Taraf (musical band)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5d/Taraf_of_Ochi-Albi%2C_1860%2C_Szatmary.jpg/300px-Taraf_of_Ochi-Albi%2C_1860%2C_Szatmary.jpg)
Taraf is a small folk (lăutărească) music ensemble from Romania or Moldova, usually consisting of 3-8 musicians. Instruments include the violin, cello, tambourine, accordion, harmonica and cimpoi (Romanian bagpipes). A taraf also often includes an instrument typical to the region: a kobza and cimbalom (Wallachia and Oltenia) a trumpet and flute (Moldova), a Tárogató (near Banat), a clarinet (Transylvania), or a 2-3 stringed lute (in Maramureş county) sometimes called a "zongora". Players may also use instruments improvised from grass, birch bark, mussel shells, and leaves.
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:
References[]
- Romanian music
- Moldovan musical groups
- Romania stubs
- Moldova stubs