk music
• Gyurity, István, singer who performed operetta and folk music
• Juhász Miczura, Mónika, a singer from the Romani community
• Kaláka, a band that plays authentic folk music
• Muzsikás, a band known for its authentic folk music
• Lovász, Irén, a performer of authentic folk songs
• Nox, a band that mixes folk music with pop
• Palya, Bea, a performer of folk and world music
• Sebestyén, Márta, a well-known performer of authentic folk music
• Dalriada, a band that combines folk music with metal
• Tükrös Ensemble, a group that plays authentic folk music
• Dűvő, traditional folk musicians