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Bulgarian Musicology - online
Issue 1/2002
1. Table of Contents (English Version)
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Stephen Sondhime – Daring, Surprise, Adventure
Tsvetana Toncheva
This is the first more complete presentation in Bulgaria
of the composer, poet and librettist Stephen Sondhime – one of the leading
authors of popular musical – scenic genres in the USA. The study examines
his work in two main periods divided by the musical “The Company” – a cardinal
work that has influenced the genre of the musical and its development in
many respects. Sondhime’s creative work is examined within the basic context
of his personal professional fulfillment and his popularity among the lovers
of the musical stage. The material has taken into consideration studies of
eminent American researchers, information from the web pages of Sondhime
in Internet as well as recordings of his music available from the fund of
Bulgarian National Radio.
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CHILDREN’S OPERETTA IN BULGARIA Repertory Catalogue
Rumiana Karakostova
The children’s or fairy tale operetta historically
preceded the appearance of classical operetta in Bulgaria and played a favorable
role for socializing the genre faster and more easily as well as for early
discovering talented performers of this type of popular musical – scenic
art. As repertory, mainly intended for performance by children, the
children’s operettas were brought from Europe to the Bulgarian stage at the
beginning of XX c. by Czech bandmasters. The present repertory catalogue
/of 50-year continuous musical – scenic practice in Bulgaria/ has been published
for the first time, and has been compiled on the basis of officially
registered children’s performances in printed programs or announcements in
the chronicle of local periodicals and reminiscences of the musical past
in Bulgarian towns. The principle of arrangement is alphabetical /for the
authors and the titles of the children’s operettas/ and chronological /for
their opening performances/.
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MORE ON THE RELATION TEXT – INTERPRETATION
IN BACH’S PIANO WORKS
Snezhana Simeonova
The article proposes a practical approach, specifying the work of
the pianist upon Bach’s piano works. It consists in ‘dissecting” the work
/at an early working stage/ into sections, outlining the presence of full
harmonic cadences. At these moments all or most participating polyphonic
lines cadence i.e. they complete a stage of their development. Thus differentiated,
though temporary, they become a clearer object of analysis on the part of
the performer. The article connects this analysis with the character of
movement of the horizontals and the ceaselessly changing growth of tension
in them.
In conclusion, a characterization is made of some of Bach’s most striking
approaches in building up the polyphonic lines in his piano works. They are
directly connected with the choice of instrumental means for truthful re-creation
of their essence.
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MEANINGFUL HORIZONS OF CONTEMPORARY SORBIAN
MUSIC CULTURE
Rosemary Statelova
The article presents the results of a one-month ethnic-musical
study of the manifestations of contemporary Sorbian music culture. /Settling
there as early as the VI century AD, the Sorb Slav national group inhabits
the district of Lausitz in Germany,
located in the regions of Sachsen and Brandenburg/. The principal objects
of the study, carried out on the basis of the cultural-anthropological approach,
were the meaningful horizons and the contemporary state of the choral singing
of the Sorbians, which developed very successfully during the Sorbian National
Revival in XIX and XX centuries, being today -according to the words
of the Sorbian composer Detlef Kobjela – “a pillar of Sorbian musical culture.”
Again according to Kobjela the density of the network of choirs among the
Sorbs nowadays is greater than the usual for Germany – The Union of Sorb
Choral Societies comprises over 25 choral groups. /For comparison, the Sorbian
population today amounts to 50-60 thousand people, approximately one third
from whom actively uses the Sorbian “mother tongue”/. The observation was
carried out among the choirs “Meja”, Budysin”, “Lipa”, the choir of the Sorbian
secondary school in the town of Bautzen, the vocal group “Wolbernosce”, Sunday
mass in the town of Crostwtz. Conversations were conducted with Sorbian and
German participants in choirs, conductors and composers, with representatives
of Sorbian Cultural institutions and the Sorb Catholic Church.
The principal value, determining the meaningful horizon
of Sorbian choral singing today, proceeds from its significance as an important
ethnic-cultural feature of /individual and group/ self-identification, its
functioning as an aesthetic /holiday/ stimulus for using the Sorbian language.
Consequently, today’s Sorb choral repertory is predominantly from the Sorb
national classic, immensely popular and performed on a large-scale by people
openly holding a pro-Sorb position. In the light of the above-said, the Sorbian
amateur choral activities are both being admired as tradition keepers and
criticized for conservatism and turning their back on today’s reality. The
alternatives facing them are either opening towards contemporary musical
art or – just the opposite – their repertory and performance orientation towards
today’s popular show culture.
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3. ARCHIVE
2002 Book 3
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