Bulgarian viola repertoire: a historical perspective and pedagogical analysis

Bulgarian musicians have written many colorful and imaginative viola works. These works have been influenced by the composers’ backgrounds: the region in Bulgaria where they were raised, their ethnic roots, their teachers in Bulgaria and abroad, and the political and cultural climate in Bulgaria at the time they were composing. Bulgarian classical music is inspired by both Bulgarian folk music and the compositional traditions of western Europe and Russia. These pieces span a wide range of styles and genres, are musically and technically accessible to young viola students, and therefore are valuable pedagogically. Viola repertoire written by Bulgarian composers is mostly unknown in the United States. Studying it presents an opportunity to discover and explore modal, rhythmic, and timbral features not commonly found in western European pedagogical materials. Irregular meters (5, 7, 9, or 11 beats per measure), non-western scale patterns, double stops with drones, and specific tone color effects also make this music appealing for concert presentations. The goal of this document is to provide information and resources about Bulgarian viola music to string teachers and students outside of Bulgaria, with the hope that this repertoire will become part of the teaching and performance curriculum. This document begins with an overview of the folk and classical traditions in Bulgaria that led to the creation of viola repertoire. The following section describes research procedures and music collections. The third chapter is an analysis of selective repertoire organized by level; for each piece, information about the composer and historical background of its composition is first introduced, and then its musical and pedagogical features are described, supplemented by excerpts from the score. Appendices include an English translation of Bojidar Dobrev’s Works for Viola and Chamber Ensembles with Viola by Bulgarian Composers and spreadsheets with information about the collected viola music