New Delhi, Aug 12 - Traditional music of Rajasthan sung by the minstrels of Langa and Mangania communities, European gypsy music, flamenco and urban folk music will be the highlights of the Rajasthan International Music Festival (RIFF) at the sprawling Mehrangarh fort in Jodhpur Oct 1-5.

The festival, announced Tuesday, this year is trying to revive dying folk musical genres of the state and will promote the traditional music of the European gypsies, who are said to have migrated from Rajasthan at least 1,000 years ago, the organisers said.

A delegation of musicians from Spain's biggest institute of gypsy music Instituto Gitane will take part in the festival.

Announcing the 2009 edition of the Jodhpur RIFF Tuesday, Maharaja Gaj Singh of the erstwhile royal family of Jodhpur-Marwar, patron of the festival, said: 'Having achieved international stature within a short span of time (five years), the festival will live up to its reputation as a high quality, exclusive platform for our Rajasthani artists where they share their astounding legacy with the world.'

The five-day festival has been carefully designed to highlight the variety and brilliance of the traditional musicians of Rajasthan while incorporating a myriad and distinctive musicality from across the globe, he said.

'The festival will open with a city concert that will showcase the musical traditions of Rajasthan with a bit of contemporary music thrown in for a fusion feel,' Divya Bhatia, director of the RIFF, told IANS.

The five-day festival will feature performances by more than a 100 traditional artists.

'We will be bringing back the dying musical instruments of the state like the Sarangi and the Surmaiya with performances by a handful of Langa musicians, who still play them. The Langa musicians play music that has been handed down the generations and they eulogize their ancestors through their songs.