Introduction
Bulgarian folklore music is primarily distinguished by a reasonable degree of aesthetic value. Among the few European nations that have documented, studied, and conserved musical tradition is Bulgaria, which regards it as a national heritage. During the first half of the nineteenth century, folklore began to gain popularity in Bulgaria. The original plan was to transcribe the lyrics of well-known Bulgarian songs. In addition to its incredible diversity and elegance, Bulgarian music enjoys the tremendous fortune of continuing to be current (Bogueva et al., 2021). Local celebrations and nationwide gatherings keep Bulgarian folklore vibrant; more than 60 are planned annually. The majority of participants are novices who like participating rather than working professionals. Kids’ involvement is joint and serves as a bridge between the past, current, and future. The popularity of folklore in Bulgaria, which remains prevalent today, can be attributed in considerable measure to the fact that it is taught in kindergarten and elementary institutions.
Folklore serves as the basis for musical courses in early edification plans. Most Bulgarian compositions are binary meters, but there are also plenty of odd meters, including 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14 (Stoyanova, 2018). Notably, many songs need a consistent rhythm and do not pulse with powerful and weak rhythms on a consistent schedule. Such songs showcase the performers’ skill in creativity. The majority of Bulgarian folk songs are monodic. In certain regions, like Central West and Pirin, the dual vocal songs have unique qualities. Diatonic, chromatic, enharmonic, and pentatonic forms are the four major categories that make up musical styles. Every mode’s effect and level of acceptability varies by location. The styles and patterns of movement in folklore are highly varied. The Central West, North, and a portion of Thrace are most affected by this.
Equipment like the kaval, svirka, duduk, dvoianka, bagpipes, zurna, gadulka, tamboura, and drum are emblematic of Bulgarian folk music. They are used at various events to support dances, banquets, or other well-known traditions. Bulgaria is separated into several folkloric areas, each with unique working circumstances, traditions, values, practices, cultures, and linguistic accents (Bogueva et al., 2021). The prevalence of transitional places impacted by the neighboring communities in these zones or regions and the transformations that have transpired as a consequence of human movement from one location to the next must not be disregarded.
The Pirin Folk Region
The vocalists who translate the compositions are typically female; one performs using a high-frequency squeal, while the rest express the next voice. Approximately 70% of the melodies in the Pirin Folk area are two-voice songs (Stoyanova, 2018). The two vocal sounds typically blend, and the second melodic pause is often sung. There are no slow tunes with elaborate ornamentation that are typical of the Rodopi, Thrace, and Dobrudja areas in this zone. Songs with a variety of subjects may be found in the Pirin area. One of the best-known songs, which is played in the morning, at lunchtime, during breaks, or after coming in from the fields, focuses on the work tasks. The “sedenkarskite” songs of social events are highly well-liked. The melodies here complement the dances and have vibrant tunes with engaging content, unlike many other areas where the dance is more frequently convoyed by orchestral music.
Central West Folkloric Region
The people of this neighboring area can be identified by their attitude, language, customs, and beliefs; their music differs significantly from Thrace’s. Their compositions are funny because of their solid tempers and practical joker personalities. The melody with two vocals and second counterparts performed in a relatively small area is particularly emblematic of Central West Shopluka. One vocalist often handles the first vocal, while two or more ladies sing the second voice. In order to prevent synchrony, the first vocal drops typically to the first level while the second voice usually is motionless on the first level of the form, occasionally further down to the seventh (Peycheva, 2020). As a result, the impression of a second vertical structure is preserved. These songs span many types and include traditional “sedenkarski” round-table songs and songs that go together with the harvesting process; one or two vocals can sing them.
Monodic compositions are more frantic and upbeat and frequently conclude with a shout. This folklore region’s distinctive ornamental impact, a shaking throat that breaks notes into short durations—is employed in tune, whose subject is the labor of wheat in the farms. In this culture, women who sing loudly, clearly, and on high notes translate the melodies for two vocals. Songs with various subjects often contain uneven bars. Their variety widens as one approaches Pazardzhik, Ihtiman, and Sredna Gora. Singing songs for nuptials and other special occasions is not as common but still plays a significant role in the tunes. The Shopi move is buoyant and vivacious, and it seems as though the dancers’ feet are not even on the floor. These dances are typically accompanied by the males shouting “ha-a” or “e,” which highlights the intricate moves of the dance; there are numerous dance variations.
Folklore of the Rodopi Region
Men and women sing in Rodopi; Pentatonic folklore tunes are frequently found in this area, both in the music of the Bulgarian Muslims and the Bulgarian Christians. Although they are not the majority, pentatonic tunes are nonetheless seen as typical of Rodopi because they are not as common in other places. Music about many subjects is typical at social occasions called “sedianki” locally, although tunes about love, notably those chanted by young adults, are more prevalent (Peycheva, 2020). Certain contemporary marriage songs still have a specific position in the nuptial rite. The leaving and returning of the periodic labor known as gurmet is the subject of numerous well-known melodies. In order to find work more south during the winter, the guys fled their houses. These tunes are beautiful and deeply empathetic, depicting the anguish of men who must travel far from home to find jobs. One of the most prevalent problems in the Rodopi area is related to grazing, which is the primary method of livelihood.
Trakia Folklore Region
The Thrace musical genre has significantly impacted several northern areas, primarily Dobrudja. This occurred due to a significant emigration to the north following independence in 1878. Monodic chanting with slow tunes and numerous decorations is typical of Trakia. Women should ideally sing naturally and with openness. The tunes are lovely, tranquil, and passionate; the most prevalent meter is 2/4; however, many compositions with unstructured rhythms need more meters (Stoyanova, 2018). The diversity of the themes of Thrace’s music makes them stand out: there are tunes for gathering the wheat, for gatherings, for the dining table, rites, dancing on a flame in Strndja, marriages, festivities, and sagas.
The kaval, bagpipe, gadulka, and Tapan are the items that are the most recognizable. The kaval, a necessary traveling partner for Thrace’s villagers, impacts the songs’ tunes. The orchestral melodies are practically transposed into several embellishments in the slow tunes. This area includes the Turkish settlement of Strandja, located between the Black Sea and the Derventski highlands and starts in the Gulf of Burgalia (Peycheva, 2020). The music and movements have a distinctive tone of their own. Nestinari or dancing on flames, is among the most distinctive dances. It is a ceremony component that cleanses people’s brains, bodies, and souls.
Northeast Folklore Region Dobrudja
Two aspects, Thracian and Balkandjiiski, were gradually incorporated into the more deeply ingrained parts of the ancient traditions in this area. Music with many decorations and no direction is peculiar to this area. It is sung at social occasions named “sedianki,” at the table or while laboring in the plains harvesting wheat. Both men and women can sing these slow lyrical tunes. Monodic chanting is the norm in some isolated settlements with a large population of immigrants from the Shopluka area, except for singing in two tones. Regarding the songs’ fundamental makeup, it is clear that the diatonic style is preferred; however various color forms are also utilized. The gadulka, kaval, and bagpipe devices are used in a particular musical genre in Dobrudja. The performances have a distinctive style that is marked by excellent spirit and fluid body, limb, and shoulder motions.
Folklore Region North West and Central
Due to the widespread movement of individuals at various points in history, just like in Trakia and Dobrudja, mainstream music in this area also incorporates elements of folklore from other areas. The variety of music genres results from the diversity of the people (Malcheva, 2019). For example, the pentatonic melodies performed at nuptials or while working on farms are not characteristic of other places. However, with a deeper investigation, one can uncover specific common attributes of musical genre. Even though binary tunes predominate in terms of quantity, there are a lot of erratic rhythms in these areas.
Additionally, some compositions with historical themes need to be metered and contain much ornamentation. Aside from a few Northwest communities where two vocals are used, such as those located in the Central West, the melodies are monodic. The duduk, kaval, and bagpipes are used as the primary musical accompaniment to translate the melodies. The dances are diverse and distinguished by the diversity of primarily delicate motions.
Review
The majority of Bulgarians lived in rural areas prior to the industrialization of the 1950s. Bulgaria has a largely rural population and an agricultural-based economy. The seasons impacted people’s daily activities, like chanting, drumming, and dancing. At collective work parties held at residences and during reaping, songs were performed. Group songs and dancing were typical during wedding ceremonies. A single device was frequently used to accompany songs: a bagpipe, rim-blown timber trumpet, or pear-shaped strung violin and tupan. Usually, instrumentalists produced brief melodic utterances by responding to the melody’s motifs with enhanced embellishments. Several sections developed into quick riffs that were occasionally combined to create acoustic dancing compositions.
Nevertheless, produced equipment has started to take the place of conventional ones from the late 19th century. Today’s most common wedding song tools are the synthesizer, saxophone, clarinet, trumpet, violin, and keyboard. Increasingly intricate tunes, chordal pentatonic sequences, and critical changes are now conceivable because these orchestras’ spectrum is not as constrained as acoustic instruments. Classical music had advanced significantly by the 1960s and the 1970s, and musicians could create elaborate and quickly-paced orchestral dance compositions (Ivanova et al., 2021). Before that time, the tupan or darbuka, two prominent drums used in Bulgaria, were used primarily to emphasize the dancing movements by highlighting the loud rhythms of songs.
Because melodic notes and beat were intertwined, the drum used high-pitched blows to tint the offbeats and a soft tone to emphasize downbeats. Some tunes grew increasingly responsive to the primary beat as orchestral pieces and nuptial music evolved, and they occasionally spanned several bars. Repeated 2, 4, or 8 bar harmonic motifs gave way to lighter, polymetric longer sections as creativity progressed (Malcheva, 2019). Instrumentalists started shifting and identically lengthening rhythmic patterns, adding extra percussion to their support. The drum set started to replace the tupan and darbuka throughout the late 1960s, although Bulgarian percussionists maintained the tone and vocabulary of the ancient instruments distinctively. The drum set created numerous opportunities to organize and develop conventional beats.
The inclusion of components from American and European types of music was a significant development in engagement music after the 1970s. Jazz and jazz-rock spontaneity and compositional concepts captured instrumentalists, who subsequently used these inspirations to write new instrumental music. Most of it was too sophisticated and rapid to be dance music, but it was utilized in weddings and other public festivities to ‘showcase’ the talent of the ensemble’s members. Bulgarian wedding percussionists adapted Western rhythmic genres on the drum kit and African styles, to asymmetric meters and produced unique hybrid rhythms in response to these modifications (Malcheva, 2019). Instrumentalists acquired a breathtaking proficiency on the drum set to satisfy the expanding demands of horn, organ, and string musicians and their extended solo instrumental language.
Article
Bulgaria is well-known for its excellent folk music, which was even carried into space by NASA. The most thrilling Bulgarian folklore events are held in Koprivshtitza and Predella. Since 1965, the National Fair of Bulgarian Folklore Act has been held in Koprivshtitza. Every fifth summer, the area transforms into a hub of folkloric events. The Koprivshtitza festival features ensembles from all ethnic regions of Bulgaria. On eight stages, concerts are held in the open near Koprivshtitza, showcasing the distinctive Bulgarian singing and dance. The fair only invites the most outstanding performers from each region. The assessment of authentic Bulgarian national costumes and the presentation of Old Bulgarian crafts are also fascinating aspects of the festivities (Bogueva et al., 2021). In the evenings, international folklore ensembles play traditional Bulgarian folklore in the heart of Koprivshtitza. The Koprivshtitza Folklore Festival is one of Bulgarian civic heritage’s most remarkable, fascinating, and significant events. It brings together the best of Bulgarian folklore and contributes to its preservation and popularization worldwide.
The Shopi region’s ancient Bulgarian folklore song includes two distinct forms: two-voice singing and epical recitative. The Shopi songs have a low tone, which matches their age. They stun every folklore expert on the planet. Shopi’s dance is distinguished by the natrisane shaking of the body, particularly the shoulders, and the intensity of the motions. Bulgaria’s three primary ancient cultures; Thracian, Slavic, and Proto-Bulgarian, left behind only shards of their respective myths. This mythology evolved and transitioned into the body of folk traditions, beliefs, creative forms, and traditional tales that persisted until the modern age and are now commonly identified as Bulgarian folklore (Malcheva, 2019). Bachevo still practices the traditional flower-dousing rite. Young girls sprinkle flowers on themselves and make a wish. The festival is also linked to Saint George’s Day, who is said to have lived in this area.
Conclusion
The period of March is known as Mart in Bulgarian; Bulgarians wear a unique little ornament made of red and white thread called Martenitsa throughout March. The martenitsa is one of Bulgaria’s most recognized and distinctive emblems. It represents serenity, compassion, health, and joy (Ivanova et al., 2021). The color white represents purity, honesty in relationships, and tranquility. The blood’s crimson hue represents life power, desire, compassion, and genuine affection. The day on which Bulgarians distribute martenitsas is March 1. These are worn till a stork or the first tree buds, and numerous storks in Bulgaria are seen. When encountering these spring emblems, people attribute their martenitsa to a tree or let it flow in a river. They return after a month to see whether there are still ants underneath the same rock. The year turns out to be successful and bountiful if there are many of them.
Reference List
Bogueva, D., Marinova, D. and Todorov, V. (2021) “Bulgarian traditional folklore celebrating food and Sustainability”, International Journal of Information Systems and Social Change, 12(3), pp. 1–14. Web.
Ivanova, T. et al. (2021) “Singing the nature – ethnobotanical knowledge in Bulgarian folk songs”, Botanical Sciences, 99(2), pp. 321–341. Web.
Malcheva, T. (2019) “Art, meaning and classification of Bulgarian folk dance”, Knowledge International Journal, 31(6), pp. 1791–1795. Web.
Peycheva, L. (2020) “Traditions in the discussions about the Obrabotvane of folklore in the Avtorski Pesni V Naroden Duh from Bulgaria”, Arts, 9(3), pp. 89–94. Web.
Stoyanova, V. (2018) Against the odds: An exploration of Bulgarian rhythms, Fusion. Web.