The Bride’s Ritual Song from the Land of Pădureni, Hunedoara. Evolution of a Distinct Melodic Type
The Bride’s Ritual Song from the Land of Pădureni, Hunedoara. Evolution of a Distinct Melodic Type

Summary/Abstract: Throughout Transylvania and particularly in the Land of Pădureni (Ținutul Pădurenilor), the traditional form of the wedding custom used to include a multitude of actions, accompanied by ritual songs. These songs were dedicated to the bride, being known as “a miresei” [to the bride], and marked the main moments of the ritual, being sung in group, solemnly, only by girls and women, in a strong guttural voice. Over the course of a hundred years, researchers Béla Bartók, Emilia Comișel, Rusalin Ișfănoni, Ioan Bocșa and Alina Stan have collected 40 songs from the Land of Pădureni, belonging to a single melodic type. This is the oldest melodic type and is widespread in many Transylvanian areas, both in this genre and in the lyrical genre, in the old song proper.

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