Bulgarian folk music

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Bulgarian folklore group at the folklore festival "Golden Gadulka" - 2007 in Ruse

The Bulgarian folk music is the asymmetric by complex time signatures and relatively simple, unanimous tunes characterized folk music of the Bulgarians . In addition to the dance songs and instrumental pieces performed in lively rhythms and strictly in time, there is a second group of free rhythmic songs and instrumental folk tunes in slow tempos.

In Bulgarian folk music, influences from the pre-Christian period, i.e. from the time of the proto- Bulgarians, can be traced back to the 9th century. During the foreign rule of the Ottoman Empire from the 14th century onwards, it created the identity of the Bulgarians, who only regained their own statehood in 1878. The regionally independent musical styles in Bulgaria , which were systematically described for the first time in the 19th century, were institutionalized after 1944 under the political guidelines of socialist rule to form a collective national culture.

Typical folk musical instruments are the three-part shepherd's flute kaval , the shorter one-piece shepherd's flute swirka , the small recorder duduk , the double flute dwojanka , the bagpipe gajda , and the stringed instruments gadulka , gusle and tambura .

rhythm

Asymmetrical time signature, called “Bulgarian time signature” by Béla Bartók , is widespread on the Balkan Peninsula and is known from Serbia , Albania , Greece and Romania to Turkey . The Turkish word aksak has become a general term for the “dragging” or “limping” rhythms . The following asymmetrical time signatures occur in Bulgaria: 5/8, 7/8, 8/8, 9/8 and 11/8, as well as the compound asymmetrical time signatures (5 + 7) / 8, (15 + 14) / 8, ( 9 + 5) / 16 and 22/16.

The unbalanced bars were first noticed by European music theory in 1886 when the Bulgarian music teacher Atanas Stoin published five Bulgarian melodies. In 1913 Dobri Christow described the whole variety of asymmetrical time signature in his book "The rhythmic basis of our folk music". In it he put together a table with the asymmetrical Bulgarian bars, an achievement that was of essential importance for Bulgarian music research. With this work, the asymmetrical clocks became known beyond the borders of Bulgaria. The Hungarian composer Béla Bartók showed a particularly great interest in Bulgarian folk music. Asymmetrical time signatures appeared repeatedly in his works, e.g. B. 3/8, 5/8 and 7/8. Bartók emphasized that he had borrowed this from Bulgarian folk music.

There are numerous examples of unbalanced time signatures in 20th century music; so z. E.g. in “Mars, the Warbringer”, the first movement of “ The Planets ” by Gustav Holst , in “Unsquare Dance” by Dave Brubeck , in “ Money ” by Pink Floyd and in works by minimal music composer Philip Glass .

Regions

There are six folklore regions in Bulgaria:

  • Northern Bulgaria (Bulgarian Северняшка / Severnjaschka), also called Moesische (bugl. Мизийска / Misijska)
  • Dobrudscha (bulg. Добруджанско / Dobrudschansko), in the northeast
  • Thrace (bulg. Тракийско / Trakijsko), in the center
  • Rhodope Mountains (bulg. Родопско / Rodopsko), in the south
  • Schop ( Sofia City Oblast )
  • Pirin (Bulgar. Пиринско / Pirinsko), also called (Bulgar. Македонско / Makedonsko), in the southwest.

Before the First World War, there was another, the Aegean folklore region (Bulgarian Беломорска / Belomorska), which, however, has now expanded into other regions after population shifts (→ Thracian Bulgarians ).

Folk songs

The folk song plays a very important role in the life of a Bulgarian. The Bulgarian people love singing. It sings with love the old songs handed down from the forefathers and constantly creates new ones. Folk singers have amazing memories. They often master up to 500 folk songs. In individual cases, this number is far exceeded. The 90-year-old folk singer Pavel Atanasov (1867–1960) sang 742 songs that were written down and researched by employees of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences . Wasila Waltschewa (1906–1981) sang around 1,000 songs, Penka Poptodorowa (1895–1970) over 1,000 songs.

The great variety of Bulgarian folk songs in terms of musical characteristics, distribution of the songs and historical roots presents a certain difficulty in classifying the song material. Basically, a distinction is made between the following types of songs: custom and ritual songs, work songs, table songs and round folk songs.

Custom and ritual songs

Custom songs are the oldest Bulgarian folk songs. They are functionally linked to certain customs and are largely directly related to the life of the people and their strong closeness to nature. At the same time, it expresses the firm belief in good and in justice . They are calendar songs that are played on a holiday that has been fixed for centuries, such as B. Christmas, Lazarus Day (Orthodox memorial day: Saturday before Palm Sunday ; Bulgarian Лазаровден) or Enjotag (day of summer solstice ; June 24th; Bulgarian Еньовден). Sometimes it is also about family custom songs, i.e. songs that do not have a specific calendar day but a specific occasion, e.g. B. with a baptism , wedding or funeral are associated. The songs comfort the young bride at a wedding, for example, who is leaving her father's house, but they also implore rain or want to drive away evil spirits. They have a precisely defined place within the tradition .

Calendar songs

The so-called folklore calendar gives an overview of the various customs. It is a system that divides the annual cycle by bringing together pagan (pre-Christian), orthodox (Christian) and secular elements. Similar to many Indo-European calendars , the Bulgarian one also combines the sun and moon principles . For example, Christmas is always on December 25th due to the position of the sun. Easter is celebrated on different days because of the changing lunar calendar (for details on the calculation see: Easter date ).

The folklore calendar divides the year into a summer and a winter half-year. The Holy Georgi stands for the summer, the Holy Dimiter for the winter. Music always plays an important role in these customs and rituals, such as Christmas singing or the celebration of Lazarus Day.

Christmas singing
Celebration of Lazarus Day

The celebration of Lazarus Day on Palm Sunday is a particularly interesting custom in Bulgaria. In pagan times, the risen goddess of fertility was honored on this day . Lazarus Day has symbolized the maturation of young girls since Christian times. As with the Koledari, their singing and dancing show the change from child to marriageable girl. The girls who take part in the Lazarus ritual have turned 18. How important this custom was is shown by the fact that in old Bulgarian times only a girl who had participated in the Lazarus ritual was allowed to marry and wear jewelry.

Which songs the Lazarus girls perform depends on the conditions in the house where the girls sing the Lazarus songs. They can be intended for a grown girl, for an older woman, for a child, for a shepherd. Similar to the Christmas carols, there is also a great variety in the Lazarus songs: the girls sing on the go, when entering the house, in the house itself and while you are dancing. It was only on this day, people believed, that the girl possessed magical powers to bless the house, the landlords and their property and fields through song and dance .

They are cheerful, poetic songs with short melodies, mostly in tempo giusto . The melodies are funny, mischievous and also very different in different parts of the country. The rhythm is determined by the fast steps of the Lazarus dance.

A main theme of the songs is predicting which girl will marry whom. The girls then play a dance to symbolize their future wedding. They stand around a kettle that is full of “silent water” - it is “silent” because the girls are silent while they fill the kettle. Each girl dips a bouquet of flowers with a ring tied to it in this cauldron. The bouquets stay in the kettle overnight. The next morning each girl takes her bouquet. The other girls sing a song in which they prophesy what profession the chosen girl will have. The prophecy of the occupation does not really have to correspond to the occupation of the future husband.

In other parts of Bulgaria, especially in villages with a river flowing through, the girls throw their bouquets into the river. Then it says: "The boy who finds your bouquet will marry you!"

Family custom songs

The weakness of humans against the forces of nature has brought into being a cycle of songs to solicit rain (see also rain dance ) or against floods. In the old days, every village had songs that were sung in times of drought or heavy rains that threatened the harvest.

Calendar songs describe the relationship between society and nature. In contrast, family custom songs are relevant to the relationship between the individual and society. Bulgarian family customs are of particular importance at the birth of a child, wedding and funeral - these are perhaps the most important moments in a person's life.

Wedding songs

The music at a traditional Bulgarian wedding will be described here as an example.

Three elements are the musical basis of the traditional Bulgarian wedding:

  • the group singing of women,
  • the instrumental music and
  • the male singing during the meal with instrumental accompaniment.

The symbolism of the wedding songs, instrumental melodies and dances can be seen as a juxtaposition of man and woman. The result is a comparison of rituals of the bride and rituals of the groom.

The actual traditional Bulgarian wedding lasts three to five days, but wedding customs between the engagement and a year after the wedding last a full two years. Furthermore, a distinction is made between pre-wedding, wedding and post-wedding rituals.

The pre-wedding time is two to three days before the wedding. The pre-wedding rituals include the baking of special custom breads, the preparation of the wedding flag ( Bulgarian wedding flag, Bulgarian сватбено знаме or уруглица / Uruglitsa), the preparation of the bride by braiding her hair and the groom by shaving. While this is happening, there is singing all the time.

Wedding rituals are the departure of the guests to the bride's house, the picking up of the godfather (whose importance in Bulgarian folklore goes far beyond the role of a best man ), the removal of the bride from the father's house, the escort of the bride to the groom's home and the giving of presents of the guests. There are many other minor rituals that are very different in different parts of Bulgaria. The rituals also include small games, such as B. around picking up the bride. First, the groom is not allowed into the bride's house. He must first fill his father-in-law's shoe with money. When he then enters the house, he has to look for the bride who is hiding somewhere in the house. The bride's farewell from her parents, the separation from her father's house and her as yet unknown fate are the saddest moments at a wedding. All of this finds a strong echo both in the character of the lyrics and in the melody of the songs that are sung.

Wedding songs have very specific features in each song area. Even in neighboring towns, the melody structure and text content of wedding songs are very different.

Work songs

In an agricultural culture, activity in the field is also ritualized. For a farmer, working in the field is not only compulsion and nutrition, it is also a certain kind of philosophy and poetry. The well-known Bulgarian writer Jordan Jowkow wrote: "The mower is a priest of mother earth, his work is sacred and his song is a hymn." Singing, screaming and laughing are ritual parts of a mowing . The arduous field work in the strong summer sun is musicalized and ritualized. The work itself is honored and laziness criticized. The farmers believe that their songs connect with the pulse of the universe. Singing helps them persevere and have fun with the heavy field work. A large part of these songs are the "songs without a beat". With these no time signature is given, so they give the singer great freedom in terms of singing. The following example shows a typical work song:

- A large part of the work songs are harvest songs . They are sung in the field by the reapers, mostly solo, but also in groups and antiphon. The harvest songs are often accompanied by so-called "exclamations". Exclamations on the minor seventh above the tonic are characteristic . This exclamation must be very precise, i.e. at the correct pitch. The melodies of the harvest songs are slow, dragging, the range is usually a minor third , a fourth or a fifth . The melody lingers on the 3rd level for a long time, which gives the harvest song a melancholy character. Of course you have to consider the hard work that accompanied these songs.

In terms of text, the harvest songs have very different themes. Often it is about the harvest. Sometimes there are also Heiducken - or love songs , songs with historical content or songs whose themes come from everyday life. A large part of the harvest songs does not have a constant rhythm and is completely free in terms of rhythm.

- Other important work songs are the so-called "Sedjanka" songs . "Sedjanka" comes from sitting, the name of the songs from the following circumstance: In the past, young people used to meet at a designated place called "Sedjanka" and do their domestic work together there. The girls knitted sweaters or socks, spun or crocheted, and the boys helped by holding or stretching the balls of wool. So that it didn't get boring, they sang to it, then later left work and danced round dance. This used to be the most popular form of entertainment for young people.

There were or are two types of sedjankas - one that takes place in the living room in winter and one that takes place outdoors in summer or autumn. “Sedjanka” - songs are sung during the gathering or shortly before it begins, when everyone is gathering. It works like this: The first girls who come to the meeting begin to sing songs, which they use to invite other girls and boys to their sedyanka. Then they make a fire and set up wooden stools around them. You take half of the circle and leave the other half to the boys. The boys come in groups and carry a kawal player (shepherd's flute), zafara player (short flute) or a gadulka player (fiddle) with them. In addition to work, entertaining games are played, stories or funny experiences are told, puzzles are solved, but mostly there is singing. Usually the girls sing mainly and the boys accompany them on a folk musical instrument. After a few songs there is a dance, and there is dancing and playing until sunrise. When a girl is in love with a guy, she gives him a small bouquet of flowers to make him think of her. This is the only way to show affection in this rural setting. The Sedjanka songs are varied in theme. As a rule, they are characterized by slow, ornate melodies in which the singers demonstrate their skills. The oldest Sedjanka songs are polyphonic. These are mainly sung in western Bulgaria.

Overall, the number of work songs is huge. There are songs about mowing, about plowing and raking, about lining up and folding tobacco, about the grape harvest and even about picking Cornelian cherries in the forest. Great respect is paid to the work songs. You don't sing them “somewhere and sometime”, but only for certain works.

Table songs

Table songs are sung on holidays, at a festive table or at weddings. It is always a matter of solemn, recited melodies. Usually they are performed by individual singers with or without accompaniment of a folk musical instrument. A large part of the table songs gives the players the opportunity to show their improvisational skills. A large range and a high emotional content are characteristic of these songs. Typical examples of table songs are the so-called “songs without a beat”.

For the people, the table songs are the real folk songs. Bulgarian folk songs about glorious heroes, songs about great events that shook the whole people, as well as narrative songs and songs from family life belong here.

Folk songs

The round folk songs make up the majority of Bulgarian folk songs. There is no place in Bulgaria where round dance is not danced, where old round songs are not sung to this day. The round songs are performed by the round dancers themselves, usually antiphon, with two groups of singers taking turns. Almost all custom and work songs end with a dance. It is also danced on important calendar holidays, every Sunday, at a "Sedjanka" and at weddings. At the "Sedjanka" z. B. a girl and a boy make a bet. If the boy "beats" the girl while dancing, he gets z. B. her wreath of flowers, and as long as he wears it, he shows that he loves her. There is a strict hierarchy in the line-up for dance, depending on age and gender. There is a wealth of irregular time signature in the round songs, which is particularly characteristic of western and northern Bulgaria. Basically, however, the predominant time signature in the round songs is 2/4 time, but the round songs are sung at different speeds. Depending on the season, a distinction is made between winter, spring, summer and autumn songs and dance. Some are only sung in the evening to the "evening dance" (= Wetschernik / вечерник). Depending on the character, there are u. a. the following clock types are used:

"Pravo Horo": 6/16 (3 + 3), a straight round dance, the simplest of all round dance types
"Pajduško Horo": 5/8 (2 + 3) (like the human heartbeat)
"Dajčovo": 9/16 (4 + 2 + 3 or 2 + 2 + 2 + 3)
" Rȃčenica ": 7/16 (2 + 2 + 3 or 4 + 3), one of the simplest folk dances, mostly danced in solo performances
"Sandansko Horo": 22/16 (2 + 2 + 2 + 3 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 3 + 2 + 2)
"Četvorno Horo" (quarter dance): 7/16 (3 + 2 + 2 or 3 + 4)
"Elenino Horo" (Greek dance): 7/8 (2 + 2 + 1 + 2), is only danced by girls, on "Lazarus Day"
"Eleno Mome": 13/16 or 12/16 (4 + 4 + 2 + 3 or 3 + 4 + 2 + 3)
"Petrunino Horo": 13/16 or 12/16 (4 + 4 + 2 + 3 or 3 + 4 + 2 + 3)
"Kopanitza" & "Gankino horo": 11/16 (4 + 3 + 4 or 2 + 2 + 3 + 2 + 2)
"Asano Mlada Nevesto": 11/8 (3 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2)
"Šopsko Horo": 2/4
"Trite pȃti" (The three times): 2 + 2 + 4 (often written in English transcription Trite Puti )
"Sedi Donka": 25/16 (2x Cetvorno plus 1x Kopanitza: 7/16 + 7/16 + 11/16) (7 = 3 + 2 + 2, 11 = 2 + 2 + 3 + 2 + 2)
"Krivo Horo" (Krivoto): 13/16 (2 + 2 + 2 + 3 + 2 + 2) (also known as "Krivo Sadovsko")
"Bučimiš": 15/16 (2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 3 + 2 + 2)

Rhythm and beat

Typical of the melodies of Bulgarian folk music are their difficult rhythms. These cannot always be written down using the traditional means of notation . For the notation of these melodies you have to resort to the irregular bars and characters that cannot always reproduce the melody one hundred percent.

With the Bulgarian folk song researchers and folk music composers (such as Dobri Christow , Vasil Stoin etc.), however, there are no 2/2 bars. The basic rule by which you assign time signatures is as follows: When the tempo of the melody is slow or moderate (that is, when the number of consecutive beats per bar is very small or medium - e.g. between 50 and 180 beats per minute ), write a 4 in the denominator (e.g. 2/4, 3/4, 5/4). This shows that the measure of the measure is the quarter note. If the tempo is fast or very fast (i.e., if the number of beats is between 180 and 250 per minute), write an 8 in the denominator (e.g., 3/8, 5/8, 7/8, etc.). The measure of the measure is therefore the eighth note. If the number of beats per minute is higher than 250, the number 16 is in the denominator (e.g. 5/16, 7/16 etc.). This rule can of course also be broken, it was simply an auxiliary measure of folk music researchers to roughly write down the melodies. The wide variety of metric forms in Bulgarian folk music can be divided into four groups:

Simple time signatures

The two- and three-stage time signatures are one of the simple time signatures. The combination of two- and three-time time signatures creates the compound time signatures, the combined metric groups and heterometric series. So there is z. B. the four-stage measure from a synthesis of two simple two-stage measures; the five-time cycle can be viewed as a combination of a two-stage and a three-stage cycle, and so on.

Two-stage time signatures

The 2/4 time signature : The most common two-part time signature in Bulgarian folk music is the 2/4 time signature. In a fast tempo you combine two two-stage time signatures in one time signature.

The 2/8 time: Is very rarely recorded. Few songs like “Ne predawai se, dewoiko” by Wasil Stoin and “Kula braschnu kula durwa” by Angel Bukoretchliew are in this time signature.

Three-part time signatures

Simple three-part time signatures are very rarely found in Bulgarian folk music. Some Bulgarian music theorists even deny their existence in Bulgarian folk music. Wasil Stoin, however, writes in one of his works: “In the music folkore you very often come across three-part measures, but they are never alone, but only occur in combination with one or more two-part time signatures.”

3/4 time: If the melody is slow or moderately fast, it is in 3/4 time.

The 3/8 time: If the number of beats per minute is above the average, i.e. higher than 160, the eighth note becomes the unit of measurement. 25

Compound time signatures

The compound time signatures can consist of two to seven parts, depending on the number of simple time signatures that make up the respective compound time signatures . The four-time (2 + 2), the five-time (3 + 2) and the six-time (3 + 3) are z. B. two-part time signatures. The six-time measure (2 + 2 + 2) and the nine-time measure of the type 3 + 3 + 3, on the other hand, are three-part. The nine-time measure can also be in four parts, namely as a combination of 2 + 2 + 2 + 3, or 2 + 3 + 2 + 2, or 2 + 2 + 3 + 2, or 3 + 2 + 2 + 2. The same applies for the ten-time measure 3 + 2 + 2 + 3 or 2 + 2 + 3 + 3 and the twelve-time measure 3 + 3 + 3 + 3. B. the eleven-time measure 2 + 2 + 3 + 2 + 2, in six parts the thirteen-time measure 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 3.

Furthermore, the composite time types can be symmetrical (equal) or asymmetrical (unequal), depending on whether they are formed by the same or different simple time types. So are z. B. the six-time cycle of the type 6 = 3 + 3 or 6 = 2 + 2 + 2, the nine-time cycle of the type 9 = 3 + 3 + 3 and the twelve-time cycle of the type 12 = 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 ( Symmetrical Compound Time Signatures ).

The eight-time measure, however, of the type 8 = 3 + 2 + 3, 8 = 2 + 3 +3 and 8 = 3 + 3 + 2, the nine-time measure of the type 9 = 2 + 2 + 2 + 3, 9 = 2 + 3 + 2 + 2 or the five-part twelve-time measure of the type 12 = 3 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 3 and 12 = 2 + 3 + 2 + 2 + 3, the thirteen-time measure and others, on the other hand, are asymmetrical composite time types .

The latter can be divided into two subgroups:

Combined metric groups

Combined metric groups are called combinations of unbalanced time signatures that repeat periodically until the end of the song. Such combined metric groups consist e.g. B. the dance "Iztursi Kaltzi". It is the combination of 7 + 7 + 11 = 25.

Heterometric series

This is understood to be changes in time, in which the metrical groups, which are formed from different types of combined time types, do not repeat themselves periodically.

Two-part time signatures

These are time signatures that are made up of either two two-stage or two three-stage time signatures. It is therefore either a four-time or six-time time signature.

Four-time time signatures of the type 2 + 2 = 4

- The 4/4 measure = (2 + 2) / 4 The 4/4 measure results from the addition of two 2/4 measures. In Bulgarian folk music one rarely comes across melodies in 4/4 time. It is better to write them down in 2/4 time. A slow and moderate pace is created.

The 4/8 time = (2 + 2) / 8 You can write down melodies in 4/4 time also in 4/8 time. This depends on the lyrics that are sung along with the song. When singing very fast, you need a smaller unit of measurement, i.e. the eighth.

The 4/16 time = (2 + 2) / 16 This time signature is very rare and is almost never used in Bulgarian folk music.

Six-time time signatures of the type 6 = 3 + 3

The 6/4 time = (3 + 3) / 4 has no use in Bulgarian folk music. There are still a few exceptions, but they are notated in 2/4 time. An example of this is the song "Augen, Schwarze Augen".

The 6/8 bar = (3 + 3) / 8 If a melody is played in a fast 3/8 bar, the border between the two simple three-step bars disappears. The result is a two-part six-time time signature.

The 6/16 time = (3 + 3) / 16 If a melody becomes very fast in 6/8 time, it can also be written down in 6/16 time. In this time signature z. B. the most popular and also easiest to learn dance dance, the dance "Prawo".

Two-part asymmetrical time signatures

In Bulgarian folk music one often encounters songs in which two-part and three-part time alternate, i. H. after a two-stage cycle comes a three-stage cycle, then another two-stage cycle, etc. until a cycle series is created. This creates a series of five-time groups. Depending on whether the cycle begins with a two-stage or a three-stage cycle, we differentiate between two types of five-stage cycles.

Five-time series of the type: 5 = 2 + 3

The 5/4 time = (2 + 3) / 4; This is a very characteristic time signature for the Rhodope Mountains . In the case of the melodies in which the 2/4 and 3/4 measures alternate periodically, another line must be placed between the two and three measures. If no line is set, but only the 5/4 time is entered at the beginning of the song, it is otherwise not clear whether it is a (2 + 3) or a (3 + 2) structure.

The 5/8 time = (2 + 3) / 8; The only difference between the 5/8 time and the 5/4 time is the speed of the tempo. With a quick change from 2/8 and 3/8 time, the boundary between the two-stage and the three-stage group disappears in the five-time cycle, but the boundaries between the individual five-time cycles become even clearer.

The 5/16 time = (2 + 3) / 16; In Bulgarian folk music, melodies are very often found in a five-time beat that is very fast (basic beat = 200 to 460 beats per minute). In such cases, as mentioned above, the sixteenth note becomes the unit of measurement.

This is the time signature of many rounds such as "Paiduschko horo", "Kostenskata", "Jutschata" and others. Many of the "Koledari" songs (= Christmas carols) are in this time signature.

Since the 5/16 bar is in two parts, but consists of two groups of different sizes and has a very fast tempo, the illusion of a two-part bar with a slightly longer second half of time arises. Dobri Christow says: “The two elements of the measure form a short unit, but three elements form a stretched unit. The cycle consists of a short and a stretched unit. "

Five-step series of the type 5 = 3 + 2

The 5/4 time = (3 + 2) / 4; This is a five-time series of bars that begins with a 3/4 and not a 2/4 bar and ends with a 2/4 bar. The time signatures alternate periodically as above.

The 5/8 time = (3 + 2) / 8; If the 3/4 time and the 2/4 time alternate very quickly at a fast tempo, the boundary between the three-time and the two-time time disappears. The two simple time signatures merge into a compound five-time measure. The unit of measurement for this cycle time is the eighth note.

The 5/16 time = (3 + 2) / 16; It is a very fast-tempo time signature that rarely occurs in Bulgarian folk music.

Three-part time signatures

The compound three-part time signature consists of three simple measures, which can be two-stage or three-stage. If the three simple measures are of the same type, the result is a symmetrical time signature; if they are different, the result is an asymmetrical time signature.

Three-part symmetrical time signatures

These time signatures can be made up of either three three-stage or three two-stage time signatures. In the first case the measure is nine times (3 + 3 + 3 = 9) and in the second case six times (2 + 2 + 2 = 6). The three-part symmetrical time signatures are very rare.

The six-time time signatures

The 6/4 time = (2 + 2 + 2) / 4; The three-part symmetrical six-quarter time is not used in musical practice. In professional European music it has been replaced by the 3/2 time. The Bulgarian folk musicians simply write a 2/4 time instead of the 6/4 time, without any indication of the grouping of the simple bars.

The 6/8 time = (2 + 2 + 2) / 8; This measure has mixed with the 3/4 measure.

Nine-time time signatures

The 9/8 time = (3 + 3 + 3) / 8; The symmetrical three-part nine-time measure is made up of three three-stage simple measures. When the tempo of the melody is slow, the connection between the three three-time bars is very loose. But even if the tempo is very fast, folk music practitioners never write a 9/8 time, but 3/8 or 3/4. You almost never meet this beat in Bulgarian folk music.

Three-part asymmetrical time signature

The three-part asymmetrical time signature can either be seven-time or eight-time. There are three types of seven-time time signature:

  1. At the beginning there is a two-stage group and at the end a three-stage group. This structure corresponds to 7/4 = (2 + 2 + 3) / 4, 7/8 = (2 + 2 + 3) / 8 and 7/16 = (2 + 2 + 3) / 16.
  2. At the beginning there is a three-stage group and at the end a two-stage group. This structure corresponds to: 7/4 = (3 + 2 + 2) / 4, 7/8 = (3 + 2 + 2) / 8 and 7/16 = (3 + 2 + 2) / 16.
  3. At the beginning and at the end there is a two-stage group and in the middle a three-stage group: This structure corresponds to: 7/16 = (2 + 3 + 2) / 16. This third possibility does not exist in Bulgarian folk music.

The eight-phase asymmetrical bars can also be divided into three groups:

  1. At the beginning and at the end there is a three-stage group: 8/4 = (3 + 2 + 3) / 4, 8/8 = (3 + 2 + 3) / 8, or 8/16 = (3 + 2 + 3) / 16.
  2. Or there is a two-stage group at the beginning and the following two are three-stage: 8/4 = (2 + 3 + 3) / 4, 8/8 = (2 + 3 + 3) / 8, or 8/16 = (2 + 3 + 3) / 16.
  3. And finally there can be a three-stage group at the beginning and in the middle and a two-stage group at the end: 8/4 = (3 + 3 + 2) / 4, 8/8 = (3 + 3 + 2) / 8, or 8 / 16 = (3 + 3 + 2) / 16.

Musical folk instruments

Wind instruments

Stringed instruments

  • String instruments
  • Plucked instruments

Percussion instruments, membrane instruments

Tapan (bass drum)

The Tapan is similar to the Turkish Davul and is known almost throughout the country. There are two different ways of playing: on the one hand with a mallet, on the other hand with mallets and chopsticks, so that you can also hit the second side of the drum. There are drums of very different sizes. However, they are all made in the same way: a skin is stretched onto a wooden hoop with the help of two cords. The drum is used as an accompanying instrument with other folk instruments such as gaida, gadulka and kaval.

Tarambuka and Daire

The goblet drum Tarambuka ( Darbuka ) and the frame drum Daire (bulg. Дайре; English Dayereh) are mainly used by Roma and Turks, but also have a place in the life of the Bulgarians. In some areas they replace the big drum. More common than the Tarambuka is the Daire, which is mainly rhythmic songs, e.g. B. on holidays, accompanied.

The Tschanowe

Even if the Tschans have no immediate meaning for the Bulgarian folk music, the sheep bells have always been a companion in the life of the Bulgarians.

Artist

literature

  • Béla Bartók: The so-called Bulgarian rhythm. In: Béla Bartók: Essays (= Studies in Musicology. 8). Selected and edited by Benjamin Suchoff. Faber & Faber, London 1976, ISBN 0-571-10120-8 , pp. 40-49.
  • Стоян Джуджев: Българска народна музика. Учебник. Volume 1. Наука и изкуство, София 1970, (Stojan Dschudschew: Bulgarian folk music. Bulgarian).
  • Lydia Litova-Nikolova: Bulgarian Folk Music (= Bulgarian Academic Monographs. 9) Marin Drinov Academic Publishing House, Sofia 2004, ISBN 954-430-996-9 .
  • Todor Bakalov: Anthology of Bulgarian Folk Musicians. 2 volumes. 3. Edition. St. Kliment Ohridsky University Press, Sofia 2002, ISBN 954-07-1650-0 (vol. 1), ISBN 954-07-1651-9 (vol. 2).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Nice Fracile: The "Aksak" Rhythm, a Distinctive Feature of the Balkan Folklore. In: Studia Musicologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae , T. 44, Fasc. 1/2, 2003, pp. 197-210
  2. ↑ Добри Христов: Ритмичните основи на народната ни музика. In: Сборник за народни умотворения и народопис. (СбНУН). Vol. 27, 1913, ISSN  0205-2679 , pp. 1-48, (Dobri Christow: The rhythmic basis of our folk music. ).
  3. ↑ Page no longer available , search in web archives: Bulgarian Folklore Regions (Bulgarian)@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.sou-brezovo.org