Csárdás is perhaps the most famous composition

Musical composition

Musical composition can refer to an original piece of music, the structure of a musical piece, or the process of creating a new piece of music. People who practice composition are called composers.- Musical compositions :...

 of Vittorio Monti

Vittorio Monti

Vittorio Monti was an Italian composer, violinist, and conductor.Monti was born in Naples, where he studied violin and composition at the Conservatorio di San Pietro a Majella...

. A rhapsodical

Rhapsody (music)

A rhapsody in music is a one-movement work that is episodic yet integrated, free-flowing in structure, featuring a range of highly contrasted moods, colour and tonality. An air of spontaneous inspiration and a sense of improvisation make it freer in form than a set of variations...

 concert piece written in 1904, it is a well-known folk piece based on a Hungarian csárdás

Csárdás

Csárdás is a traditional Hungarian folk dance, the name derived from csárda . It originated in Hungary and was popularized by Roma music bands in Hungary and neighboring lands of Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Burgenland, Croatia, Ukraine, Transylvania and Moravia, as well as among the Banat...

. It was originally composed for violin

Violin

The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....

, mandolin

Mandolin

A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...

 or piano

Piano

The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...

. Nowadays, it is usually played on the violin, but can also be played as a piano solo, saxophone solo, on the accordion

Accordion

The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....

, as an orchestra

Orchestra

An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...

l arrangement, or Tuba

Tuba

The tuba is the largest and lowest-pitched brass instrument. Sound is produced by vibrating or "buzzing" the lips into a large cupped mouthpiece. It is one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra, first appearing in the mid-19th century, when it largely replaced the...

 solo. The duration of the piece is about four and a half minutes.

Structure

The piece has seven different sections, each one of a different tempo and occasionally key. The first half of the piece is in D minor

D minor

D minor is a minor scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. In the harmonic minor, the C is raised to C. Its key signature has one flat ....

, then modulates to D major

D major

D major is a major scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Its key signature consists of two sharps. Its relative minor is B minor and its parallel minor is D minor....

, back to D minor, and then finally finishes in D major. The first section is Andante Largo, followed by a large increase in speed to Allegro Vivo. This then slows down to Molto Meno. The piece then slows down more to Meno, Quasi Lento. The piece then suddenly picks up in pace and is at Allegro Vivace. It then slows down to Allegretto and finally to Molto Più Vivo. The tempo changes make the piece exciting and interesting, but even with all of these tempo changes, it is generally expected that there should be some rubato to add feeling to the piece. There are also many different dynamic changes in the piece, ranging from pianissimo

Pianissimo

Pianissimo is an Italian word, meaning "very soft". It can mean:*Pianissimo, refers to the volume of a soft sound or soft note.*Pianissimo Peche, a brand of Japanese cigarettes made by Japan Tobacco....

to fortissimo.

In the Meno, Quasi Lento section, the violin plays stopped harmonics

Artificial harmonic

To produce an artificial harmonic, a stringed instrument player holds down a note on the neck with the non-dominant hand, thereby shortening the vibrational length of the string, uses a finger to lightly touch a point on the string that is an integer divisor of its vibrational length, and plucks or...

. This involves the violinist placing their finger down on the note and playing another note, with the finger only just touching the string 5 semitones above. This gives the effect of the violin sounding two octave

Octave

In music, an octave is the interval between one musical pitch and another with half or double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been referred to as the "basic miracle of music", the use of which is "common in most musical systems"...

s (24 semitones) higher.

Adaptations

Lady Gaga

Lady GaGa

Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...

 uses this song as part of her background music in the song "Alejandro

Alejandro (song)

"Alejandro" is a song by American recording artist Lady Gaga. It was released as the third single from her third extended play and second major release The Fame Monster...

".

Louie C.K. used this song as part of the introduction to the Season 02, Episode 06 "Subway/Pamela" on his show "Louie

Louie

Louie may refer to* Louie * "Louie" , by Blood Raw* "Brother Louie" , by Hot Chocolate* "Brother Louie" , by Hot Chocolate* Louie the Bear, the St...

".

The theme is also prominently featured in Awaara

Awaara

Awaara is a 1951 Hindi film directed and produced by Raj Kapoor who also plays the leading role. His real-life father Prithviraj Kapoor stars as his on-screen father Judge Raghunath. Kapoor's youngest real-life brother Shashi Kapoor plays the younger version of his character...

, a 1951 Bollywood movie.

It was a featured piece involving dueling violins in Unfaithfully Yours (1984 film)

Unfaithfully Yours (1984 film)

Unfaithfully Yours is a 1984 romantic comedy film directed by Howard Zieff, starring Dudley Moore and Nastassja Kinski and featuring Armand Assante and Albert Brooks. The screenplay was written by Valerie Curtin, Barry Levinson, and Robert Klane based on Preston Sturges' screenplay for the 1948...

Recordings

The following albums have this piece included in their repertoire: |Expressions: The Heart of the Tuba>

Title	Record Label	Recording Date
Gypsy Fire/Tzigane - Esin Engin Orchestra	EMI EMI The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...	1990
All Of The World's Most Beautiful Melodies	Chandos	1995
Angelic Winters	Concas-Mondragon	2002
Best Encores 100	EMI Classics EMI Classics EMI Classics is a record label of EMI, formed in 1990 in order to reduce the need to create country-specific packaging and catalogs for internationally distributed classical music releases....	2009
Clarinet Evergreens	Naxos Naxos Records Naxos Records is a record label specializing in classical music. Through a number of imprints, Naxos also releases genres including Chinese music, jazz, world music, and early rock & roll. The company was founded in 1987 by Klaus Heymann, a German-born resident of Hong Kong.Naxos is the largest...	1997
Classical 2008	EMI Classics EMI Classics EMI Classics is a record label of EMI, formed in 1990 in order to reduce the need to create country-specific packaging and catalogs for internationally distributed classical music releases....	2007
Dances of the World	CD Accord	2001
MSR Classics	2005
Fantaisies Classiques	Atma Classique ATMA Classique ATMA Classique is a Canadian record label based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1995, the company has over 300 titles in its catalogue and distributes in over 25 countries and on the internet. Several recordings released by the company have won Juno and Felix Awards....	1993
Favourite Flavours	Linus Linus -People:*Pope Linus , the second Pope of the Catholic Church*Linus B. Comins, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts in 1857–59*Linus Yale, Jr., American mechanical engineer...	2005
Hungarian Dances	Onyx Onyx Onyx is a banded variety of chalcedony. The colors of its bands range from white to almost every color . Commonly, specimens of onyx contain bands of black and/or white.-Etymology:...	2008
Key to the Classics	Daisy Jopling and Bojan Dugic	2008
Lakatos: King of the Gypsy Violins	Capriccio Capriccio (music) A capriccio or caprice , is a piece of music, usually fairly free in form and of a lively character...	1999
Music by Monti, Fauré, Ravel, Gershwin et al.	Somm	2007
Once Upon A Time [DVD Video]	Analekta
Polish Spirit [DVD Video]	EMI EMI The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...	2007
Portrait of an Artist: Arnold Jacobs	Summit Summit Summit may refer to:*Summit , the highest point of a mountain, hill, road, or railway.-Locations:United States* Summit, Arizona* Summit, Arkansas* Summit, California** Summit, Butte County, California** Summit, Kern County, California...	2000
Romance & Passion	Thorofon	2001
Salon Music at Schumann's Bar	Edel Edel - People :* Abraham Edel , North American philosopher and ethicist* Alfred William Edel , American television news presenter* Apoula Edel , Cameroonian-Armenian footballer...	2005
Salut Salon! Was kann das Herz dafur	Warner Bros. Records Warner Bros. Records Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
Saxomania	ASV ASV Records ASV Records is a London-based record label set up by Harley Usill, founder of Argo Records, Decca producer and former Argo General Manager, Kevin Daly, and producer Jack Boyce, after Argo's parent company Decca was bought by Polygram in 1980. ASV stands for "Academy Sound and Vision"...	1997
Sommerkonzerte Zwischen Donau und Altmühl: Edition '97	Audi Audi Audi AG is a German automobile manufacturer, from supermini to crossover SUVs in various body styles and price ranges that are marketed under the Audi brand , positioned as the premium brand within the Volkswagen Group....	1997
Spanish Guitar Classics, Volume 2	St. Clair	1999
The Budapest Gypsy Orchestra	Ode Ode Ode is a type of lyrical verse. A classic ode is structured in three major parts: the strophe, the antistrophe, and the epode. Different forms such as the homostrophic ode and the irregular ode also exist...
The Instruments of the Orchestra [Box Set]	Naxos Naxos Records Naxos Records is a record label specializing in classical music. Through a number of imprints, Naxos also releases genres including Chinese music, jazz, world music, and early rock & roll. The company was founded in 1987 by Klaus Heymann, a German-born resident of Hong Kong.Naxos is the largest...	2002
The North Brass	Opening Day Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball and most of the minor leagues, this day falls during the first week of April. For baseball fans, Opening Day serves as a symbol of rebirth; writer Thomas Boswell once penned a book...	1998
The Schiller Family in Concert	The Schiller Family	2007
The World's Most Beautiful Melodies, Vol. 5	Chandos	1994
Tracked	Quartz Quartz Quartz is the second-most-abundant mineral in the Earth's continental crust, after feldspar. It is made up of a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon–oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall formula SiO2. There are many different varieties of quartz,...	2005
Trio Sonata Concert	Gallo Gallo Gallo can mean:*related to Gaul, as in Gallo-Roman culture*Gallo language, a regional language of France*Gallo , from Guatemala*Gallo Matese, a commune of 761 inhabitants in the province of Caserta, Italy...	1993
Vengerov and Virtuosi	EMI EMI The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...	2001
Vienna Nights	Premium Music	1998
Virtuoso	Decca Decca Records Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....	2007
Walking in the Air	ASV ASV Records ASV Records is a London-based record label set up by Harley Usill, founder of Argo Records, Decca producer and former Argo General Manager, Kevin Daly, and producer Jack Boyce, after Argo's parent company Decca was bought by Polygram in 1980. ASV stands for "Academy Sound and Vision"...	1992
Yehudi Menuhin's Young Virtuosi	Classic FM Classic FM (UK) Classic FM, one of the United Kingdom's three Independent National Radio stations, broadcasts classical music in a popular and accessible style.-Overview:...	1998
Young Berlin Classics	PricewaterhouseCoopers PricewaterhouseCoopers PricewaterhouseCoopers is a global professional services firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest professional services firm measured by revenues and one of the "Big Four" accountancy firms....	2007

Published scores

• Monti: Czardas per violino e pianoforte. Z. 13 700 (Editio Musica Budapest).
• The Celebrated Czardas by V. Monti F 102595 F (G. Ricordi & Co., London Limited)

External links

• CZARDAS for Violin arranged by alberto carcano
• Csárdás for Violin and Piano on www.kreusch-sheet-music.net
• Csárdás - Cello Solo performed by Trey Lee Chui-yee
  Trey Lee Chui-yee
  Trey Chui-yee Lee is an internationally renowned cellist. He was born in Hong Kong in the 1970s, but grew up in the United States of America. He attended the Juilliard Music School, majoring in cello. Afterwards, he went to Harvard University, to major in Economics...
  
  (Youku video)
• Csárdás – Piano Transcription performed by Geoffrey Storm (Youtube)
• Performed by Sophie Langdon, violin and Christopher Green-Armytage, piano, Philadelphia, 1979
• Csárdás – Solo piano arrangement by Alexander Zlatkovski (Youtube)