BULGARIA – Songs and Dances from Bulgaria – The Living Tradition – Argo – ZRG 562

BULGARIA – BULGARIE
Songs and Dances from Bulgaria – The Living Tradition  – Argo – ZRG 562 – Recorded by Deben Bhattacharya in 1965, released in 1968 (LP)

I am delighted to present these seminal 1965 recordings of authentic Bulgarian village music by the legendary musicologist Deben Bhattacharya (1921-2001), released on the excellent English Argo label. The stately tracks feature female vocal groups (A2, A4, A6, B2) and singers (A9, B4, B5, B6), a male vocal group (B1) and singer (B3), tambura lutes (A1, B5, B6), goatskin gaida bagpipes (A3, B3), a duduk flute (A5), kaval flutes (A7, A10), and a clarinet (A8).

 

Collected across several regions in Bulgaria, these performances weave rich sonorities, complex rhythms, and fascinating harmonies. They transport us back to a time when traditional village music was closely connected to various horo folk dances at the heart of Bulgarian rural culture and identity.

 

Je suis ravi de vous présenter ces remarquables enregistrements de 1965 consacrés à la musique villageoise bulgare authentique, réalisés par le légendaire musicologue Deben Bhattacharya (1921-2001) et publiés par l’excellent label anglais Argo. Cet album comprend des groupes vocaux féminins (A2, A4, A6, B2), des chanteuses (A9, B4, B5, B6), un groupe vocal masculin (B1) et un chanteur (B3), des luths tambura (A1, B5, B6), des cornemuses gaïda en peau de chèvre (A3, B3), une flûte duduk (A5), des flûtes kaval (A7, A10) et une clarinette (A8).

 

Recueillies dans plusieurs régions de Bulgarie, ces musiques tissent des rythmes complexes et des sonorités et harmonies riches et fascinantes. Elles nous plongent dans le monde traditionnel d’antan où la musique de village était étroitement liée à une multitude de danses folkloriques horo, au cœur même de la culture et de l'identité rurales bulgares.

A1 – Horo - Tambura solo
Long-necked tambura (or bulgarya) three string lute by Pena Grozeva;

Dermantsi, Northern Bulgaria.

 

A2 – Buen Vjatar Vee Stano - Harvest Song
Vocals by Maria Lačeva Hristova;

Pirdop, Central-West Bulgaria. 

A3 – Dajčova and Konésta Dances - Gajda solo

Gadja bagpipes by Gueorgiu Blagolo Rutev;

Pirdop, Central-West Bulgaria. 

 

A4 – Zassviri Ovčar Krai Gora - Harvest song

Chorus – Singers of Madžare

Vocals – Dafinka Rangelova Mechandjiyska, Elenka Spasova Pavlina, Nouscha Ivanova Manževa, Slavka Ivanova Gulova, Spasouna Spasova Markova, Stoĩka Christova Kovažka, Stoĩka Ranguelova Manževa;

Madzare, Southwestern Bulgaria.

 

A5 – Shepherd's Melody - Dudùk solo

Six-hole dudùk block flute by Kiko Sumanov;

Tuden, Western Bulgaria. 

 

A6 – Gree, Gree Messečina - Men's Horo

Vocals by Assen Jlov, Atanass Varadénov, Dinka Pavlova, Jana Petrova Anguélova, Jvan Guérov, Vassilka Dimitrova Lazarova;

Elin Pelin, Western Bulgaria. 

A7 – Ovčar Moma Làze - Shepherd's song 

Kaval flute by Kiril Pavlov and vocals by Sanka Miševa;

Elin Pelin, Western Bulgaria. 

A8 – Lukovitski Momi Horo - Clarinet solo

Clarinet by Alil Alilov;

Lukovit, North-central Bulgaria.

 

A9 – Zamràknala Sama Jana - Harvest song

Vocals by Petra Massârliykata;

Lukovit, North-central Bulgaria.

 

A10 – Četvorno Horo - Kaval solo

Kaval flute by Kiril Pavlov;

Elin Pelin, Western Bulgaria. 

B1 – Koledare - Christmas carol

Vocals by Christo Tsvetanov Gueoroguev, Mihal Krâstev Jolov, Nikola Petko Vâlov, Todar Tsankov Stoev, Tsano Vassilev Petkov, Tsvetan Vassilev Ivanov, Vassil Ivanon Načev, Zlatan Tsolov Slatev, Tsano Va;

Lukovit, North-central Bulgaria.

 

B2 – Po Drum Verviat Kiten Svatove - Wedding song

Chorus by the Singers of Madžare

Vocals by same singers as A4;

Madzare, Southwestern Bulgaria.

 

B3 – Ya Čuvaj Lale Bajova and Račenitsa Dance

Gadja bagpipes by Andrea Kriviralčov;

Koprivshtitsa, Central Bulgaria.

 

B4 – Slavčo Marijka Dumase

Vocals by Zaharina Kotseva Stanoeva

Pirdop, Central-West Bulgaria. B

 

5 – Kaj Ti Kupi, Dude, Kàsoto Eleče

Vocals and long-necked tambura (or bulgarya) three string lute by Pena Grozeva; 

Dermantsi, Northern Bulgaria.

 

B6 – Kaži Menko, Kaži Nani

Vocal and long-necked tambura (or bulgarya) three string lute by Pena Grozeva; 

Dermantsi, Northern Bulgaria.

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My other Bulgarian music posts:
Music of Bulgaria – Seven Seas GXC-5007 here
Village Music of Bulgaria – Nonesuch H 7234 here
Celebration of the Feast of St. Ivan – Rila Monastery here

***

Born into a family of Sanskrit scholars and traditional physicians in Benares (now Varanasi), India, Deben Bhattacharya (1921–2001) was a visionary Bengali ethnomusicologist, filmmaker, and writer. He dedicated his life to documenting the "living traditions" of folk music, fragile cultural heritages that were disappearing across Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.

 

After moving to London in 1949, Bhattacharya began producing BBC radio programs that introduced British audiences to Indian classical music. Eventually settling in Stockholm and Paris, he left behind an impressive legacy of documentary films and books, as well as over 100 groundbreaking LPs. His most memorable feat was his epic 1955 journey from Paris to Kolkata. He traveled through Italy, Yugoslavia, Greece, Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India in a converted milk van packed with state-of-the-art recording equipment.

***

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INDIA Chitti Babu – Columbia - 33ESX-6008 / 1967 (LP)

INDIA 
Chitti Babu – Columbia - 33ESX-6008, released in 1967 (LP)

Following posts featuring the Carnatic veena master Emani Sankara Sastry (1922-1987), I present this remarkable 1967 album by Chitti Babu (1936-1996), Sastry's most famous disciple. Born in Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh, Babu was born into a music-loving family and was a child prodigy on the veena. As a boy, he studied under Shri Pandravada Upmakaya and Shri Eyyuni Appalacharyulu before becoming Sankara Sastry's disciple in 1948.

Babu's extraordinary skill, and his popularization of the veena for a wider audience, made him one of the most celebrated 20th-century Carnatic seven-string Saraswati veena players. Deeply rooted in Carnatic tradition, Babu’s Bani style mimicked human vocal inflections and emotions. He displayed dazzling virtuosity and showmanship through his precise and lightning-fast fingerwork and seamless meend glides, spanning several notes with a single pluck. His expressive and soulful playing produced resonant notes that shimmered with a bell-like quality.

A consummately versatile musician, Babu was fearless in his experimentation and developed his own modern approach to music. His diverse output encompassed traditional ragas, Vedic hymns, folk songs, light classical pieces, his signature cuckoo mimicry (B4), and Western-based compositions.

Here, Babu is accompanied by Vellore Ramabhadran (1929-2012) on the mridangam double-sided drum.

Après plusieurs post consacrés au maître de la veena carnatic Emani Sankara Sastry (1922-1987), j’ai le plaisir de vous présenter cet album remarquable enregistré en 1967 par Chitti Babu (1936-1996), le disciple le plus célèbre de ce dernier. Né à Kakinada, dans l'Andhra Pradesh, Chitti Babu est issu d'une famille mélomane et était un enfant prodige de la veena. Il étudie dans son enfance sous la tutelle de Shri Pandravada Upmakaya et de Shri Eyyuni Appalacharyulu, puis devient le disciple d’Emani Sankara Sastry en 1948.
 
Son talent extraordinaire et sa popularisation de la veena auprès d'un public plus large en ont fait l'un des plus grands joueurs de veena Saraswati à sept cordes du XXè siècle. Profondément ancré dans la tradition Carnatic, il imitait les inflexions vocales et les émotions humaines dans son style Bani. Il faisait preuve d'une virtuosité et d'un sens du spectacle éblouissants grâce à son jeu précis et ultra-rapide, ainsi qu'à ses glissés meend fluides qui couvraient plusieurs notes d'un seul coup de plectre. Son jeu expressif et empreint d’émotion produisait des notes résonnantes qui scintillaient comme des cloches.
 
Musicien extrêmement polyvalent, Babu n'hésitait pas à expérimenter et a développé sa propre approche moderne de la musique. Sa production variée comprenait des ragas traditionnels, des hymnes védiques, sa célèbre imitation du coucou (B4), des chansons folkloriques, des pièces classiques légères, et des compositions occidentales.
 
Babu est accompagné ici par Vellore Ramabhadran (1929-2012) au mridangam.

A1 – Sri Ganapathini - Saurashtra

A2 – Manavyalakincha – Nalinakanti

A3 – Swara Raga Sudha - Sankarabharanam

B1 – Kowmari Gouri - Velavali

B2 – Ninnuvina - Navarasakannada

B3 – Nirupamana - Behag (Javali)

B4 – Kommalo Koila - Misra (Cuckoo Song)

B5 – Aadevu Paadevu - Sindhubhairavi

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My other Carnatic instrumental posts:

Emani Sankara Sastri – HMV 7 EPE 1603 here
Emani Shankara Sastry – L'Art du Vina – CBS 80213 here

Lalgudi Jayaraman / N. Ramani / R. Venkataraman – ECSD 2494 here

Lalgudi Jayaraman – HMV 7 EPE 1614 here

Lalgudi Jayaraman – Violin Solos of Carnatic Music – ECSD 2435 here

Lalgudi Jayaraman – Melodiya C80-27225-004 here
Dwaram Venkataswamy Naidu – HMV EALP 1375 here

T. N. Krishnan – SEDE 3609 Columbia here
T.N. Krishnan & Kumari Viji Krishnan  Inreco 2401 here
N. Ramani – Flute – HMV – EASD 1390 here
Inde du Sud – Les Grands Classiques – Ducretet Thomson 2C 066-14324 / UNESCO here
The Great Tradition – Masters of Music EALP Part 2 Carnatic here

The photograph below is from World Geography and Customs Series (Vol.3), Published by Shinkosha, Japan, 1931 here

Ascetic (also known as a sadhu or yogi) on the banks of the Ganges:

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TANZANIA Magical Sounds from Lake Manyara – Heartbeat of Africa – Sapra Ltd CMIL 101

TANZANIA
Magical Sounds from Lake Manyara – Heartbeat of Africa – Sapra Ltd CMIL 101, recorded by David Fanshawe (7 in, 33 RPM)

Here's another rare, mellifluous Sapra album recorded around Lake Manyara, a 180-square-mile (470-square-kilometer) lake in northern Tanzania, by David Fanshawe (1942–2010) in the early 1970s.

The lake is the centerpiece of the Manyara National Park. The Manyara region is home to various ethnic/cultural groups, including the Iraqw, Maasai, Mbugwe, and Datoga peoples.

This album, featuring the fluid and sensuous African magic of old, includes voices, zithers (A1), a large irikano lyre (A2, A3), a litungu lyre (A4), a flute (A3), an ekegogo violin (B1), a nyatiti harp (B4), and horns (B3), accompanied by drums, percussion and rattles. 

Voici un autre album rare et mélodieux du catalogue Sapra, enregistré au début des années 1970 par David Fanshawe (1942-2010) autour du lac Manyara, un lac de 470 kilomètres carrés situé au nord de la Tanzanie.

 

Le lac est la pièce maîtresse du Parc national de Manyara. La région de Manyara abrite également divers groupes ethniques/culturels, notamment les Iraqw, les Masaï, les Mbugwe et les Datoga.

Empreint de la magie africaine fluide et sensuelle d'antan, cet album nous fait entendre des voix, des cithares (A1), une grande lyre irikano (A2, A3), une lyre litungu (A4), une flûte (A3), un violon ekegogo (B1), une harpe nyatiti (B4) et des cors (B3), accompagnés de tambours, de percussions et de hochets.

A1 – Music from the Southern Shores 
“Reflecting the full glory and color of Lake Manyara, an orchestra of traditional zithers sounds on the southern shores.”

 

A2 – Irikano lyre and voice 
“This strange boat-shaped instrument is very rare, and the effect is pure, musical delight.”

 

A3 – Flute and irikano lyre
“The irikano player was suddenly joined by a friend who played a simple flute, made from a tree branch.”

 

A4 – Litungu lyre and voices in the rains 
“A singer celled Nyamaronge had been playing his instrument at a beer party when rain suddenly came. Amidst darkening clouds over Lake Manyara and the patter of rain drops, the musician went on to praise his friends.”

 

B1 – Ekegogo violin and voice
“Played here by a wandering minstrel at the beer party and reminiscent of an Irish traditional melody, here is a song about Independence — a very rare and fine example.”

 

B2 – Virama Dance with voices, drums, percussion and rattles
“A triumphant dance of the Pare people to the east of Lake Manyara, as they celebrate the coming-of-age of a daughter.”

 

B3 – Wameru circumcision with voices, horns, drums, percussion and rattles
“A song, recorded during a boy's circumcision, in which relatives praise the bravery and wisdom of the youngster.”

 

B4 – Nyatiti harp solo
“Played by a popular young traveling performer named Apuot Ochiereg, in the traditions of his fathers, this brilliant recording keeps alive an art and skill which otherwise might be lost.”

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My other East African music posts:

Fabulous Gogo Music from Tanzania – Heartbeat of Africa – Sapra Ltd CMIL 98 here
Musical Gems from Lake Victoria – Heartbeat of Africa – Sapra Ltd - CMIL 102 here

Sounds of Masailand – Heartbeat of Africa – Sapra Ltd CMIL 87 here
British East Africa – Columbia Masterworks Volume X – SL 213 here

David Fanshawe (1942-2010) was an English composer whose most famous work was the album African Sanctus (1972), which combines Western choral harmony with his recordings of traditional African music. Fanshawe passionately explored the great diversity of our dying global traditional musical heritage and painstakingly recorded thousands of hours of indigenous music in Europe, Egypt, Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Afghanistan, Iraq, Bahrain, and the Pacific islands.

Postcards of the Maasai people of Tanzania:

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