BLOOD IS THICKER THAN WATER - THE INTERPRETER OF FOLK SONGS: DAFA CEPENKOVA

Abstract

This article is dedicated to Dafa Cepenkova, a famous interpreter of folk songs. She is a member of Cepenkov family from Prilep and was the sister of the well-known collector and writer of folk art Marko Cepenkov. Unlike her brother Marko, who possessed a remarkable talent for storytelling, Dafa possessed a singing talent. Most of the songs written in Naum Tahov's Collection belong to Dafa. The interpretation and the art of improvisation make the songs be sung with a sense of metrics and a soulful spirit, and some of these songs are works by the singer herself. That is why Dafa Cepenkova is ranked among the best Macedonian folk song interpreters of the 19^th century.

Keywords: Dafa Cepenkova, Marko Cepenkov, Prilep, Krushevo, XIX^th century, folk songs, folk art.