2.  The Gypsies (aka Romanis) were a culturally & ethnically unique nomadic people that showed up in Europe in the late Middle Ages.  It was thought they came from Egypt or were the descendants of Cain. Modern genetics & linguistics shows they probably emigrated from India about 500 AD.  They were often made slaves & otherwise persecuted for their strange customs.

3.  Gypsies had a reputation for mysticism, colorful clothes high passions & lively music.  Many were skilled musicians & dancers. In the many places they settled in Europe, their music often became popular with the lower classes, especially in Eastern Europe (Hungary, Romania, Yugoslavia) & the Andalusian mountains of Spain (flamenco originated with them).

4.  The “Gypsy lifestyle” became popular during the Romantic period.  (Why? Write some reasons in your notes.)  Famous Gypsy characters:  Esmerelda in The Hunchback of Notre Dame  Carmen in Bizet’s opera Carmen  Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights  Javert’s mother in Les Miserables  Fortune tellers in various stories.

5.  Classical composers of the Romantic period incorporated Gypsy music in their songs.  Csárdás is a traditional Gypsy- Hungarian folk song/dance from the 1700s. Several “classical” composers wrote versions of it in the 1800s.  The music is very dramatic, beginning slow and ending very fast.  “Csárdás” by Vittorio Monti (1904) http://youtu.be/IPYHy8k9Z34http://youtu.be/IPYHy8k9Z34

6.  Brahms was a German composer who lived in Vienna, Austria and lived 1833- 1897. He wrote music for piano, orchestra, & choir. He is considered the main successor of Beethoven and is part of the “3 B’s”.  Some of his most popular works were his Hungarian Dances, which were written in a Gypsy-Hungarian style.  http://youtu.be/xCBsR4lO730 http://youtu.be/xCBsR4lO730