Regional styles abound in Bulgaria.
Northern Bulgaria,
Dobruja,
Shopluk,
Thrace,
Strandzha,
Macedonia and
Rhodopes - all have distinctive sounds. Some folk music revolves around holidays like Christmas, New Year's Day, midsummer, and the Feast of
St. Lazarus, as well as the Strandzha region's unusual
Nestinarstvo rites, in which villagers fall into a trance and dance on hot coals as part of the joint feast of Sts
Konstantin and
Elena on 21 May. Music is also a part of more personal celebrations such as weddings. Singing has always been a tradition for both men and women. Songs were often sung by women at work parties such as the sedenka (often attended by young men and women in search of partners to court), betrothal ceremonies, and just for fun. Women also had an extensive repertoire of songs that they sang while working in the fields. Young women eligible for marriage played a particularly important role at the
dancing in the village square (which not too long ago was the major form of "entertainment" in the village and was a very important social scene). The dancing — every Sunday and for three days on major holidays like Easter — began not with instrumental music, but with two groups of young women singing, one leading each end of the dance line. Later on, instrumentalists might arrive and the singers would no longer lead the dance. A special form of song, the lament, was sung not only at funerals but also when young men departed for military service. Bulgarian folk music is known for its
asymmetrical rhythms (defined by the famous Hungarian composer and ethnomusicologist
Béla Bartók as "Bulgarian rhythms"), where meter is split into uneven combinations of short (two metric units) and long (three metric units) beats, corresponding to the dancers' short and long steps. In European folk music, such asymmetrical rhythms are commonly used in Bulgaria, Greece, elsewhere in the Balkans, and less commonly in Norway and Sweden. The most important state-supported folk ensemble of the socialist era was the Sofia-based
State Ensemble for Folk Songs and Dances, founded in 1951 and led by
Philip Koutev. Koutev became perhaps the most influential musician of 20th century Bulgaria, and arranged rural music with
harmonies more "accessible" to audiences in other countries, to great domestic acclaim. The ensemble has now been renamed the Philip Kutev Ensemble in his honor. In 1952, Georgi Boyadzhiev founded the group known today as the
Bulgarian State Television Female Vocal Choir, which became famous worldwide after the release of a series of recordings entitled
Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares. The distinctive sounds of women's choirs in Bulgarian folk music come from their unique rhythms, harmony and vocal production. Characteristic
polyphony, such as the use of close intervals like the
major second and the singing of a drone accompaniment underneath the melody, are especially common in songs from the Shope region around the Bulgarian capital Sofia and the Pirin region (Bulgarian Macedonia). In addition to the ensemble led by Koutev, who adapted and arranged many of the harmonies, and composed several songs (as did his wife, Maria Kouteva) that were also performed by other groups, other women's vocal groups gained popularity, including
Trio Bulgarka, consisting of
Yanka Rupkina,
Eva Georgieva, and
Stoyanka Boneva. Some of these groups were included in the "Mystery of the Bulgarian Voices" tours.
Trio Bulgarka were featured on
The Sensual World album by
Kate Bush on the songs "Deeper Understanding", "Never Be Mine", and "Rocket's Tail". In 1993 they appeared on another Kate Bush album,
The Red Shoes, in the songs "You're the One", "The Song of Solomon", and "Why Should I Love You?", which also featured
Prince.
Asymmetric meters One of the most distinctive features of Bulgarian folk music is the complexity of its rhythms in comparison to Western music. Although it uses Western meters such as , , and , Bulgarian music also includes meters with odd numbers of beats per measure, sometimes called asymmetric meters. These can be understood as combinations of groups of "quick" and "slow" beats. For example, the dance
lesnoto ("the light/easy one") has a meter of seven beats with emphasis on the first, fourth, and sixth. This can be divided into three groups, a "slow" unit of three beats and two "quick" units of two beats, often written . Each basic folk dance type uses a distinct combination of these rhythmic "units". Some examples of Bulgarian folk dances are
rachenitsa (seven beats divided: ),
paydushko horo (five beats: ),
eleno mome (seven beats: ),
kopanitsa (eleven beats: ),
Bucimis (15 beats: ), and
pravo horo, which can either be standard or . Some rhythms with the same number of beats can be divided in different ways. Eight-beat rhythms can be divided , , , , , , , or .
Select discography •
Music of Bulgaria – Original 1955 Recording (
Nonesuch 9 72011). Early recordings of Philip Koutev and the Ensemble of the Bulgarian Republic. This was one of
Frank Zappa's favorite albums, and Bulgarian harmonies reportedly influenced the harmonies of
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. •
Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares – (Nonesuch 9 79165 in the U.S.;
4AD Records CAD603CD in the UK). Featuring the Bulgarian State Radio and Television Female Choir. This is the world hit that introduced many to Bulgarian music. It is actually a collection of recordings by various artists and groups. A group that included some of these singers (and others) toured under this name. •
Village Music of Bulgaria – (Elektra/Nonesuch 9 79195). Two albums of field recordings by Martin Koenig on one CD (
A Harvest, a Shepherd, a Bride, and
In the Shadow of the Mountain). One of the tracks, a recording of "
Izlel je Delyo Hajdutin", was included by
Carl Sagan and
Ann Druyan on the
Voyager Golden Record. • A song from the Rhodope Mountains, "
Izlel ye Delyo Haydutin" by
Valya Balkanska – Part of the
Voyager Golden Record selection of music, included in the two
Voyager spacecraft launched in 1977.*
Balkana The Music of Bulgaria – (Hannibal HNCD 1335). Many of the songs are by Trio Bulgarka or one of its members. •
The Forest is Crying (Lament for Indje Voivoda) – (Hannibal HNCD 1342). By the Trio Bulgarka. •
Two Girls Started to Sing ... Bulgarian Village Singing – (Rounder CD 1055). Field recordings. •
Bulgarian Soul – Bulgarian operatic mezzo Vesselina Kasarova sings Bulgarian folk songs with the Cosmic Voices from Bulgaria. Songs are arranged by the Bulgarian composer Krassimir Kyurkchiyski and accompanied by the
Sofia Soloists Chamber Orchestra.
Select artists and groups •
Bulgarian State Television Female Vocal Choir (Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares) •
Cosmic voices from Bulgaria •
Trio Bulgarka,
Yanka Rupkina •
Valkana Stoyanova •
Valya Balkanska •
Boyana Cholakova •
Stefka Sabotinova •
Nikolina Chakardakova •
Neli Andreeva •
Nedialka Keranova •
Diko Iliev – compose Danube horo and other •
Filip Kutev •
Iliya Argirov •
Bulgare ensemble •
Daniel Spassov •
Svetoglas •
Neshka Robeva's spectacles •
Kostadin Gugov •
London Bulgarian Choir •
Kitka – based in Berkeley, California •
Nadka Karadjova •
Vulkana Stoyanova •
The Grannies From Bistritsa •
Oratnitza – contemporary band with folk influences •
Outhentic – contemporary ethno-jazz band •
Iliya Lukov •
Elitsa & Stoyan – contemporary electronic/folk duo •
Filip Kutev ensemble ==Orthodox==