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DANCERS
Bulgarian dance tradition is as rich and diverse as our choir singing. Each of the six main ethnographic areas has its own specific dances, which reflect its history, culture, and customs. |
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Bulgarians have created a multitude of folk "horo" dances and musical games with different moves, rhythm, form, and structure. Some of them are of a simple scale, 2/4, 4/4. Others, like the "rachenitza," and the "kopanitza," have more complicated and irregular measurements of 7/8, and 11/16. Some "horo" songs, like "Trendafilcheto," (11/16 + 13/16) or "Dilmano Dilbero," (8/16 + 11/16 + 8/16 + 11/16 + 5/16 + 8/16) have such complicated melodies, that the rhythm has to be calculated by mathematicians.
Presented onstage by three or four mixed couples, the dancers that accompany the Women's Choir of Sofia interpret a wide range of dances, "horos," and rituals.
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INSTRUMENTALISTS
The distinctive character of Bulgarian folk music, its original melody, rhythm, and measurements, is directly connected to Bulgarian folk instruments. |
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Their incessant
discourse with the characteristic ornamentation of vocal art shapes a clear and unique
instrumental style.
Some of the names of Bulgarian folk instruments have Slavic roots (gadulka, tupan) while
others come from the Near East and have kept their original names.
A number of choral songs and all the dances performed by the Women's Choir of Sofia are accompanied
by authentic Bulgarian folk instruments. Four of the choir's singers play such instruments
(two "gadulka" and two "tambura") and in some cases, another four male instrumentalists join
in with a bagpipe ("gaida,") kaval, folk bass, and "tupan."
Thus presented, the instrumental orchestra, consisting of eight musicians, is a magnificent
spectacle that gives the audience an opportunity to compare the sound of Bulgarian female voices
with that of our national folk instruments. |
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