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Anastas Naumov: Folklore music is my academy

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Artist, folklorist and conductor Anastas Naumov dedicated his life to authentic folklore music. He passed away several months ago at the age of eighty seven. Anastas Naumov left a rich heritage of author's remakes and music based on folklore. He contributed a lot to the huge collection of folk music recordings at the golden archives of the Bulgarian National Radio 

Anastas Naumov was born on January 27, 1928 in the coastal city of Varna, to a family of national revival period values. His grandfather was a priest and one of the leaders of the Ilinden Uprising. Anastas Naumov dedicated to his grandfather his orchestra piece named Komitsko Horo (Chieftain’s Chaindance). Anastas started to play the violin when he was a little boy. His talent took him to a music school and Hristina Stoyanova's classes who formed in the young Bulgarian musician a taste for all music genres. Later he continued his music education at the National Music Academy. His artistic career started when he was employed at Radio Sofia’s music service. Once composer Naumov used to say: When I was a young man I turned myself to pop and choir music. Perhaps, I was motivated by the fact that my first job was at the Choir Music department. However, destiny helped me turn to the music based on Bulgarian folklore when I moved to the radio's Folklore Music department. 
At that time Anastas Naumov had gone through theoretical courses at the Music Academy and the classes of Professor Stoyan Dzhudzhev. The work at the Folklore Music section of the Bulgarian National Radio was a new challenge for Naumov.  

The main task of the Folk Music service is to produce folk music recordings performed by singers, instrumentalists, folklore ensembles, amateur folklore choirs and groups created at that time, just like the Philip Koutev National Folklore Ensemble.

Anastas Naumov used to say that his personal contacts with Bulgaria's folklore musicians made him love folklore music and laid the foundations of his career.

At the beginning of 1962 Anastas Naumov was invited to move to the city of Sliven for several years, in order to found the Folk Song and Dance Ensemble there. After six months of intense work that ensemble made its debut on stage.

Working with that ensemble was like attending real school of Bulgarian folklore. It was a music laboratory where I trained musicians and at the same time learnt a lot from them. After four years spend in the city of Sliven, filled with a lot of hard work, a series of concerts, festivals and separate performances, Anastas Naumov returned to the Bulgarian National Radio and headed the Folklore Music section there.

He recorded and remade music for soloists Valkana Stoyanova, Yanka Rupkina, Kalinka Valcheva, Olga Borisova, Staika Gyokova, Eva Georgieva, Dobra Savova, duo Kremena Stancheva and Vasilka Andonova,  Iliya Argirov, Marin Ivanov, Dimka Vladmimirova, Georgi Chilingirov, pipers Tsvyatko Blagoev and Stoyan Velichkov, bagpipers Kostadin Varimezov and Nikola Atanasov and many other renowned Bulgarian musicians. In that period Anastas Naumov wrote some of his best choir songs and orchestra pieces for the Mystery of the Bulgarian Voices Choir, as well as for the virtuoso Bulgarian National Radio Folk Orchestra. The celebrated composer created over two thousand author's pieces and remakes of folklore songs for soloists, acapella, orchestra and ensemble pieces which have remained part of the music repertoire of many contemporary folklore ensembles. Anastas Naumov left a wonderful music collection and his name will be recalled on stage for many years to come.

English version: Kostadin Atanasov


The audio file contains the following pieces:

1- Komitsko Chaindance, Orchestra of the Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts Plovdiv

2- Aide Ma Libe Zavedi, to the rendition of Marin Ivanov

3- Vo Pirina Planina to the rendition of Kostadin Gugov

4-Sun Mi Krade Cherni Ochi, Choir of the National School of Folk Arts

5- Pesen Vokaliza- Choir of the BNR Folk Ensemble




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