GD 232 BISTRICA GRANNIES Authentic Bulgarian Folk CD
Issued: 2000
Style: folklore music
Company: Gega New GD232
Bistritsa is situated in the suburbs of the city of Sofia. It is a unique settlement, which cherishes an old and well-preserved traditional culture. Despite the closeness and influence of Bulgaria’s capital, the two cultures – that of the big modern city and of the small village - coexist without contradicting each other.
Bitritsa’s folk tradition is part of the folklore of Middle Western Bulgaria, characterised by its two-voiced mode with some incident three-voiced combinations. This multi-voiceness is quite different from the European music tradition. It is more primitive and very often neighbouring tones are united simultaneously in an amazing harmony. This incredible sonority gives us an entirely new idea of the classical multi-voiceness and surprises us with the unusual natural and easy flow of sounds that reach the listener. The melodies come out freely without any metrical organization, or in the typical uneven measures (7/8, 5/16, 11/16, etc.). The villagers of Bistritsa have songs for all occasions: weddings, the horo dance, working-bees, harvest time. There are also ritual songs for different festivals. And even though part of these activities is no longer practiced today, the residents of Bistritsa still sing and cherish them. The Bistritsa Grannies group was founded in 1939. At the moment it includes singers from three generations, aged between 46 and 77, and they have their worthy successors in the group of their grand-daughters (between 20 and 25 years of age). “The Grannies” are popular and loved not only in the Shoppe region and in Bulgaria, but they have also been received with enthusiasm in England, France, Italy, Germany, the USA. In 1978 they won the prestigious “European Folk Art” award, which was granted by the “Alfred Toepfer” Foundation, Hamburg.
The Bistritsa Grannies and Their Grand-daughters album features some of their most characteristic songs. It is part of Gega NewÂ’s long-term project to release and popularize authentic Bulgarian folk songs.
Contents:
•Gel Iano
• Puna gradina
• Orgeia zvezda
• Pi momche vino
• Nikolo, more Nikolo
• Begala Neda
• Mome Iano
• Jovano, Jovanke
• Dve mi gori
• Sedna ludo da vecheria
• Malo selo rano vecherialo
• Mitra pere na rekata
• Gora iazdat kiteni svatove
• Beli shatore
• Izvrelo vino
• Pchelice medna iliadina
• Vi shto vi lito minalo
• Dana konia pribrala
• Dona bile brala
• Todora liliak kyrshila
• Slynce zajde, rosa padna
• Slynceto treperi
• Nedelia na drum zhynala
• Pokarala bela Neda
• Todoro le bela Rado
• Kato le, mome ubava
• Shto e arno u nashe selo
• Smin devojche
• Zhunala e Iana
• Dala me mama
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