Did the Ensemble of the Bulgarian Republic sound stolidly Stalinist? NOT!
-
Artist:
-
Album:
-
Track:Retche Mama Da Me Jeni (Mother has Decided to Marry Me Off)
Philip Koutev (1903-1982) formed this group in 1951. He wrote arrangements of rural folk songs that, by making use of the unique qualities of rural Bulgarian music, do not dilute their beauty. The Ensemble performed in Paris in 1955, where they recorded songs that comprise the Nonesuch Explorer Series album Music of Bulgaria. Check out the following songs:
"Retche Mama Da Me Jeni (Mother has Decided to Marry Me Off)":
"Vetcheryai Radio (Come to Supper Tonight, Rada)":
and "Polegnala e Todora (Todora's Dream)":
Numerous Bulgarian arrangers and choirs have followed Koutev's path and toured internationally since then, including the Bulgarian State Television Female Vocal Choir and the Philip Koutev Choir. The compilation albums Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares, Vol. 1 & 2 have been popular. The ensembles usually include authentic instrumentalists who play dance music with complex Slavic mixtures of unusual time signatures.
Last but not least, check out the National Folk Ensemble "Philip Koutev" singing "Dilmano, Dilbero," recorded in 1988 at the Tokyo Post Office Life Insurance and Annuities Hall and released on the currently out-of-print JVC (Japanese) CD Bulgarian Polyphony, Vol. 1.
The National Folk Ensemble "Philip Koutev"
Let me know if you want any more of anything.
Comments (18)
Wow, I haven't listened to these amazing women in a long long time. I was lucky to see them in person many moons ago. I get the feeling you must have too. "Mother has decided to marry me off" is really lovely. I know this is a bit of a veer to Russia, but have you ever heard Stravinsky's ballet "Les Noces." It uses soloists and a chorus. It depicts a peasant Russian wedding and the song the bride sings (a wailing lament) is out of this friggin' world! I think you'd dig it.
Dilmano, Dilbero makes me want to dance! Love all the meter changes. More from that please!! And thanks for this wonderful post!
I'd like a lot of everything if it is like this.
CeeOhBee, I haven't seen whatever leading Bulgarian ensemble has been touring, but I wish I had seen it at Cal Performances in Berkeley last year. Stravinsky's "Les Noces" is now at the top of my must-hear list.
Cody, you and CeeOhBee asked for it, so here are two more, the first slow and the second fast.
The National Folk Ensemble "Philip Koutev": “Prituri Se Planinate (The Mountains)”
The National Folk Ensemble "Philip Koutev": “Lechko Stapjai (Step Lightly)”
I remember there was a later version of "Polegnala e Todora" on the album "Le Mystere des Voix Bulgares" that was very popular in the early days of "World" music, about twenty years ago.
I like "Prituri Se Planinate" in particular here
Isn't it great? There's a version of "Polegnala e Todora" even on the above group's Vol. 2 CD. There are a bunch of songs that Music of Bulgaria, Le Mystere des Voix Bulgares and Bulgarian Polyphony share, and the later versions are faithful to the earlier ones. A part of me has imagined Koutev as an unusually influential pioneer, but I know nothing about his precursors. In any case, Bulgaria's rightful pride in this home-made genre has helped it survive the strong forces of Western homogenizing hegemony.
Long a favorite, Spike. High quality! This is a song from "TWO GIRLS STARTED SINGING" Bulgarian Village Singing, on Rounder.
They say the singing in Sofia is a different style than the "Voix Bulgares". slightly more penetrating and less smooth. Here's a song from the Women's Choir of Sofia on Laserlight.
This is from Bulgarian Polyphony IV by Quartet Slavei.
CeeOhBee : Years ago I heard an NPR story featuring Russian village wedding songs sung by village girls and others. I looked everywhere for some of that. Couldn't even find the NPR story anymore! The Nonesuch recording of Les Noces with the Pokrovsky Ensemble was almost the answer to my prayers. There are field recordings on there that are not quite what I had heard before, but a lot closer than all that Cossak stuff the Soviets put out as Russian. Here's the piece you mentioned, I think. The First Tableau, and one of the songs. The Bed.
Spike 1, your three are way cool too! The first is real rural folk music, and the other two have art song arrangements like mine. Notice how the second comes from an album whose title tries to attract fans of the Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares series by changing the translation slightly from "Mystery of" to "Mysterious."
NO! Wait! The first one disappeared! It's Sobrala mi se silna sedenkja from singers in the village of Osina, east of Stovea, Bulgaria.
CeeOhBee, your aggressive Stravinsky songs certainly sound like they were influenced by rural Russian folk music similar to nearby Bulgarian music. I'm no expert, but all these links between various tracks are fascinating.
Spike 1, I disappeared it, Pinochet-style; it didn't have proper ID, and refused to talk. Its clone is fine; I like how the harmony goes in and out of unison. Why can't more singers adopt Bulgarians' lack of vibrato?
I'm not even going to try and describe how happy this music makes me. There's enough beauty and good strangeness here to last for months....
ivylander, when you're happy, I'm happy. You're right; it's like edgy comfort music.
Oh, yeah, Spike. I didn't pick up on that Nuance about the name of the group.
Yeah. I was really please to find a few Field Recording - type things from Eurasia.
I wanted to add some other music here, but it's so different I decided to put it in a separate post Titled "Balkan Film Score". It's up there now. Please take a listen y'all.
WoW!
This post just exploded..nice work folks.
Spike 1, my second comment to CeeOhBee (above) was based on my misperception that the comment featuring the two "Les Noces" uploads was from her and not you. Sometimes I have male
refrigeratorcomment blindness.I urge everyone to check out your "Balkan Film Score" post.
inrumford, your comforting comment is a palindrome.
Cody, who woulda thought? MOG still breathes.
With a ventilator..but yeah.