Maria Tănase

Maria Tănase (1913–1963) was a Romanian singer and actress whose repertoire ranged from traditional Romanian folk music to romance, tango, chanson and operetta. Born in Bucharest, she made her stage debut in 1934 at Constantin Tănase's Cărăbuș Theatre, recorded her first folk songs in 1937 and represented Romania at the 1939 New York World's Fair. She performed in theatre and film, taught traditional singing at Music School No. 1 in Bucharest and was named Honoured Artist in 1957; she is still regarded as Romania's national diva and one of its major cultural icons of the 20th century.

September 25, 1913