Historically nomadic, though now largely settled, the Romani people have long acted as entertainers and tradesmen. In many of the places Romanies live they have become known as musicians. The wide distances travelled have introduced a multitude of influences of: Arabic, Byzantine, French, Germanic, Greek, Hungarian, Indian, Persian, Romanian, Slavic, Spanish, Turkish and Jewish musical forms.[7]
It is difficult to define the parameters of a unified Romani musical style, as there are many differences in melodic, harmonic, rhythmic and formal structures from region to region. Lyrics to Romani songs are often sung in one or more dialects of the Romani language, and dance frequently accompanies Romani music performance.[8]
The quintessentially Spanish flamenco is to a very large extent the music (and dance, or indeed the culture) of the Romani people of Andalusia.[9]
Original Romani music[edit]
Original Romani folksongs, not derived from the countries where the Roma live, are relatively rare. This particular folk music is mainly vocal and consists of slow plaintive songs and fast melodies which may be accompanied by dancing. The fast melodies are accompanied with tongue-clacking, hand-clapping, mouth-basses, clicking of wooden spoons and other techniques.[10]
There are five main components that are found throughout Romani music of various territories. The first is the use of three voices or parts: the melodic line, the terce and the quint either through vocalization or instruments. The second is syncopation, where the music starts right after a beat while maintaining a consistent rhythm. The third is having the music played in different phrases, meaning that the entrance and exit of different musical themes are felt at different times throughout a song either through rhythm or instruments. The fourth is harmony, where a minor key center is often used instead of a major one. The last is singing, where natural vocal abilities are emphasized.[11]
The development of Romani music dates back to the playing of instruments such as lutes in the late 1400s in Hungary and Italy. Roma would perform with non-Roma as entertainers in any aspect of performance. Eventually, as organized religion gained traction, performance became less emphasized and sometimes prohibited for non-Roma populations, so Roma filled all professional entertainment spots. They also performed at life events such as weddings, baptisms, funerals and circumcisions.
Because there is no one nation state for Roma, they were often forced to create their own living spaces within the countries they settled. Musical and cultural influences were taken from the countries where they lived and incorporated into their own music such as instruments, languages and subject matter of the music itself. Some songs incorporate the Romani language.[12]
Balkans[edit]
A typical type of Romani music is known as Tallava. Tallava was originated by the Roma minority in Kosovo in the 1990s.[18] The genre of Tallava was later adopted among the Ashkali group. Tallava is common among Albania. This genre has influences from other music genres such as Greek (Skiladiko) and Bulgarian (Chalga). It also blended with Turkish (Arabesque), Arabic (Arabic pop music), Serbian (Turbo-folk) and Albanian music.
Western Europe[edit]
Gypsy Jazz is popular in France.[22]