On June 22, 62 years have passed since the death of Maria Tanase, but her voice still rang like an old, torn and immortal doina. For some, he was just a popular music singer. For others, a phenomenon, a voice with roots in the Romanian soil and wings in the universal heaven.
But for all, Maria Tanase remains the symbol of the authentic Romanian song, a legend that burned intensely and has extinguished too early. Her voice was not only a song, but a bridge between the hearts, a pain relief and a celebration of hope that still pulsates in the blood of this nation.
From modest Bucharest on the world’s great scenes
Maria Tanase was born on September 25, 1913, in a simple family, but with a rich popular tradition. As a child, she was attracted to song and folklore, and her talent was quickly noted. In the 1930s, in a unique, strong and emotional voice, he began to bring the peasant song on the scenes of large cities, conquering the audience through authenticity and passion.
But Maria was not just a singer – she was a force of nature. He wore the Romanian song in Paris, New York, Cairo or Istanbul, making him known to the whole world. He challenged conventions, broke pattern and brought new energy to folklore, keeping his essence and turning it into a universal message. In a time when folk music was often reduced to simple party dances, she brought back to the foreground Doina and Ballad, with all their deep experiences.
How Maria Tanase died – a fighter until the last moment
Maria Tanase’s life was not without attempts. In a period marked by authoritarian and censorship regimes, he chose to remain faithful to his art and people, even though this meant personal sacrifices.
June 22, 1963. Bucharest, a summer, stops for a moment. At 14:10, Maria Tanase died, at just 49, in a salon of Fundeni Hospital. He had a terminal lung cancer, a disease he hid with stoicism, continuing to climb on stage until the body could not keep up with the soul.
The disease was discovered late, in 1962, and since then her life has transformed into a counter-Roman meter. However, he has not lost his dignity. He refused Mila, hated the compassion and, above all, loved the scene until the last moment.
In a last gesture of modesty and love for the people, she asked that her funeral would not complain. No sadness, just a military band and her songs. She was buried at the Bellu Cemetery in Bucharest.
At his funeral, transmitted partly by the Romanian television, thousands of people filled the streets, in a pressing silence. The black and white images capture the funeral cortege and the military band, exactly as the artist asked in his will: without sketches, but with song and dignity.
Archive pictures with Maria Tanase Source the theater of Constantin Tanase & Adevărul
Why was it called the “Majesty bird” of the Romanian people
Not by chance Maria Tanase was nicknamed “Major Bad” -A title that he carried with an innate grace, without asking him. The term comes from Romanian mythology and symbolizes an winged being, with a spell, capable of healing the soul through song. That’s exactly what she was.
The painter Constantin Brâncuși told him, without hesitation, “”The master bird of the Romanian people ”being enchanted by the hypnotic power of her voice. Not only the voice-deep, warm, sharp when needed-but also the interpretation, living, the authenticity with which each verse said.
In a time when the folklore was either stylized or minimized, Maria Tanase led Doina, Ballad and the song of longing in the hamlets of Transylvania, Muntenia or Oltenia directly on the great scenes of the world.
But “Major Bad” He was not just an artist. It was a force. It was the voice of Romanians who suffered, hoped, loved. He sang about longing, betrayal, powerlessness and beauty of simple life. She was a fighter who did not compromise. He challenged prohibitions, regimes, norms, and paid for it with health, quiet and, perhaps, with life.
Her voice, deep and sharp, but also the interpretation loaded with emotion, made it unique and turned it into a myth.
The inheritance that does not die: the songs that made it immortal
Among the most famous songs of Maria Tanase include “Ciuleandra”, “Mărie and Mărior”, “Who loves and leaves”, “Besides the poplars without husband”, “I put my basil” and “World, world”. Each piece was interpreted with a special intensity, combining technical virtuosity, with a deep emotion, which penetrated directly into the soul of the listeners. These songs have become true symbols of Romanian folk music and continue to be listened to with the same passion and respect, after decades after “Major Bad” He raised his last doina.
Today, 62 years after Maria Tanase’s death, her songs are still heard in houses, on stage and souls. It is the proof that true art does not die, but reborn with every generation that listens to it. Maria Tanase was not just a voice. It was a revelation. A story. A rare bird, who knew how to fly even when the sky was full of clouds.
