The doina is a Romanian musical tune style, possibly from the Middle East, that is commonly heard in Romanian peasant music and played by fiddlers. It is also prevalent in Klezmer music and can be heard throughout Eastern Europe and the Balkans. These tunes are free-rhythm, highly ornamented, and improvised. The improvisation is usually performed on a more or less fixed pattern, usually descending, with the notes stretched in a rubato-like manner, according to the performer's mood and imagination. It is unknown where the word Doina came from, but it could be an old Indo-European term as a similar form can be found in Latvia and Lithuania as Daina, which translates to "folk song". Alternatively, the word may be derived from the Serbian daljina meaning "furthering." This is because most doinas are describing the feeling of a dor. Dor is a Romanian word that means "deep longing" (equivalent to the German Sehnsucht and Portuguese Saudade).
The doinas played by peasants are mostly vocal and monophonic, and vary from place to place, with some vocal peculiarities that include interjections (măi, hei, dui-dui, iuhu), glottal clucking sounds, and choked sob effects. A doina is usually played on a simple instrument, such as a flute, or even with a simple one such as a leaf. Peasant doinas are a type of song that is non-ceremonial and is generally performed in solitude. These songs tend to have an effective psychological impact: they are lyrical with themes of melancholy, longing (dor), erotic feelings, love for the natural world, complaints about the bitterness of life, as well as invocations to God to ease the pain. Technically, the doina can be sung in any setting (outdoors, at home, at work, or awake), and is always sung solo, with or without the accompaniment of an instrument (which might include a traditional straight flute, bagpipes, or improvised instruments).
A doina is an expressive and thematic instrument that encompasses joy, sadness, solitude, social conflicts, brigand attacks, love, and many other themes. Because it can express personal qualities, emotions, and musicianship, it also serves an extremely valuable social role by providing a therapeutic outlet that strengthens solidarity. While the doina was considered a traditional peasant song at the beginning of the 20th century (in some areas the only type), it has now almost completely disappeared from peasant life, as has most traditional music. This phenomenon was accelerated during communist times when so-called "popular music" was introduced. This novel style of music was diluted by peasant styles. Fifteen people have been identified as representatives of the different types of doina, but an environment conducive to transmission and performance needs to be restored. This will ensure that the significant feature of Romania's intangible cultural heritage continues to flourish.
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