Bulgarian families of musicians: the Manolov

published on 3/5/12 12:15 PM

Bulgarian families of musicians: the Manolov

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Bulgarian history of music includes a number of renowned families of musicians and composers. One of the first professional Bulgarian composers is Emanuil Manolov. He was born in 1860 in the town of Gabrovo. There is not much information about his youth but it is known that he studied for 2 years in the Music Academy of Moscow, where he wrote his first works.
In 1885 he returned to Bulgaria where he worked as a teacher in music and chapel master in the army. From 1899 to 1902 he wrote music in the Bulgarian town of Kazanlak situated in what is known in the country as the “rose valley.” It was there where Manolov created the first Bulgarian opera, after being inspired by a poem of poet Ivan Vazov. It was in the “Iskra” community hall in Kazanlak where the premiere of the opera, known these days as “Siromahkinia” took place.

The initial variant of the Bulgarian opera was a one-act piece and was presented on December 29, 1900. The success of the work motivated Emanuil Manolov to write a second part to the opera, constructed according to Italian traditions. In 1910 Siromahkinia was successfully presented to the audience in Sofia, thus paving the path to other Bulgarian composers.

The first son of composer Emanuil Manolov – Hristo was born around the time when the first Bulgarian opera was written. Later he also became part of the history of music in the country as the writer of the first Bulgarian ballet. He studied in Dresden and worked as a conductor of a number of choirs and orchestras including the one of the Varna Opera.

At the end of his life, Hristo Manolov, just like his father, became a chapel master in the army. In 1937 the opera in Sofia staged his ballet Zmey i Yana (Dragon and Yana), as the work was inspired by the creator of the professional ballet in Bulgaria - Anastas Petrov. Conductor of the performance was young Asen Naidenov. The libretto was based on Zmeyova Svatba by Petko Todorov while the music was influenced by folklore rhythms.

The work of choreographer Anastas Petrov and the magnificent performance of the ballet dancers made a strong impression on critics who praised the stage work and the performance. In 1958 Petrov staged Zmey i Yana once more but with editions made by Zdravko Manolov, son of Hristo Manolov.

Composer Zdravko Manolov was born in 1925 in the city of Plovdiv. He later graduated from the Music Academy in Sofia with his lecturer being the renowned Bulgarian composer Parashkev Hadzhiev. Zdravko Manolov later became a lecturer in the academy himself. He is an author a number of works for symphony and chamber orchestras, as well as choir music. Professor Zdravko Manolov passed away during a tour to the US in 1983. Let’s listen to a part of his famous Concert for Violoncello and Orchestra, performed by his late brother Svetoslav Manolov, a renowned musician and cello player.

English: Alexander Markov

По публикацията работи: Boyanka Arnaudova

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Bulgarian families of musicians: the Manolov

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