Musical Instruments in Bulgaria

Bulgarian folk music, alongside the traditional folk instruments also includes the so-called modern instruments - the accordion, clarinet, violin, etc. Therefore, after the albums that feature the tambura, zurna, wind orchestra, gaida, gadulka and kaval, the series Musical Instruments in Bulgaria continues with recordings of the accordion. The accordion was introduced in Bulgarian folk music in the 1980s. There is no accurate information about who imported the first instrument in Bulgaria. Initially, the musicians played with their right hand only. Later they added the bass tunes (left hand) in their playing and although European harmony is not characteristic of our folk music, it was introduced into the performances of the groups created at that time, which consisted of an accordion, a clarinet, a violin... These ensembles quickly became popular on the folk music stage and a lot of similar formations were created within a brief period, for example the orchestra of Ramadan Lolov, Radi Angelov, Karlo Iliev, etc. In most of them the accordion plays the leading role. After the 1940s, the instrument was already considered as a "folk" instrument and the musicians employed the characteristics of the Bulgarian folk regions in their manner of performing. Many performers contributed to the popularization of the accordion in folk music. Some of them are included in this album and they represent the various stages in the development of accordion playing.

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