Cimbalom bands are very popular in Slovakia, Moravia (eastern part of Czech republic, Hungary and Romania. There are various cimbalom bands, or similar bands without cimbalom in those countries. Cimbalom is a hammered dulcimer very popular in eastern Europe. It is said, that Cimbalom was brought to Europe by Romani/Gipsy people. It can be true, but those hammered dulcimers are widely used across various cultures in the world.
Cimbalom bands are very known in Hungary, Romania, or Slovakia. Typical musical instruments for those bands are violin, three string viola alsoknown, as kontra, braci, or brácsa, bowed double bass and ofcourse, cimbalom. In various regions of Slovakia those bands can also play without cimbalom, but first three mentioned musical instruments are typical for most of folk regions of those countries. Sometimes can be in those bands instruments, such as accordions, pan flutes (mostly in Romania), Jawharps (mostly in some Slovak folk songs) and Tárogató/Taragot (Hungari and Romania).
Origins of those bands can We surely found of former Hungary kingdom. Slovakia, Romania and Hungary were parts of those kingdoms, althought some Romanian regions were later parts of Ottoman empire. Instrumental core is same, but music can be different. Moravian music is very similar to western Slovak music, but in Moravia there are also wind bands.
First, We’ll start in Slovakia. There are Polkas, Waltzes, Csardases and various kinds of music genres played by cimbalom bands.
This was an example of Slovak cimbalom bands. But, due to this, that It starts in former Hungary, let’s go there. There were gipsy bands, who creates those cimbalom bands, so first cimbalom bands were mostly consist of gypsies. There are various kinds of hungarian music played by cimbalom bands, but most popular dances are for example csárdáses, halgatós ETC.
In Romania, there are popular dances, such as Hora, Sârbă (also known as Sirba), Doina and various another dances. Cimbalom bands in Romania are also popular by gipsy musicians, but due to this, that some regions of Romania were in the Ottoman empire, music can be varied from region to region. But cimbalom bands from Romania are very known. Mostly is know maybe Taraf de Haïdouks from Clejani.
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