He is Romani and was born with the music in his veins. He played, as always, the accordion, the organ and the saxophone by the ear. He is a genius just like his people of musicians. He did not want to stop here. At 14, David is dreaming of the great stages of the world, with his clarinet and a bow tie.
When you mention Zece Prajini village, you think of music, Romani people, party and good mood. Situated on the border between Iasi and Neamt counties, the village next to Dagata village got his name from the allotment measured with ten poles given to the Romani liberated from slavery. The name became renowned after the ursari became musicians. There is no house out approximately 150 where there is a man who does not know how to play at least one instrument. Hence, there are no less than four orchestras in Zece Prajini. This involves a lot of work and competition, celebrity status and numerous tours abroad.
Davis Preda is 14. He is full of life and swarthy. You lose yourself in his smile and you could listen to his music for hours. He comes from ancestors with music in their veins, and together with his younger brother Luca, he was born to take the tradition further. He plays the accordion, the organ and the saxophone ever since he can remember. He also took private classes learning how to play the clarinet for three years, one hour per week, in Roman. He fell in love with the clarinet and decided to devote himself body and soul. He wants to reach a higher level in playing the clarinet and to dedicate his future to the classical music. Additionally, he wished to preserve the Romani music inside of him as a passion.
At 13, he convinced his parents to let him leave home. He wanted to spread his wings and follow his dream. After four years at the local village primary school followed by two years of secondary school, David moved to Vasile Alecsandri Gymnasium in Vaslui, in the seventh grade. Here, he studied in a classroom where students study the normal curriculum and on top they have extra arts and music lessons. He is taking extra lessons in music theory, solfeggio, and clarinet, his main instrument and piano his secondary instrument. In his spare time he enjoys listening to Romani music and at the weekends he trains with the members of the band Rotaria Junior, playing music influenced by the Balkans. The band is famous throughout the country after reaching the semi-finals of Romanians have talent TV show. “Sometimes he can barely speak on the phone. He feels very weak. He works a lot, but he does what he enjoys and, therefore, his effort is being rewarded”, says Maria Preda, David’s grandmother. She is a young and beautiful grandmother, school mediator at the village school and a pillar in sustaining her grand children’s education. She is the mother of Bogdan, also known as Strugurel, the saxophone player from Fanfara Shavale (”The Boys”). She is also Ramona’s mother in law, who studied clarinet and piano, too, at school.
David Preda – hand and clarinet
David’s parents do not know what to do with themselves for joy that their sons are inheriting their talent and, that for the moment one of them takes important steps to outdo them in their career. “David wished to get to Iasi, at Octav Bancila College. Therefore, he needed music theory, not just talent. He has potential and, therefore, we do all we can to support him”, says Bogdan. Ramona works at present in a protected home in Negresti, Vaslui, where she takes care of sick children. She is happy that David feels motivated and he follows her in her footsteps and he could reach together with his clarinet, on the world famous stages. “After only one term and a bit, he participated at the Music Olympiad, county level and won the third place. It was a huge progress, and I am very proud of my son”, says his mother.
The clarinet teacher at school has only praise words for him, vouching that David can reach very far on the musical side. “He is very talented. He made huge progresses and, I tell you that if he continues like this he will do very well. I have great hopes for him”, said his teacher Iftimie Cauneac. He is teaching several Romani students and he acknowledges the gift they are gifted with.
David is very proud that he has Romani blood and that music is part of him. He was bragging since he was a child, among the family friends that he speaks Romani and nothing will deter him from feeling and being what he is. “Until now I was lucky to be part of a team where I was treated just like any other child, without being discriminated against. Those who like me, they like me the way I am; those who do not like me, probably would not like me if I were Romanian too. That’s how I am. Unfortunately, I have colleagues who are reluctant to say they are Romani, although it is public knowledge”, tells David. He continues, being serious: “I believe they are unhappy inside them, if they cannot accept and if they do not understand that it is not the ethnicity which makes a person better or worse”.
The sadness is justified, especially when in the environment where children develop, there are no differences between children. “The fact that David belongs to a so called disadvantaged minority is completely without any interest for my colleagues and his classmates. Why? Because no one in our school – children or educators – classifies, does not talk or makes remarks about such things. We have in our team people of different religion, ethnicity and traditions. We evaluate and sometimes rank students, but from other point of view. David, just like everybody else, is in our school to get an education”, emphasises Dorina Baban, mathematics teacher and David’s class teacher.
Happy and lacking frustrations, the boy struggles to keep the pace with the school work, although he is aware that only through education he can become a great artist: “There is no point in being good at music, if you do not study. You cannot achieve anything without education”.
David wishes for next year to pass the final gymnasium exam and to move to Iasi. He says that with a clear head, just like when he bought his new clarinet. It costed 1700 Euros and he earned most of the money himself. He earned it during the winter season when he participated in the traditional festivities, going from house to house and at the weekend going with his father to weddings and other events. “This one is more reliable, it has a different tune. My first clarinet was good to begin with and I practiced a lot on it. It is Chinese made, less performant, but I will keep it forever, as memory.”
David, what else are you doing? What else are you passionate about? When will you introduce us to your girlfriend? The questions and curiosities from those around him are flowing, while the kid stops them charmingly and sincere. “I do not really have time to do other things, except for music”. He always has the clarinet with him, and, on top of the official lesson, he practices for at least two hours extra. Afterwards, he relaxes listening to Romani music and then goes back to sheet music. “Classical music is my future”. A future with a bow tie, as David likes saying.
David Preda and family
It sounds good and the statement makes him grin. Elfish, but full of humbleness. He comes from Romani musicians’ people and despite the fact that he dreams of playing on the famous stages of the country and the world – he will never forget where he started from. He will not look with superiority over the ones who cannot read the notes nor will he stop from playing the accordion together with them at weddings. His talent and his love of music comes from many generations ago, and he is only happy that he can take advantage of the gift he has. On top of his gift, the parents and grandparents’ financial resources, care and sacrifice add up.
Davis studies, works hard and dreams. His dreams are very close to his heart and he is convinced that he will be able to overcome any obstacle. He gives us a symbolic autograph as guarantee. In a few years’ time, the autograph will be very valuable.
This article can be read here http://saptepietre.ro/2015/04/traditie-si-partitura-doua-iubiri-intr-o-inima-de-rom.html
