Emilia Ormandzhieva and Zlatko Mladenov Collection of Gypsy Folklore Material

This collection consists of digital images of handwritten pages documenting traditional folklore songs. During the 1940's songs were created, and distributed in written form, to celebrate the "new life" inspired by communism. The songs express an expectation of a better life and faith in a brighter future for Gypsies. Traditionally, songs were transmitted orally and it was unusual for songs to be transmitted in written form. The songs in this Collection were written down during the 1940's, 1970's and 2006. The authors of the songs are unknown.