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Songs of a Macedonian Gypsy

Esma Redžepova and Usnija Jašarova with The Steve Teodosievski and Nasko Džorlev Ensembles
Album cover for the release Songs of a Macedonian Gypsy.

The Romani people developed a unique style of music over many centuries of migration, picking up and transforming elements from a wide range of countries and cultures. This is apparent in Songs of a Macedonian Gypsy (CD Version), in which two female singers, some instrumentalists, and occasionally two male singers perform Gypsy folk songs and dances from Macedonia. The music borrows from Middle Eastern, Turkish, and European styles (to name a few) as singers convey themes of love, marriage, and sorrow in a Romani language as well as in Macedonian. This is the original version of the recording Songs of Macedonian Gypsy, which was reissued by Monitor on CD as MON71496, with additional tracks but omitting track 8, “Sikou Horespe Mazi Mou (Get Up and Dance).”

*Content Advisory: While some Roma have and continue to use “Gypsy” as a self-identifier, many consider the term offensive or a racial slur. Romani people are a minoritized ethnic group in Europe who have been persecuted for centuries, and the term “Gypsy” has been used in violent and racist ways. For more information, see these resources from the European Roma Rights Centre, RomArchive, and Amnesty International.
- Anna Kate Cannon, 2021–22 Dumbarton Oaks Fellow at SFR, and Dr. Adriana Helbig, professor of Music at the University of Pittsburgh, contributed to the research and writing for this statement.
For our policy on controversial recordings, please see our Frequently Asked Questions page.

Track Listing

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101
Dimitar Dusev and Žika Noklič with The Nasko Džorlev Ensemble
01:55
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102
Esma Redžepova with The Steve Teodosievski Ensemble
03:02
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103
Esma Redžepova with The Steve Teodosievski Ensemble
03:25
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104
The Urosević Ensemble
02:34
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105
Usnija Jašarova with The Nasko Džorlev Ensemble
02:54
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106
Esma Redžepova with The Steve Teodosievski Ensemble
02:36
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201
Slavica Pavlović and Jovanka Ivanovska with The Nasko Džorlev Ensemble
03:24
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202
Usnija Jašarova with The Nasko Džorlev Ensemble
03:29
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203
Esma Redžepova with The Steve Teodosievski Ensemble
04:12
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204
Usnija Jašarova with The Nasko Džorlev Ensemble
03:19
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205
Esma Redžepova with The Steve Teodosievski Ensemble
03:53
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206
Usnija Jašarova with The Nasko Džorlev Ensemble
04:13