Gypsy Style Music

The gypsy music that originates with the Romani people from northern India has become a recognizable part of southeastern Europe, where a visitor can hear the sounds from coffee houses, restaurants, bars, clubs, and special events. In some locations, such as Turkey and Bulgaria, the music has become part of the country’s tradition and can can be heard nearly anywhere where music is played. However, in other countries, such as Romania, the music still remains largely an underground movement, with few locations that specialize in only gypsy music.

In places where gypsy music has been more accepted, the type heard in coffee houses is more of a low key affair, with only a slight resemblance to other forms. On the other hand, the true gypsy music is considered to be a celebration and is not typically meant for a quiet place where the patrons should stay in their seats. At a wedding reception or party, the music is meant for dancing and a typical gypsy band will play for many hours or as long as the party keeps going. The largest festival of this music is found in Guca, Serbia where nearly half a million people come each year to hear the polyrhythms of gypsy music around the clock for over a week.

In the party atmosphere, the most common form of gypsy music is filled with many different types of horns, including trumpets, trombones, tubas, and others. The musicians will usually form a circle and the crowd will surround the circle of musicians. In this manner, the music radiates out from the center and has a much different appearance to a traditional stage performance. As the gypsy music has gained a larger audience around the world, many traditional performers have started to perform on stage, with Fanfare Ciocarla, Kocani Orkestar, and Goran Bregovich becoming international stars.