The Veles Chalgiya, a special genre of Macedonian folk music, the sounds of which the Turkish sultan once enjoyed, has been a symbol of the town Veles for more than a century. The citizens of this city cannot imagine themselves without the Chalgiya or without the “Raspeani Veleshani” ensemble, which is celebrating its 53rd anniversary this year.
Muamer Abedin from Veles is also a part of this ensemble, and he was born in the same year the ensemble was formed. Muamer is a bookseller, musician and model maker who enjoys playing the sounds of the Veles old town music which he learned to play by himself when he was ten years old.
“Music is my first art. At that time, many gatherings were held, my parents were friends with members of the Veles Chalgiyas. I was ten years old when my father played bouzouki with them. Out of pleasure, I started to practise the songs on the guitar at home. I went to bars, listened to music on the summer terraces and then sat down at home to play” – Muamer began his life story.
His first instrument was an acoustic guitar, and then he played his father’s bouzouki.
“Then I took my father’s bouzouki, and continued to jumbush (cümbüş) and oud. I also played the Macedonian tanpura with two double strings. When I bought an instrument prim (small tanpura) I started playing it in restaurants”, says Muamer Abedin, who constantly enriched his collection of instruments using the pay from the gigs with the first two orchestras
Muamer is constantly buying instruments, but his greatest pride in his large collection is the rare jumbush that his grandfather played.
“I bought a violin, but I don’t have time to play it and I want to learn it. I play the acoustic guitar, bass guitar, electric guitar, tampura, prim, bouzouki, lute, oud, jumbush. I have a saz from Turkey, four acoustic guitars and two electric ones. I also had a double bass that I sold during the pandemic.
