humusic1-2, Exercise 3: Roma musicians

Model answer (one possible paragraph; check the details):

In the nineteenth century the music that Europeans heard as "Hungarian" was largely created and performed by professional Roma bands, who were hired by the gentry, taverns and cafes. They had a strong family tradition of training, adapted tunes by Hungarian composers and popular songs into their own manner, and played with great skill, so their achievement in shaping the style was real. At the same time, they often faced discrimination in daily life, and their own music, played in their communities, was a separate repertoire that outsiders rarely heard or credited.

A balanced account therefore gives credit for the artistry and says plainly that the same musicians were admired on the stage and marginalised in society. It also notes that "Hungarian music" in this sense was not the same as the peasant folk song that later researchers recorded.