Камерни хорове в България
Chamber Choirs in Bulgaria

Summary/Abstract: The article, devoted to the jubilee of Prof. Agapiya Balareva and her research on choral work in Bulgaria, examines briefly the preconditions for creation and development of chamber choral ensembles, and their contribution to the development of choral art in the country. The choral art in Bulgaria is a key element of our musical culture. A zenith in its development has been marked with the emergence and the consolidation of chamber choirs in the mid 1960’s. The new aspects that these ensembles brought up, were demonstrated firstly in their repertoire. It was built almost entirely on the basis of our national choral tradition, in which each and every one of the conductors was building upon an individual style. In this way (around mid 1970’s) in Bulgaria were formed chamber ensembles, specialized in music from the Renaissance and the Baroque (ensembles that rediscover the richness of Eastern and Western sacred music for Bulgarian listeners), to ensembles, which were targeting the current trends of 20th century music. There was no lack of samples of vocal art from the era of classicism, romanticism and operatic music. The chamber choirs have become an incentive and a powerful magnet for Bulgarian composers. The close interaction amongst composers, conductors and performers led to the creation of many new works. In their creative work the Bulgarian composers have built upon the traditions of choral singing from previous periods, enriching the musical language with new techniques, characteristic for the contemporary European music. The attitudes towards sound have changed. The aim was to preserve the broad timbral diversity, which to be controlled and touched down depending on the performed work, the composer and/ or the era. The conductors have become true masters of individual details, colors, dynamics and tempos and have led their choirs to artistic level, which was highly valued at the most prestigious national and international music event. The chamber choirs were winners of many awards, and their art has been recorded by largest radio and television programs in the world.

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