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Although an astonishing amount of World Music recordings have become
available in the UK over the past 15 years, the more remote corners of
Europe have persistently fared second best to the more colourful continents
such as Africa and South America. There's one European country, however,
which regularly manages to fly its flag in our record shops: Bulgaria.
This may, in part, be due to the success of the Mystères des Voix
Bulgares series of recordings in the 80s which opened up the world of
Bulgarian female singing to the Western world (initially thanks to airtime
devoted to it by certain BBC radio disc jockeys who'd taken a shine to
it). It may also be a result of the relatively prolific Bulgarian recording
industry. Or it could simply be because of the sheer wealth and diversity
of music and song which this easternmost corner of Europe has to offer.
The Balkans generally, and Bulgaria in particular, are something of a
musical melting pot, with strong Eastern influences due to the occupation
of the Ottoman Empire. Indeed, those unfamiliar with the music will often,
on a blindfold test, place its origin a thousand miles or so further east
than its true home. But despite the Ottoman influences, Bulgarian music
is generally more accessible to ears attuned to Western forms than music
from further east. Perhaps, then, it's this mixture of the familiar and
the exotic that's the main reason for its appeal.
Whatever, anyone wanting to hear more from this country - perhaps the
aforementioned Mystères des Voix Bulgares series, or the more commercial
'Wedding Band' type of music - should have no difficulty in finding something
to their taste, even in 'commercial' record outlets.
So you've spotted something in the shop that takes your fancy; excitedly
you rush home with your prize; with trembling hands you slip the little
silver disc into your player. But are you really ready for a whole hour
of solo Bulgarian bagpipes? Can you take a complete CD of unaccompanied
female voice? Perhaps you are; perhaps you can. In which case, go for
it! If not, I'd like to suggest that ARC Music's Anthology of Traditional
Songs and Dances from Bulgaria will provide you with exactly the treat
you've been looking for. The title tells you all you need to know about
this 23 track CD (with tracks ranging from just over a minute for a whistle
duet to nine and a half minutes of solo bagpiping), covering a wide range
of Bulgarian traditional instruments and voices. Although modern Western
instruments such as the clarinet and accordion now have an important part
to play in the Bulgarian tradition, on this CD they're relegated to a
supporting role, with only accordion and concertina being evident, the
main sounds being those that have been heard in the Bulgarian countryside
for centuries.
Of all the countries comprising the Balkans, Bulgaria has, arguably, the
strongest and most diverse range of musical traditions and instruments.
For me, the guv'nor instrument is the bagpipe, or Gayda as it's locally
known. Don't think Scottish or Irish when you think bagpipe here; these
more familiar Western instruments use a conical chanter with a double
beating reed like an oboe. In the Balkans (other nearby countries such
as Albania and Macedonia use forms of the Gayda as well), bagpipe chanters
are usually cylindrically bored, with single reeds in both chanter and
drone, giving a wild, primitive and astonishingly beautiful sound when
in the hands of a skilled performer such as Lyuben Nikolov from the village
of Zlokuchene in the Samokov region of south western Bulgaria. On this
track, simply entitled Instrumental Piece for Gayda and Tupan, the Gayda
is accompanied by the Tupan,, a large double-headed drum, beaten on both
heads. A different sounding bagpipe is the Kaba Gayda (which means big
bagpipe). This is a much deeper, more sonorous instrument, of awesome
power, and can be heard on the first track of this recording played by
Raycho Zhekin from the village of Borovo in the Laki region of central
southern Bulgaria.
The other instrument which is instantly evocative of Bulgaria is the Kaval.
This is a large, end-blown flute with no separate embouchure hole as in
a western flute; just a pipe open at both ends with finger holes in the
middle - you blow across one of the open ends (and yes, it's as difficult
to do as it sounds). It's played almost entirely in the upper registers,
producing a high breathy ethereal sound. There are only two Kaval solo
tracks on this CD (I could have done with more), both performed by Yordan
Manolov from the village of Dzhurkovo in the Laki region. As well a being
a player, Yordan is a master flute maker.
Other wind instruments to be heard are the Dvoyanka, a double whistle
type flute, where one pipe plays the melody while the other is used almost
entirely as a drone, and the Pishtyalki, a single whistle type flute which
until the 20th Century was made from the wingbone of an eagle.
Stings are represented by the Rebec, a simple three string fiddle, and
the Tambura, a lute-like plucked fretted instrument with from 4 to 12
strings. With the Tambura, only one or two strings carry the melody, the
others being strummed to form a drone accompaniment. To my ear, the sound
is not unlike that of the Appalachian Mountain Dulcimer, an instrument
from many thousands of miles further west.
As well as the Tupan, percussion on this CD is represented by the Tarambuka,
a single headed goblet drum held under the musician's arm and played with
the fingers of both hands.
The prolific Bulgarian vocal tradition is well catered for here, broadly
divided into male and female singing. It would appear that most of the
songs are work-songs, mostly by vocal ensembles though there is some solo
singing. The female singing is often referred to in the West as 'open-throated.'
If you've never heard it before, it's almost impossible to describe. Suffice
to say that it's different; as different as, say, opera is from western
folk singing or crooning from yodelling (I cite these particular examples
as they all use different voice production mechanisms, as does the open-throated
technique). Bulgarian female singing is tremendously exhilarating - spine-tingling
even! Listen to A Young Woman and a Young Man Become Separated, performed
by an unnamed female vocal group from the town of Nedelino in the Smolyan
region of south eastern Bulgaria. In this song, the singers are split
into two, the two halves working together in question and answer fashion.
This two-part arrangement is also employed by male singers on tracks such
as A Girl is Knitting a Gaily Coloured Stocking, performed by an unnamed
male group from the town of Velingrad in central southern Bulgaria.
Whilst the various traditional instruments and voices to be heard on this
CD are sometimes solo, they are often featured playing together to reveal
an exciting and rich tapestry of sound which becomes increasingly rewarding
on repeated listening.
As would be expected from a country of this size, there's a wide regional
variation in instruments and musical/vocal techniques. Where significant,
these are discussed in the 10 page illustrated booklet accompanying the
CD (it's actually 30 pages but I'm not counting the transcripts in German
and French). My only criticism is that, although the booklet is produced
in impeccable English, I suspect it was originally written in Bulgarian
but translated by a non-musician as there are some strange statements
which could well do with clarification (what does "...his bagpipe
is tuned to a high main note" mean?). But this is a petty criticism
when set against the overall excellence of a compilation such as this.
If you've already sampled Bulgarian music and song and want to hear more,
this CD will not disappoint. If you've never heard any before, this recording
could offer a whole new listening experience.
Performance ****
Recording ***
Dave VanDoorn
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