Csárdás

What it means

The csárdás is a Hungarian couple dance that developed into the national dance in the nineteenth century. The name derives from the Hungarian word for a village tavern, in which the dance was originally danced.

Characteristic is its two-part structure. A slow, stately, often freely shaped section is followed by a fast, fiery section that can build up to the end. The slow section is called lassú in Hungarian, the fast one friss. The contrast between the two is the real essence of the dance.

The csárdás is usually in duple time, in two or four beats, with characteristic dotted rhythms and syncopations.

The urban csárdás, as it was widespread in the nineteenth century, is to be distinguished from the peasant dance forms from which it emerged and from which it differs in many respects.

In the notation

The csárdás is notated in two sections with different tempo markings, often with a distinct change of tempo between them. In the slow section there are often fermatas and ornaments, in the fast section continuous motion and accelerations. The free handling of tempo in the slow section is usually only partly notated.

Musical use

The csárdás became the basis of numerous arrangements and concert pieces in the nineteenth century, especially for violin and piano, and it appears in operettas whose plot is set in Hungary. As a dance it is alive to this day.

The csárdás arose in the nineteenth century in Hungary and consists of a slow section, the lassú, and a fast one, the friss. It became the Hungarian national dance and is often quoted in art music. Well known is the Csárdás by Vittorio Monti for violin.

Performance practice

Shape the contrast distinctly: the slow section free and expressive, the fast one taut and fiery. In the slow section, leave room for stretchings and ornaments. In the fast section, play the dotted rhythms sharply and keep the pulse, even during accelerations. And listen to recordings to gain a feeling for the style.