Manele is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
,
AlbaniaAlbania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
, Bosnia,
GreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
and
TurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
and with expatriates and emigrants originally from these regions. Related genres are Bulgarian
chalgaChalga is a Bulgarian music genre. It is a blend of Arabic, Balkan, Bulgarian, Greek and Turkish influences, as well as motives from flamenco, filmi and klezmer music...
(manele brought by Romanian visitors to Bulgaria is referred to as "Romanian chalga"), Greek modern
laïkoLaïkó ), is a Greek music genre. Also called folk song or urban folk music , in its plural form is a Greek music genre which has taken many forms over the years...
and, to a lesser extent, Serbian
turbo-folkTurbo-folk is a popular musical sub-genre that originated in Serbia, the Balkans. Having mainstream popularity in Serbia, although closely associated with Serbian performers, its sound is as popular in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Montenegro...
, all being a mixture of local folk, Turkish and Romani influences over a
popPop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
tune.
Discussion
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Manele is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
,
AlbaniaAlbania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
, Bosnia,
GreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
and
TurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
and with expatriates and emigrants originally from these regions. Related genres are Bulgarian
chalgaChalga is a Bulgarian music genre. It is a blend of Arabic, Balkan, Bulgarian, Greek and Turkish influences, as well as motives from flamenco, filmi and klezmer music...
(manele brought by Romanian visitors to Bulgaria is referred to as "Romanian chalga"), Greek modern
laïkoLaïkó ), is a Greek music genre. Also called folk song or urban folk music , in its plural form is a Greek music genre which has taken many forms over the years...
and, to a lesser extent, Serbian
turbo-folkTurbo-folk is a popular musical sub-genre that originated in Serbia, the Balkans. Having mainstream popularity in Serbia, although closely associated with Serbian performers, its sound is as popular in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Montenegro...
, all being a mixture of local folk, Turkish and Romani influences over a
popPop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
tune.
History
Early references to the terms
manea and
manele appear in Romanian texts from the late 18th and early 19th century, during the period of Turkish
suzeraintySuzerainty occurs where a region or people is a tributary to a more powerful entity which controls its foreign affairs while allowing the tributary vassal state some limited domestic autonomy. The dominant entity in the suzerainty relationship, or the more powerful entity itself, is called a...
over the Romanian principalities, as a genre of dance music brought by
PhanariotesPhanariots, Phanariotes, or Phanariote Greeks were members of those prominent Greek families residing in Phanar , the chief Greek quarter of Constantinople, where the Ecumenical Patriarchate is situated.For all their cosmopolitanism and often Western education, the Phanariots were...
from
IstanbulIstanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
. This dance had no text. Some of these classical manele have been adapted during the ages.
In the 60's a type of lăutarească manea appeared, by adding texts to the geampara, a type of lăutaresc genre of Turkish origin.
The modern manele originated in the 1980s and early 1990s as underground translations and imitations of Turkish and Arabic songs. A well known Romanian manele singer,
Adrian Copilul MinuneAdrian Minune is a Romani-Romanian manele singer.- Family :Adrian Minune married his long time life-partner Cati in 2004 and has two daughters and a son with her...
traces it to a genre known as "turceasca" (Turkish), .
The genre has been rocked by accusations of plagiarism a number of times, with manele singers adapting popular songs from
GreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
,
BulgariaBulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
and
TurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, without giving due credit. The accusations increased especially after the hit "De ce mă minţi" ("Why are you lying to me?") proved to be a mere cover of
Despina VandiDespina Malea , known by her stage name Despina Vandi , is a Greek singer. Born in Tübingen near Stuttgart, West Germany, Vandi's family returned to Kavala, Greece when she was six years old and she later enrolled at the University of Thessaloniki, but eventually dropped out to begin a career in...
's song "M'agapas"/"Ah kardoula mou". Further plagiarism accusations surrounded a well known manele singer's "Supărat"("Upset") song which was proven by third parties to be plagiarized from a
CroatianCroatian is the collective name for the standard language and dialects spoken by Croats, principally in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Serbian province of Vojvodina and other neighbouring countries...
song (Umoran by
Jasmin StavrosJasmin Stavros born 1954 in Split, is a Croatian pop musician.One of his most popular songs remains "Dao bi sto Amerika" , which relates to his time spent in the United States before his return to Croatia shortly before the country's independence.He is currently signed to Hit Records.- Discography...
). Although this song was not technically a manea, it furthered the controversy surrounding this music genre and Romania's image.
Characteristics
Manele is a mixture of "oriental" (Turkish/Middle Eastern) influences and Balkan music, with a very strong influence from Romani music. The bulk of manele singers are in fact, ethnic Romani.
Etymology and usage
The word "manea" comes from the Turkish
manì, which means "mania".
This is the singular form and it refers to the musical piece itself, as belonging to Manele genre. The accent is on the second syllable:
manéa.
The plural version, more commonly used,
manele, refers to:
- the musical genre (e.g.: "I'm listening to Manele.", in Romanian: "Ascult Manele.")
- two or more manea songs (e.g.: "What are the latest manele (songs) you know?", in Romanian: "Care sunt cele mai noi manele pe care le stii?)
The adjective form of the word is
manelist, which is sometimes used in
RomanianRomanian refers to something of or relating to Romania, a country in southeastern Europe, the Romanian people, or the Romanian language.Romanian may also refer to:...
with a pejorative figurative form.
The Romanian present participle is
manelizat that always has a pejorative connotation, giving a sense of "rough".
Subject matter
Manele are criticized for their lyrical content, which often consists of boasts about the singer's supposed sex appeal, intellect, wealth, social status, and superiority over so-called "enemies". Many singers use bad grammar, repetitive and simplistic rhymes suitable for chanting and are sometimes vulgar and/or misogynistic.
Manele composers and players also use the term "oriental music" for their creation, and consider their music a sub-genre of traditional, folk
Roma musicRomani music is the music of the Romani people, who have their origins in Northern India, but today live mostly in Europe....
.
Traditional Roma music is usually played on classical instruments by a live band (
taraf- External links :*. Website of Taraf ....
) of
lăutariThe Romanian word Lăutar denotes a class of traditional musicians. Most often, and by tradition, Lăutari are members of a professional clan of Romani musicians , also called Ţigani lăutari. The term is derived from Lăută the name of a string instrument...
and has classical lyrics, while manele is usually sung by only one performer using modern instruments (generally
synthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
s) as backup. Most manele are recorded in small recording studios, owned by the singer himself or by a group of singers, since major recording labels refuse to contract them. However, there are some exceptions: for example,
Stana IzbaşaStana Izbaşa is a Romanian folk music singer from Romania. She began her career by singing Romanian folk songs, especially from Banat, but later, after the manele genre flooded the Romanian music market, she began to sing manele. Some of her most famous songs have been duets with other singers such...
and
Nicu PaleruNicu Paleru is a well-known Romanian Gypsy manele musician. Part of the manele underground since the early 1990s, he finally attained national success in the late '90s with the help of a Romanian TV show dedicated to manele.- References :...
sing live, often with traditional instruments.
Manele fashion
Manelists have created a distinct image on the Romanian music scene, by showing their own fashion style. Many of the manelists use luxurious and casual, even underground styles combined altogether to form the specific manele fashion. Typical manele apparel includes flashy jewelry and affordable luxury clothing brands (such as
VersaceGianni Versace S.p.A. , usually referred to as Versace, is an Italian fashion label founded by Gianni Versace in 1978.The first Versace boutique was opened in Milan's Via della Spiga in 1978, and its popularity was immediate. Today, Versace is one of the world's leading international fashion houses...
, Armani or
Dolce & GabbanaDolce & Gabbana is an Italian luxury industry fashion house. The company was started by the Italian designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana in Milan, Italy. By 2005 their turnover was €597 million....
) or certain sport brands (especially
NikeNike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
). Such brands are an important part of manele culture, and they are even featured sometimes in lyrics. .
Public opinion
Manele are a strongly disputed genre in Romania, with many representatives of Romanian upper-middle and intellectual class opposing this musical movement (and its popularization) mostly because of its usage of faulty grammar, overly simplistic or childish lyrics and subject matter and/or encouragement of demeaning behaviours towards other people, as well as an antisocial overall message. The fact that manele lyrics are considered by many to be rude and of poor taste, coupled with widespread racist feelings against Roma ethnics (Tigani/Gypsies), who account for the bulk of manele performers, has led to increasing hostility between fans and opponents. This has generated frequent conflicts between the two, often in the form of internet flame wars.
In the media, manele have been repeatedly called by journalists and academics (such as the literary critic
George PruteanuGeorge Mihail Pruteanu was a Romanian literary critic, university professor, and politician.His father, Paul Pruteanu, was a medical doctor and a university professor who researched the history of Moldavian medicine. His mother, Sofia Pruteanu, was an office worker...
) "pseudo-music", "pure stupidity, inculture and blah-blah" or even "society's bed-wetter". C. Tepercea, a National Audio-visual Board member who did a study on the genre for the board considered it "the genre for the mentally challenged" in an interview. Even proposals to ban this type of music have been voiced.
Romani-Romanian classical musician and politician
Mădălin VoicuMădălin Ştefan Voicu is a Romanian musician and politician of Romani ethnicity. Voicu is a member of the Social Democratic Party , and has been a parliamentarian in the Chamber of Deputies since 1996...
distinguishes between the original genre and today's interpreters, calling their work "kitsch and bad taste", "bad merchandise, easy to sing, and only sold to fools at a high price", but considers them to be "harmful", "simple music and brain damaging", "a representation of the lack of musical culture in society" and "a fad that is poised to never vanish in the future".
Romanian-American professor Cezar Giosan further compares the genre in an article in
Dilema VecheDilema veche , formerly Dilema, is a Romanian weekly journal of culture, criticism and opinion.- History :It was founded as Dilema in 1993 by art critic Andrei Pleşu and up until the end of 2003 it was edited by an independent cultural body, Fundaţia Culturală Română...
with the early stages of rock-and-roll (and Elvis), early rap and reggaeton, music starting out from the outcast classes of society, being shunned by the higher classes for the simple reason of its origin, only to explode into mainstream later on. The same professor considers the genre as being a form of originality coming from below, with the singers having a genuine (albeit rough and uneducated) talent in music, with the lyrics being just a reflection of basic, simple human needs. In a similar vein,
Sorin Adam MateiDr. Sorin Adam Matei is an Associate Professor of Communication at Purdue University, where he specializes in studying the creation, use, and application of new media technologies...
, an Associate Professor of Communication at Purdue University, USA affirmed in an opinion piece for
Evenimentul ZileiEvenimentul Zilei is one of the leading newspapers in Romania. Based in Bucharest, the Romanian-language daily has a paid daily circulation of 110,000...
that manele are a
creoleThe term Creole and its cognates in other languages — such as crioulo, criollo, créole, kriolu, criol, kreyol, kreol, kriulo, kriol, krio, etc. — have been applied to people in different countries and epochs, with rather different meanings...
genre, a simple, but lively music, spawned by the meeting of many cultures, that has a chance to succeed as a cultural style if it is polished and "cleaned up". Both consider that manele is a valuable representation of Romanian popular culture, and would like it encouraged. Famous Romani-Romanian violin player
Florin NiculescuFlorin Niculescu is a Romanian violinist of Romani ethnicity. He is considered to be the best jazz manouche violinist of our days, the successor of Stéphane Grappelli...
said that manele singers are talented, but lack musical education.
On Romanian television stations, manele performers and music are particularly seen on specialized manele television stations, such as Taraf TV or Manele TV. While mainstream radio stations do not air manele, a lot of smaller stations do, especially in Romania's capital, Bucharest. Occasionally, manele interpreters appear on New Year's Eve programs on television stations.
Pre 1984: Manele lăutăreşti
- Brothers Gore (Aurel and Victor Gore) - instrumental manele
- Gabi Luncă
Gabi Luncă is a Romani singer of urban lăutarească music from Romania, born in Vărbilău, Prahova County.Her father was also a lăutar, a violinist very respected among lăutari because he was a "notist"...
- Romica Puceanu
1984–1991: First modern manele (adding electronic sound)
- Azur (vocalist: Nelu Vlad) - the first band to use electronic beats
- Albatros (vocalist: Iolanda Cristea a.k.a. Naste din Berceni)
- Generic (vocalist: Dan Ciotoi)
- Miracol C (vocalist: Cezar Duţu a.k.a. Cezarică)
- Odeon (vocalist: Costel Geambaşu)
1992–2004: Post-revolution period
- Dan Armeanca - considered the godfather of Romani pop
- Adrian Minune (previously Adrian Copilul Minune, Adi de Vito)
- Costi Ioniţă
Costi Ioniţă is a Romanian singer, songwriter and record producer, regarded as one of the most celebrated ethnic Romanian vocalist of muzică orientală . Born in Constanţa, he began his musical career by singing Romanian traditional music. He however achieved fame as a member of the pop boy band...
- Carmen Şerban
Carmen Şerban is a popular Romanian manele singer with over 26 albums released.She has collaborated with many of the most popular singers, including Irina Loghin, Nicolae Guţă and Adrian Copilul Miniune. Her songs are about the traditional themes of manele; love, lust and money...
2004–present: Contemporary manele
- Nicolae Guţă
Nicolae Guţă , born Nicolae Linguraru on December 3, 1967 in Petroşani, Romania, is a Romani manele and Gypsy jazz singer. He is the father of manele and ethno-pop singer Nicoleta Guţă.-Musical career:...
- Florin Salam
Florin Stoian , better known under the stage name of Florin Salam and Florin Fermecătoru, is a Romani singer of manele from Romania. He is one of the best known and appreciated manele performers....
- Denisa
- Sorin Copilul de Aur
- Laura Vass
See also
- Chalga
Chalga is a Bulgarian music genre. It is a blend of Arabic, Balkan, Bulgarian, Greek and Turkish influences, as well as motives from flamenco, filmi and klezmer music...
, in Bulgaria
- Turbo-folk
Turbo-folk is a popular musical sub-genre that originated in Serbia, the Balkans. Having mainstream popularity in Serbia, although closely associated with Serbian performers, its sound is as popular in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Montenegro...
, in Serbia
- Narcocorridos, in Mexico
- Arabesque (Turkish music), in Middle East
- Funk Carioca
Funk carioca , favela funk and, elsewhere in the world, baile funk, is a type of dance music from Rio de Janeiro, derived from Miami bass....
, in Brazil
- Proibidao
Proibidão, which literally translates to "strongly prohibited," is a genre of Brazilian funk music originating from the favelas of Rio de Janeiro where it began in the early 1990s as a parallel phenomenon to the growth of drug gangs in the many slums of the city...
, in Brazil
External links