I’m sure that every Romanian has heard at least one of Maria T?nase’s songs. She was one of the greatest folk singers. Her lyrics were about lost love, happiness and sadness and many other contemporary artists tried to equal her talent but with little success. She was Romania's Edith Piaf.

Maria’s life was all about folklore

She was born in Bucharest, on Livada cu Duzi street, on September 25th 1913. She was the younger child of a family who had two more children. Maria’s parents loved Romanian traditional and popular music and raised their children to love this music as well.

In 1921, Maria T?nase steps for the first time on stage during a school party in Caramidarii de Jos. Then Maria was asked to sing on the stage of „Ion Heliade Radulescu” highschool where she also attended a few classes but later she abandoned school to help her parents with their work. Everything seemed to be lost for her but a few years later she met Sandu Eliad, a writer who worked for a local newspaper. He introduced Maria to several intelectuals who advised her to follow her heart and step on the stage.

On June 2nd 1934 she appears in the „C?r?bu?-Express” magazine under the pseudonym of Mary Atanasiu.

Maria T?nase became famous all over Romania in 1938 after she recorded the first songs for the Romanian Society of Radio. Unfortunately, many of her records were destroyed in 1940 by the Iron Guard under the pretext that her music is a disgrace for Romanian traditional music and folklore.

Music and politics

The true reason for her music to be censored was that among her intelectual friends there were also some Jewish people, like Harry Brauner (brother of Victor Brauner, the painter) and the Iron Guard considered she sang Jewish propaganda songs. In 1940, after the Legionary Movement became a very powerful political party, all kind of music was forbidden in public places. All those who disobeyed (and many restaurant owners did that) were being punished: all of their discs were broken. Many beautiful songs of Maria T?nase were never recovered.

Another reason why her music was forbidden was that she used to play chess while she was naked and this is how she used to torture her partners. Even Constantin Brâncu?i told stories about this unusual hobby of Maria. This was against the Guard’s principles who were fighting pornography.

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