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The Songs of Soporan Vasile of the village Frata -
Cântãrile lui Soporan Vasile din satul Frata

Musicians:
Vasile Soporan - voice
Emil Mihaiu - first violin
Kálmán Urszui - contra viola
Aladár Pusztai - double bass

Singer Vasile Soporan is backed by Transylvanian band led by Emil Mihaiu (see also the CD release ETHCD005)

'Emil Mihaiu began to play the violin when he was four years old. Emil does not come from a family of musicians, as is customary. Because he was near-sighted and ran the risk of going blind, his parents paid his musical tuition. Emil apprenticed for a few years under the Gypsy musicians in the village. His first teacher was a great violin player, but - of course - ignored the names of the musical notes and, obviously, staves. 'When I turned 7 the ceteraşi began taking me with them to weddings and parties, for it was there one learned to play, they said.' Between the ages of 8 and 12, Emil performed with the musicians in the ensemble, on equal terms. He was already capable of learning tunes heard on the radio. At 14 he was in a 'restaurant band' that performed in the town of Gherla, where he later settled. At 15, a 'classical' music teacher taught him musical writing. At 18, Emil had his own ensemble that roamed the Romanian, Hungarian and mixed villages in the region.

In over three decades of experience, Emil built his reputation of an excellent violin player and trustworthy man with whom deals can be closed, as being serious about business is an important criterion in the evaluation of folk musicians. A few recent laser surgical interventions allow the now mature man to care for himself and enjoy a normal life together with his Hungarian wife and their children.

Like all Transylvanian violin players, Emil grabs the bow way above its lower part, rests his left palm on the ribs of the violin (the articulating frame), and sings almost exclusively in the second position, with a multitude of extensions. He seldom hits strong beats, just enough to accentuate the free rhythmical balance around them. He can perform a huge amount of Romanian, Hungarian and Gypsy songs, and continues to catch any music in circulation. He is also getting accustomed to 'modern' pieces, the outcome of multiple old and new, more or less coagulated crossbreeds: he must do it to gratify the tastes of young people, whatever their nationality. But he prefers the traditional repertoire, especially old songs, which he brings into the present with great satisfaction. Like all ensemble leaders, Emil periodically changes his organ and electronic drummer. This helps him keep pace with the competition, but also allows him to obtain penetrating sonorities with a small-sized ensemble.

Kálmán Urszui is a Hungarian-speaking Gypsy, son of a city musician who was considered the best viola player in Transylvania in his lifetime. Kálmán is a viola player in a Romanian folk ensemble in Cluj. In weekends he plays at weddings and parties, in cities and villages on a radius of at least 100 kilometers, for Hungarians, Romanians and Gypsies. Kálmán is a virtuoso of the violin, viola, piano, organ and guitar and can play almost anything: traditional music, mixed pan-Balkan music, café concert, rock, pop. He shifts from one instrument to another and from one style to another with incredible ease.

Aladár Pusztai, a Hungarian-speaking Gypsy, comes from an urban family and plays the cymbalom (dulcimer) in the same Romanian folk ensemble in Cluj. As any good musician, 'Ali,' also dubbed 'Tzambaladár,' can play several instruments: violin, accordion, piano, organ, and double bass.'

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The Songs of Soporan Vasile of the village Frata -
Cântãrile lui Soporan Vasile din satul Frata