The song of the tree
REGIONAL ETHNOGRAPHIC MUSEUM - PLOVDIV
presents
The exhibition „Song of the Tree“,
Opening: 25 October 2023 г.
in EH – Dimitrovgrad
Staying until: 12 February 2024г.
This exhibition tells about folk musical instruments (bagpipe, gadulka, tambura, zurna, etc.) and those used in the new post-liberation city (violin, viola, zither, mandolin, etc.). At the end of the 19th century, the kemenjis appeared in the city life – gypsy orchestras with violin, clarinet, zurna, tambourine and drum. In the newly settled urban neighborhoods, the choir was initially accompanied by bagpipes and kaval, and later by clarinet and violin. In some places, the bagpipes were preserved during Sunday and holiday festivities with people at the megdans and at village weddings and parties until the middle of the twentieth century.
Folk tradition, oriental influence, modern European instruments and the heritage of church singing create a colorful diversity in Bulgarian music. Even in enslaved Bulgaria, an urban society was born with new musical tastes brought from Western Europe. Thus, the violin appeared in the Danube cities towards the middle of the 19th century. European music entered the country in different ways: through the emigrants, through the Protestant missions and their harmoniums, through Bulgarians who lived and studied abroad.
After the Liberation, professionally trained musicians returned to Bulgaria, and musical instrument masters worked alongside them. While large instruments such as the piano and harmonium appeared less often, the flute, accordion and guitar spread relatively quickly in the cities. Popular excerpts from operas and operettas, marches and arrangements of folk songs are often performed.
What is the “song” of the tree? The old Bulgarians say: “A whistle does not grow from every tree.” In order for a musical instrument to come to life, the appropriate wood must be selected – sycamore, ash, acacia, walnut, cypress, dogwood, etc. They are durable and tough, and their sound protects against evil forces.
Musical instruments are also included in the exhibition, “telling” the personal stories of real-life “heroes” from the daily lives of Bulgarians.
The magic of the Bulgarian bagpipe, gadulka and kaval, combined with the elegance of classical instruments, recreates the spirit of post-liberation Bulgaria.
Welcome!