6/22/2012

Maria lui Tănase


 Fiecare venim pe lume purtand o flacără în noi. La unii pâlpâie slab, nici caldă nici rece. În alții arde mocnit, și le ajunge o viață. Lungă, așezată, fără mari suișuri și coborâșuri. Și mai sunt cei "alesi”, "cei scoși din rand” în care arde vâlvătaie, mistuindu-i mereu prea devreme, pe altarul celor dinainte sortiți jertfei.  Jertfă necesară pentru ca cei dintâi să poată crește.
Un astfel de OM a fost Măria Tănase. Un amestec alchimic de frumusețe feminină, demnă de marile dive ale cinematografiei alb-negru, de talent, forță și patimă, de simplitate și autenticitate strâns împletite cu un bun gust și rafinament extraordinare. A trăit furtunos, îmbrățișând viața cu toate ale ei, o existența aflată permanent sub semnul lui "a iubi”. A ars și în dragoste și pe scenă, dăruindu-se total, participând cu întreaga ființă.

image via Wikipedia

 Născută în 1913 în mahalaua Cărămidarilor, al treilea copil al făgărășencei Ana Munteanu și al florarului oltean Ioan Coandă Tănase, Maria a crescut de mică în mijlocul doinelor cântate de muncitorii în grădina tatălui și-al bocetelor pe care se furișa să le asculte în cimitir. Înzestrată cu o personalitate puternică, total atipică pentru tiparele și tabuurile vremii, la 16 ani pleacă de-acasă și participă la Miss România. Nu trece testul costumelor de baie, însă un tânăr medic se-ndragosteste de ea, și-n urma poveștii de iubire rămâne însărcinată. Renunță la sarcină, însă decizia o lasă fără posibilitatea de-a mai avea copii vreodată, acesta fiind poate singurul mare regret al vieții sale. Tristețea și durerea și le transpune ulterior în interpretarea cântecelor, neîmplinirea maternității fiind, probabil, unul din motivele cancerului de sân, extins la plamani, ce i-a adus și sfârșitul, la numai 49 de ani.

A cucerit pe rând, România, Parisul, America. A trăit sofisticat, o viață ca în filme. Uneori lin, de cele mai multe ori zbuciumat (despre rolul sau de spion în al doilea război mondial pentru serviciile secrete americane și britanice în scopul scoaterii României din alianță cu Germania s-a speculat mult, dar s-a vorbit prea puțin cu adevarat), sufletul ei rămanand insa mereu, profund românesc. Întreaga viață a cules de prin satele țării cântece vechi, populare, și le-a cântat într-o manieră inconfundabilă, adâncă și sublimă. Iar românii au divinizat-o. Atât de mult încât în ciuda testamentului lăsat în urmă, în care marea artistă își dorea o înmormântare simplă și anonimă, jumătate de București a condus-o pe ultimul drum...

S-a stins acum 49 de ani, în 22 iunie, dar steaua ei continuă să strălucească. Ne-a dăruit necondiționat atât de mult, că niciodată nu i-am putea mulțumi pe deplin!... Poate măcar la anul, când vor fi trecut deja 100 de ani de la nașterea și 50 de ani de la moartea sa, îi vom putea spune recunoscători "Multumim, Mărie!” împlinindu-i unica cerința avuta către noi, săpându-i FÂNTÂNA într-o bucată de pământ însetat, așa cum a lăsat cu limbă de moarte.

Si poate că astfel, blestemul "celor ce iubesc si lasa" va fi, în sfârșit, ridicat...



We all come to this world with a flame carried inside. For some of us it dimly flickers, neither warm nor cold. In others, it burns quietly, just enough for a lifetime. Long, steady, without major ups and downs. And there’s also the “chosen ones” in which there’s an unceasing blaze, always consuming them before their time, on the altar of those fated to be sacrificed. A necessary sacrifice so that the first ones can grow.

Maria Tanase was such a PERSON. She was an alchemic fusion of feminine beauty, worthy of a great diva of black and white cinematography, of talent, strength and passion, of simplicity and authenticity closely woven with an extraordinary refinement and good taste. She lived her life blustering, embracing it with all her forces, a life under the mark of the verb “to love”. She gave herself completely in both relationships and on stage.

Born in 1913, in one of Bucharest’s suburbs, Caramidari, the third child of Ana Munteanu and florist Ioan Coanda Tanase, as a child Maria grew among Romanian folklore songs sung by his father’s workers in the garden and traditional funeral songs which she usually sneaked to the cemetery to listen to. Blessed with a strong personality, completely atypical for that time’s social inhibitions, she leaves home when 16 to attend Miss Romania contest. She fails the swimming suits test, but a young doctor falls in love with her and leaves her with child. She performs an abortion and sadly, the decision leaves her without the possibility of ever having a child, this being the only greatest regret of her life. The bitterness and pain sprung from this unfortunate event were powerfully expressed later on in her way of interpreting her songs.  And perhaps this unfulfillment of motherhood was one of the reasons who led to the breast cancer, spread to lungs, that killed her when only 49 years old.

She gradually conquered Romania, Paris, America. She lived a sophisticated life, like a movie, sometimes smoothly, most of the times stormy (they speculated a lot about her spying role for the British and American secret services in order to get Romania out of her alliance with Germany during WW2), but her soul always remained profoundly Romanian. Her whole life she collected Romanian folklore from villages all over the country and sung them in a unique, deep and sublime manner. And the Romanians deified her. So much that in spite of her testament, stating the wish of a simple, anonymous funeral, half of Bucharest walked with her on her last road…


She burnt down 49 years ago, on 22nd of June, but her star is still glowing strongly.  She unconditionally offered us an immense legacy insomuch that we will never be able to thank her enough!... And maybe next year, when 100 years since her birth and 50 since her death would have passed, we will be able to gratefully tell her “Thank you, Maria!” and answer the sole request she had for us, made on her dying bed: to dig a WELL on a thirsty piece of land in her name. 

And thus, the curse on “those who betray love” may finally be lifted… 



... "Those who betray love" (or "Curse")




10 comentarii:

  1. Hello, roxana.

      Sense and expression.
      Aesthetically your work has been held by both.

      The prayer for all peace.
      I wish You all the best.
     
    Have a good weekend. From Japan, ruma ❃

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  2. Hi Roxana,

    You had this legendary beautiful diva!
    So gorgeous and attractive as she looks,
    the song in a tone of deep low voice speaks of the strength of her willpower.
    I don't understand the lines but from latter two videos I feel festive, folkloric, down to earth energy.
    She seems to put more mature and gentle look on her face.
    I understand she must have been working on social causes as well. It's great her big request will come true in honor of her.

    Keiko

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  3. Hello, ruma!

    The sense and expression you felt coming from my post, were entirely inspired by this powerful and passionate artist and woman, Maria Tanase.
    Thank you very much for your kind appreciation and visit!

    Have a good weekend and good days ahead!

    RăspundețiȘtergere
  4. Hello, Keiko!

    She really was a fascinating and intriguing woman. Indeed she helped others a lot and many musicians had a chance for a great music career later on because of her choosing to take them into her band of instrumentalists.
    They say she could be like a queen when in a stylish, elevated circle, and at the same time simple, funny and unsophisticated as a peasant girl when among "her own", the people closest to her heart.
    Sadly, her last wish had never been fulfilled by the national authorities, though she continues to contribute to the welfare of the country through her albums still selling very good. Who knows, maybe the next year they'll take it into consideration?... :(
    I don't know if my English will be enough to explain the song, but I'll try. It speaks about the fact that in spite of our consciousness, and consequently our responsibility we, human beings, don't keep our word to others. We make promises we don't respect, even though other creatures, less gifted than us (in the song she makes referral to the ant) always perform their part with perseverance and hard work until the end.
    So she invokes the divine powers to punish those humans who "love and leave" easily, by giving them the lesson of humbleness and, I would say, the lesson of unableness to choose weather to promise or not. Because the punishments she calls for are the trailing (crawling) of the snake, the step of the beetle, the wind's whoosh and the dust of the earth. And all of them, snake, beetle, wind and dust lack self-consciousness, hence the possibility to choose. I guess in the end it's a punishment for not realizing and appreciating the importance of this immense gift we've been given. At least this is my understanding of the lyrics. :)

    Thank you for your nice comment, Keiko, you too have peaceful days ahead!

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  5. Thank you for this post, Roxana. Truly she must have emitted a light that not only warmed the hearts of people but also guided people’s way with that light. And even after the light was put out, people’s memories of her has given people strength – what a wonderful life she had even if some part of her life was with torments. I wonder what I want to be remembered with after my death. I’m especially impressed with her voice. Despite her classy, refined, and beautiful appearance, her voice contains more strength than I thought.

    Regarding your comment, Yes, I love hydrangeas, and I think they are very loved by Japanese people as floral symbol of rainy season. Hydrangeas are native to Japan. I had thought Romania is cooler than Japan as it’s located north. 38 degrees Celsius is our midsummer. Only rain, not air conditioner, softens the heat even for a little while. Take care of yourself.

    Yoko

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  6. Thank you, Yoko, for your heart-felt comment! Knowing your sensibility, I was sure you'll feel her beautiful soul. For me, she will always be a beacon of feminine beauty, strength and determination, an ever-living light. And I think she'll still be difficult to surpass for a long time, because it's more than a powerful voice, it's singing with every cell in her body.

    Have a restful week ahead and take care of yourself!

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  7. Bunicii ii placea Maria Tanase. Imi punea, din cand in cand, acelasi disc. Imi aduc aminte ca si cum ar fi fost ieri. Nu stiam multe despre Maria Tanase, multumesc.

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  8. Irina, ma bucura mult prezenta ta aici!
    Eu am crescut de mica intre cantece populare, caci mama a cantat la un moment dat muzica populara in adolescenta ei. Parca-i aud vocea frumoasa, dar timida, fredonand usor prin casa cu diverse treburi. Preferata ei era Angelica Stoican, dar dintre toate, mie Maria Tanase mi-a mers drept la inima.

    Ma bucur ca ai descoperit lucruri pe care nu le stiai despre ea, si-ti doresc o duminica frumoasa in continuare!

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  9. Dear Roxana, you must be proud of this great woman and artist!
    I am!! Makes me happy when I know about women that had this kind of role in life specialy in a time that for a woman was very difficult to face life this way!
    Her voice, her figure are impressive!
    Thank you, dear friend, for making me know this great woman and artist!
    Love and peace!

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  10. Dear Vera, I am proud and I think she can still be a good inspirational model of what 'women's emancipation' should be. In my opinion at lest. Not working twice a man does and at the same time, be the perfect mother, the perfect friend, the perfect woman and the perfect lover...
    And you are right, it's important knowing women who have had this kind of role in life, otherwise we'd be lost in so much... "perfection".

    I'm very happy you liked her and thank you for your tonic and enthusiastic comment!
    My warmest greetings and all the best!

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