ANTHOLOGY OF BULGARIAN FOLK MUSICIANS, Volume 2

ISBN: 954-07-1651-9
Author: Thodor Bakalov Ph. D of Music
Printed in: 2002, 1st edition
Pages: 320 p., hard cover, size 24.5 x17.5 cm
Language: Text in English
Photos: There are 124 colour and 107 b&w photos. Index of names.

The Anthology of Bulgarian Folklore Musicians in two volumes is the first edition in English of its kind in the Bulgarian literature. It presents a panorama of the folk activities throughout the ages up to the present day, and gives a thorough and objective idea of the vocal and instrumental elite of different regions of Bulgaria.

This second volume introduce 33 singers and ensembles - the most famous masters of folk music and accordionists of Bulgarian folk music. A special place is allotted to the yang generation, i.e. some of the best artists and children's formations. In this volume you will learn more about the phenomenal artist of the kaval - Theodosi Spassov, the best Bulgarian folk-jazz singer - Ivelina Balcheva, about the singer Nadka Karadjova, etc.

The last part - Rhythmic and Metrics of Bulgarian Folk Music is very interesting. The author manage to publish the most typical examples (70 musical scores) of the repertoires of the Bulgarian greatest kaval, bagpipe, rebec, pandore, accordion and clarinet players from all over Bulgaria. The reader will come upon horos in mixed measures, heterometric sequences, interesting paragons in ancient moods, in pentatonic and chromatics, etc.
"In 1968 our love for traditional cultures brought us to Bulgaria with the aim to record music from different places in your country. In 1972 an extremely beautiful song, recorded during the time of our visit, was chosen for the Golden Disk, later on launched into space aboard Voyager space station. It is a real succes that today this very recording of Valya Balkanska's song "Izlel e Delyo haidoutin" is now flying into deep space, together with the great music of Bach, Bethoven, with music of India, Japan and many other corners of the Earth - messengers to the Universe, carrying the music of the Earth."
Ethel Reim, Martin Reunig - Directors of the Ethnographic Center for Folk Arts, New York