Introduction
Margaret Beissinger
Ch. 1:
Music, Dance, Performance: A Descriptive Analysis of Manele
Anca Giurchescu & Speranța Rădulescu
Ch. 2:
A History of the Manea: The 19th to the Mid-20th Century
Costin Moisil
Ch. 3:
How the Music of Manele is Structured
Speranța Rădulescu
Ch. 4:
Romanian Manele and Regional Parallels: "Oriental" Ethnopop in the Balkans
Margaret Beissinger
Ch. 5:
Actors and Performance
Speranța Rădulescu
Ch. 6:
The "Boyar in the Helicopter": Power, Parody, and Carnival in Manea Performances
Victor Alexandre Stoichita
Ch. 7:
Manele and the Underworld
Adrian Schiop
Ch. 8:
Village Manele: An Urban Genre in Rural Romania
Margaret Beissinger
Ch. 9:
Turbo-Authenticity: An Essay about "Manelism"
Vintilă Mihăilescu
Epilogue
Speranța Rădulescu
Actors and Performance
Speranța RădulescuThis chapter contains two sections. The first refers to the actors who are involved in the discursive production, dissemination, and interpretation of manele: the manelişti, public, dancers, fans and adversaries, and media. All of these actors are examined from the perspective of their motivations, the ideologies to which they adhere, the ethnic groups that they represent, their musical and/or choreographic competence, and the means by which they express themselves. The second section of the chapter treats how some of these actors—manelişti, dancers, and the public—interact during the actual performance of manele.
EXAMPLES:
Example 5.1 Members of a "folk" ensemble. Cover of the record Rencontre avec la Roumanie. Munténie produced by Electrecord company, 1980: STM-EPE 01056.
Example 5.2 Portraits of "folk" stars: Ion Albeşteanu, Tiţa Ştefan, and Valentin Albeşteanu (father, mother, and son), in "traditional" costumes. Cover of the CD Când eram pe Ialomiţa, Eletrecord 2007: EDC803.
Example 5.3 Urban ensemble led by violinist Vasile Năsturică performing in the Peasant Museum courtyard (Bucharest). The musicians (left to right): Vasile Năsturică, violin; Gheorghe Răducanu, small cimbalom; Gicu Petrache, guitar; Gheorghe Petrescu, double bass; Ionel Ioniţă Cinoi, accordion. Bucharest, 2010. [Photo: Valeriu Rădulescu].
Example 5.4 Ensemble of Sile Păun (accordionist), playing at Hanul Voievozilor (Voivodes’ Inn) Restaurant. Bucharest, June 2013. [Photo: Valeriu Rădulescu].
Example 5.5 Members of the same ensemble (see 5.4) playing next to guests’ table (seated are the co-editors of this volume: Anca Giurchescu, Margaret Beissinger, and Speranţa Rădulescu.) Bucharest, June 2013. [Photo: Valeriu Rădulescu].
Example 5.6 Peasant lăutari from Oaş county playing at the end of the spring agricultural custom Sâmbra oilor (when the sheep are first taken to pasture). Village of Bixad, Satu Mare County, May 2013 [Photo: Beatrice Iordan].
Example 5.7 Peasant lăutari playing in the Community Cultural House in their native village, Târgu Logreşti, Gorj county. Târgu Logreşti, April 2008. [Photo: Mirela Radu].
Example 5.8 Family ensemble from Pârâu de Pripor (village), Gorj county, playing in Ciuperceni (village), Gorj county, at a wedding party in the groom’s courtyard. Ciuperceni, July 2008. [Photo: Mirela Radu].
Example 5.9 Three of the members of the Argint family ensemble from Pârâu de Pripor (village), Gorj county: mother Maria Argint (accordion), son Victor Argint (violin), and nephew Florian Argint (double bass). The three are playing in their garden. Pârâu de Pripor, July 2008. (Note: Gorj is the only region in Romania where women have been singers and instrumentalists – guitarists or accordionists – for roughly a century.) [Photo: Mirela Radu].
Example 5.10 Ensemble from Gherla (town) during a party of friends which violinist Emil Mihaiu organized in his courtyard. Musicians: Emil Mihaiu, violin; Urszui Kalman, viola; Pusztai Aladar, double bass. Gherla, May 2012. [Photo: Beatrice Iordan].
Example 5.11 Manea performers addressing the public at the close of a show in Sala Polivalentă (central concert hall). Bucharest, 27 March 2011 [Photo George Popescu]. Used by permission.
Example 5.12 Manea performers at club: vocalist Sorinel Copilul de Aur with an unidentified accompanying clarinetist. Million Dollars Club, 20 April 2011. [Photo: George Popescu]. Used by permission.
Example 5.13 Macho manea performer Sorinel Puştiu. Bucharest, 27 March 2011. [Photo: George Popescu]. Used by permission.
Example 5.14 Two macho manea performers backstage at the competition Miss Piranda 2011: Sorin Copilul de Aur and Adi de Adi, known as "Fraţii de aur" [Golden brothers]. Bucharest, 27 March 2011. [Photo: George Popescu]. Used by permission.
Example 5.15 The manea Nebunia lui Salam [The madness of Salam]. (At the start of the piece, vocalist Florin Salam shouts: “A song like this you won’t find even in America!”) No information available. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhujpKTPb5s, accessed March 2010. 6:10. Used by permission.
Example 5.16 Conventional manea: Sună telefoanele [The phones are ringing]. Performers: Nicolae Guță, Susanu and Don Genove, and their ensemble. Music video produced by Kompact Sound. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcsVnaJS3Pc, accessed April 2011. 0:33.
Example 5.17 "Wiseguys" observe performers of manele. Wedding tent from the working-class neighborhood Rahova, Bucharest, 2011. [Photo: George Popescu]. Used by permission.
Example 5.18 "Wiseguys" throw money for dedications at performers of manele: Hanul drumeţului [Traveler’s Inn] Restaurant, Bucharest, 25 March 2011. [Photo: George Popescu]. Used by permission.
Example 5.19 "Wiseguys" observe performers of manele. Town of Alexandria, 29 April 2011. [Photo: George Popescu]. Used by permission.
