Arză-l Focul Dascăl - Romanian Song

Vocals & arrangement by Farya Faraji. This is a reupload from a 2021 version to correct some technical mixing errors, as well as amend the overly present emphasis on counterpoint in that original version, the latter technique not being particularly representative of Romanian music, during the 19th-18th centuries when this song seems to emerge.

This rather humorous folk song is a fascinating memory of a time when the Phanariots, a Greek elite class of the Ottoman Empire who resided in the Phanar district of Istanbul, hence their name, and who would occupy important positions as rulers of the Voivodes of Moldova and Wallachia in the 1700's. This presence as the ruling elite of those lands meant that Greek influences were pronounced at the time, with many of the educated having to learn Greek as a result, hence the existence of this song decrying having to learn Greek, and describing the language as unlearnable gibberish. The image on the picture is a portrait of the Mavrokordatos family who were distinguished Phanariots, with some of their family members like Nicholas having ruled over a Voivode in what would ultimately become the modern countries of Romania and Moldova. The song was collected by the musician, psaltist and folklorist Anton Pann in the 1852 book, Anton Pann, Spitalul amorului sau Cântătorul dorului, București, 1852. https://tiparituriromanesti.wordpress...

This arrangement owes much to the works of Trei Parale and the artists featuring in the film Aferim! by Radu Jude, and represents a soundscape found in Wallachia at the time with the rise of Westernising influences in Romania, one decried by the great Barbu Lautaru in one of his songs. Unlike some of the more archaic interpretations of the song, this one is more recent and would best fit in the 1800's, with the țambal and violin appearing alongside the kaval, a more archaic instrument in the region. This arrangement foreshadows the appearance of Muzică Populară, the current commercialised form of traditional music found in Romania, whilst still retaining some of the more archaic, modal and non-harmonic language of pre-Westernisation music of the region.

Lyrics in Romanian:
Arză-l focul dascăl,
Cum mă necăjește,
Umblă să mă-nvețe
Grecul păsărește

Tipto tiptis tipto tiptis
Tipto tiptis tipto tis

Ah! Ce foc pe mine!
Of! Ce supărare!
Să strig toata ziua
Tot în gura mare

Tipto tiptis tipto tiptis
Tipto tiptis tipto tip

Ah! Ce bucurie
E pân’ țară mie
Când văd pe câmpie,
Mi se-arată mie:

Căprioare mâncătoare,
Prepelițe zburătoare,
Păsărele cântătoare,
Ce mă chem la vânătoare.

I haven't managed to find any word for word translations that would do the lyrics justice, so if any of our Romanian friends could provide one, I would be happy to add it to this description.