Doina

The most widespread form of Romanian folk music is the doina. Doina is poetic and often melancholic, sometimes compared to the blues for that reason. In the Romanian folkloric tradition, doina was played mainly orally or accompanied by a single instrument, being the song of elegy, played for self comforting and not intended for festive events because of its sober nature. The Romanian verb "a doini" denotes a particular way of singing, using long, slow-paced, polyphonic arrangements which can be done with voice modulation or with a musical instrument, often woodwind instruments.

The doina is played with a slow, free rhythm melody against a fast accompaniment pattern in fixed tempo, giving an overall feeling of rhythmic tension. Melodies are sometimes repeated in differing songs, and typically follow a descending pattern. Most doinas are about the feeling of "dor" - a Romanian word for "intensely missing" (similar to German Sehnsucht and Portuguese Saudade).

Here are some instrumental doinas, played at trumpet, taragot, pan-pipe, cimbalom:


Constantin Gherghina - Doină din Banat


Dumitru Fărcaş - Doină bănăţeană


Gheorghe Zamfir - Doină de jale


Toni Iordache - Doină de jale

...and some vocal doinas:


Achim Nica - Lasă-i puşca ruginită


Drăgan Muntean - Sara bună, bade Ioane


Ileana Sărăroiu - Munte munte, frăţioare


Tudor Gheorghe - Doină haiducească


Traian Ilea - Lae chioru'


Anuţa Tite - Doina lui Pintea Viteazul