The article is devoted to the study of the structural features of the Gagauz folk melody, one of the original layers of the musical culture of South-Eastern Europe. Particular attention is paid to the role of these elements in the formation of the musical image of the Gagauz tradition, its expressiveness and ethnocultural identity. The work emphasizes the importance of oral tradition, archaic forms and the interaction of rhythm and mode as the main components of folk musical thinking.
Gagauz music, folk melody, modal system, mode, size, musical structure.