Hungarian Csárdás in Classical Music

Do you like folk music? I love it. Especially the cultural heritage of the Balkan Peninsula. Here the elements of dance and music often intertwined which resulted in a beautiful unity of folk art. The most popular example is the transition of Hungarian dance called Czárdás that later spread into classical music.

Czárdás dance 

Czárdás the traditional dance that was born in Hungary in the 18th century. Its name derives from the Hungarian word “csárda” meaning ‘tavern’. The dance caught on in the nearby countries of the peninsula and is still met in Serbia, Croatia, Romania and other countries of the region. The main feature of the dance was its characteristic tempo – slow beginning and very fast ending. Maybe that was what attracted classical composers. Among the remarkable authors who used czárdás motives and themes in their works are Liszt, Tchaikovsky, Brahms and, of course, Vittorio Monti. His czárdás composition for violin and piano is probably the most recognizable now.

Here is a wonderful video of my favorite Victor Borge and his stunning improvisation of Monti’s Czárdás in a duet with Anton Kontra as encore at the concert dedicated to Borge’s 80th anniversary. The funny thing is that he had never played it before. Well, the legendary Victor Borge, what can I say!