Many years ago I bought a record with Hungarian music for my parents – a record with title La Hongrie – Musique a Danser by the Ferenc Sebö Ensemble. I made a copy on a cassette for me, and this cassette became one of my favorites. And I have played many of the tunes on my mandolin.
Today I found a couple of videos of Ferenc Sebö and his ensembles, with many of the songs that I know from this record. There are videos from as early as 1975, but also many videos from more recent concerts, including many of the songs that I know from my old record.
This music is also used for dancing, in some videos you can see people dancing to the music.
Ferenc Sebö plays mostly the guitar and sings. Other instruments used in his ensembles are the violin, different plucked instruments from Eastern Europe like the tambura and the bouzouki, the jew’s harp, hurdy gurdies, flutes and reed instruments and drums. The singing of Ferenc Sebö and some other singers, including Sebestyén Márta, is very typical for the Hungarian music.
The following is a video from 1975, with a selection of songs to poems by Sándor Weöres. In this video you can see and hear a tambura, a small plucked instrument with 5 strings:
Sebő ensemble by Márta Sebestyén sings Sándor Weöres poems
One of my favorite tune is Rejtelmek – a very simple tune, composed of just the first 5 tones of a scale – but a really beautiful tune.
Here is a version with Koncz Zsuzsa and Sebestyén Márta and Ferenc Sebö on the guitar:
Koncz Zsuzsa, Sebestyén Márta- Rejtelmek
And here another version with a bigger ensemble:
Sebő együttes – Rejtelmek
Obviously this tune is one of the best known tune by Ferenc Sebö – so it is no surprise that the homepage of Sebö – együttes is http://www.rejtelmek.hu/
There you can find a lot of information – unfortunately only in Hungarian language.
Another homepage with this and other Hungarian music is http://www.szepi.hu/
I have added my favorite videos with Ferenc Sebö to my playlist Ferenc Sebö – please enjoy this fine music!
Check my post about Sutari and Dead Rat Orchestra: http://www.mandoisland.com/?p=8802
Amazon tip (Partnerlink)
Hungarian Folk Music – Sebo Ensemble