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Bulgarian Folk

Overview Artists Albums Songs

Bulgaria is home to a number of distinct regional folk styles -- the manic dances of the Shop area stand in direct opposition to the slower, plodding dances of Dobrudzha, for example, while the long, morose songs of the Thracian plain are in sharp contrast to the sweeter melodies found in the northwest. Much of the national music derives from the annual rituals of peasant life, with the sowing and harvest seasons each generating their own traditional songs. Also hugely important to Hungarian life are rites of passage, including marriage and induction into the military; both events are defined by music -- each crucial moment of a wedding has its own traditional accompaniment. By and large, the Bulgarian bands that perform at weddings and other ceremonies consist of gaida (bagpipes), kaval (an end-blown flute), gadulka (a bowed string instrument), and tambura (a strummed string instrument of the lute family); a tapan (a large drum) will sometimes also be added. At the end of the 19th century, factory-made instruments hit the Bulgarian market, none having so much impact as the accordion.