INCURSION IN THE FUNEREAL REPERTOIRE: THE DIRGE

Authors

• Eugen Petre SANDU Unlike the solemn funereal ceremonial songs, dirges correspond, to another emotional state; as Constantin Brăiloiu also says, they are true, “melodic outpourings of regret” for the departed. Their existence, both in, Romania and in other countries, is mentioned since ancient times., While the ritual song is subsumed to the rites of passage, the dirge, seeks “to please” the dead and provides psychological balance for the, bereaved by relieving the pain expressed so vehemently. While the ritual, song is dominated by tact and is permeated by an atmosphere of grandeur, in which funereal pain is assuaged, the dirge is an individual burst of pain, which has reached its climax, the expression of which requires even violent, gestures, beyond abundant tears and screams of pain. Beyond the mental, need, the act of wailing also relies on the belief that the departed might, perceive what is going on around him; he would enjoy seeing the deep, regret caused by his disappearance. The dirge is therefore meant to cement, the cohesion between the living and the world of the departed in a, configuration very different from modern human representations. This, vision not only leads to violent expressions, but also to gestures and acts, that seem inexplicable: pulling of hair, gathering tears in a kerchief and, then placing it next to the deceased. In time, their intensity has faded, considerably in Europe, in its last phase the dirge becoming a pure funereal, elegy, a physical expression supported by as few dramatic gestures as, possible, often involving the withholding of tears., Designed to be a lyrical genre also by its cathartic function, the, dirge is done individually, because this is the only way in which the wailer, can unleash the torrent of ideas and feelings mustered in her soul. It is, more individualized than the lyric song as it provides performers with, formulations on some states that fit more people. The dirge must express, the wailer’s grief, the fondness determined by the special relationship, with the deceased, the more intimate the more profound. Therefore, the, dirge leads to emphasizing the relationship between the wailer and the, deceased; moreover, the poetic and melodic outpouring of regret, evoking, details designed to enliven it, can only be based on this affective ground. Author