Taraf (musical band)

A taraf is a small lăutărească music ensemble from Romania or Moldova, usually consisting of 3-8 musicians-lăutari. Instruments include the violin, cello, tambourine, accordion, harmonica and cimpoi (Romanian bagpipes). Tarafs also often include an instrument typical to the region: a cobza and cimbalom (Wallachia and Oltenia) a trumpet and flute (Moldova), a Tárogató (near Banat), a clarinet (Transylvania), or a 2-3 stringed guitar (in Maramureş county) sometimes called a "zongora". Players may also use instruments improvised from grass, birch bark, mussel shells, and leaves.

Taraf of Ochi-Albi, an 1860 painting by Carol Szathmari

Famous tarafs

The group Taraf de Haïdouks, introduced to the West in the 1990s, brought the word to international fame.

External links

• A Russian- and Romanian-language radio broadcast, with an interview of and music by a Transylvanian taraf