Dragana and the Nightingale: A masterpiece arrangement of a Bulgarian folk song by Philip Koutev

published on 5/30/25 10:25 AM

Philip Koutev

Photo: bulgarianhistory.org

Highlights of Bulgarian musical culture: Dragana and the Nightingale

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The renowned composer, conductor and folklorist Philip Koutev created a distinctive fusion of Bulgarian folk and classical music. It all began in 1951, when the State Ensemble for Folk Songs and Dances (now the Philip Koutev National Folklore Ensemble) was founded.

In March 1952, in Sofia, the soon-to-be professional artists gave one of their first performances before an audience. It was a triumphant success. “The first participants were unskilled,” says the composer. “I deliberately chose natural talents who were spontaneous and authentic. I selected songs with meaningful lyrics, beautiful melodies, and rich rhythms from different regions of Bulgaria. We took folk art out of the museum and breathed new life into it. Once I had built the ensemble, my ‘strategic goal’ was to establish a network of similar folk groups across the whole country."

Philip Koutev was the first to arrange traditional folk songs while preserving their authentic melodies. He created dozens of masterpieces that became musical emblems of Bulgaria around the world - ‘Polegnala e Todora’, ‘Lale li si, zumbul li si’, ‘Prehvrukna ptichka’, ‘Kazhi, Angyo’.

The ensemble's first tour, in Belgium, literally tore down the ‘Iron Curtain’ with the enthusiastic reviews of both the audience and the critics. Shortly afterwards, the London News Chronicle wrote, 'Their sound is pure silver, while the lower tones resonate with delicate bronze. The harmony and rhythm with which they sing are flawless. Anyone aspiring to form a choir in England would do well to study and adopt their technique. Even those working on folk melodies could learn a valuable lesson from them.'

One of the most famous reviews about the State Ensemble for Folk Songs and Dances was published in The New York Times on 7 October 1963. Even today, people everywhere quote the American critic who exclaimed: “There is a myth that Orpheus was born where Bulgaria is now. It seems this is not a myth, but a fact — his daughters still sing there today!”

‘Dragana and the Nightingale’ (a song from the Elin Pelin region) comes from the fifth volume of arrangements that Koutev made for the ensemble in 1959. Dimitrina Delcheva, from the village of Ognyanovo near Elin Pelin, was the first to perform it professionally; however, her singing style reflects the musical traditions of the Western Sredna Gora region.

The song is remarkable not only for its beautiful melody and Koutev's talented harmonisation, but also for the dramatically charged folk lyrics. A self-confident nightingale challenges the sweet-voiced Dragana to a 'vocal duel' and recklessly proposes a bet: if he out-sings the girl, he will cut off her hair; if she wins, she will cut off his wings. The girl wins, and the frightened bird begins to beg pitifully: let Dragana cut off his legs instead of his wings, for the nightingale has little chicks and will not be able to feed them without his wings. The sweet-voiced Dragana joyfully exclaims: "Nightingale, little bird, I don't want to cut anything off you! It's enough for me to be praised for having outsung the nightingale!"

Besides this exemplary a cappella interpretation by the magnificent singers of the National Folklore Ensemble “Philip Kutev,” conducted by Georgi Genov, it is also well worth hearing another — a classical and unsurpassed rendition.

“I am a child of urban culture: I want to hear the ringing of the trams, to wake up in the morning to the noise of the city,” said the unforgettable Bulgarian conductor Vasil Arnaudov during his lifetime. This did nothing to diminish his ability to feel the spirit of songs rooted in folk traditions. 'Lale Li Si, Zyumbyul Li Si, Gyul Li Si' ('Are you a tulip, are you a hyacinth, are you a rose') remains one of the pinnacles of his artistry, as well as that of his most cherished creation: the Sofia Chamber Choir 'Lyubomir Pipkov'.

However, this is not the only song arranged by Koutev that stands among his highlights. Among these artistic highlights are other songs by Philip Koutev. Arnaudov held Koutev's works in special reverence, likely because he sensed they were created with deep love and purity. In the 1977 recording of 'Dragana and the Nightingale', Arnaudov's singers truly sound like a heavenly choir of angelic voices.