The History of the Research on Romany (Gypsy) Music and Musicians in Bulgaria

Abstract

In this article, we examine the historiography of research on Romani (Gypsy) music and musicians in Bulgaria, presenting the studies and researchers who have focused on this field. We aim to provide a chronological and thematic overview of the available publications, together with an analysis of the key characteristics of each historical period in which they were produced – the period of the modern Bulgarian state (1878–1944), the socialist era (1944–1989), and the time following the fall of the socialist regime (from 1989 onwards). Research methodology is primarily based on historical analysis of ethnographic descriptions and interpretations, including a clarification of the dichotomy between emic and etic approaches to knowledge production about Romani musical practices in Bulgaria. Studies on Gypsy/Romani music and musicians have become more extensive after the political changes of 1989, contributing to a significant broadening of the scope of Bulgarian ethnomusicology.