MUZSIKÁS
is the name given to musicians playing traditional folk music in
Hungary in villages. The formation of the MUZSIKÁS
Ensemble coincided with the European revivalist movement of the
seventies whereby interest lied not only in the traditions, but
also the roots of culture.
The members of the group play and sing in the style of old Hungarian folk bands in which the solo violin and the song typically were accompanied with the three-stringed viola and contrabass. The musicians also play other instruments which enables them to produce an extensive range of exciting and unusual colour tones. The music of MUZSIKÁS can be characterized as the traditional arrangements of authentic Hungarian folk music featuring a playing style typical of the best village musicians. It has nothing in common stylistically with the Gypsy-Hungarian style, but is rather the true folk music of Hungary, the most beautiful melodies of which were considered by Béla Bartók to be equal with the greatest works of music.
As an indicator of MUZSIKÁS' success they have toured all over the world including nearly every European country, in addition to Northern America, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, appearing in the greatest festivals and biggest concert halls as the Royal Festival Hall in London, the Theater de la Ville in Paris or the Town Hall in New York.
Their music appears in the film of the Oscar winner director Costa Gavras', "Music Box," having received the first prize in the Berlin film festival in 1989. They have provided the music for a contemporary dance piece entitled "Dancing Room," which was performed in several theaters in England and filmed by BBC in 1994. Their famous song Szerelem szerelem (Love, love), performed by Marta Sebestyen, can be heard in the Academy Award film The English Patient.
