Record Jacket Text.txt
H-2011 (mono) H-72011 (stereo)
MUSIC OF BULGARIA
SOLOISTS, CHORUS and
ORCHESTRA OF THE ENSEMBLE OF THE BULGARIAN REPUBLIC
PHILLIPE KOUTEV, Conductor
The Bulgarian Republic is a little larger than Ohio, a little smaller than Pennsylvania.
Basically it is an agricultural state, with 74 per cent of the population engaged in farming
or fishing as against the U. S. average of 18 per cent. In terms of American communications,
too, it seems shut off from the rest of the world; one in each 126 persons has a telephone as
against one in four in the U. S., one in every 35 has a radio, as against one in two Americans.
Perhaps it is this lack of exposure to outside influence which has kept Bulgarian culture
comparatively pure and uncorrupted.
The Ensemble of the Bulgarian Republic is an official troupe of folksingers and dancers,
favorite entertainers in their own rugged Balkans. They appeared for the first time in Paris
in the spring of 1955, filling the Palais de Chaillot for nearly a month, during which time
this recording was made in France. When it appeared in Pads, the distinguished French record
magazine Disques observed: "From the point of view of strictly choral quality, the ensemble
formed and directed by Philippe Koutev is one of the best in existence, and its repertoire is
absolutely authentic. Their interpretation also measures up to the highest standards, although
all the singers, men and womeri, are farmers. And the recording is impeccable. Recommended with
enthusiasm."
The recording reflects Bulgaria's essentially rural character, with its crops of cereals
and fodder for great herds of livestock, and extensive vineyards; the music reflects, too, the
fiercely independent nature of the farmer populace, who struggled for independence from both
Turkey and Serbia for hundreds of years. The musical folklore of both the mountains and the
plains of Bulgaria is lively and original and characterized by a stubborn resistance to
anything considered foreign which has always been typical of the people. Turkish dances, for
example, are dances in which the body is fully used and are often erotic; Bulgarian dances are
based on movements men and women use at work, with the emphasis on the strength of their arms,
the agility of their feet. Their musical instruments include bagpipes, drums, flutes, and
stringed instruments which resemble the earliest known types of violins and 'cellos; these
rebecs and kavals are still made in the important mountain villages of the Balkans, or in the
Valley of the Roses of Maritza.
SIDE ONE
1. Mother Has Decided to Marry Me Off.
The theme, universal in folk music, also "chope" in character, is a young girl who turns
up her nose at the claimants for her hand suggested by her parents. She will have none of the
carpenter or the grocer, but when the bagpipe player plays, she dances... (Chorus) 1:20
2. Theodora Is Dozing.
Sweetness, langour and reproaches mingle in a song from Central Bulgaria between two
mountain ranges; Theodora reproaches the wind for having waked her up while she was dreaming
3. Chope Dance.
From the region around Sofia in northwestern Bulgaria is a dance by several groups of boys
rivaling each other in virtuosity as their admiring girls look on. Their shouts, their heavy
breathing and the sound of their feet may all be heard. All the instruments of the popular
Bulgarian orchestra are represented, including flutes and bagpipes. (Orchestra) 1.38
4. The Moon Shines.
A duet, also from the "chope" country around Sofia, has typical runs and dissonances and
is given here in its original form without having undergone any arrangement of any kind, so
it is accordingly easy to judge the rich folklore of the region. 1:29
5. Trio of Bagpipes.
In which three bagpipes capture the playful humor of country people in the region around
Sofia. 1:25
6. A Young Girl at Parting.
Theodora, a first name prevalent especially in Central Bulgaria, says goodbye to her
beloved, who is going off to join his regiment. (Chorus) 1:30
7. Niagol Talks to Milka.
A Thracian love-song to the accompaniment of kavals, or Bulgarian flutes. (Valkana
8. The Bird Has Come.
The bird comes to say, in a joyful Thracian song, that the harvest is beautiful, the cattle
are plentiful, the beehives are humming and the children are in the best of health. A
predominantly joyful song with an undertone of tension. (Chorus) 1:59
9. Fida Is Sleepy.
A song of the Pirine region, in southwestern Bulgaria, where the Macedonian influence is
strongly felt. Fida is dozing in the meadow; her necklace has disappeared, stolen by a young
admirer. How will she explain the loss to her parents? Despite her fears, sweetness is the
prevailing sentiment of this melody. (Trio) 1:28
SIDE TWO
1. Bre Pretrounko.
A typical "Chope" song, full of peasant wit of a virtually untranslatable piquancy. In both
the vivacity of the music and its dissonances, a typical Bulgarian folksong. (Chorus) 1:08
2. Come to Supper Tonight, Rada.
A song of the Rhodopes mountains, where mythology located the home of Orpheus. The Rhodope
mountaineers are the most lyrical Bulgarians; their dialect, with its gentle intonations,
reflects the Slav influence. The theme here: in spite of malicious gossip, the young man will
return to his beloved Rada. 1:33(Chorus)
3. Bulgarian Suite.
Jivka Klinkova, one of the best-known Bulgarian composers, here has tried simply to
harmonize and orchestrate characteristic melodies of his country. The suite is in three parts"
a Thracian song in extended singsong style preceded and then followed by dances with especially
accented rhythms" the ratchenitza, most popular and widespread of all Bulgarian dances, and the
copanitza, a dance of the region around Sofia in which men only participate, and in which their
movements imitate their working motions. (Orchestra) 5:00
4. Rank Weeds.
A song of the Dobritch region in northwest Bulgaria. A young girl, the victim of an unhappy
love affair, compares herself to the weeds as they are frozen with ice. The weeds bend double
with the ice, but eventually they flower all the same... (Chorus) 1:07
5. Stoyan Comes Back to Constantinople.
A wedding night song in which the embarassment of the couple is underscored. The dialogue is
lively and malicious, but it ends on a happy note as Mafia drinks to Stoyan's health and he to
hers. (Chorus) :35
6. The Drums Roll.
With its cries and drawn-out notes, this song from the Pirine region is typical of the songs
of harvest when two groups sing to each other across the fields. (Trio) 1:35
7. They Are Going Across the Forest.
The forest re-echoes with the joy of two young herdsmen, very proud, sure of themselves,
their sabres hanging at the ready, as they go to rejoin the ranks of the Haidouks, mountain
fighters who oppose the hated Turks. (Chorus) 2:00
8. Theodora, Have You Had Supper?
A Thracian song which asks a question as old as folk music itself: "Are you free to go out
dancing with me, and to make love?" (lanka Taneva, alto) 1:05
9. Iana has Been Surprised in the Night.
A noble and dramatic account of a young girl in love with a Haidouk who sacrifices her love
to the cause of the struggle against Turkish domination. (Chorus) 3:53
Recorded in Paris, 1955. a GROSCOURT PRODUCTION
cover art DONALD LEAKE
cover design WILLIAM S. HARVEY
Licensed for sale in U.S.A. and Canada only Printed in U.S.A.
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