Later I worked with Roma singers to make a Romani songbook for French scholars. This project was sponsored by the Cité de la Musique in Paris. It involved an approach which was new to me. First because of the pedagogical aim, second because it gave me the opportunity to dwell into Roma "community" singing. The lăutari, with whom I had worked earlier perform mainly for strangers — Romanians, Hungarians, other Roma, Westerners… They are professional musicians, whose resources depend on finding a substantial number of customers for their work. Napoleon Constantin on the other hand — main character of the songbook — sings mainly for his relatives and neighbors. His vocal style, his lyrics and his percussive accompaniment are signatures of a way of singing which is only found nowadays in some "traditionalist" Roma communities.

Technicity is here less important than fantasy, "daring" (tupeu) and improvisation on the spot. The above is a "classic" Roma dance tune, of the funny kind.