Ferenc Sánta and his Gypsy Band

Csárdás is a Hungarian dance-music genre characterized by a dramatic alternation between slow, rubato sections (lassú) and fast, driving sections (friss). Its melodies are highly ornamented and often make expressive use of the "Hungarian minor" (Gypsy) scale with augmented seconds, along with rapid modulations between minor and relative major. Traditionally led by a prímás (lead violinist) and accompanied by cimbalom, kontra (three-string viola providing off‑beat chords), and double bass, csárdás thrives on flexible tempo, sudden accelerandi, and rhetorical pauses that highlight virtuosity and call-and-response. It is both a social dance rooted in taverns (csárda) and a concert idiom elevated by Roma ensembles and Romantic-era composers.