English

Alternative spellings

• csardas
• csárdás

Etymology

From Hungarian csárdás, adjectival form of csárda “tavern”, from Turkish.

Noun

1. An intricate Hungarian folk dance characterized by variations in tempo
2. The music for such a dance

Swedish

Noun

czardas

1. czardas; a dance

Csárdás (, "char-dash") is a traditional Hungarian folk dance. It originated in Hungary and was popularized by Roma music bands in Hungary and neighboring lands of Vojvodina, Slovakia, Slovenia , Croatia, Carpathian Ruthenia, Transylvania and Moravia, as well as among the Banat Bulgarians, including those in Bulgaria.

History

Its origins can be traced back to the 18th century Hungarian verbunkos, used as a recruiting dance by the Hungarian army.

Csárdás is characterized by a variation in tempo: it starts out slowly (lassú) and ends in a very fast tempo (friss, literally "fresh"). There are other tempo variations, called ritka csárdás, sűrű csárdás and szökős csárdás. The music is in 2/4 or 4/4 time. The dancers are both male and female, with the women dressed in traditional wide skirts, usually colored red, which form a distinctive shape when they whirl.

Classical composers who have used csárdás themes in their work include Emmerich Kálmán, Franz Liszt, Johannes Brahms, Johann Strauss, Pablo de Sarasate, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and others. Probably the best-known csardas is the eponymous composition by Vittorio Monti written for violin and piano. This virtuosic piece has 5 tempo variations.

See also

• Márk Rózsavölgyi
• Vittorio Monti

Bibliography

• Sárosi, Bálint, Zigeunermusik (Gypsy Music), 1977

References

External links

• StreetSwing's Dance History Archives: Czardas or Csárdás