Prímás

The prímás (or prímhegedűs) is the leading violinist in Romani orchestras, and the organizer of concerts, helped by the assistant prímás (segéd-prímás). It appeared in the Hungarian culture and spread to the surrounding peoples, in Romania it is transliterated into primaș and in Slovakia into primáš.

The prímás is responsible for playing the main melody in Central and Eastern European Gypsy bands or Hungarian folk bands. They are the leading figures of the orchestras, and are highly respected. The Hungarian saying ő viszi a prímet also comes from here, it is used for someone who had a leading or the most important role in something. His part is the violino primo. A notable exception was Pál Tendl who used a cimbalom instead of a violin when leading the musicians.

The Hungarian word comes from the Ecclesiastical Latin primatis.

Hungarians

 * András Suki
 * Antal Szalai
 * Kálmán Balázs
 * Károly Balog
 * Marci Banda
 * Laci Beló
 * László Berki
 * János Bihari
 * Károly Boka
 * Samu Boka
 * Lajos Boross the "Prímásking"Budapest-jozsef-boros-lajos.jpg-Hungarian prímás, also known as Prímásking (prímáskirály)]]
 * Sándor Buffó Rigó
 * Ferenc Bunkó
 * Czinka Panna
 * Miska Darázs
 * Marci Dombi
 * Lajos Debreceni Kiss (cigányprímás)
 * Ignác Erdélyi
 * Jóska Farkas
 * Miska Farkas
 * Flóris Lakatos
 * Sándor Járóka the Elder
 * Sándor Járóka Jr.
 * János Lavotta
 * Tibor Lukács
 * Imre Magyari (prímás, 1864–1929) the Elder
 * Imre Magyari (prímás, 1894–1940) Jr.
 * Lajos Munczy
 * Ferkó Patikárius
 * Pali Pertis
 * József Pityó
 * Károly Puka
 * Béla Rácz
 * Pali Rácz (1822–1885) the Elder.
 * Pali Rácz (1852–1926) Jr.
 * Pál Tendl
 * Rudiné Rácz
 * Béla Radics
 * Vilmos Radics
 * Jancsi RigóRigojanci.jpg cake was named.]]
 * Roby Lakatos “the devil's fiddler” - Hungarian-Romani
 * Márk Rózsavölgyi - Hungarian-Jewish
 * János Salamon
 * Sándor Déki Lakatos
 * Sándor Lakatos
 * Ferenc Sánta the Elder
 * Ferenc Sánta Jr.
 * József Vidák

Non-Hungarians

 * Grigoraș Dinicu (Romani-Romanian)
 * Samko Dudíc (Slovakian)
 * Jožko Piťo (Romani - Slovakian)