A Singing Dance From Bulgaria

Traditional Bulgarian Music

Folkloric music and dance are performed as has been for generations, but also present are innovative hybrids in text, form, and instrumentation. Kaufman and Peycheva (2004) described music making in Bulgaria as not only playing and singing but also “a manifestation of a worldview, of values, of social roles” (p. 38). Historically, traditional musical activities were divided by gender with singing a priority for women and playing instruments for men. This has been rapidly changing as in so many countries, and gender is no longer a hard and fast rule regarding specific means of music participation.

Common characteristics in traditional singing include the following:

These songs are typically organized by their association with rituals, work, or celebrations. Ritual songs are connected to religious holidays or seasonal celebrations related to certain times of year, and the milestones of life: birth, marriage, death. Work songs are connected to the many tasks related to harvest, and then the tasks of the home and community. The lyrics tell stories of history, battles, love, betrayal, and spiritual magic. Celebration songs are entwined with the arrival of a baby, the rites leading up to and including a wedding, and honoring one who died.

There are a variety of traditional instruments used throughout the country, and some singing traditions include accompaniment. These can include (Figure 2) the gajda (bagpipe), kaval (end-blown flute), and tambura (plucked or strummed string instrument) as well as gajdulka (string instrument played with a bow), accordion, and tupan (double-sided drum).

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Figure 2.

Traditional Bulgarian instruments: gajda (bagpipe), kaval (end-blown flute), and tambura (strummed or plucked string instrument).

Folkloric Regions

When studying the folkloric traditions of the country, there are six distinct regions each with its own unique flavor: Sofia (the capitol city area), the Northern area, Dobrudja, Thrace, Pirin, and the Rhodopes. Each of these has subregions with their own specific musical traits. At the same time, there is much influence present from the traditions of Turks, Greeks, Hungarians, Romanians, Moldavians, Ukrainians, and Serbs. Additionally, the presence of technology has opened possibilities for performance as it has everywhere with the Internet. Music educators value the access and variety that come with mass media, while simultaneously working to preserve older traditions.

The songs from the Sofia region are recognized for their bold personality and dissonant harmonies. Sofia has maintained the historical form of its traditional music, unlike other regions that were heavily influenced by Turkish and other cultures. The dissonance in the songs presents via a drone close to one or two other melodies. The drone may move back and forth between the two melodies leading to sustained seconds and other tense intervals that then resolve beautifully. The voices are intended to sound as if one person is on each part. If it is a unison melody, the singers aim to blend to sound as one voice rather than a blended choir.

The Northern region includes songs and instrumental music with special emphasis on brass bands. Dobrudja is located in the northeast and features songs shared between men and women showing strong influence from Greek and Turkish traditions. Songs from Thrace, the largest region, are considered to be the pearl of Bulgarian singing tradition including highly ornamented slow songs for celebrations and banquets. Thracian songs are soloistic with popular dance traditions to accompany including the pravo (Ilieva, 1977). Another popular dance genre from this region is Kopanitsa, featuring traditional instruments such as the kaval and gajda.

The region of Pirin includes more percussion than others. Tamburas are also commonly played. In the Rhodopes, there are Christian and Muslim musical traditions apparent in costuming and musical forms. A Muslim song would be in two parts while a Christian song would likely be in unison and feature the gajda. Also unique to each region are the costumes and embroidery patterns shown in traditional performances such as by members of the Ethnic Dance Theater of Minneapolis, Minnesota (Figure 3).

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Figures 3.

The Ethnic Dance Theater of Minneapolis, Minnesota, performing traditional Bulgarian dances.

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Figures 4.

“Trâgnala Rumjana.”

“Trâgnala Rumjana”

“Trâgnala Rumjana” is a Bulgarian folk dance and song in 7/8 known in many variants and also found in neighboring Macedonia and Serbia. The version of the dance included here is commonly found in the Rhodopes and Dobrudja regions, even appearing in the physical education curricula in Bulgarian elementary schools. This version was taught widely outside of Bulgaria by folk dance teacher Dick Crum after he learned it from a member of the Koutev Bulgarian State Folk Ensemble.

There are many available options for learning the pronunciation rules for Bulgarian (as well as other languages). Bulgarian is in the Cyrillic alphabet, but it is regularly transliterated using the Roman alphabet. A reliable option for working on the pronunciation can be found here: www.omniglot.com/writing/bulgarian.htm

Recordings: While there are many versions available online, the one best known to folk dancers is no longer in print. The following version was found by searching online in the Cyrillic alphabet and is more traditional in sound and instrumentation. Listen to several versions and find one that fits your taste, or consider trying several with your students.

Formation: Open circle or line moving counterclockwise, hands joined at shoulder height (known as a W position), or on neighbors’ shoulders (T position).

Stylistic Considerations: The movements are small and subtle with loose knees.

Dance Pattern: The full pattern is a slow four-step grapevine to the right, followed by two step-touches. A measure equals seven 8th notes split up into groupings of 3 + 2 + 2, or 2 + 2 + 3. The first step in each measure comes on the downbeat and lasts for three 8th notes, or a dotted quarter note. The second step in each measure comes on the fourth 8th note and lasts for a half note. It is deceptive to the ear not familiar with 7/8 and will feel like 4/4 at first until you are tuned in to the subtle difference between the first and second step.

Possible Uses