Copper brass instruments and orchestras in Bulgarian folk music

published on 5/16/12 12:48 PM

Photo: BGNES

Copper brass instruments and orchestras in Bulgarian folk music

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It is hard to say when exactly West European brass instruments entered Bulgaria, when copper sounds began to play our folk tunes. According to a family legend of several generations of Roma musicians from the towns of Kotel and Liaskovets, their ancestors came upon the first trumpet during the mid-19th century’s Russo-Turkish wars. There is historical evidence that before the Liberation of Ottoman Rule Bulgarian musicians used to play in Turkish military orchestras, such as the music of the Cossack Brigade /a Christian military unit within the Ottoman army/, using copper brass instruments.

The first military brass orchestras were created in this country after the 1878 Liberation and those were conducted by Czech bandmasters. Citizens’ brass orchestras were established in many Bulgarian settlements at that time, following the example of the military formations. Those could be found mainly in Northwest and Central North Bulgaria. At that time the bands consisted of copper brass musicians – they played the trumpet, flugelhorn, horn, baritone horn, trombone, tube and woodwind instruments – clarinet, flute and different drums and percussions. The repertoire of brass orchestras included then Bulgarian folk melodies, music of the neighboring Balkan peoples and later on – author’s works with folk spirit and western dance and military music – polkas, waltzes, marches.

The music of the brass and military orchestras became more folk one over the first half of the 20th century. Naturally born talents, such as Diko Iliev, who created the famous Iskar Chain Dance during WWI /1918/ were inspired by local traditions, improving them with the West European way of musical thinking, leaving a chain dance repertoire that is considered to be folklore today.

Professional brass orchestras at the military units, citizens’ ones and the existing folk-typed orchestras in the villages performed Bulgarian folk music over the second half of the 20th century. Famous conductors, arrangers and composers from that period were Diko Iliev, Andrey Vrachanski, Georgi Madzharov, Yolo Yolov, Hristo and Nikolay Tonev etc. The Unforgettable Uncle Diko is one of the last brass compositions of Hristofor Radanov. It was given the first award at a contest for a composition, dedicated to the memory of Diko Iliev.

The brass performances that continue local traditions are particularly colorful. Those are the Berkovska Brass Music, established more than a century ago, the Roma brass orchestras from the towns of Sliven, Liaskovets and Zlatarica /Karandila, the White Swans, Zlatarishka Music/. Listen next to renditions of the Berkovska Brass Orchestra and the Karandila Orchestra from the town of Sliven.

Flugelhorn and trumpet found their place in 20th century’s modern folk orchestras. Today we can hardly imagine Sofia orchestras, such the Korenyashka band without the flugelhorn, or the Thracian wedding orchestras without the trumpet. Some of the brass musicians turned not only into local stars, they became famous at a national level: Karlo Aliev, Stefan Filipov, Ivan Hadzhiiski… Their folk music, although performed via European copper instruments is nowadays one of the emblematic images of Bulgarian musical folklore. We end up this edition of Timeout for Music with a chain dance, performed by the famous Parvomay Band, with trumpet player Stefan Filipov as a front man.

Editor: Valia Bozhilova,
using materials of Prof. Lozanka Peicheva
English version: Zhivko Stanchev

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Copper brass instruments and orchestras in Bulgarian folk music

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