The Music Of My Soul

His music is similar to the music of Tariverdiev. It is a soft echo of something familiar and loved. The melody, beautiful and voluminous fills the auditorium. In the Department of Interethnic Relations Dimitrie Gagauz held a musical evening on the occasion of his 55th birth anniversary and 35th anniversary of his teaching and musical career.

The evening was filled with music and kind warm words addressed to Gagauz by Russian embassy representatives, writers, poets, musicians and artists. It was almost like a festival of multinational songs in Romanian, Gagauz, Ukrainian, Turkish and Russian. Happy and sad in turn they touched the hearts of the audience, above which reigned and atmosphere of love and friendship. Gagauz was called several times after the performance. He was nationally accepted as a national composer with loud and continuous applause.

We always knew little about Gagauzia, those faraway southern regions separated from the center due to a lack of roads and yet ever a part of Moldova. It was interesting to meet a person from that region who had given so much pleasure to so many people.

Q: Dimitrie, your songs are better known in Turkey than in Moldova. At the musical evening many heard your work for the first time. Why?

It is not surprising because Gagauz and Turkish are very similar and the music is abundant in Oriental motifs. We took part in the 70th anniversary of the Turkish Republic, invited by the Turkish ambassador. The performance of the “Fisiu” band was such a success that since then we have been frequent participants in Turkish celebrations. We appear less often in Chisinau and Comrat at the Days of Gagauz culture.

You were the founder of the “Fisiu” band and you wrote music for it. Many of its songs are well known now.

For more than 25 years I taught at the “Stefan Neaga” music school and prepared many professionals for Gagauz and Bulgarian groups. I created “Radoliubia”, “Cadinja”, “Diuzava”, and “Fisiu” that was widely successful. I wrote numerous songs for these bands. Fisiu’s “Turkish Motifs” and “Gagauz Oiuna” were recognized by many at the concert and some even joined in the singing.

Your music has folk roots. May that be the reason of such a popularity?

Folklore for me is an endless source of inspiration. It initiates improvisation in different styles of music. I am a composer born in the countryside and influenced by the culture of my people. In the South we had many talented boys who could play any melody by ear. Unfortunately there were no music schools where they could be taught music theory. As a child I learned to play the bayan and the accordion. I was also lucky to have been accepted to the “Stefan Neaga” school without examinations as a gifted Gagauz youth. I took national instruments and studied music theory. I graduated with excellent results and started my quarter of a century teaching career there.

But you did not stop in your growth. You wanted to create music yourself, is that right?

In those times I was filled with music and heard it wherever I went. It was a personal need to put it down on paper. So I applied to the Chisinau “Muzicescu” institute where I took composition and worked more seriously than ever,

You have preserved old Gagauz songs for the younger generations. You have been on several trips across the Ukraine and Gagauzia to collect them. How many traditional ballads do you have today?

There are over four hundred musical pieces. I am grateful to the students of the Art Institute who helped me collect the songs. The work we carried out was later used in my graduate degree paper “Music folklore of Budjac Gagauzia”. The folklore of the Gagauz people became the core of most of my written work.

What did you write about?

I have over a hundred written reports. For the Turkic Culture Congress held in Turkey I prepared a lecture on Gagauz folklore that was later published in a Turkish music magazine.

In the 35 years of teaching you have taught hundreds of students. You must have done a great deal for the Gagauz youth.

In 1989 I was among those who petitioned the establishment of Gagauz and Bulgarian music courses. Too vivid are the memories of when as a boy I could not study music theory. Today due to funds shortages these courses are not available but I strongly believe that they will be reopened. I tried to tell my students of old, forgotten instruments like faul, kaval, tambura, dal and gaida. We invited speakers including the honored Moldovan musician Ion Bass.

Why do you work in Comrat today and not in Chisinau?

In Comrat I was offered the position of Managing Director of Gagauz cultural affairs. In Chisinau I did everything in my power to assist the Gagauz people in nurturing young talents and encouraging the cultural development of the Gagauz people. Over the radio and on television I expressed many ideas regarding some of the problems we face today but at this point the realization of all plans is a slow and difficult process because of the financial situation in this country.

What are your plans for the future?

Of course now I cannot imagine my further life without a teaching position. I will continue working at the Comrat State University and College and continue the Budjac song series. During the concert you could hear “Ciadir-Lunga Tango”, “Forgive Me”, “My Fate”, “Budjac Waltz” and others from the same series. I try to interpret the music that lives in my soul and hope it will be loved and cherished by the people.