BULGARIAN VIOLA REPERTOIRE: A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE AND

PEDAGOGICAL ANALYSIS

BY

LISA MARIE NELSON

DISSERTATION

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements

for the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts in Music
with a concentration in Performance and Literature
in the Graduate College of the
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2013

Urbana, Illinois

Doctoral Committee:

Professor Louis Bergonzi, Chair

Associate Professor Donna Buchanan
Professor Masumi Per Rostad, Indiana University
Professor Sever Tipei
 ABSTRACT

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

ii
Ensembles with Viola by Bulgarian Composers and spreadsheets with information about the

collected viola music.

iii
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This project would not have been possible without the knowledge, expertise, and

cooperation of numerous individuals. I owe enormous thanks to many musicians in Bulgaria for

their time and assistance: Yosif Radionov, for enduring countless questions over the past five

years, as well as Vladislav Andonov, Nedyalcho Todorov, Stefan Jilkov, Simeon Kirkov,

Velislav Zaimov, Anatoli Krastev, Geoffrey Dean, Rosen Idealov, Gergana Ilcheva, Nadya

Petrova, Rosa Mircheva, Christian and Johann Sugarev, Iva Raykova, Yosif Yossifov, and

Virginia Petrova.

My students, Will Fredstrom, Julia Hilt, Madeleine Negro, Quaye Negro, Byeong hoon

Park, Sarah Park, and Hannah Sire were enthusiastic participants; I am grateful for their

eagerness to learn Bulgarian pieces and perform in my lecture recital. My appreciation also

extends to Valeria Idakieva, Hristo Alexiev, and Nina Gordon for their translation help and

Alicia Gummess for her editing suggestions.

I would like to thank all of my professors at the University of Illinois for their continued

guidance during my degree. Committee members Louis Bergonzi, Donna Buchanan, and

Masumi Per Rostad each worked with me in independent studies related to this project and

provided valuable insights and advice.

Finally, my family, friends, and students have been extremely patient and supportive

during my doctoral studies. A special thanks to Nina Gordon for creating opportunities to travel

to Bulgaria and also for inviting me to her family’s home for numerous dinners so I could devote

more time to my project.

iv
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter 1: Introduction to the Study…………………………………………………………....... 1

1.1 Overview of Bulgarian Music………………………………………………………... 2
1.2 Folk Music Before 1878……………………………………………………………... 3
1.3 Classical Music in Bulgaria…………………………………………...…………..... 10
1.4 Important Figures of the Bulgarian Viola School……………..……......................... 16
Chapter 2: Research Procedures…………………………………………………….………….. 18
2.1 Collecting Repertoire.………………………………………………………………. 18
2.2 Developing the Collection………………………………………………………….. 20
Basic collection…………………………………………………………………. 20
Selective representatives………………………………………………………... 21
Pedagogical and musical analysis………………………………………………. 22
Chapter 3: Analysis of Repertoire………………………………………………………………. 25
3.1 Elementary Repertoire (ASTA Grades 1-2)………………………………...………. 25
3.2 Early Intermediate Repertoire (ASTA Grade 3).………………………...…………. 29
Marin Goleminov: Harvest.…………………………………………………….. 29
Parashkev Hadjiev: Rondino………………………………………………….… 33
Parashkev Hadjiev: Sonatina………………………………………………….... 37
Vasil Lolov: Rondo…………………………………………….…………….…. 40
3.3 Intermediate Repertoire (ASTA Grade 4)……………...………………………….... 45
Petar Khristoskov: Harvester’s Song and Malka Toccata………….........….….. 45
Vasil Lolov: Lullaby Song……………………………………………..…...…… 52
Todor Popov: Song……………………………………………………………… 55
Pencho Stoyanov: Scherzo…………………………………………………….... 58
Pancho Vladigerov: Fairy Tale……………...………………………………….. 62
Georgi Zlatev-Cherkin: Sevdana ……………………………………….............. 66
3.4 Advanced Repertoire (ASTA Grades 5-6)…………...……………………………... 71
Marin Goleminov: Little Suite for Solo Viola……………….………..………… 71
Aleksandar Raichev: Aria for Solo Viola…………………………......………… 80
Leon Souroujon: Images Espagnoles...……...……………………………….…. 84
Pancho Vladigerov: Song from Bulgarian Suite, op. 21………………………... 87
Velislav Zaimov: Sonata for Viola and Piano ………………………...……..… 92
3.5 Postlude.……….…………………………………………………………………......99
Appendix A: English Translation of Bojidar Dobrev’s Works for Viola and Chamber Ensembles
with Viola by Bulgarian Composers .............................................................................. 100
Appendix B: Spreadsheet of Collected Viola Repertoire.……..………………...………….… 134
Appendix C: Chart of Techniques……………………………………………………..…..….. 141
Appendix D: IRB Approval Letter…………………………………………………………..... 143
Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………..………..144

v
 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY

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. My main research objectives were the

following: 1) To collect a number of Bulgarian works for solo viola and for viola with

piano/orchestral accompaniment; 2) To compile information about their composers,

instrumentation, dates of origin, significant historical background, and pedagogical features; 3)

To prepare a representative set of works from various genres, styles, and technical levels by

working with Bulgarian teachers and performers; and 4) To facilitate their introduction into the

1
repertories of American students by analyzing and grading them in alignment with the 2009

String Syllabus of the American String Teachers Association.1

Before proceeding to an analysis of works, it is important to understand the background

of musical practice and how folk and classical traditions in Bulgaria led to the creation of the

Bulgarian Viola School. This overview constitutes the rest of this chapter, following which I

detail the research procedures that I employed. Then, I provide musical and pedagogical

analyses of fifteen representative works before offering concluding comments.

1.1 Overview of Bulgarian Music

Classical music has developed rapidly in Bulgaria since the late 1800s. During the reign

of the Ottoman Empire (1396-1878), folk music and church music were the primary musical

activities and methods of preserving culture.2 The first initiatives in classical music

performance, composition, and musicology in Bulgaria took place in the nineteenth century,

during a period of national cultural revival known as the “Vazrazhdane.” Bulgarians gained

access to Slavic and western European classical music practices and were eager to create their

own national style. Early works were a synthesis of Bulgarian folk music and western European

genres and styles. Communist rule from 1944 to 1989 brought state support of the arts and

education, but composers had to write within the dictates of social realism or face persecution.

Subsequently, as governmental control loosened, composers began to experiment with twentieth-

century compositional techniques.

1
David Littrell, ed., String Syllabus, Vol. 1 (American String Teachers Association, 2009).
2
Formal training for the Orthodox Christian Church services took place in the Rila Monastery’s school of singing,
established in 1790, according to Timothy Rice, James Porter, and Chris Goertzen, eds., “Bulgaria” in vol. 8 of
The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music (New York: Garland, 2000), 904.

2
 A significant stimulus in classical music development was the first violin school,

established in the town of Shumen in the mid-1800s.3 Viola education and repertoire are closely

associated with the growth of the Bulgarian Violin School. Prior to 1950, pieces for viola

consisted of transcriptions of music written for the violin and other instruments. A turning point

in the development of viola repertoire was the creation of the first viola method books by Stefan

Sugarev, the founder of the Bulgarian Viola School, in the 1950s. At the same time, violists-

composers Marin Goleminov and Leon Souroujon were writing idiomatic, original works for

viola, which inspired and influenced other composers. Today, the Bulgarian viola repertoire

exists in a variety of styles (Romantic, nationalistic, and contemporary), genres (sonatas,

concertinos, suites, and miniatures), and levels of difficulty (from elementary to professional).

1.2 Folk Music Before 1878

Musical culture flourished freely in villages through vocal and instrumental folk music

and dance. Music was connected to every aspect of a community’s social life; it accompanied

seasonal and daily events, including labor and harvest, working bees (sedyanka), weddings,

rituals, and holiday celebrations.4 Due to the mountainous terrain, villages developed and

preserved diverse folk traditions in relative seclusion, influenced by their geographic,

socioeconomic, and ethnic conditions.5 Bulgaria can be divided into six main ethnographical

regions based on its folk music practices: the Shop or Sofia region (west), Pirin-Macedonia

3
Hungarian violinist Mihail Shafran established the violin school in Shumen in the 1850s, according to Blagomira
Paskaleva Lipari, “The Influence of Bulgarian Folk Music on Petar Christokov's Suites and Rhapsodies for Solo
Violin,” (diss., Louisiana State University, 2004), 5.
4
Mercia MacDermott, Bulgarian Folk Customs (London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 1998), 53.
5
Lydia Litova-Nikolova, Bulgarian Folk Music (Sofia: Marin Drinov Academic Publishing House, 2004), 7.

3
(southwest), Rhodopes (south), Thrace (central plains and southeast), Dobrudzha (northeast), and

Northern Bulgaria (northwest).6

While some characteristics were shared between regions of the country, each had specific

melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic features that distinguished its music from other areas. The

southern part of Bulgaria preserved older instrumental practices and musical styles, while the

north was affected by population migration and may have had more access to modern influences

from the West.7 Asymmetric meters, complex rhythms, and faster tempos were more common in

western Bulgaria. Eastern regions favored greater embellishment and more legato singing and

playing.

Musical style and form

Bulgarian folk melodies had a narrow range, typically based on the trichord, tetrachord,

or pentachord, with seconds, thirds, and augmented seconds as common melodic intervals; often

the lowest pitch was a whole step below the tonic. The minor tetrachord (four pitches spaced by

the intervals: whole step, half step, whole step) was the most frequently used structure; the

harmonic tetrachord, also known as makam Hidzhas, (half step, augmented second, half step)

created an exotic-sounding melody.8 In the Rhodope Mountains, anhemitonic pentatonic scales,

which have five pitches stretching across the octave, were more prevalent, as well as seven-tone

scales.9 Because it was built on the older modal systems, village folk music lacked the harmonic

tension and release created by the emphasis of dominant and tonic relationships in the European

major/minor keys.10

6
According to MacDermott, 54. Other references divide Bulgaria into eight or more regions and sub-regions.
7
Garland Encyclopedia, 895.
8
Venelin Krŭstev, Bulgarian Music, trans. Jean Patterson-Alexieva (Sofia: Sofia Press, 1978), 50.
9
Garland Encyclopedia, 896.
10
The major and minor systems were known but were used primarily in urban areas.

4
 The texture of folk music was predominantly monophonic. When performing with

others, singers sung in unison and often antiphonally, with two groups or soloists alternating or

repeating verses.11 Two-part diaphonic singing was prevalent in the Shop and Pirin regions in

southwest Bulgaria. The first voice typically rose up, called (oka), or cried out (izvikva), and the

second part sustained, followed (slaga), or trailed behind (vlachi).12 The upper voice was often

accompanied by a drone, which followed the changes in the melodic line. In the Shop region,

parallel seconds were created when the drone held the tonic or sunk a step below the

fundamental.13 The dissonant intervals were emphasized to produce bell-like sounds. In slow

harvest songs, the first part sung the melody with embellishment or tresene (vocal trills or

shaking), while the second part sung the unornamented melody line.14 The drone voice in Pirin

diaphony often sustained the tonic or produced a movable drone on two pitches, creating an

abundance of seconds and thirds.15 Other areas had similar traditions, where the texture of two-

part songs was heterophonic or featured a continuo pitch.

Vocal and instrumental folk music was either metrical or improvisatory in nature and was

based on the strophic song.16 Metrical songs were performed for dances.17 Song structure

followed the syllables and emphasis of the words, with two phrases of similar length. Four-

measure phrases were the most common, but three, five, and six-measure phrases and unequal-

length phrases were also found.18 A variety of non-metrical, improvisatory pieces with slow

11
Donna A. Buchanan, “Bulgaria II: Traditional Music” in vol. 4 of The New Grove Dictionary of Music and
Musicians (London: Macmillan, 2001), 575.
12
Timothy Rice, Music in Bulgaria: Experiencing Music, Expressing Culture (New York: Oxford University Press,
2004), 30; Krŭstev, 51.
13
Krŭstev, 52.
14
Krŭstev, 52.
15
Grove Dictionary, 576-77.
16
Garland Encyclopedia, 891.
17
In literature on Bulgarian folk music, the term “song” typically refers to vocal music and “tune” is used for
instrumental folk music.
18
Garland Encyclopedia, 891.

5
tempos (bavni pesni) included agricultural work songs, ballads and lyric songs, and recitative-

like laments.19 Melodic lines were sustained and rubato, allowing for an extension in

ornamentation, range, harmonic variety, and expression. Instrumental pieces based on slow

songs or shepherd’s melodies were called svirni or bavni melodii (slow melodies).

For centuries, songs and instrumental solos were passed down orally and by imitation,

developing and changing over time. When classically-trained musicians began transcribing folk

music, they found non-metered pieces difficult to notate due to rubato, florid embellishments,

and untempered tuning. The first attempts at writing down asymmetrical dance patterns resulted

in notations in symmetrical patterns of duple and triple meters.20 Dobri Khristov (1875-1941)

was a leading researcher of Bulgarian folk music and one of the first to recognize its underlying

rhythmic structure.21 While most dance music was in duple meter, the most popular dance being

the straight horo22 or pravo horo in 6/8 meter, often groups of two and three beats were

combined to form heterometric patterns.23 Many hora used asymmetrical meters, such as the

Paidushko horo in 5/8, Daichovo horo in 9/8, Veleshko horo in 10/8, and Kopanitsa horo in

11/16.24 In the rachenitsa,25 the most popular asymmetrical dance, seven beats counted as one-

two-one-two-one-two-three were felt by the dancers as three uneven beats: short, short, long.

The subdivisions were typically notated as eighth or sixteenth notes in very fast tempos

19
Grove Dictionary, 577.
20
Timothy Rice, “Bela Bartok and Bulgarian Rhythm” in Bartok Perspectives, ed. Elliott Antokoletz, Victoria
Fischer, and Benjamin Suchoff (New York: Oxford University Press, 2000), 202.
21
Garland Encyclopedia, 906.
22
The horo (plural hora) is the national dance of Bulgaria, in which dancers hold hands in a circle. Steps, tempo,
rhythm, and style vary across the country and according to the seasons of the year. Michel Cartier, “Bulgaria,”
Viltis (1960): 13.
23
Grove Dictionary, 578.
24
Donna A. Buchanan, “Bartok's Bulgaria; Folk, Music Collection and Balkan Social History,” International
Journal of Musicology 9 (2006): 67.
25
In the rachenitsa,dancers waved their hands or handkerchiefs while moving freely as individuals, pairs, or groups.

6
(metronome marking 400-600). Patterns taken from Khristov’s table of additive rhythms include

the following:26

5/8 or 5/16 = 2+3 (Paidushko horo) or 3+2

7/8 or 7/16 = 2+2+3 (Rachenitsa) or 3+2+2
8/8 or 8/16 = 3+2+3
9/8 or 9/16 = 2+2+2+3 or 2+3+2+2 or 3+2+2+2 or 2+2+3+2
10/8 or 10/16 = 3+2+2+3
11/8 or 11/16 = 2+2+3+2+2
12/8, 13/8, 14/8, 15/8, 17/8 were also used.27

Vocal and instrumental genres

Metrical and non-metrical music was both sung and played on instruments.

Instrumentalists drew their inspiration from vocal music and its accompanying text, creating sets

of variations on the melodies. Very rarely were instrumental and vocal genres mixed or

combinations of instruments performed together.28 Musicologist Timothy Rice describes the

differing roles of female-based vocal and male-based instrumental music in society:

The major functions of song in Bulgaria [were]: 1) to describe the activity it

accompanie[d], implicitly stating that this is the correct way to do things, 2) to
record events that [had] important implications for the culture, 3) to state
publically and communally the values of the society, and 4) to entertain through
verbal humor and choice description…. [Instrumental] music, on the contrary,
[had] fewer and different functions: primarily personal diversion as when a
shepherd play[ed] flute while watching his flock, and public recreation as an
accompanist to eating and dancing.29

26
Buchanan, “Bartok’s Bulgaria,” 69.
27
Grove Dictionary, 578.
28
Donna Buchanan, “Metaphors of Power, Metaphors of Truth: The Politics of Music Professionalism in Bulgarian
Folk Orchestras,” Ethnomusicology 39, no. 3 (1995): 388.
29
Timothy Rice, “Aspects of Bulgarian Musical Thought,” Yearbook of the International Folk Council 12 (1980),
48.

7
 Singing and instrumental performance were gender-based activities, derived from men’s

and women’s distinct responsibilities in family and society.30 Women’s hands were occupied

with agricultural work, sewing, cooking, and cleaning. Girls learned songs from older women in

the household and formed duets or trios with friends to practice their repertoire. Harvest songs

were performed with an open throat and created a focused sound that projected to nearby farm

plots. A woman’s voice was characterized as being reedy (piskliv) and clean (chist), or buttery

(mazen) and thick (debel). When women sang antiphonally “a ‘reedy’ group was often

juxtaposed with a ‘buttery’group.”31

Men spent their time herding animals, leaving their hands free to play instruments. Their

herds’ bells blended with the timbre of the popular flute-like instruments, the kaval and duduk.

Boys learned to play through their own experimentation and by imitating others, without formal

instruction. The kaval, a wind instrument with considerable technical possibilities and a three-

octave range, was versatile for both solo and ensemble playing, particularly fast triplets and

virtuosic passagework.32 The duduk was easier to play and often accompanied community

dances. The gayda (Bulgarian bagpipe) had a drone for playing two voices; the gayda and tapan

(drum) were important instruments for outdoor hora (ring dances), weddings, and other

celebrations.33

The two most common string instruments were the gadulka and tambura. The gadulka

was a wooden, pear-shaped instrument held vertically and played with a bow. Its 3 or 4 strings

(more rarely, 5 or 6) were tuned in combinations of fourths, fifths, and octaves, and it had up to

10 sympathetic resonating strings. Three-string gadulkas used tunings of E4 A3 A4 (Gabrovo

30
Rice, Music in Bulgaria: Experiencing Music, Expressing Culture, 14.
31
Grove Dictionary, 576.
32
Ivan Kachuleff, Bulgarian Folk Musical Instruments, trans. Thomas Roncevic, ed. Walter Kolar (Pittsburgh:
Tamburitza Press, 1978), 11.
33
Grove Dictionary, 574.

8
tuning); D4 E4 A4 (Lingurski or Ghysy tuning); or A3 E4 A4(Thracian tuning) (order of strings

when viewed from the front).34 Timbre was affected by a left-hand finger technique in which the

strings were not pressed all the way to the fingerboard; fingernails stopped the lower string and

fingertips stopped the upper strings. Harmonics, which have been described as imitations of the

kaval’s sound, could be produced by touching the open strings at the nodes.35 The plucked

tambura had between two and twelve strings, with unison tunings for melodic and drone

functions. On a four-stringed instrument, the upper two strings were melodic and the lower were

drones. The most common tunings were G C C C; or F C C C , where three of the four were

tuned in unison.36

Instruments varied from region to region. For example, the tambura was found in Pirin

and the Rhodopes, and the gadulka was played in the rest of the country. The Shop style of

playing the gadulka was “characterized by sudden exchange of staccato and detache strokes,

double stops, triplets, and by the highly expressive, wide vibration to embellish repeated and

slow notes in the not-danced melodies.”37 What we refer to today as portamento and sul

ponticello were also commonly used. Preferences in tunings, ranges, sizes, and number of

drones developed in particular areas over time and led to different versions of the most widely-

used instruments, as well as the creation of some instruments known only in specific sections of

Bulgaria. Even though Bulgarians have insisted that their music was kept free from Turkish

influences, some folk instruments, including the kaval, tambura, and tapan, were likely

introduced to Bulgaria by Roma and Turks during the Ottoman occupation.38

34
Donald Addison, “Bulgarian Folk Instruments” (M.A. Thesis, University of California, Los Angeles, 1971), 175.
35
Addison, 188; Vladislav Andonov, personal interview, May 2011.
36
Kachuleff, 13.
37
Lipari, 18.
38
Timothy Rice, May It Fill Your Soul: Experiencing Bulgarian Music (Chicago, University of Chicago Press,
1994), 22-23.

9
 Most Bulgarians did not have a theoretical understanding of the rhythmic, melodic, and

harmonic patterns that characterized their music. However, these elements were deeply

ingrained in their lives, due to the significant role that folk music played in society. The folk

tradition’s powerful foundation exerted a tremendous influence on the development of classical

music in Bulgaria.

1.3 Classical Music in Bulgaria

Before Bulgaria’s independence in 1878, Czech, Russian, and other Slavic musicians and

pedagogues were welcomed to urban areas to create choirs, bands, and orchestras, and to

introduce music education into the schools.39 Singing became a required part of elementary

school education in 1875, which laid the foundation for students’ future role as Bulgaria’s first

generation of professional musicians.40

Liberation from the Ottoman Empire in 1878 provided opportunities and conditions for

the accelerated development of a classical music tradition. Bulgarians felt that foreign rule had

hindered the advancement of culture and art and secluded them from mainstream western

society. They were eager to make up for lost time and cultivate an artistic voice that would

reflect the identity of the people. After studying in the newly-formed music schools, students

continued their education abroad and returned home to become the first Bulgarian pedagogues,

performers, and composers.41

Bulgarian composers are typically referred to as belonging to one of five generations,

according to both the time they lived and their musical aesthetics. Early composers had the

39
Marta Simidtchieva, “An Annotated Bibliography of Works for Cello and Orchestra by Bulgarian Composers
Written Between 1925 and 2000” (diss., Florida State University, 2005), 3.
40
Krŭstev, 61.
41
Lora Lipova, “Sonatas for Violin and Piano by the Bulgarian Composers Pancho Vladigerov, Lubomir Pipkov,
Dimitar Nenov, Veselin Stoyanov, and Marin Goleminov” (diss., Florida State University, 2007), 2.

10
difficult task of creating genres new to Bulgaria but used for centuries in the rest of Europe.

Succeeding generations expanded and developed musical form and style from the foundations of

their predecessors.

The first generation wrote works with simple harmonies and basic musical construction

but exerted tremendous influence on future composers.42 As teachers and band-masters played a

leading role in the country’s early classical music life, the first compositions were school songs

with Bulgarian texts set to European melodies and arrangements for brass bands.43 Attempts to

foster a national identity began with the harmonization of folk songs. In its simplest form,

traditional European tonalities were used, but some composers realized their folk tradition’s

implication of modal harmonies and non-western chord progressions in their arrangements.44

Emanuil Manolov (1860-1902), Dobri Khristov, and Georgi Atanasov (1882-1931) were the first

significant composers, writing school songs, choral and solo-song arrangements, and opera, often

in folk style.45 The first Bulgarian symphony was written by Nikola Atanasov (1886-1969) in

1912.46

During this period, instrumental music flourished as institutions were started and

composers began writing for emerging performers and ensembles. The National Opera and Sofia

Philharmonic, founded in 1908 and 1924 respectively, added a new dimension and higher level

of sophistication to musical life.47 The first solo violin recital by a Bulgarian violinist, Petko

42
Simidtchieva, 4; Krŭstev, 63-65.
43
Krŭstev, 61.
44
Diana J. Flesner, “Through the Prism of the Wellspring: From National, to Societal, to Individual in Marin
Goleminov’s String Quartets” (diss., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2009), 15.
45
Krŭstev, 62-65.
46
Krŭstev, 93.
47
Simidtchieva, 4; Krŭstev, 106; Grove Dictionary, 569.

11
Naumov, was performed in 1903, with Nedialka Simeonova, Vladimir Avramov, Petar

Khristoskov, and others following suit in the ensuing two decades.48

Due to the establishment of the State Music Academy in 1921 (first created as a private

school of music in 1904), the main institution for professional musical training, and subsequent

educational opportunities in Germany, France, Austria, and Italy, Bulgarians were quickly

becoming well-educated in western European performance practice and exposed to new

repertoire. One such individual was Pancho Vladigerov (1899-1978), Bulgaria’s most

internationally recognized composer and a classically-trained pianist. Vladigerov experimented

in a number of genres that were new to Bulgaria. Among the firsts were a sonata (for violin and

piano) in 1914, a concerto (for piano) in 1918, and a violin concerto in 1921.49 He wrote in a

late Romantic style with highly expressive melodies, emulating the traditions of Sergei

Rachmaninoff, Richard Strauss, and other European and Russian composers.

Other leaders of the second generation are known for their creative synthesis of folk and

western elements, interwoven into their own unique style. Modal coloring, irregular beat

patterns, and folk-like melodies of their own creation evoke traditional Bulgarian music in the

western genres of chamber music, symphonies, suites, rhapsodies, concertos, and solo works.50

Progressing past the initial period of harmonization and direct quotation of folk songs,

composers transformed, reshaped, and synthesized folk melodies in the style of Russian

models.51 The most complex use of folk material occurred without quotation, when a composer

was able to evoke the folk spirit of the Bulgarian people through melodic, harmonic, rhythmic,

textural, and timbral features.

48
Lipova, 5-6.
49
Mario Dimitrov, “The Violin Concerto and its Development in Bulgaria” (diss., Louisiana State University,
2006), 15, 21.
50
Krŭstev, 112.
51
Flesner, 16.

12
 In 1933, a group of second-generation composers inspired a surge in creative activity

with the founding of the Contemporary Music Society, now known as the Union of Bulgarian

Composers. Their goal was to bring Bulgarian music and culture into the context of the broader

European twentieth century while respecting their predecessors’ heritage.52 Marin Goleminov

(1908-2000), Lyubomir Pipkov (1904-1974), Petko Staynov (1896-1977), Dimitar Nenov (1901-

1953), and Veselin Stoyanov (1902-1969) all contributed to the development of a Bulgarian

national style of classical music. Pedagogical writing for strings was fostered by Parashkev

Hadjiev (1912-1992), Leon Souroujon (1913-2007), and Petar Khristoskov (b. 1917).

Due to the country’s political climate, folk music played a predominant role in the second

generation of compositions. After World War II, music in Bulgaria was “nationalized,” its

growth guided by the Communist Party. State support of music spurred the creation of many

classical, folk, and popular music groups.53 However, the dictates of socialist realism prohibited

music with western influences. Contemporary works resembling current western European

classical music were criticized as examples of “formalism,” and their creators were isolated and

often persecuted. Music was to be understood by all and needed to be simple, accessible, and to

show “the happiness and success of the Bulgarian people.”54

Many composers were silent during the first years of the Communist era, finding their

own way to write within the constraints of the new ideology.55 Music based on events from

Bulgarian history or legends was a “safer” alternative to producing government-approved mass

songs and heroic-themed symphonic works. Pieces with the titles “Fairy Tale,” “Lullaby,”

“Harvest,” and “Song” or with references to historical dates and events were common, although

52
Elisaveta Valchinova-Chendova, ed,, Encyclopaedia of Bulgarian Composers, trans. Vladimir Molle (Sofia:
Union of Bulgarian Composers, 2003), 11-12.
53
Krŭstev, 183-4.
54
Dimitrov, 37.
55
Simidtchieva, 5.

13
most composers did not make significant changes to their style.56 One example, an original work

for viola from the 1950s, is Goleminov's Little Suite for Solo Viola, which displays various

aspects of typical Bulgarian life through its movements: Ballade, Tongue Twister, Girl’s Sorrow,

and the Merry Rebeck. The music depicts images of a fight against Ottoman domination,

storytelling and jokes among peasants, worries of a young reaper, and an exuberant dance.57

With the death of Stalin in 1953 and the relaxation of governmental restrictions in

ensuing years, Bulgarian folk elements were interwoven with more experimental compositional

techniques.58 Leading composers during this time included Lazar Nikolov (1922-2005),

Aleksandar Raichev (1922-2003), Konstantin Iliev (1924-1988), Simeon Pironkov (1927-2000),

Ivan Spasov (1934-1996), Vasil Kazandzhiev (b. 1934), and Krasimir Kyurkchiyski (1936-

2011).59 Nikolov and Iliev, who ran into trouble with the socialist regime for their use of the

twelve-tone technique, showed that the Bulgarian musical style could be expressed through

means other than late Romanticism and folk traditions. While Iliev combined folklore with

contemporary musical language, Nikolov rejected folk culture as a necessary foundation for the

national style.60 Although their works were rarely performed before the 1960s, they inspired and

forged a path for a new generation of composers born in the second half of the century.

Once Communism fell in 1989, composers were free to explore twentieth-century and

avant-garde methods without reproach from the government. The music of the third through

fifth generation of composers is the most internationally-influenced and also the most

disseminated; due to modern technology and contemporary music societies, commissions,

56
Simidtchieva, 6.
57
Yosif Radionov and Zornitsa Radionova, Bulgarian Masterpieces, CD program notes, 7.
58
Simidtchieva, 7.
59
Valchinova-Chendova, 117, 132, 154, 193, 214, 224, 242.
60
Dimitrov, 49-50, 54-55.

14
performances, and recordings of Bulgarian music have been promoted throughout the world.61

Following the trends that inspired anti-Romantic, analytical, and radical expression as early as

the late 1970s, these composers have developed their own individual styles.

Fourth-generation composers include Velislav Zaimov (b. 1951), Stefan Dragostinov (b.

1948), Yovcio Kruschev (b. 1957), and Mihail Pekov (b. 1941), many of whom are still writing

today.62 Besides Dragomir Yosifov (b. 1966) and Svetoslav Karagenov (b. 1967), the majority

of the youngest composers currently live outside Bulgaria: Iasen Vodenitcharov (b. 1964) in

France, Adrian Pavlov (b. 1979) in Germany, Martin Georgiev (b. 1983) in England, and Peter

Kerkelov (b. 1984) in the Netherlands.63

Viola music

The canon of viola literature has grown with each generation of composers. Original

works by Marin Goleminov, Vasil Lolov, Aleksandar Raichev, Leon Souroujon, Aleksandar

Tekeliev, Filip Pavlov, Dimitar Sagaev, and Velislav Zaimov have become an integral part of the

viola repertoire. They represent a diverse range of styles and exhibit a wide variety of

influences, including elements from the folk tradition, western European forms and features, and

reflections of the prevailing political circumstances. In addition, violists are exposed to great

Bulgarian classical works through skillful transcriptions, including music by composers who

never wrote for the viola.64 Such an abundance and variety of pieces would not exist had it not

been for the inspiration of dedicated viola pedagogues, performers, and students.

61
Simidtchieva, 7.
62
Union of Bulgarian Composers website, accessed spring 2012, http://www.ubc-bg.com/.
63
Velislav Zaimov, personal interview, May 2012.
64
Some of the most popular pieces by Vladigerov, Goleminov, Zlatev-Cherkin, and others exist in transcriptions for
a wide number of solo instruments, including viola.

15
1.4 Important Figures of the Bulgarian Viola School

Stefan Sugarev (1907-1958) is described as “a zealous propagandist of the viola art” in

Bulgaria.65 He is recognized by current scholars as the founder of the Bulgarian viola school and

a pioneer in developing materials and repertoire for violists.66

Sugarev was born in Samokov on April 25, 1907, the son of a teacher, Todor Khristov

Sugarev.67 He and his two brothers graduated from high school in Kyustendil with studies in

violin, piano, and chamber music. In Paris, he enrolled in history courses at the Sorbonne and

violin lessons at the Schola Cantorum de Paris (1926) and returned to Bulgaria in 1930 to

continue his music education with violinist Sasha Popov at the National Music Academy. After

concertizing throughout Europe, Sugarev joined the Sofia Opera as a violist and in 1936 was the

solo violist for the King’s Military Symphony Orchestra (now known as the Sofia

Philharmonic).68 He was the first to perform a solo viola concerto in Bulgaria.

Sugarev began teaching in the mid-1940s, following the establishment of the National

Academy of Music’s first viola class by Kosta Kirov in 1938.69 As the Academy’s first string

department head, he trained a considerable number of performers and teachers and authored

several books for viola, including Pieces for Viola (1955),70 Exercises for Viola (1951), First

School for Viola (1961), and editions of the Hoffmeister and Vanhal concertos.71 As an early

advocate of the viola, he was forging a path into uncharted territory; better materials and more

65
“String Instruments Department,” National Academy of Music “Pancho Vladigerov,” accessed spring 2012,
http://www.nma.bg/en/lpage/882071/7/20/26.
66
Yosif Radionov, personal interview, May 2011; Andonov interview, 2011.
67
Johan and Christian Sugarev, “Answers,” e-mail to author, 13 February 2012.
68
Sugarev, “Answers.”
69
“String Instruments Department,” http://www.nma.bg/en/lpage/882071/7/20/26.
70
Pieces for Viola, transcribed and arranged for viola by Stefan Sugarev (Sofia: Nauka i Izkustvo, 1955). Works
include transcriptions of Suites I, II, and III by Bach; Passacaglia by Poshon; two Idylls (in C Major and Bb
Major) by Rolla; and Concerto for Bassoon and Orchestra in Bb Major by Mozart.
71
These materials are currently not in use and largely unavailable.

16
accurate editions of these pieces have since been published.72 However, Sugarev’s promotion of

the viola and his influence on subsequent musicians was of utmost importance.73

Bulgarian works for other instruments (most often violin and cello) began to find new life

on the viola. Although some were not as idiomatic on viola as their original instrumentation,

they demonstrate the growing interest in the viola and an expansion in the variety of available

repertoire. Sugarev himself arranged and edited a number of Bulgarian works for the viola,

including Goleminov’s Concerto for Viola and Orchestra (originally for cello) and Prelude,

Hadjiev’s Song and Joke, and Zlatev-Cherkin’s Sevdana.74 Between 1957 and 1989,

transcriptions and original works were compiled into several volumes of viola music by

Bulgarian composers and edited by violists Emil Abadjiev, Vladislav Andonov, Bojidar Dobrev,

Nedelcho Kisimov, Veliko Penev, and Aleksandar Neinski.

Two of Sugarev’s most prominent students were Neinski, who also wrote a pedagogical

method book, School for Viola, published in 1963, and Stefan Magnev, performer and professor

of chamber music.75 Other distinguished violists on the National Music Academy faculty have

included Zahari Chavdarov, Petar Stefanov, Dimitar Bozduganov, Abadjiev, Dimitar Chilikov,

Ognyan Stanchev, and Georgi Stoyanov.76 Vladislav Andonov and Stefan Jilkov currently teach

at the Academy, where they are active performers and promoters of the Bulgarian viola

repertoire.

72
Andonov interview, 2011.
73
Sugarev died at the age of 51, while swimming in the Black Sea. His students continued the development of the
viola school.
74
Bojidar Dobrev, Works for Viola and Chamber Ensembles with Viola by Bulgarian Composers: Catalog (Dobrev,
2003).
75
Andonov interview, 2011.
76
“String Instruments Department,” http://www.nma.bg/en/lpage/882071/7/20/26.

17
 CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH PROCEDURES

This project is an outgrowth of research I began six years ago on pedagogical materials

from eastern Europe. I spent three weeks in Bulgaria for each of the summers of 2007, 2008,

2009, 2011, and 2012. During my visits, I heard and played Bulgarian solo and chamber music

and worked with prominent Bulgarian performers and composers. I started collecting viola

music in 2008 for my students and me to play. I currently have fifty-four pieces, including most

of the repertoire for solo viola and viola and piano that is currently in print, as well as several

manuscript and out-of-print scores.

The personal contacts I developed in Bulgaria provided information about composers,

pieces, and features of Bulgarian music. Since none of the current literature written in English

about Bulgarian music specifically addresses viola repertoire, my main sources of information

were Bulgarian performers, teachers, and composers. My investigation was done through

interviews, lessons, and immersion in Bulgarian culture.

As preparation for my research in Bulgaria, I studied the history of Bulgarian music with

Donna Buchanan, musicology professor at the University of Illinois and a specialist in Bulgarian

folk music, in the spring of 2009. This course included learning to identify folk elements

characteristic of the various geographic regions of Bulgaria, which have greatly influenced many

Bulgarian classical composers.

2.1 Collecting Repertoire

Bookstores, libraries, and publishing companies were my primary collection sources. I

began purchasing viola music in the summer of 2008 while visiting the Union of Bulgarian

Composers (UBC) in Sofia. Many works have been published by the UBC and are sold in its

bookstore. After I expressed an interest in playing Bulgarian pieces, violist Yosif Radionov,

18
composer Velislav Zaimov, and high school viola student Iva Raykova provided me with copies

of viola pieces they had in their personal libraries. I was able to buy five books of compilations

directly from Musica Publishing House. Finding editions by Nauka i Izkustvo, a significant

music publisher that has not been in business since the 1980s, proved more difficult. I enlisted

the help of Yosif Yossifov and Virginia Petrova, students at the National Music Academy, who

were able to find a number of their out-of-print editions in music libraries in Sofia.

For the first three years of my collecting activities (2008-2010), I received

recommendations from Bulgarian players about well-known pieces and composers. However, I

did not know how representative this assortment was, until I obtained and translated a catalog of

the complete works for viola by Bulgarian composers, written by Bojidar Dobrev in 2003.77

This catalog gave my research a renewed focus, because it provided information about

composers, pieces, and published editions, and helped me locate the works I had not yet found.

With the assistance of Hristo Alexiev, a student at the University of Illinois, I translated

Dobrev’s Works for Viola and Chamber Ensembles with Viola by Bulgarian Composers into

English (Appendix A). The catalog contains original pieces and transcriptions for solo viola,

viola and piano/orchestra, and ensembles with viola (of non-traditional instrumental

combinations) known at the time of its publication. In addition to composers, pieces, and

publication information, it has facts about original instrumentation (if the work is a

transcription), first performances, and recordings. This translation is intended to make

information on Bulgarian viola music available to English-speakers.78

77
The catalog is currently out of print while Dobrev is writing a new edition. After almost two years of pursuing a
variety of sources, I was given a copy by Nedyalcho Todorov in May 2011.
78
The accuracy of the information in the catalog has not been confirmed, but the discrepancies I found are cited in
footnotes in Appendix A.

19
2.2 Developing the Collection

For this project, viola music was organized into three collections: the complete repertoire

as listed in the Dobrev translation (Appendix A); my personal collection of works (Appendix B);

and selective representatives (Appendix C and with analysis in Chapter 3). The following pages

describe my development of the basic collection, as well as the selection criteria and analysis of

the pieces chosen for Chapter 3.

Basic collection

The spreadsheet in Appendix B is a list of the fifty-four pieces I have collected for solo

viola and viola with piano. In addition to the information provided by Dobrev’s catalog, I

included my estimate of the ASTA difficulty level of each work and a brief description of their

musical and pedagogical features. I also have several pieces that were written after Dobrev’s

catalog was published in 2003. Pieces are arranged in alphabetical order by composer and

include the following information:

Composer and years of composer’s life

Name of piece (English translation)
Instrumentation
Date written
Style/background/pedagogical features: a brief description of style characteristics or
influences and an overview of technical and musical features
Estimated ASTA level: difficulty level based on the American String Teachers
Association String Syllabus, which defines six grades (Grade 1 = simplest
and Grade 6 = most difficult)79
Publisher and edition and/or editor: including title of volume if part of a compilation of
works; only one publishing source is listed for each piece, although some pieces
can be found in more than one collection; a more complete list of publishing
information is listed in Appendix A
Transcription/Original: original instrumentation and transcriber, if known

79
See pages 22-23 for a description of each level.

20
Selective representatives

From my fifty-four collected works, I selected and analyzed fifteen, which were chosen

to represent a variety of composers, musical periods, styles, and influences. I also considered

their pedagogical value, difficulty level, and the commendation they have received from

teachers, students, and audiences in Bulgaria.

In order to learn more about these pieces, I conducted interviews and took lessons with

Bulgarian violists who have performed and taught this repertoire and who are experts in the style

of Bulgarian music.80 Professor Yosif Radionov has been an invaluable source of historical and

personal insights about Bulgarian composers. During the five years of my research, he has

provided music scores, recordings, and performance advice on Bulgarian repertoire he has

taught, performed, and recorded (including Goleminov’s Suite for Solo Viola and Harvest,

Souroujon’s Images Espagnoles and Berceuse, Zaimov’s Sonata for Viola and Piano, and

others).81 During the past two years, Professor Vladislav Andonov, who teaches high school and

college-age viola students, spent a significant amount of time discussing the Bulgarian viola

repertoire and gave me a lesson on Raichev’s Aria for Solo Viola.82 I received a copy of

Dobrev’s Works for Viola and Chamber Ensembles with Viola by Bulgarian Composers from

Nedyalcho Todorov, who also, in addition to Simeon Kirkov, gave me technical and interpretive

80
Institutional Review Board approval for interviews in Bulgaria was secured on May 13, 2011. A copy of the IRB
letter is included in Appendix D.
81
I interviewed and took lessons with Yosif Radionov in May 2011 and May 2012, in Kyustendil and Sofia.
Radionov is a well-known violin and viola soloist and chamber musician. He is currently head of the violin
department at the National Academy of Music “Pancho Vladigerov” and former concertmaster of the Sofia
Philharmonic.
82
I interviewed Vladislav Andonov in Sofia in May 2011 and May 2012. Andonov is viola faculty at the National
Academy of Music “Pancho Vladigerov”and a member of the Eolina Quartet.

21
suggestions for playing Vladigerov’s Song.83 Nadya Petrova, teacher of young violists, and Prof.

Stefan Jilkov kindly allowed me to observe lessons of their students in May 2011.84

In addition to violists, a number of other musicians in Bulgaria were extremely helpful

during this project. Cellists Geoffrey Dean and Anatoli Krastev, clarinetist Rosen Idealov, and

violinists Gergana Ilcheva and Rosa Mircheva provided information about Bulgarian’s music

history, composers, and pedagogical repertoire through lectures, performances, and/or

interviews.85 Composer Velislav Zaimov gave me scores of his compositions and an analysis of

his Sonata for Viola and Piano.86 During his term as president of the Union of Bulgarian

Composers, he also helped me locate music and information about its publication. Viola

students Christian and Johan Sugarev provided me with information about their grandfather,

Stefan Sugarev.

Pedagogical and musical analysis

To support the pedagogical analysis, I relied on the grading system defined in the

American String Teachers Association’s String Syllabus. The following descriptions were taken

from the 2009 edition:87

Grade 1: Materials are designed to develop the most basic skills. The left hand remains
in first position with few alterations of finger placement. The keys of G, D, A, and C

83
Nedyalcho Todorov, who I interviewed in May 2011 in Kyustendil, is violin and viola faculty of the Academy of
Music and Dance in Plovdiv. I spoke to violist Simeon Kirkov in May 2012 in Kyustendil; he has been a
member of the Luxemburg and Liege Philharmonic Orchestras.
84
Nadya Petrova is viola faculty at the National Music School in Sofia, and Stefan Jilkov is viola faculty and head
of the String Department at the National Academy of Music “Pancho Vladigerov.”
85
Geoffrey Dean, cellist, is the founding music faculty member and Fine Arts Program coordinator (since 1996) at
the American University in Blagoevgrad. Anatoli Krastev is a prominent cellist and pedagogue; he currently
teaches at the National Academy of Music and performs internationally. Clarinetist Rosen Idealov teaches at the
National Academy of Music, as well as the National Music School. I interviewed Gergana Ilcheva, violin
faculty at the National Music School, in May 2011 in Sofia. Rosa Mircheva is a violin teacher of young children
in Kyustendil.
86
Composer Velislav Zaimov met with me in May 2012 in Sofia. He is currently faculty at the National Academy
of Music and vice president of the Union of Bulgarian Composers. See pp. 92-93 for more information about
Zaimov.
87
Littrell, String Syllabus, Vol. 1, 24, 29, 32, 36, 42, 47.

22
 major are the most commonly employed. Simple rhythmic patterns are played with
martele, detache, legato strokes, and short slurs.

Grade 2: All the notes of the first position may be used but rapid changes of finger
placement are avoided. This grade includes some shifting and easy double stops, and
uses more varied rhythmic patterns including dotted rhythms and irregular groupings.
More varied bowings and special techniques such as spiccato, loure, tremolo, harmonics,
trills, and vibrato are also introduced.

Grade 3: The ability to play in the first three positions and to shift from one to another is
assumed. This level includes 2 and 3 octave scale studies. Clef changes, double stops,
and harmonics are possible, and improvisation is introduced. Pieces require a greater
degree of dynamic control, more sophisticated bow strokes, and musical expression.

Grade 4: Grade 4 serves two functions: as a follow-up to Grade 3 (“student-level”

pieces), and as a precursor to Grade 5 (artist level pieces). The first five positions are
used freely; a few higher notes may be added. Double stops and chords appear
frequently. Bow strokes used include spiccato, sautille, and staccato. A high level of
musical sophistication and interpretation required.

Grade 5: This is artist level music, but not the highest level of technical difficulty. The
entire range of the viola is used and mastery of all bow strokes is assumed. Many works
listed at one level are also appropriate for another…. Many of those listed for Grade 4
can be continued through Grade 5 and Grade 6.

Grade 6: This selection of repertoire from every period will be useful to those who wish
to explore the literature and build a repertoire of variety and breadth. This level is
appropriate for students at the highest artistic and technical level.

Chapter 3 presents my representative selection of works, organized alphabetically within

levels of difficulty: elementary (ASTA Grades 1 & 2), early intermediate (ASTA Grade 3),

intermediate (ASTA Grade 4), and advanced (ASTA Grades 5 & 6). Levels 1 and 2 are

combined because materials of both grades are often contained in the same volume. Works in

Grades 5 and 6 are considered artist-level pieces, grouped together in the advanced section.

For each piece, I first introduce information about the composer and historical

background of its composition and then describe its musical and pedagogical features,

supplemented by excerpts from the score. The description ends with a pedagogical summary, a

concise account of what technical and interpretative challenges the work contains and how it

23
might be educationally beneficial for a student. Appendix C shows which left and right-hand

techniques are reviewed, focused on, and prepared for in each piece; since rhythm is so crucial to

many works, I added this as a musical category.

I have taught most of the Grade 1-4 pieces described in Chapter 3 to pre-college viola

students.88 The key issues that came up during their learning process contributed to the content

of my analysis section.

88
Khristoskov’s Harvester’s Song and Zlatev-Cherkin’s Sevdana are the only works in the Grades 3 and 4 sections
that I have not taught to students.

24
 CHAPTER 3: ANALYSIS OF REPERTOIRE

A detailed description of selected repertoire is found in this chapter. Pieces are organized

by level and chosen to represent works from a range of composers, periods of musical history,

and a variety of influences.

3.1 Elementary Repertoire (ASTA Grades 1- 2)

Few Bulgarian materials exist for the elementary violist. Most Bulgarian teachers use

German, Russian, and other international method books or violin music for beginners.89 Since

students are not required to play Bulgarian compositions for their yearly exams until high school,

they are often not exposed to local repertoire before they reach the intermediate level. However,

several Bulgarian folk songs and simple pieces are found in compilations and pedagogical

method books.

Light Pieces for Viola, edited by Aleksandar Neinski and Nedelcho Kisimov is a book for

beginners that contains both Bulgarian and foreign works.90 Materials progress from simple

melodies on one string, using the high-2 pattern (a major third above the open string) and quarter

and half notes, to those of early Grade 2 level, which contain slurs, dotted rhythms, and simple

double stops. All pieces are in first position with few changes of finger pattern. Bulgarian

compositions in this volume include Tsvetanov’s Children’s Pieces (Grandma Bear and Little

Rabbit), Hadjiev’s Little Gayda Player, Krasev’s Trop-Trop,91 and the Bulgarian folk song

Calling to Draganka, arranged by Kisimov.

Little Gayda Player by Parashkev Hadjiev (Example 1) refers to the Bulgarian bagpipe, a

folk instrument commonly played for hora, weddings, and other outdoor events. The gayda has

89
Gergana Ilcheva, personal interview, May 2011.
90
Aleksandar Neinski and Nedelcho Kisimov, eds., Light Pieces for Viola (Sofia: Nauka i Izkustvo, 1973).
91
“Trop-Trop” is the sound of dancing the horo.

25
both melody and drone pipes, making it possible to play double stops. In this piece, the drone is

imitated in the left hand of the piano part, while the viola plays a simple melody on the D string.

The viola part contains simple rhythms and slurs and emphasizes the use of the fourth finger.

The four-measure coda is played on the G string; it begins with a sforzando and diminuendos to

the end.

Example 1: Little Gayda Player by Parashkev Hadjiev in Light Pieces for Viola, Neinski and
Kisimov, eds., estimated ASTA Grade 1

A method book for beginning students is Sugarev’s First School for Viola.92 The first

volume starts with the open strings and introduction of notes in first position with pizzicato.

Interspersed with the sequential introduction of new techniques and exercises are short folk

melodies and simple solos and duets by Bulgarian and international composers. Sugarev

incorporates standard viola etudes and pieces from the European classical tradition as well as

melodies that would have been familiar to Bulgarian children. The following example is a pravo

horo or “straight dance,” a popular, simple Bulgarian folk dance. Its arranger, Dobri Khristov,

92
Stefan Sugarev, First School for Viola (Sofia: Nauka i Izkustvo, 1961).

26
was a highly regarded Bulgarian musicologist, theorist, and first generation composer, and his

transcriptions have been included in method books for various instruments.

Example 2: Pravo horo, arranged by Dobri Khristov, in Sugarev’s First School for Viola,
estimated ASTA Grade 1+

Aleksandar Neinski wrote a pedagogical book, School for Viola (1963), similar in

structure and content to Sugarev’s volume.93 Toward the end of the book he introduces 5/8, 7/8,

9/8, and 8/8 meters and provides short folk songs using common traditional Bulgarian

asymmetrical rhythms (Example 3).94

93
Aleksandar Neinski, School for Viola (Sofia: Nauka i Izkustvo, 1963).
94
Since young American students infrequently encounter irregular meters, teachers will find it helpful to introduce
them away from the instrument. Singing and clapping the subdivisions can be done first on even eighth notes
(one-two-three-four-five for 5/8 (2+3)), then accenting the groupings of notes (one-two-three-four-five) and
(one-two-one-two-three), and finally by clapping only the larger groupings (ONE-TWO, longer on “two”). The
next step is playing these patterns on open strings. When students start a piece containing heterometric
groupings, they should be asked to play all the eighth-note subdivisions; for every quarter note, they will play
two eighth notes of the same pitch, dotted quarters will be played with three eighth notes, etc. The teacher and
student can play the piece together, one playing the subdivisions and other as written, and then switch roles.
This will enable the student to feel both the underlying eighth-note pulse and the larger rhythmic patterns.

27
Example 3: Folk Song in 9/8 meter, in Neinski’s School for Viola, estimated ASTA Grade 2

Sugarev and Neinski collaborated to write Compilation of Pieces and Etudes for Viola.95

Duets by Goleminov and etudes by Sugarev are mixed with a variety of etudes, solos, and duets

by non-Bulgarian composers. The difficulty level is estimated to be ASTA Grade 2.

95
Stefan Sugarev and Aleksandar Neinski, eds., Compilation of Pieces and Etudes for Viola (Sofia: Nauka i
Izkustvo, 1957).

28
3.2 Early Intermediate Repertoire (ASTA Grade 3)

Several works for the late elementary/early intermediate student are found in

transcriptions from violin and string quartet to viola, as well as an original composition by Vasil

Lolov. The following works are estimated as ASTA Grade 3.

Harvest (1948) for viola and piano – Marin Goleminov96

Estimated ASTA Grade: 3
Length: approx. 3½ minutes

As one of the most well-known and prolific second-generation composers, Marin

Goleminov (1908-2000) played a significant role in developing Bulgaria’s national voice

through his example of blending folk elements into his own unique compositional style. He was

born in the southwestern town of Kyustendil (in the Shop region) into a family of amateur

musicians who supported his interest in learning a variety of classical instruments, including

cello, violin, viola, clarinet, contrabassoon, and trumpet.97 At the State Academy, he earned

degrees in violin, theory, and composition with Todor Torchanov, Dobri Khristov, and Nikola

Atanasov, respectively.98 In Paris he studied composition with Vincent d’Indy and Paul Dukas

while taking in a rich cultural atmosphere filled with the contemporary music of Ravel, Debussy,

Poulenc, Stravinsky, and Prokofiev. Goleminov returned to Bulgaria in 1934 and held a variety

of chamber music, orchestral, and teaching positions: he was the second violinist of the Avramov

String Quartet99 (1935-38), the first conductor of the chamber orchestra for Radio Sofia (1936-

38), and professor of orchestration, composition, and conducting at the State Academy (1943-

96
Marin Goleminov, “Harvest,” Pieces for Viola by Bulgarian Composers (Sofia: Nauka i Izkustvo, 1973), 3-7.
97
Flesner, 2.
98
Lipova, 8.
99
Stefan Sugarev was violist of the quartet.

29
74).100 Throughout his life, he was involved in an ongoing discussion about national style; his

article “On the Foundations of the Bulgarian Music” (1937) is one example of his views.101

A significant portion of Goleminov’s five symphonies, four operas, four symphonic

poems, two ballets, eight string quartets, and numerous instrumental, chamber, and vocal works

have become staples of the Bulgarian repertoire. His music is diverse and can be divided into

three compositional periods. His first pieces were influenced by western European composers

and his attempt to assimilate their practices with Bulgarian folklore. Some display influences

from Orthodox and pagan traditions. The Bells of Rila, a symphonic poem, imitates the sounds

of bells in the Rila Monastery, and the Starobulgarski String Quartet is based on old Slavonic

religious chant.102 The fire-dancing ritual, an important part of Bulgaria’s past, is depicted in his

dance drama Nestinarka.

Goleminov’s middle period works (1945-1963) tend to be simpler and reflective of

Bulgarian history or folk subjects as a result of Communist policies. Harvest was written during

this time and exhibits characteristic clarity and accessibility within a folk-inspired theme.

Goleminov’s individual personality and talking style characterizes his final period with short

fragments, asymmetrical phrases, disjunct intervals, and an expansion to more dissonant

harmonies. He had completely assimilated the folk idiom into his music, and it is not possible to

separate it from his own individual style.

Performance considerations

Harvest is a transcription of the second movement from Five Sketches for String Quartet,

a set of miniatures in which each movement has a subject based on folklore: Children’s Game,

Harvest, Dance, Fairy Tale, and Horo-esque. Five Sketches became extremely popular and was

100
Flesner, 6-9.
101
Lipova, 9.
102
Lipova, 9; Flesner, 13.

30
arranged for a variety of instruments and ensembles. Dimitar Khristov, a well-known

counterpoint professor, dubbed the quartet “the Bulgarian Eine Kleine Nachtmusic.”103

Composer Stefan Lazarov described it as “transitory impressions, vivid, picturesque, and prolific

with simple, economical design and sharp, delicate strokes.”104 Perhaps Harvest was heavily

influenced by the vivid summer landscapes painted by the artist Vladimir Dimitrov - Maestora

(the Master).105 It is picturesque, portraying the singing of women in the fields.

Harvest has two contrasting sections organized in modified ABA form. The “A” section

is slow (Lento, ♩ = 63) and sustained, imitating unpulsed, improvisatory working songs.106 The

lively melody in 5/8 meter in the “B” section is typical of the songs that were sung on the way to

the field or during rest breaks. The Sostenuto section (♪ = 192) should be played lightly, with a

transparent quality, while the Piu vivo is much heavier and faster (♪ = 360) (Example 4).

Example 4: Goleminov, Harvest, mm. 36-54

103
Yosif Radionov, personal interview, May 2012.
104
Flesner, 51.
105
Radionov interview, 2012.
106
See footnote 94 for suggestions on teaching 5/8 meter.

31
 Melodies are simple and repetitive, but Goleminov adds vocal-like ornamentation in slow

sections, seen in the longer dotted notes followed by 32nd notes (measures 22, 25, and 27 in

Example 5).107 The influence of Shop folklore is evidenced by the upward leaps of sevenths and

octaves in diminuendo at the ends of phrases (measures 10-11 and 13-14 in Example 5). Leaps

of smaller intervals are in crescendo with a sforzando indicated on the arrival note (measures 27-

28 in Example 5 and 37-38 in Example 4). In both cases, the last note should be played short

and on the same string as the previous pitch, when possible. Violist Yosif Radionov suggests that

performers change fingers between the two pitches in diminuendo and use the same finger in

crescendo, but he notes that fingerings can be varied for repetitive passages.108 109 Bow

distribution on the crescendos and diminuendos must be practiced so that the arrival notes have

the proper sound. This means saving bow carefully for the crescendo and sforzando without

wasting bow on the glissando; the glissando should be short.110 In diminuendos, final pitches

need to have enough bow to sound clearly.

Example 5: Goleminov, Harvest, mm. 9-28

107
Teachers can guide their students to subdivide this rhythm into16th-note pulses, as well as feel the gesture as part
of one quarter-note beat.
108
According to Yosif Radionov, the edition edited by V. Penev contains a misprint in fingering: the first beat of
measure 28 should be played with the first finger; other fingerings can be changed.
109
Radionov interview, 2011.
110
Radionov interview, 2011.

32
Pedagogical Summary

Bow control is the most significant pedagogical challenge in the Lento sections of

Harvest. Very long, smooth strokes are required for the opening bars, and bow speed needs to be

varied to create effective crescendos and decrescendos. The sustained lines are also useful for

developing vibrato and phrasing. Changes in tone color may be explored between sections

contrasting in dynamics and character. Written-out ornaments may initially look rhythmically

complex to students (dotted 8th + two 32nds), but the rhythm patterns are consistent and

repetitive. The 5/8 sections provide opportunities for greater understanding of asymmetrical

meters and their subdivisions. The entire piece can be played entirely in the first and third

positions except the glissandi to harmonics. These upward leaps are very useful for practicing

accuracy on shifts to higher positions.

Rondino (1957) for viola and piano – Parashkev Hadjiev111

Estimated ASTA Grade: 3
Length: approx. 1½ minutes

Parashkev Hadjiev (1912-1992, Sofia) was one of the country's best-known pedagogues

and a leading proponent of music and culture in Bulgaria during the second half of the 20th

century. He earned degrees in piano and composition at the State Academy of Music, with

additional studies in Vienna and Berlin.112 He was a prolific opera composer and wrote

numerous chamber and symphonic pieces, children’s songs, choral works, and arrangements of

traditional songs, many of which are used for pedagogical purposes. His four Sonatas for Violin

and Piano are among the finest examples of Bulgarian chamber music, displaying the

characteristic blend of Bulgarian and pan-European elements. He wrote two concertinos for

111
Parashkev Hadjiev, “Rondino,” Pieces for Viola by Bulgarian Composers (Sofia: Musica Publishing, 1989), 3-7.
112
Valchinova-Chendova, 102.

33
violin and piano/orchestra, Album of 20 Little Pieces for Violin and Piano, and other miniatures

for violin with young students in mind.

Performance Considerations

Rondino follows common models from western classical music: sonata-rondo form, 2/4

meter, and conventional tonic/dominant functions within the key of A major. The melodies of

each section resemble folk music in their simplicity and narrow range, and they repeat frequently

with minor changes in dynamics, rhythm, and articulation (Example 6). Influences from the

Bulgarian folk tradition are most apparent in the development and coda, where melodic patterns

are paired with drone pitches. In measures 61-68, fifths and sixths are created between

alternating F#’s and E’s with A’s sustained below. Both this passage and the following measures

(69-75) display the Shop region’s characteristic emphasis on the interval of the second: even

though the F#’s and E’s may appear innocent in the solo line, the piano repeats chords with

prominently held F#’s through the section. In the next phrase, the grating of D#’s against E’s

(within an A major chord) highlights the minor second.113

113
This dissonance is even more pronounced in the original version because the open E string is played against the
D#’s and fingered unison E’s.

34
Example 6: Hadjiev, Rondino, mm. 1-29

Example 7: Hadjiev, Rondino, mm. 63-74, score

35
 I first discovered Rondino for violin and piano in the Young Violinist’s Repertoire Book

4114 several years before my first trip to Bulgaria. It quickly became a favorite recital piece for

my elementary students because of its lively melody with repetitive variants in register, rhythm,

dynamics, and articulation, as well as the incorporation of simple shifts and double stops,

harmonics, and left hand pizzicato. Unfortunately, the transcription for viola is not as idiomatic

or colorful as it is for violin.115 As a result of arranging the piece in the same key as the original

(A major), the range is smaller; parts repeated in different octaves for violin are iterated

identically on viola (Example 6, measures 25-32). Double stops formed with the melody and an

open string drone in the original require two stopped pitches (measures 61-68 and 105-120) or

are left out entirely for the viola (measures 69-76 and 94-96 have an E string drone in the violin

part). In addition, a secure understanding of third position and the ability to shift quickly are

prerequisites, since the upper two strings of the viola are used almost exclusively. The added

challenges can be applied pedagogically: a violist will require a higher level of facility in order to

capture the spirit and ease that will come more naturally to a violinist playing this piece.

Pedagogical Summary

This piece is useful for practicing treble clef and changes between clefs, third position

and simple harmonics extending just beyond third position, double stops with a consistent lower

pitch, and left hand pizzicato. Very simple rhythms (eighths, quarters, and half notes), bowings

and articulations (detache, accents, and slurs up to four per bow), and dynamics (contrasting

sections in loud and soft and one fp) are employed.

114
Parashkev Hadjiev, “Rondino,” Young Violinist’s Repertoire Book 4, ed. Paul de Keyser and Fanny Waterman,
(Faber Music, 1986), 22-25.
115
The level for the violin version is estimated as ASTA Grade 2. I am making an arrangement for viola a fifth
lower than the transcription described in this section. An exact transposition down a fifth from the violin edition
would keep the range, shifts, and double stops similar to the violin part and would be estimated as ASTA Grade
2.

36
Sonatina for Viola and Piano (1957) – Parashkev Hadjiev116
Estimate ASTA Grade: 3-3+
Length: approx. 7-8 minutes

Performance Considerations

As in the Rondino, Hadjiev uses a traditional western European framework. The

Sonatina in D Major is in three movements. The first movement Allegro, in sonata form, is in

cut time with a metronome marking of = 108-120. A mixture of modal and classical

harmonies is used. In the exposition, the opening theme is in D Dorian mode, with the second

theme in F major. The recap begins with the same pitches (one octave higher), but the second

theme is now presented in D major and the coda, based on the thematic material of the opening,

is transformed into D major, as well. As a result, the movement begins and ends with two

different key signatures, and some accidentals are employed during transitions, modulations, and

in the development section.

Example 8: Hadjiev, Sonatina, 1st movement, mm. 63-80 (recapitulation with 4th position
passage and beginning of 2nd theme in D major)

116
Parashkev Hadjiev, Sonatina for Viola and Piano, ed. Veliko Penev (Sofia: Musica Publishing, 1976).

37
 The Adagio middle movement is in ABA form. Its gentle A major melodies are

reminiscent of a lullaby. The time signature is 3/4, ♩= 52-54.

Example 9: Hadjiev, Sonatina, 2nd movement, mm. 1-13117

Marked Vivace (♩ = 168-176) and in 2/4 time, the last movement in D major evokes the

energy and spirit of a folk dance. The melody begins in the piano118 and is passed back and forth

between instruments. The viola accompaniment features repeated open string double stops,

possibly imitating the gadulka, and the melody is played with an A string drone (Example 10).

A contrasting middle section has longer, sustained lines in F Dorian mode before returning to

variants of the opening theme.

Example 10: Hadjiev, Sonatina, 3rd movement, mm. 12-25

117
Measure 11 contains a misprint; the indicated marking should be Sul G instead of Sul D.
118
The piano is given ornaments of half-step grace notes.

38
Example 11: Hadjiev, Sonatina, 3rd movement, mm. 45-58

This work was also originally written for violin, but one might not guess by looking at

the viola score. Veliko Penev’s arrangement covers the range of the viola and fits comfortably

under the fingers of a young student. First through third positions are used most frequently, with

a few simple passages in upper positions (Examples 8 and 11). In the first movement one

prolonged passage each in fourth and fifth position is used; the shifts up are small and the

passages have a narrow range with mostly whole and half step intervals. The second and third

movements explore lines remaining on one string (sul C and D), which require several short trips

to fourth and fifth. Frequent shifts between first and third positions appear to be intentional to

encourage facility and familiarity with the fingerboard. The melody undergoes modulations

between some phrases of the third movement, often when the viola is given one or more beats of

rest and then must begin in a different position. If students have trouble finding the first note in

the new key, they can practice playing it in first position to hear the note, singing the pitch before

playing, and/or tuning with open strings.

Although rhythm is more varied than in the Rondino, including longer note values, ties,

and dotted rhythms, Hadjiev does not use complex rhythms or values faster than eighth notes.

Bow control and bow distribution is developed in the middle movement and in the held notes and

off-the-string strokes in the third movement. Dynamic range is also expanded – from pp to ff,

39
with more crescendos and gradual changes. In addition, Hadjiev incorporates fermatas,

ritardandos, and tempo changes within movements.

Pedagogical Summary

Sonatina employs first through third positions with a few passages in fourth and fifth.

Because it was specifically written for students and contains pedagogical, idiomatic fingerings,

this would be an appropriate first piece for students ready to extend their range beyond third

position. It contains a variety of familiar rhythms and bow strokes. All double stops utilize an

open string, which allows for careful tuning and as well as an occasion to discuss melodic

balance and evenness between the two strings. Modal themes and chromatic alterations call

attention to intonation. Lyrical lines, tempo changes, and a wide range of dynamics provide

opportunities for interpretation and expression, and students can practice vibrato on sustained

notes.

Rondo (1974) for viola and piano – Vasil Lolov119

Estimated ASTA Grade: 3
Length: approx. 3 minutes

Violinist, teacher, and composer Vasil Lolov (1913-1992) studied violin and composition

at the State Academy of Music (Bulgaria) and Berlin Conservatoire. An active chamber and

symphonic performer, he founded the Lolov Quartet in 1943, was a member of the Sofia

National Opera Orchestra and Plovdiv Symphony Orchestra, and served as chief conductor of the

State Symphony Orchestra in Burgas and the Plovdiv Opera.120 Lolov joined the chamber music

faculty of the State Academy in 1962. He wrote Concertino for Violin and Orchestra, Concerto

for Violin and Piano, Studies, and other violin and chamber music works, as well as two original

pieces for viola, Rondo and Lullaby Song.

119
Vassil Lolov, “Rondo,” Pieces for Viola by Bulgarian Composers (Sofia: Musica Publishing, 1989), 9-13.
120
Valchinova-Chendova, 164-165.

40
Performance Considerations

Lolov drew inspiration from the folk tradition, and imitations of native instruments and

melodic patterns permeate his Rondo. Born in Yambol, in the southeastern part of the country

near the border with Turkey (Thracian region), he may have been influenced by the immigration

of the population between Turkey and neighboring countries, as well as the music of the Shop

region, where he lived during the composition of this piece. Rondo form provides the structure

for the work, but folk characteristics are apparent from the opening notes.

Sections with symmetrical phrases are contrasted with those having an uneven number of

measures. Material associated with the “B” section, including the piano introduction and piano

interludes, has irregular phrase lengths, while the “A” and C” sections contain combinations of

eight-measure phrases. The “A” section is comprised of three such phrases in ABA form. The

viola part begins with an octave leap in glissando to a harmonic (the octave above the open

string); the melody is in G Aeolian mode (natural minor) within a one-octave range. Mordents in

both the viola and piano parts ornament the line. The second phrase (measure 12) is based on the

Phrygian tetrachord (A Bb C D) with a drone on the pitch G (and D at the end of the line); this

creates a double stop of a major second at the beginning of the phrase.

Example 12: Lolov, Rondo, mm. 1-16 of the “A” section

41
 Consecutive up-bows occur frequently in the Rondo (Example 12, measures 4-5, 6-7, and

12). Students will have to put space after the first up-bow stroke and start the second from the

string for clean articulation.121

The “B” section (mm. 25-42) is comprised of two 7-bar phrases with a 4-measure

extension. The first three measures of this melody, which has been borrowed by the piano to

open the piece, is now fifth higher and requires a crescendo on the held open-string double stop.

E- and B-naturals add harmonic variety to a line built on short, ornamented scalar patterns. A

shortened “A” section returns, followed by a 5-bar piano transition (with material from “B”).

Example 13: Lolov, Rondo, mm. 25-38

The most non-western harmonies are found in the “C” section (mm. 56-99). Lolov

expands his tonal possibilities by using several different combinations of note patterns, including

the augmented second, to produce many modal colors (Example 14). This passage is an example

of the gray area that exists between Bulgarian tradition and foreign influences: some of the

pentachords could be analyzed using the Turkish makam, but most Bulgarians do not
121
If coordination is a challenge, the bowing can be practiced air-bow, on open strings, and at a slower tempo.

42
acknowledge Turkish influence in their musical heritage.122 Students can practice the finger

patterns of each phrase by playing the notes in consecutive scale order (for example F, G, A, B-

flat, C in measures 56-57 and B-natural, C, D, E-flat in measures 60-61).

Example 14: Lolov, “Rondo,” mm. 56-70 of the “C” section

This section is characteristic of the Shopsko horo, running triplets in duple meter (which

sounds like 6/8 meter).123 The sound of the gadulka is further invoked by instructions to play

portions of the melody sul ponticello.124 This bow stroke can be practiced first on open strings,

with the bow close to the bridge. Early memorization of the phrase (learned first with normal

bow placement) will enable the student to watch their bow location as the fingered notes are

gradually added.

A variation on the main melody of section “A” separates two passages of triplets (mm.

72-86). This is the only portion of the piece where fifth position and treble clef is used. The

student will have to transition from phrases with duple patterns to those in triple, although eighth

122
Geoffrey Dean, personal interview, May 2012.
123
Radionov interview, 2011.
124
According to Vladislav Andonov, only measures 60-63 should be marked sul ponticello. The sul ponticello
marking in measure 78 is a misprint.

43
notes and triplets do not occur back-to-back. The remainder of the piece, aside from a short

coda, contains exact repetitions of earlier statements of “A” and “B”.

Pedagogical Summary

Rondo uses first through third positions, with one higher passage (in treble clef) and

glissandi to harmonics the octave above the open string. Basic transitions between eighth notes

and triplets give the opportunity to reinforce duple and triple subdivisions. Double stops and

dynamics are simple, and repetition of sections encourages consistency, as well as an

understanding of rondo form. The most prominent aspect of the Rondo is its unusual modal

harmonies, which can help students focus on intonation and the relationships of the finger

spacing within changing melodic patterns, particularly in augmented seconds. Sul ponticello

introduces ideas of tone color and requires quick shifts in the bow’s contact point.

44
3.3 Intermediate Repertoire (ASTA Grade 4)

The following six pieces are intermediate-level works for solo viola and viola and piano.

This repertoire is commonly studied by young Bulgarian violists.

Harvester’s Song and Malka Toccata for solo viola from “12 Caprices for Solo Violin, op. 1”
(1954) – Petar Khristoskov125
Estimated ASTA Grade: 4
Length: approx. 4 minutes and approx. 2-2 ½ minutes

Violinist Boyan Lechev, in his preface to Caprices for Solo Violin, identifies violin

virtuoso Petar Khristoskov (b. 1917) as “one of the most prominent, outstanding, and artistically

manifested Bulgarian music performers, also known for his competent, demanding, and goal-

oriented teaching.”126 Most of Khristoskov’s works are for violin, viola, piano, or small chamber

ensemble and require excellent technique.

Born in Kniajevo, a small village outside Sofia,127 Khristoskov studied with renowned

violinist Sasha Popov at the State Academy of Music and Gustav Havemann and Hans Malke at

the Berlin Academy of Music.128 He concertized in Vienna, Salzburg, Berlin, and Munich before

returning to Bulgaria, where he was appointed concertmaster of the Sofia Philharmonic and

professor at the State Academy of Music. He founded an internationally recognized piano trio

with pianist Dimitar Nenov and cellist Konstantin Popov.

In his compositions, Khristoskov brought his knowledge of the violin and the influences

of virtuosic western European violin music to the fore. His 12 Caprices for Solo Violin, op. 1

and 24 Bulgarian Caprices for Solo Violin, op. 24 are based on the caprices of Paganini and

125
Petar Khristoskov, “Three Caprices: Dance, Harvester’s Song, Malka Toccata,” Pieces for Viola by Bulgarian
Composers (Sofia: Musica Publishing, 1989), 10-16. Dance is a level 5 piece and is therefore not included in
this section.
126
Boyan Lechev, preface to Caprices for Solo Violin, by Petar Christoskov, trans. Lyubov Shtilianova (Sofia:
Musica Publishing, 2000), 3-4.
127
Kniajevo is now a part of Sofia.
128
Lipari, 7.

45
feature the upper range of the instrument, rapid string crossings, chords, and double stops.

Lechev asserts, “written in typically Bulgarian national intonation129 and rhythm, varied in

character and contents, of refined melody and highly accessible, the caprices filled a substantial

gap in artistic instrumental literature and rapidly gained popularity.”130 Valued for instructional

purposes and performance, they are often played for examinations and competitions by young

Bulgarian violinists.131

Khristoskov’s music displays prominent influence from the Shop folk tradition. His solo

caprices have programmatic titles with folk themes, for example Daychovo Horo, Rachenitza,

Ballad, Kukeri (masked dancers), Shopi’s Feast, Gadulka, Winged Horse, and Nestinarka (ritual

fire dance). The village of his youth enjoyed musical customs rich in modal harmonies, irregular

meters, ornamentation, improvisatory style, and typical Shop melodic structure, features that are

abundant in his works.

Harvester’s Song and Malka Toccata are among the most accessible caprices to

intermediate students. They are part of Khristoskov’s first set of solo caprices for violin, which

were transcribed for the viola by the composer. He also wrote several original works for viola:

Improvisation and Presto, op. 14 (1955), Introduction and Presto (1956), and Shopska Fantasia

(1968) for viola and piano, and Capriccio No. 1 (1962) for solo viola.132

Performance Considerations

Harvester’s Song exists in two forms: for solo viola as a direct transposition (down a

fifth) of the ninth violin caprice of op. 1 and for viola with piano accompaniment, as published in

the compilations of Bulgarian viola works edited by Veliko Penev. Similar to Goleminov’s

129
“National intonation” is referring to melodic quality.
130
Lechev, 4.
131
Lechev, 4; Andonov interview, 2011.
132
Dobrev, 24.

46
Harvest, it has two sections of contrasting character and tempo in rounded binary form. Yosif

Radionov described the first section, Andante cantabile, as a “strange mixture of song and

dance.”133 It consists of a simple melody on the pitches C, B, A, and G, built on the A Aeolian

(natural minor) scale. Eighth notes are grouped 3+2+3 in 8/8 meter, with the emphasis on the

last long beat. Typically Shop is its monotonous and narrow-range melodies, where the lowest

note is a whole step below tonic. While ornamentation is sparse throughout the section, glissandi

on larger leaps require accurate same-string shifts (mm. 9-10, 16, 41-42, 49, 113-114, and

121).134

Marked Piu mosso and agitato and transposed up a fourth, the second iteration of the

melody increases in emotion and intensity. A drone emphasizing 2nds, 3rds, and unisons

requires the performer to use more left-hand pressure, as well as a contact point closer to the

bridge for a sharper sound.135 Unison Ds and major 2nds played on the A and D strings (mm.

18-24, 27-30)136 demand large left-hand stretches. The piano accompaniment also contains

chords with clusters of 2nds and minor 3rds contrasting with open intervals of fifths and octaves

in the bass.

The final statement (Example 15) is the loudest, most plaintive, and “very expressive,

exposing the heart and soul of the person.”137 The melody is grouped in two-bar phrases with the

emphasis on the first note of the second measure. Again, double stops of unisons, 2nds, and 3rds

are produced, but now from a drone on open A paired with the pitches from the viola’s original

material. Playing unison pitches on adjoining strings creates a distinctive timbre.

133
Radionov interview, 2011.
134
These refer to measure numbers for the solo viola edition. In the viola and piano edition, the equivalent measures
are 13-14, 20, 45-46, 53, 124-125, and 132.
135
Radionov interview, 2011.
136
In the viola and piano edition, the measures are 22-28, 31-34.
137
Radionov interview, 2011.

47
Example 15: Khristoskov, Harvester’s Song, mm. 33-42, solo viola version (mm. 37-46, viola
and piano edition)

The second section (Example 16) is a lively rachenitsa in 7/8 meter,138 marked Allegro

grazioso. It boasts a larger melodic range, more varied dynamics and articulations, and

embellishments of trills and mordents. Even though it is centered in D major, double stops with

drones, harmonics, and vocal ornamentation139 are reminders of a strong folk presence. The

performer is required to use a combination of spiccato, marcato, and legato bow strokes: small

sharp strokes in pp, more bow and flatter hair in the louder parts. Bow distribution is important

in the first line of the section: students will need to travel to the tip of the bow before measure 54

(m. 66 in the viola and piano edition). By stopping the bow while shifting in measure 54, bow

can be saved for the crescendo on the high A; the glissando will be short (Example 16).

138
See page 6 for information about the rachenitsa.
139
The viola ornaments resemble Shop vocal techniques, where the singer ascends from a lower tone into the head
register, sometimes producing a yodel-like effect; according to Donna Buchanan, e-mail to author, 29 January
2013.

48
Example 16: Khristoskov, Harvester’s Song, mm. 50-70, solo viola version (mm. 63-83 viola
and piano edition)

Pedagogical Summary

The 8/8 and 7/8 time signatures in the Harvester’s Song are useful for feeling additive

rhythms as a combination of long and short beats, as well as the subdivision of longer values into

eighth-note pulses. The work remains in first through fourth positions except for glissandi to

higher positions at the ends of phrases. A physical challenge of the piece is the stretch between

seconds and unison pitches on adjoining strings, difficult double stops on the viola because of its

large size. During the open-string and fingered drone passages, the performer should be

encouraged to shift smoothly and to bring out the melodic line. Bow length, tilt, attack, and

sounding point must be varied to successfully execute the articulations, dynamics, ornaments,

and harmonics.

49
Performance Considerations

Malka Toccata (Little Toccata) is a perpetual motion piece in which the viola provides

both the melody and accompaniment. Like Harvester’s Song, very short melodic patterns within

a narrow range provide the primary material for the piece (measures 1 and 5). The melody is

repetitious and is varied by slight pattern alterations, transpositions, changes in tessitura, and

transitionary passages.

With a tempo marking of Allegro moderato, the caprice has a very clear duple pulse, and

the rhythmic momentum is underscored by the melody line and indicated accents. The changing

pitches are typically written on the first and second halves of the beat, followed by three repeated

notes on a different string. When Khristoskov varies the pacing of melodic material, the listener

perceives a shift in rhythmic energy (Example 17). Accents in measures 20, 24-28, and 30

emphasize chords changes (Example 18 on page 52).

Example 17: Khristoskov, Malka Toccata, mm. 3-6

50
 Malka Toccata is an alternative to etudes for studying fast detache bow strokes and string

crossings.140 For a relaxed right hand position, the stroke will be concentrated in the middle to

upper third of the bow. The violist must play with a loose wrist and elbow, using the forearm

(not upper arm). The first note in each group of four (first three beats of each measure in

Example 17) is slightly elongated and creates the impetus for the three subsequent

accompanimental notes. Teachers can demonstrate several strategies for practicing the piece,

including isolating the melodic lines, playing the melody and accompaniment together as double

stops, and practicing string crossings using open strings.

The Toccata’s tonal center is D natural minor (Aeolian mode), but modulations to other

keys (A, G, C, C#, D, F#, B, A, D) are conspicuous.141 One interesting passage consists of the

melody in double stops of parallel fourths (measures 24-27), likely imitating a gadulka tradition

of playing in fourths. A modulation from D Dorian mode to F# Dorian mode (up a major third)

creates more intonational challenges for the performer (Example 18). Double stops are used in

other passages as the addition of a drone to the moving melodic line, for example measures 20-

23 and 30-31. Near the end of the piece (mm. 34-36), Khristoskov marks a passage 8va (ad

libitum). Two measures of natural and artificial harmonics followed by pizzicato chords

conclude the work.

140
Students often find pieces focusing on specific technical skills more fun than etudes. Numbers 12 and 42 of
Mazas’ Etudes Speciales, op. 36 develop techniques similar to those found in Malka Toccata.
141
Modulations include the following keys: A (m. 5), G (m. 14), C & C# (m. 18), D (m. 19), F# (m. 26), B (m. 28),
A (m. 30), D (m. 32).

51
Example 18: Khristoskov, Malka Toccata, mm. 26-27

Pedagogical Summary

Malka Toccata is beneficial for developing speed and clean string crossings. Students are

challenged to bring out the melodic line in the double stops and over the accompanimental

figures with precise intonation. First through fourth positions are used exclusively, including a

passage (mm. 34-36) in which the option to play an octave higher is given. This caprice features

abundant double stops, and also utilizes harmonics. Because endurance is needed to play the

continuous 32nd notes, students will have to keep a relaxed left hand position and use a detache

bow stroke with loose wrist and elbow in order to play cleanly and without physical strain.

Lullaby Song for viola and piano (1973) – Vasil Lolov142

Estimated ASTA Grade: 4
Length: approx. 3½ minutes

Performance Considerations

Lullaby Song is an original work for viola and piano, reflecting the working life of the

Bulgarian people. Its title refers to an afternoon sleep, when laborers were tired after a day of

hard work in the fields.143 When playing this piece for the first time, I was struck by the

idiomatic writing for the viola and the richness of the piano score.

142
Vasil Lolov, “Lullaby Song,” Pieces for Viola by Bulgarian Composers (Sofia: Nauka i Izkustvo, 1973), 13-16.
143
Andonov interview, 2011.

52
 Lullaby Song is a classic example of the use of Bulgarian vocal ornamentation and folk

intonation interwoven with features of late Romanticism. Built on the Aeolian mode pitched on

A within an octave range (G to G), the melody has a soulful, haunting quality. Quintuplets and

sextuplets in the viola line and triplet figures in the piano part are characteristic embellishments

from traditional vocal music. Regular eight-measure phrases, triple meter, and traditional

harmonies within the natural minor scale are features borrowed from the western European

tradition.

Melodic material is derived from several motivic cells, which are varied and developed in

a somewhat improvisational manner. After the eight-bar piano introduction, the viola enters with

a simple melody spanning the range of an octave. Emphasis of the second beat in the 3/4 time

signature gives it a sarabande-like feel (Example 19).144 The piano’s opening material returns in

the viola part (m. 17) but soon expands in a new direction with increasing agitation. Double

stops are written that feature the melody with an active accompanimental line, and an

accelerando and crescendo through measures 22-28 lead to the climax in measure 29. A brief

forte section, centered in C major, is heroic in character before it begins winding down to a recap

of opening material. The return of modal harmonies gives an impression of heaviness. Even

measures 45-50, double stops marked forte, seem to portray resignation (Example 20).

144
The performer should put slight space between the notes in measures 12 and 16 to bring out the secod beat.

53
Example 19: Lolov, Lullaby Song, mm. 13-26

Example 20: Lolov, Lullaby Song, mm. 42-59

Pedagogical Summary

This miniature is an ideal recital piece for an intermediate student proficient at sustained

bow strokes and smooth bow changes. The legato melody can be used for studying nuances in

phrasing through the control of bow speed, weight, and contact point. Expression can also be

developed through subtle variations of tempo and vibrato. Double stops are featured in a variety

of contexts: the melody shifting between the upper and lower voices, drone pitches against the

melody, moving notes in both lines, and parallel thirds. A sul G passage near the end of the

piece extends briefly into fifth position; otherwise, the viola part mainly employs first through

third positions.

54
Song (1954) for viola and piano or viola and string orchestra – Todor Popov145 146

Estimated ASTA Grade: 4+

Length: approx. 4½ minutes

Todor Popov (1921-2000) was born in Dryanovo (Northern Bulgaria region). In his

youth, he studied voice and guitar, taught himself violin, viola, and piano, and began composing

and conducting.147 He graduated in 1949 with a degree in composition at the State Music

Academy, studying with Hadjiev, Goleminov, Veselin Stoyanov, and Pancho Vladigerov.

During his university years, he was active in communist activities, which enabled him to secure

sought-after government-supported musical positions after communist rule was established. He

continued his education at the Moscow Conservatory from 1952 to 1957 and returned to Bulgaria

to teach Harmony and Musical Instruments at the Academy and serve as music editor for the

Bulgarian National Radio.

Popov is primarily known for his vocal works: choral, solo, and mass songs (marches and

lyrical songs). Many of his pieces were devoted to themes of the Communist Party and inspired

by the atmosphere and characteristics of the youth song, which he absorbed from his

participation in World Youth Festivals.148 In addition, he arranged folk songs and composed

instrumental, chamber, orchestral, and film music. Popov’s main compositional focuses were

melody and harmony. In general, his melodies are lyrical, smooth, and feature step-wise motion;

he often reused melodic material with little modification.149 He preferred tertian harmonies with

unconventional chord progressions and extended chords (7ths, 9ths, and 11ths).

145
Todor Popov, “Song,” Pieces for Viola by Bulgarian Composers (Sofia: Musica Publishing, 1989), 25-29.
146
The edition contains some errors/inconsistencies in fingerings and instructions about which string to play on.
147
Matthew Thomas Caine, “Todor Popov: A Historiography and a Conductor’s Analysis of his Choral Cycles,”
(diss., University of South Carolina, 2010), 18-19.
148
Krŭstev, 202, 195.
149
Caine, 26.

55
Performance Considerations

Although Song was originally written for violin and piano, its popularity is evidenced by

transcriptions for viola, cello, and bass with piano/string orchestra. The work is currently played

most often by violists.150

Even though the tempo is marked “Andante,” Yosif Radionov suggested to me that

“moving” or “moderato” may be a better indication, because the tempo should be flowing and

not too slow.151 The development of melodic material is improvisatory in nature and the form of

the work is somewhat ambiguous. The opening melody consists of four regular four-bar phrases.

This material returns in measure 46 harmonized with double stops, but new melodic ideas are

incorporated as the piece concludes. Passages interspersed between the main themes have a

larger range; they are highly embellished and conversational in nature (Example 21). The lower

pitches in measures 21-22 and 24-25 (up to the pick-up to m. 26) should be regarded as a

different voice than the surrounding material.152

Example 21: Popov, Song, mm. 19-29

150
Andonov interview, 2011.
151
Radionov interview, 2011.
152
Radionov interview, 2011.

56
 Aeolian mode forms the piece’s harmonic basis, although chromatic alterations are

abundant; the performer must be comfortable with frequent changes and extended tetrachord

finger patterns. The interval of the augmented second, characteristic of the Northern Bulgaria

region, is found in several of the embellishments. The piano score is filled with rich, chromatic

chords and arpeggiations.

The viola part exhibits vocal qualities: a simple melody within a narrow range and

generous ornamentation, including turns, trills, and runs. There should be a breath after the fifth

bar with a slight accent on the downbeat of measure 6, giving it “a little Gypsy” feel.153 The

upward runs often resemble scalar passages, sometimes with added or altered pitches; for

example, measure 19 displays part of the D harmonic minor scale; the fourth beats of measures

28 and 29 contain the E major scale with an added D-natural (Example 21); and measure 30 is a

two-octave D Dorian scale.154 A two-octave descending chromatic scale, beginning on the A

above the open string, is marked glissando and is played using one finger until reaching first

position, where it may be finished by employing different fingers (Example 22).155

Example 22: Popov, Song, mm. 36-37

153
Radionov interview, 2011.
154
Common strategies for teaching these types of patterns include practicing in rhythms (long-short-long-short,
short-long-short-long, and groups of 3, 4, or more notes quickly with space between each cluster), playing the
passage backwards, and using the add-a-note technique (start with the first two pitches and add a note with each
repetition until the whole run can be played without hesitation).
155
Radionov and Andonov interviews, 2011.

57
Pedagogical Summary

Popov’s Song is highly recommended by many Bulgarian teachers as a great pedagogical

piece for intermediate violists. Students must be adept at playing scalar and arpeggiated

passages with a variety of finger patterns, including augmented seconds and a descending

chromatic scale in glissando. Sul D and G passages require smooth shifts over a legato line.

First through fifth positions are used freely, with a few higher notes (up to a high D two octaves

above open D). The double stops can all be played in first position. A wide range of dynamics

is useful for teaching control of bow weight and speed, and the lyrical lines and improvisatory

passages encourage interpretation of expression and phrasing.

Scherzo (1979) for viola and piano – Pencho Stoyanov156

Estimated ASTA Grade: 4
Length: approx. 2 minutes

Eminent professor of composition and music theoretician, Pencho Stoyanov, was born in

1931 in Sofia. He studied composition at the State Academy of Music with Hadjiev and

Vladigerov and at the Moscow Conservatory with Aram Khachaturian. In Paris he attended

Olivier Messiaen’s classes as a scholarship student.157 As faculty of the State Academy of Music

and Sofia University, jury member of composition competitions in Europe, and master class

clinician, Stoyanov influenced numerous composers and musicologists who now teach at

universities throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia. His compositions have won awards

in Poland, France, and Bulgaria. His writing “reflects tendencies characteristic for contemporary

Bulgarian music as witnessed by his music’s social involvement, optimistic democratic pathos or

original contemporary composition style.”158

156
Pencho Stoyanov, Scherzo for Viola and Piano (Sofia: Dobrev, 2001).
157
Valchinova-Chendova, 255-256.
158
Valchinova-Chendova, 256.

58
Performance Considerations

Scherzo, an original composition for viola and piano, is a prime example of a Bulgarian

classical work with twentieth-century style features. Even though the key signature and main

motive indicate a basis of C major, frequent chromatic alterations and modulations into distant

keys (G#, F, E, A-flat, F#, and C#) cause surprising shifts in tonality. Harmonic progressions

deviate from standard Romantic practices when repeating passages occur in transpositions of a

half step, whole step, or augmented second (Example 23). Teachers can help their students

identify the changes of key and have them play the scale associated with each chromatic passage.

An understanding of interval relationships will also be reinforced as they determine the half

steps, whole steps, and other intervallic patterns within each sequence.

Example 23: Stoyanov, Scherzo, mm. 31-47

In addition to contemporary harmonic features, Stoyanov plays with the rhythm to create

the impression of changing meter. Marked Allegro molto vivace in 3/8 time,159 the piece has a

playful yet propelling momentum. Overlapping phrases and a quick tempo infuses energy and

excitement. The first twelve bars have a clear three-beat pulse with a dominant first beat.

However, while the piano has the opening melody, the viola is accompanying with pizzicato

159
3/8 is not a common traditional Bulgarian meter.

59
notes emphasizing the off-beats (measures 1-4). Hemiola is used throughout the piece (measures

13-16, 60-61, 79-80, 136-138, 142-147, 165-66, 175-78, and 181-82), where notes are grouped

and accented to sound like the meter is 2/8 (Example 24). A prevalent rhythmic pattern is .

When string crossings over this grouping are required (e.g., measures 66-70 and 130-139), the

student should practice for smoothness and clarity of notes using natural arm weight and a small

amount of bow (near the middle).

Example 24: Stoyanov, Scherzo, mm. 175-end (score)

60
 In general, the lively character will be conveyed by short strokes on the separate notes

and a slightly biting articulation on accents, beginnings of slurs, and notes in the lower register

for cleanness and rhythmic definition. Measures 85-106, 112-114, 119-128, and 167-171 are the

viola’s only cantabile passages. Stoyanov uses artificial harmonics (measures 91-92, 99-100,

and 102-106) to further contrast the dialogue between these smooth, lyrical lines and the sharp,

cutting articulations of the surrounding material (Example 25).

Example 25: Stoyanov, Scherzo, mm. 99-119

Pedagogical Summary

Stoyanov’s Scherzo is a great introduction to playing in twentieth-century styles. It has

discernible tonal melodies and patterns but requires comfort with accidentals and quick-changing

finger patterns in the first three positions; it is particularly useful for studying half position and

small, fast shifts. One of the main challenges is finger and bow velocity, so fingerings should be

sought that will make it easier for the student to create a smoother line and alleviate awkward

string crossings.160 String crossings over slurs will require focused sound (a small amount of bow

and heavy right arm) and clear left-hand articulation. In addition, Scherzo is valuable for

teaching hemiola, accents and entrances on off-beats, and artificial harmonics.

160
The Dobrev edition has some fingerings, but additional position changes will be necessary.

61
Fairy Tale, op. 46, no. 2 (1950) for viola and piano – Pancho Vladigerov161
Estimated ASTA Grade: 4
Length: approx. 3 ½ minutes

The most internationally recognized Bulgarian composer is Pancho Vladigerov (1899-

1978). He and his twin brother, Luben, were born in Zurich, Switzerland and raised in Shumen,

a town in the northeastern part of Bulgaria. Their family moved to Sofia in 1910, where Pancho

studied piano with Henrich Visner and took composition lessons from Dobri Khristov. Both

brothers received scholarships to the Staat’s Akademische Hochschule fur Muzik in Berlin.162

Between 1914 and 1944, Pancho presented recitals with Luben, a violinist, in Europe, the United

States, and Bulgaria. In 1932 he accepted a position teaching piano, chamber music, and

composition at the State Academy of Music, which is now named after him.

Vladigerov was one of the most important figures of the second generation of composers.

He was among the first to integrate western European principles of music with national tradition,

reaching beyond the simple compilation of folk elements.163 However, his use of Bulgarian folk

material differed from Goleminov, who thoroughly absorbed the folk idiom into his style;

Vladigerov treated folk instrument imitation and intonation as an “exotic spice.”164 He emulated

the styles of the late Romantic period, with Richard Strauss and Sergei Rachmaninoff as his

models. He was also musically influenced by his maternal grandfather, a Russian Jew, who was

an amateur composer and violinist.165 Virtuosity, rich sonorities, chromatic and dissonant

chords, emotional intensity, and impressionistic qualities characterize his works, which reflect

the multiple influences of cultures and styles he absorbed and assimilated in his music.

161
Pancho Vladigerov, “Fairy Tale, op. 46, no. 2,” Pieces for Viola by Bulgarian Composers (Sofia: Musica
Publishing, 1989).
162
Lipova, 8.
163
Dimitrov, 22.
164
I first heard this description from Prof. Donna Buchanan in 2009, and many Bulgarian musicians made similar
comments about Vladigerov’s style during my trips to Bulgaria.
165
Radionov interview, 2011.

62
 Vladigerov’s Violin Sonata (1914), Piano Concerto (1918), for which he was given the

Felix Mendelssohn Award, Trio for Violin, Cello, and Piano (1916), and Violin Concerto (1920)

were the first of these genres written by a Bulgarian composer. Although he wrote for all genres,

his largest output was compositions for piano. Due to years of performing with his brother, he

also produced a significant body of violin repertoire. His most performed and emblematic work

is the rhapsody Vardar, op. 16 (1922) for violin and piano (orchestrated in 1928).166 His works

for viola are transcriptions of piano, violin, and orchestral pieces, as he arranged many of his

popular works for a variety of instrumental combinations.

Performance Considerations

Vladigerov wrote a violin and piano version of Fairy Tale from his “Pictures” for piano,

op. 46, but it is played more often by violists, in a transcription by Penev. Fairy tales, while

absent from Bulgarian oral tradition, are prevalent in German and Russian culture and tell a story

featuring imaginative, often magical, folkloric characters. Vladigerov’s piece resembles the

narrative quality of a tale: the melodies are accessible and quickly become familiar to the listener

because of their derivation from a common motivic source. Yet, the mixture of E Dorian and

Aeolian modes and colorful chord progressions in the piano accompaniment give the work an

exotic quality. Passages of parallel seventh and ninth chords, lavish chromaticism, and thick

harmonies typify the piano score. Chromatic alterations are less abundant in the viola melodies,

with the most common changes being between F and F#, A and A#, and C and C#.

Examples of harmonic and timbral creativity can be seen from the first measure:

Vladigerov gives the upper voice of the piano the introductory melody accompanied by a

progression of rolled seventh chords (E4/2 as the opening chord), while the viola plays an E

166
Vardar quotes Dobri Khristov’s song “In the Bulgarian Tongue.” Vladigerov thought he was quoting an
anonymous folk song, which was a common feature in his music. Khristov was not happy that Vladigerov used
his composition without his permission.

63
harmonic. The viola takes over the melody in a mixture of artificial and natural harmonics

(Example 26), possibly imitating the sound of the kaval. Variations of the main melodic ideas

are repeated in different pitch and dynamic ranges, with added embellishment, and in double

stops. The piece concludes with a variety of tone color effects in the viola line, including

chromatic double stops, dramatic dynamic changes, and sforzando tremolo, all played con

sordino (with mute) (Example 27). The piano resolves to an E major triad with the viola playing

a harmonic on the 3rd of the chord.

The melody in harmonics at the beginning of the piece (mm. 5-8 in Example 26) should

be prepared carefully with clear tone and accurate intonation. Students can practice the shifts

with the solid pitches alone (all first fingers, except on natural harmonics) and then with both

first and fourth fingers firmly but gently on the string (melody will sound a fourth higher). Once

the harmonics are played as written, students will find it valuable to take each pitch and move

back and forth between the previous and/or following harmonic. Since the span between the

stopped note and harmonic is different in each position, this type of practice will help the left

hand to feel the distance that each finger needs to move during shifts and will eventually result in

a smooth line through the entire succession of harmonics. In addition, students’ tone will benefit

from bowing fairly close to the bridge with a consistent contact point, bow speed, and weight.

64
Example 26: Vladigerov, Fairy Tale, mm. 1-12 (score)

65
Example 27: Vladigerov, Fairy Tale, mm. 55-end

Pedagogical Summary

Fairy Tale is a useful piece for exploring timbre, tone color, and expression. A melodic

passage of artificial and natural harmonics requires precision of intonation and shifting, as well

as adjustments in bow weight, speed, and location for a clear and accurate execution. Bowing

and vibrato must be cultivated to produce lyrical, smooth lines. Students will be guided by

tempo changes and expressive markings in developing a sensitive interpretation. The mute is

used for the final two lines, when wide shifts in dynamics are requested. Double stop passages

differ in contexts: measures 37-40 present the melody with drone, while measures 57-61

highlight a colorful harmonic progression. First through fifth positions are used with frequent

small shifts.

Sevdana (1944) for viola and piano – Georgi Zlatev-Cherkin167

Estimated ASTA Grade: 4
Length: approx. 5-6 minutes

Vocal pedagogue and composer, Georgi Zlatev-Cherkin (1905-1977), was born in Ruse,

in northern Bulgaria. He studied piano with Ivan Torchanov and music theory with Dobri

167
Georgi Zlatev-Cherkin, Sevdana (Sofia: Dobrev, 2001).

66
Khristov, Nikola Atanasov, and Pavel Stefanov at the State Academy of Music.168 In 1929, he

received his degree from the State Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in Vienna, studying

voice and composition. He remained in Vienna as a voice teacher before returning to the

Academy of Music in Sofia as lecturer (1940). He became full professor in 1944 and served as

dean of the opera studies faculty from 1960 to 1974. In addition, he taught singing at the

Peking, Tientsin, and Shanghai conservatories (1955-1958).

Zlatev-Cherkin wrote operettas, cantatas, solo songs, choral music, and instrumental

pieces. Several of his songs and instrumental works, including Pastoral (for flute and piano),

Sevdana, and the song cycle Bachelor Songs, are considered “emblematic musical-poetical

repertoire for Bulgarian performers.”169 Stefan Popov, a great Bulgarian cellist whose opinion

was widely respected, called Sevdana the “best Bulgarian piece.”170

Performance Considerations

Sevdana is based on a love poem, and its title is derived from “Sevda,” a Turkish word

meaning “love.” Its original instrumentation was for cello and piano. Zlatev-Cherkin’s wife was

the sister of legendary violinist Nedialka Simeonova, who liked the piece and wrote a version for

violin.171 Arrangements for many instruments exist now (double bass, French horn, etc.), but the

violin transcription is most often played.

The edition for viola of Sevdana was made by Stefan Sugarev. It is set in the same key

and therefore results in a smaller range than the violin arrangement. The first half of the piece is

an exact transcription of the violin part down an octave. However, when the opening melody

returns later in the piece an octave lower for the violin, the tessitura is too low for the viola to

168
Valchinova-Chendova, 311.
169
Valchinova-Chendova, 311.
170
Radionov interview, 2012.
171
Radionov interview, 2011.

67
play an octave lower; the viola is obligated to repeat the material (mm. 42-55) in the same range

as the initial statement (mm. 3-16).

The indicated tempo of Sevdana, “Широко” or Shiroko, is translated into English as

“Broadly,” and the piece is usually played very slowly, with long, connected, lyrical lines. The

span of expression and dynamic markings encourages changes in the intensity of vibrato and

tonal density. Pianissimo parts should be played with an airy sound close to the fingerboard

while fortissimo sections require a heavy stroke nearer the bridge. The artificial harmonics in the

coda, although marked pianissimo tranquillo, must be played closer to the bridge for clarity

(mm. 56-59). Combinations of long and short note values require that forethought be given to

how much bow will be used and where the bow needs to start on long notes. Sustained notes in

crescendo passages and in the upper range of the instrument will benefit from faster vibrato (for

example, mm. 30-37), while long tones at the ends of phrases can be played with vibrato

diminishing in speed and intensity (mm. 6-7, 16-17, 23-24, 45-46, 54-55, 66-67).

The piece’s structure resembles rounded binary form with the addition of a coda. Each

section ends with a dramatic passage, which allows the performer a great deal of freedom in

timing and interpretation. The cadenza-like passage in measures 37-40 of Example 28 is the

climax of the work and offers the greatest opportunity for rubato playing.172 However, all lines

can be played with a certain amount of flexibility in phrasing.

172
David Hayes, “Bulgarian Violin Pieces for the Studio,” American String Teacher Journal 58, no.4 (2008): 42.

68
Example 28: Zlatev-Cherkin, Sevdana, mm. 32-40

In B minor, with modal twists, the melody contains frequent augmented second intervals,

which may be brought out expressively by the performer. The opening phrases, for example,

lead to triplet figures in measures 6, 9, and 11; the first note of the each triplet can be subtly

emphasized with bow speed and vibrato, and more so when it is an augmented second (Example

29). The scale in measures 37-40 (shown in Example 28) displays the pitches of the hijaz kar

makam, a combination of half step, whole step, and augmented second intervals: C# D E# F# G#

A B# C# (half step, augmented 2nd, half step, whole step, half step, augmented 2nd, half step).

Example 29: Zlatev-Cherkin, Sevdana, mm. 1-11

69
Pedagogical Summary

Sevdana is an ideal piece for practicing expression, tone, and vibrato. Slow, sustained

lines, a wide range of dynamics, and artificial harmonics provide opportunities for

experimentation with speed, weight, and contact point. Bow distribution must be planned for

long note lengths and to accommodate a mixture of short and long values. Smooth bow

connections are paired with frequent small shifts between the first four positions. Tranquillo, piu

vivo, and cadenza-like sections require adjustments in tone color and decisions about

interpretation, as well as an understanding of tempo changes and rubato. Furthermore, varying

vibrato speed and intensity will enhance phrasing and expression.

70
3.4 Advanced Repertoire (ASTA Grades 5-6)
An abundance of pieces exist at the advanced level. Most of the pieces written with

twentieth-century compositional techniques as well as much of the solo viola repertoire belong to

this category. I have selected only a few works, which I feel highlight the immense variety of

material that has been written for the mature artist.

Little Suite for Solo Viola (1951) – Marin Goleminov173

Estimated ASTA Grade: 5-6
Length: approx. 10 minutes

Performance Considerations

One of the first pieces originally written for viola, Little Suite was transcribed for violin

in 1952 and is a popular recital piece for both instruments. It is arranged in four movements of

alternating tempi with programmatic titles: Ballade (slow), Tongue Twister (fast), Girl’s Sorrow

(slow), and Merry Rebeck (fast). Goleminov based this music on folklore but not pure quotation;

folk elements are most apparent in the third and fourth movements.174 The writing is idiomatic

and shows that Goleminov was knowledgeable about the viola and its capabilities.

The first movement, Ballade, is labeled Moderato mosso, ♩ = 69-72, in common time.

Ballads and epic recitatives were common in the Shop oral tradition, the typical subject being the

legendary figure Krali Marko or other heroes in the fight against the Ottomans. However, this

work is more expressive than the typical ballad. Yosif Radionov feels that its language is very

Romantic and suggests that the performer pretend it was written 70 years earlier. He draws

comparisons between this movement and Ysaye’s sonatas. As a result of Goleminov’s studies in

173
Marin Goleminov, Little Suite for Solo Viola (Sofia: Nauka i Izkustvo, 1951).
174
Andonov interview, 2011.

71
Paris, “the influence of the last Romantics and impressionists was very pronounced at this

time.”175

The movement is in sonata form with repeated exposition (mm. 1-11) and a recapitulation

that remains identical to the opening until the last four measures (Example 30). The melody

begins on the C string with trills and grace note ornamentation. The rhythm resembles that of

slow, unpulsed, vocal music; frequent quintuple figures, as well as larger groups of nine and ten

notes, are typical of the folk tradition.176 The final bars, featuring powerful octaves with grace

notes a whole step below the D tonic, are reminiscent of the vocal effect, tresene (Example 30).

On the other hand, three and four-note chords, double stops, and disjunct intervals typify

virtuosic string texture.

Example 30: Goleminov, “Ballade” from Little Suite, mm. 28 (recap) - end

The movement is challenging due to its complexity of expression and technical

difficulties. Large string crossings within slurs, chords and double stops with unusual finger

patterns, fast shifts, accidentals, and rhythmic groupings changing between 2, 4, 5, 6, 9, and 10

175
Radionov interview, 2011.
176
Dimitrov, 34.

72
notes per beat are all contained. Yet it must still be played fluidly, with an improvisatory quality,

and the phrasing should bring out the broken chords, conversational lines, and changes in

harmony. Trills must be clearly articulated and the sixteenth notes “not too nervous.”177 In the

opening theme (and in similar recurrences), the violist should crescendo over the first two beats,

expressively emphasize the third beat, and diminuendo to the fourth beat (Example 30, mm. 28

and 31). Radionov suggests the changes in bowings marked in Example 31 (mm. 14-22); while

keeping a legato line, the separate notes can be given more expression. At the end of the

movement, additional changes of bow help create a bigger sound (Example 30).

Example 31: Goleminov, “Ballade” from Little Suite, mm. 13-20

The second movement, Skoropogovorka, is translated as Tongue Twister. It is an

Allegretto movement (♩ = 104) in 2/4 time. Yosif Radionov relates its unsymmetrical phrase

structure and agitated manner to Goleminov’s speech patterns. Both Goleminov and his son

spoke in very short fragments which Radionov describes as “very ridiculous to hear and difficult

to understand.”178 This movement sounds like a “very nervous and spirit-full dialogue between

two persons.”

177
Radionov interview, 2011.
178
Radionov interview, 2011.

73
 The introductory bars exist in two versions: as a four-note chord followed by double

stops played arco or as all pizzicato chords (measures 1 and 3 and returning in measure 50)

(Example 32). Violist Vladislav Andonov recommends the arco version for a more powerful

sound.179 When pizzicato chords are played, the left hand fingers must press hard on the string,

and the right hand must pull all the strings firmly.

Example 32: Goleminov, “Tongue Twister” from Little Suite, mm. 1-21

The theme beginning in measure 5 alternates melody notes with the open C string. This

and similar passages throughout the movement are characteristic of a typical Bulgarian horo and

imitate the gadulka.180 This melody has two statements in mezzo piano and a final statement in

forte. Time can be taken in measure 22 to prepare for its second entrance, while measure 41

leads energetically to its last statement.

179
Andonov interview, 2011.
180
Radionov interview, 2011.

74
 The running sixteenth notes that make up the main material require good articulation;

bowings are open to the performer’s discretion.181 Difficult intervals result when the polyphony

moves in opposite directions (mm. 11-14, mm. 29-32) and need to be practiced slowly.182 Slight

accents on trills and the lower notes of measures 10-14 will help the clarity and precision of the

passages.183 A helpful recommendation from Radionov is to play shorter trills in measures 16,

48, and 49 by starting from the note above the trill.184 In addition, forte passages should be

played on the string, and string crossings in double stops (particularly measures 45-46) and

descending thirty-second note runs need to be played cleanly.

The final measure is a glissando to a sixteenth note, likened to vocal ornamentation where

an ascending leap occurs at the end of a phrase. Bowing should be planned so that the second to

last measure can be up-bow and bow saved for the final harmonic (Example 33).

Example 33: Goleminov, “Tongue Twister” from Little Suite, mm. 52-end

Momina Jalba or Girl’s Sorrow is the third movement of the suite. Depicting the worries

of a young maiden, the writing is characteristic of slow vocal music from the Shop region.

Melodic formations from folk music and chant are featured, including several patterns that are

181
According to Yosif Radionov and Vladislav Andonov, Goleminov did not mind when bowings were changed.
182
Dimitrov, 35.
183
In several editions, the sforzandos in measure 18 are marked on the wrong notes. They should be played on the
first, fourth, and seventh 16th notes (Db octaves). See Example 32.
184
Radionov interview, 2011.

75
“especially typical for Goleminov” (measures 9 and 11 of Example 34).185 In a combination of

A Phrygian and minor modes, the melody has a haunting quality; phrases are contained within a

narrow range and end with downward motion in steps. Arched and descending melodic

contours, along with short, fragmented statements, frequent repetition, and recitative-like quality

of material, are features of a lament.186

Example 34: Goleminov, “Girl’s Sorrow” from Little Suite, mm. 1-32

Tempo and rhythm change throughout the movement, beginning with Lento in 2/4

meter. The two-voice opening is comprised of an embellished melody against a drone,

emphasizing the intervals of the second and third. The alternation between 2/4, 3/4, and 4/4

meters and the vocal, improvisatory nature of the melody played con sordino give the piece a

feeling of timelessness. The performer can take extra time between phrases and sections, and

185
Radionov interview, 2011.
186
Buchanan, “Bartok’s Bulgaria,” 84.

76
split some of the long slurs (mm. 11, 13-16, 27-28, etc.).187 Specific articulation is needed in

measure 9 and its subsequent repetitions: long on the 16th notes and very short but pronounced

on the 32nd (see marked articulations in Example 34). A breath should be placed after the 32nd

note, as well as after the 8th notes at the beginning of measures 24 and 25. Vocal triplet and

quintuple figures should also be expressively emphasized.

The section beginning with the Animato in measure 22 alters frequently between

asymmetrical meters: 9/8 (2+2+2+3), 5/8, 8/8 (3+2+3), 6/8 (3+3), 5/8, 7/8, 3/8, etc. It should

have a dance-like quality. Measure 27, labeled Molto sostenuto e a placere, sounds like the

gadulka. Goleminov had a specific reference for this passage: his memories of a blind rebeck

player on a bridge.188 The eighth notes should be played with slight articulation, and slurs can be

split. The gadulka-like passages are interspersed with conversational vocal lines. Material from

the opening section returns but is presented in inverse order. The movement ends quietly on an

A harmonic, resembling the sound of the kaval.

The final movement is called Gadularska, or Merry Rebeck. It is written in 2/4 and

marked ♩ = 126, Allegro moderato. However, tempo is dependent upon technical comfort, and

calmer or wilder tempos are possible.189 Its D major tonal center is derived from a common

tuning of the gadulka, A3 E4 A4, transposed down a fifth. Goleminov frequently uses the viola’s

open strings in fast alternation with the melodic line, imitating the bow strokes of the gadulka or

rebeck (mm. 89-103 of Example 36). Andonov and Radionov suggest playing measures 95-99

sul ponticello to further evoke the sound of the folk instrument.

187
Radionov interview, 2011.
188
Radionov interview, 2011.
189
Radionov interview, 2011. Radionov plays it faster than Allegro moderato on the violin, but slower tempos may
be necessary on the viola because of its slower response.

77
 At the beginning of the work, Andonov tells students to imagine a drunk village player in

the middle of the square.190 It should be played wildly, with an improvisatory quality. The

player will have to save bow on the opening crescendo for an effective sforzando. In general,

bow strokes should be more on the string since fiddlers did not play spiccato, and it is important

to bring out the melody in all passages. Double stops and chords abound in this movement,

some requiring unusual fingerings for clarity. Having performed this work many times,

Radionov has valuable fingering and bowing suggestions and other advice for its interpretation.

Examples 35, 36, and 37 contain some of these ideas (added markings), which can also be

applied to similar places in the movement.

Example 35: Goleminov, “Merry Rebeck” from Little Suite, mm. 32-42 (in mm. 36-42, bowings
of 3 slurs then separates are repeated for each two-bar sequence)

190
Andonov interview, 2011.

78
Example 36: Goleminov, “Merry Rebeck” from Little Suite, mm. 74-103

Example 37: Goleminov, “Merry Rebeck” from Little Suite, mm. 119-end

79
Pedagogical Summary

Goleminov’s Little Suite contains an array of technical and musical difficulties. The

violist must have a strong left hand technique to handle the double stops and chords, difficult

shifts, reaches, and ornamentation. Upper positions are used mainly on lower strings for color

effects and in passages with drones on an adjacent string. Bowing challenges include large string

crossings, quick changes between long and short values and legato and off-the-string strokes, and

projection of the melody above accompanimental figures. Since much of the piece is in the

lower range of the viola, articulation and clarity of the voices become especially important. The

performer’s ultimate goal is to effectively interpret the work’s characters, complex musical ideas,

and expressive qualities. This will require an understanding of the folk instrument qualities that

Goleminov imitates, as well as knowledge about improvisatory songs and dance music from the

Shop folk tradition.

Aria for Solo Viola (1973) – Aleksandar Raichev191

Estimated ASTA Grade: 5
Length: approx. 5 minutes

Aleksandar Raichev (1922-2003) was considered “one of the most prominent

representatives of Bulgarian music and music culture.”192 He was born in Lom, a town in

northwestern Bulgaria. He studied composition and piano with Pancho Vladigerov, Parashkev

Hadjiev, and Asen Karastoyanov and graduated from the State Academy of Music in 1947. At

the Liszt Music Academy in Budapest (1949-50), he studied composition with Zoltan Kodaly

and conducting with Ianos Ferencik. After returning to Bulgaria, he served as professor and

rector at the State Music Academy, as well as a member of the Bulgarian Parliament and

chairman of the Union of Bulgarian Composers.

191
Aleksandar Raichev, Aria for Solo Viola (Sofia: Musica Publishing, 2002).
192
Valchinova-Chendova, 225.

80
 His compositions have been awarded numerous prizes and are regarded as having

features characteristic of Bulgarian music after the 1950s, namely societal reflection and a spirit

of optimism.193 Raichev created his own school of composition and was elected to honorary

memberships of music societies in Germany and Belgium. In addition to the Aria for Solo Viola,

one of the most popular pieces in the solo viola repertoire, his Sonata-Poema (originally for

violin and piano in 1940) has been transcribed for viola and piano.

Performance Considerations

Raichev displays his understanding of the viola and his excellent instrumentation skills in

the Aria for Solo Viola. It is dedicated to Dimitar Penkov, who won the viola competition for

which it was written. In modern folk style, the work is described by violist Vladislav Andonov

as having the “aroma of folklore but is absolutely twentieth-century music.”194 The piece is in

5/4 time, but its slow tempo (♩ = 66), mixture of duple and triple note values, and long notes at

the ends of the phrases allude to an improvisatory nature in which meter is not perceived. In

addition, some of the material first introduced in 5/4 returns at the end of the piece, with the

same rhythmic values notated in 4/4 meter. Phrases and sections require space and breath, and

indicated rests should be held for their full value. Movement through phrases followed by

dissolution to silence is a feature typical of Bulgarian music.

While the D tonality plays a role in the harmonic structure, no key signature is given;

chromatic alterations and modulations are frequent. The melody contains many large leaps of

unusual intervals, including diminished 11ths, major and minor 7ths, and diminished 5ths

(Example 38). The broad disjunct melodic sections contrast with passages of much quicker note

values compressed into a very narrow range (measures 29-32 and 41-43), mostly intervals of

193
Valchinova –Chendova, 225.
194
Andonov interview, 2011.

81
2nds and 3rds. The last line of Example 39 displays a drone played on the string above the

slithering chromatic lines. This passage is surrounded by double stops, including parallel fifths

and sixths.

Example 38: Raichev, Aria for Solo Viola, mm. 1-12

Example 39: Raichev, Aria for Solo Viola, mm. 34-41

82
 Raichev employs a dynamic range of pp to fff, often requiring very quick changes in

intensity and character. Bow strokes vary from fortissimo accents to dolce, legato figures. These

dynamic contrasts must be significant. Measure 19 needs clear articulation and can be played

with heavy spiccato.195 Sul tasto can be used in measures 30-31, and measure 34 requires a very

big decrescendo following a passage in fortissimo. After a build-up in measures 35-36, the

parallel fifths in measure 37 should sound like the “other side of the earth” (Example 39),196

meaning that their dynamics and tone color should greatly contrast the surrounding material.

The 32nd-note patterns in measures 41-43 may benefit from stepwise dynamics; Andonov

suggests starting from mezzo forte in both measures 41 and 42 and growing to the ends of the

measures.

Additional recommendations from Andonov include specific articulations and timbral

features. The opening accented sixteenth-note pick-up should be very short but the following

measure slow, with tenuto on the triplet (Example 38).197 The end of measure 10 should be

played on the C string, and high positions are preferable in measures 13-17. When open string

drones begin before the melodic material, they can be played with both the open string and a

fingered note on the adjoining string.

Pedagogical Summary

One of the biggest challenges in the Aria is interpreting its disjunct, atonal melodies as

part of a connected musical line and communicating a convincing musical statement. Without

the piano to help define and support the direction of the line, the solo violist must present drama

through phrasing and pacing of the musical material. Intonation challenges lie in the double

195
Vladislav Andonov, personal interview, May 2012.
196
Andonov interview, 2012.
197
Andonov interview, 2012.

83
stops and fast chromatic passages. In addition large leaps over unusual intervals often involve

shifts to upper positions or string crossings. Frequent changes in dynamics and articulation

demand solid bow control; the contrast of the dynamic range must be emphasized.

Images Espagnoles for solo viola (1955) – Leon Souroujon198

Estimated ASTA Grade: 5-
Length: approx. 4 minutes

Leon Souroujon (1913-2007) was best known for his phenomenal teaching and

performing. In addition to being one of the greatest Bulgarian violinists, he had the remarkable

ability to take average violin students and mold them into exceptional performers.199 Because

he composed relatively few pieces, his biography is not included in the Encyclopedia of

Bulgarian Composers; information about his life has been passed down by his former students,

kept in genealogy records of the Souroujon family, and documented in remembrances of his

legacy.

The Souroujon family belongs to a group of diaspora Jews deported from Spain in

1492.200 Some family members immigrated to Bulgaria and Turkey, and descendants today live

in Bulgaria and Israel. Leon Souroujon graduated from the Prague Conservatory and received

prizes at many international competitions. He enjoyed the popularity of audiences in France, the

Czech Republic, Russia, Poland, Spain, and Belgium and performed on the world stages with

David Oistrakh, Leonid Kogan, Yehudi Menuhin, and Jascha Heifetz.201 While teaching in

Brussels, Stuttgart, Dusseldorf, the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Toronto, and Paris, Souroujon

educated generations of violinists. His musical successes were darkened by the political events

198
Leon Souroujon, Images Espagnoles, unpublished.
199
Radionov interview, 2011.
200
Imanuel Souroujon, Souroujon Family, accessed 15 August 2012, http://souroujon.atarimnet.info/about.html.
201
Anna Zografova, “In Memoriam: A Year without Leon Suruzhon,” Souroujon Family, accessed 16 August 2012,
http://souroujon.atarimnet.info/leon_souroujon_violinist2.html.

84
of the Second World War; he survived the Holocaust but lost close friends in concentration

camps in Poland and Germany.

Performance Considerations

Souroujon’s four pieces were among the first idiomatic, original pieces for solo viola

written in Bulgaria: Nocturne, Improvisation on a Religious Theme, Berceuse, and Images

Espagnoles. All display characteristic Jewish melodic intervals and figures.202 In addition,

Images Espagnoles (Spanish Pictures) commemorates his family’s Spanish roots. Technically,

the piece is of moderate difficulty and could be estimated at a Grade 4 level, but a higher level of

mastery above the written notes is needed to capture its spirit and nuances of expression. A

theater piece, Images evokes tales of passion and dramatic jealousy through colorful Spanish

mannerisms.203

The “A” section of the work is marked Andante and highlights the improvisatory flavor

of Spanish music. Written-out ornamentation of turns, rolled chords, and grace notes permeate

the melody and should sound spontaneous. In fact, the entire first section should be played

rubato, following the direction of the musical line and emphasizing climactic points and

harmonic changes. Small notes must be played melodically, not rushed.204 Souroujon specifies

the last two bars “ad libitum,” implying a free interpretation of the material that leads into the

Allegretto section (Example 40).

202
Berceuse is based on a Ladino lullaby sung by Sephardic Jews.
203
Radionov interview, 2011.
204
Radionov interview, 2011.

85
Example 40: Souroujon, Images Espagnoles, mm. 11-21

The new quicker tempo and 6/8 meter of the “B” section feature Spanish dance rhythms,

with emphasis falling on beats two and five in addition to one and four. Allusions to Spanish

guitar playing are seen in the pizzicato chords and arpeggiated figures slurred across all four

strings. The music is colorful and spirited, a contrast to the brooding opening material.

Rhythmic parts should be played in tempo, and pizzicatos need a brilliant sound, obtained by

pulling all the strings together.205 The “A” section returns in measure 42 and, after modifications

to the first few measures, presents the same material as the beginning until the final bars of the

piece.

Typical of traditional Spanish music is the use of the Phrygian mode throughout the

work, in this case the scale beginning on D with B and E flats. Chromatic alterations of E-
205
Radionov interview, 2011.

86
naturals and F-sharps add tonal ambiguity. Ornamentation around the upper notes supports the

distinctly Spanish feel.

I obtained a recording of Souroujon playing his piece. He takes considerable rhythmic

freedom and emphasizes the rolling of chords. Interpretive leeway of dynamics also exists, as

there are few markings indicated in the score.

Pedagogical Summary

Souroujon’s Images Espagnoles is a great piece for an advanced student developing

maturity of interpretation and style. In order to make the piece flow easily and with spontaneity,

the student must already have a solid facility in the first five positions and comfort in string

crossings over long slurs. The focus of study will be on bringing out the melodic voicings, color

changes, and climactic events; the passionate, dramatic qualities of the work are conveyed

through the pacing of phrases and changes in sound quality. In addition, a student must

investigate and develop an understanding of the Spanish characteristics in the score and discover

how to project their picturesque flavors to the audience.

Song from “Bulgarian Suite” op. 21 for viola and piano (1927) – Pancho Vladigerov206
Estimated ASTA Grade: 5
Length: approx. 7 min.

Performance Considerations

One of Vladigerov’s most popular solo instrumental works, Song was originally the

second movement of a symphonic work entitled Bulgarian Suite, written for the fiftieth

anniversary of Bulgaria’s emancipation from Ottoman governance. This movement has been

arranged for violin, viola, cello, clarinet, and other solo instruments with piano. The viola

version was written in the same key as the violin part and has several modifications to account

206
Pancho Vladigerov, “Song from “Bulgarian Suite,” op. 21,” Pieces for Viola and Piano by Bulgarian Composers
(Sofia: Musica Publishing, 1978), 3-12.

87
for the differences in range.207 Because of its high esteem, the work is studied by a great number

of string players, whose personal renderings have all contributed to varied performances of the

piece. Its repetitive passages require the performer to be creative with bowings, dynamics, and

fingerings, creating a wide array of musical interpretations.

Song’s main melody is a Bulgarian folk song, which is repeated seven times with

variations in register, texture, dynamics, character, and ornamentation. Even though the folk

melody is introduced from the very beginning (first in the piano), the opening section is so

highly embellished that it is hardly recognizable until measure 21. The first 20 bars of the viola

part are very florid and cadenza-like, which make coordination with the piano accompaniment

quite difficult. The violist must be metrically precise in bars 9-10 (Example 41) to line up with

the melody in the pianist’s right hand. Likewise, melismas in both the viola and piano,

especially when marked rubato or accelerando, are tricky to negotiate, as well as triplets in the

piano versus duplets in the viola. The tempo cannot be too free, but the bowings should sound

improvised.208

207
The first two notes of the violin entrance, when transposed down an octave, are too low for the viola; the viola
version leaves these out and begins on the third note.
208
Andonov interview, 2011.

88
Example 41: Vladigerov, Song from “Bulgarian Suite,” op. 21, mm. 8-15

In addition to alternating between 6-, 7-, 8-, and 9-tuplets per beat, the viola part is

chromatically tinged and contains turns, grace notes, double stops, and sul G passages. Intervals

of the augmented second permeate the melodic material, influences from both Bulgarian

traditional music and Vladigerov’s Jewish background. Characteristic of Vladigerov’s works is

its highly Romantic style, richly sonorous and thickly textured piano part, and virtuosic melodic

lines.

The section beginning in measure 21 presents the folk song with more transparency. As

similar material repeats with minor changes in ornamentation and register, Vladislav Andonov

and Yosif Radionov recommend various fingerings, shifts, and bowings to vary the text. For

example, measures 33-36 can be played on the D string, tasteful portamento can be added

between select shifts, and slurs can be broken or added to complement the phrasing (Example

42). Following a build-up in motion and intensity over a passage of double stops, the arrival in

89
measures 53-60 is marked fff and allargando for emphasis. A fermata is often added to the

fourth eighth note of measure 54, a high D-flat, before a cadenza-like descent.

Example 42: Vladigerov, Song from “Bulgarian Suite,” op. 21, mm. 32-41

As exciting as this passage is, however, violist Simeon Kirkov recognizes measure 73 as

the climax of the piece.209 The pianist has the melody in the left hand and 18-tuplets in the right,

while the violist holds a long trill (Examples 43 and 44). From here, the piece winds down,

again with pushes and pulls in tempo and ornate viola lines. Its final notes are double stop

harmonics marked morendo.

Example 43: Vladigerov, Song from “Bulgarian Suite,” op. 21, mm. 72-73

209
Simeon Kirkov, personal interview, May 2012.

90
Example 44: Vladigerov, Song from “Bulgarian Suite,” op. 21, mm. 75-76

During interviews and lessons with the Bulgarian violists Radionov, Andonov, Kirkov,

and Nedyalcho Todorov, I was given many recommendations for Song’s interpretation. In

addition to those already mentioned, these violists suggested using open strings and changing

bowings as needed to enhance the phrasing and sound.210 They highlighted the importance of

listening for the main line in double stop passages, as it moves between voices. Changing

210
Andonov interview, 2011.

91
between flautando, in measures 63 and 65, and normal contact point, in measures 64 and 66, was

recommended to add variety in tone color.211 In measure 72, the first note of each group of four

does not need to be held longer than a 32nd note (Example 43). In addition, I was advised to let

the left hand of the piano lead in measures 76-77212 and to choose points of reference to ensure

that the piano and viola stay together (Example 44).213

Pedagogical Summary

Vladigerov’s Song is technically and musically challenging. Chromatic runs with

unusual finger patterns, extended double stop passages, numerous shifts, and high positions are

demanding of left hand technique. Melodic voicings must be presented with clarity, and the

lines should sound effortless, even in extremely florid passages that require quick changes

between long slurs and quick separate bow strokes. Due to the repetitive nature of the musical

material, phrasing and expression become a significant focus of study. The abundance of tempo

changes provides additional opportunities for developing intelligent, creative interpretations.

Sonata for Viola and Piano (2010) – Velislav Zaimov214

Estimated ASTA Grade: 6
Length: approx. 18 minutes

Composer and pedagogue Velislav Zaimov is one of Bulgaria’s most prolific

contemporary composers. He was born in Sofia in 1951 and studied composition with Dimitar

Tapkov and Aleksandar Tanev, graduating from the National Academy of Music in 1977.215 He

has taught score reading, musical analysis, harmony, and theory at the National Academy,

“Lyubomir Pipkov” State School of Music, National Music High School, and Academy of Music

211
Nedyalcho Todorov, personal interview, May 2011.
212
The violist should not hold on to the first notes of each beat in measure 77.
213
Kirkov interview, 2012.
214
The Sonata is not yet published, and the copy I have includes changes made by Yosif Radionov, who gave its
premier performance. Zaimov gave me his permission to use Radionov’s revisions.
215
Valchinova-Chendova, 309.

92
and Dance Art in Plovdiv. Zaimov is an active board member of the Union of Bulgarian

Composers, as secretary general (1999-2005), president (2005-2011), and vice president (since

2011).216 His music has been performed in Italy, Russia, Germany, the Netherlands, Australia,

and the United States, recorded for the Bulgarian National Radio, and received international

awards.217 In addition to symphonies, concertos, chamber music, and sonatas for nearly every

solo instrument, Zaimov has composed Orthodox choral music in which the a capella tradition is

melded with modern harmonies.

Bulgarian musicians who know Zaimov’s pieces recognize compositional traits consistent

across his works. His propensity for certain melodic and rhythmic patterns, focus on timbre, and

lack of key signature usage are characteristic features of his style.218 “Complementary rhythm,”

where the melody moves between parts, centers on the relationship and movement of the small

notes between instruments.219 The instruments are given equal roles but each has a specific

idiomatic language.220 Zaimov gave some insight into his compositional viewpoint in an

interview with Veronica Anghelescu in 2010:

“I like those composers which have a logical construction, stylistic unity, clarity, with an
'appetite’ for development, dynamic! Those are essential attributes for a composer. I do
not appreciate the floating imagery, the experiments for the sake of the experiments
themselves. I am interested in the way music flows in time: the cause/effect principle, the
perfect logic!”221

Zaimov has written numerous works featuring the viola, including Sonata for Viola and

Cello (1989), Sonata for Solo Viola (1991), Concerto for Violin, Viola, and Orchestra (1994),

Concerto for Two Violas and Orchestra (1998), Trio Sonata for Violin, Viola, and Piano (1998),

216
“Velislav Zaimov,” Union of the Bulgarian Composers website, accessed 20 August 2012, http://www.ubc-
bg.com/en/composer/31.
217
Valchinov-Chendova, 309.
218
Andonov interview, 2011.
219
Radionov interview, 2011.
220
Zaimov interview, 2012.
221
Velislav Zaimov, interview byVeronica Anghelescu, Contemporary Music Journal, No. 14 Plus Minus, June 10,
2010, http://no14plusminus.ro/2010/06/10/interviu-cu-velislav-zaimov/.

93
Sonata for Violin and Viola (1999), and trios and quartets for viola with other instruments.222

His impetus for writing the Sonata for Viola and Piano in 2010 was to fill a void in his

compositional material for viola and piano; he has already written sonatas with piano for most

other solo instruments.223

Performance Considerations

The viola sonata is a one-movement work whose form exhibits mirror symmetry: themes

and sections are reprised in reverse order and the introductory material returns in the coda.

Zaimov provided me with his thematic analysis of the piece (Example 45 below).

Example 45: Analysis of Zaimov’s Sonata for Viola and Piano224

222
Dobrev catalog, 11-12.
223
Zaimov interview, 2012.
224
This analysis was provided in written form by Velislav Zaimov during my interview with him in May 2012.

94
 The Sonata opens with solo viola playing “quasi recitative.” The tempo is marked

= 44, and long note values evoke a sense of timelessness. The piano part contributes to the

mood, holding and repeating chords consisting of fourths and fifths; often the down beat is

deemphasized when ties and off-beat entrances in both instruments are employed. In measure 60

(Example 46), the first theme is introduced at a faster tempo ( = 66, or ♩ = 132). Typical is

Zaimov’s use of triplet figures with chromatic pitches, particularly half steps, thirds, and

diminished fourths. He frequently writes augmented and diminished fifths on longer note values.

Example 46: Zaimov, Sonata for Viola and Piano, mm. 60-73

The second part of the piece begins in measure 187. The first of five chorale sections

appears in measure 201, with German text written underneath the viola line. The text itself has

no meaning for the work but was included to show that it was written in the model of Buxtehude,

95
developed as a polyphonic structure.225 The two levels, long notes in the viola part and faster

values in the piano, give “the allusion of time passing slowly and quickly simultaneously”

(Example 47).226 Following the chorales, the returns of the “A” section are varied with noticeable

intervallic symmetry: the melody in measure 361 is flipped upside down from its statement at

measure 320. The recaps of the quasi recitativo material (now presented with artificial

harmonics in the viola part) and themes I and II from part I return in inverse order to close the

work.

Zaimov uses contemporary compositional techniques, with atonal melodies and a mixture

of diverse rhythmic patterns (long values juxtaposed with sixteenth notes, combinations of triple

and duple patterns, etc.). Few influences from traditional Bulgarian music are apparent. While

melodies display an objective, emotional simplicity, timbral color plays an important role in the

dramatic quality of the work. In order to execute the lines clearly, the performer must play with

tonal and rhythmic precision. Violists have to view their instrument’s fingerboard as one

encompassing geographical landscape, enabling their left hand to navigate freely across the

fingerboard; reaches between positions and squeezing within positions are often necessary.

225
Zaimov interview, 2012.
226
Zaimov interview, 2012.

96
Example 47: Zaimov, Sonata for Viola and Piano, mm. 202-212, score

Pedagogical Summary

Like most of Zaimov’s compositions, his Sonata for Viola and Piano is quite difficult.

Atonal chromatic passages challenge the ear and the fingers, both in lower position passages

within a narrow range and in dissonant leaps into high positions and across strings. Since the

student will rarely sense the security of familiar finger patterns, one must have advanced left

hand technique and comfort in moving around the fingerboard. Melody lines must be recognized

97
and brought out when they weave between the piano and viola. Timbre changes and nuances of

shading are made with adjustments in bow speed and contact point. The piece also contains

passages with double stops, chords, artificial harmonics, difficult string crossings, and sustained

pitches.227

227
The sonata contains many long notes that require more than one bow. Zaimov asks that the performer change
bows on a beat that the piano plays.

98
3.5 Postlude

Bulgaria’s deeply-rooted folk traditions, as well as its cultural and political growth, have

strongly influenced its classical music. The reflection of folk dances and traditional instrumental

and vocal music is frequently seen in the classical repertoire, along with influences from western

Europe and Russia. Studying pieces that are relatively unknown in the United States offers

musicians the opportunity to discover and explore tonal, rhythmic, and timbral qualities not

commonly found in the canonic pedagogical repertoire.

The most prevalent features of the Bulgarian pieces I studied were modal harmonies,

additive rhythms, and imitations of vocal and instrumental folk practices. Non-western scale

patterns are useful in introducing new finger patterns and improving intonation. To young ears,

the modal tonalities can sound fresh and invigorating. Irregular meters require students to

subdivide and feel beats that are grouped into larger patterns. A greater understanding of the

underlying pulse comes through the recognition of combinations of duple and triple groupings in

5/8, 7/8, and other asymmetrical meters. In addition, references to folk instruments “call upon

students to widen their range of tonal color, thereby improving bow control.”228 Vocal-like

ornamentation, trills, turns, glissandi, sul ponticello, artificial harmonics, and other effects

imitate the sounds of traditional instrumental music and folk songs.

Despite a plethora of works that have been written for viola in the past century, very little

is known about those from Bulgaria. The purpose of this project is to broaden awareness of the

Bulgarian viola repertoire, and I hope it is useful for teachers seeking new pieces for their

students. Because of their excellent musicological and pedagogical value, these works stand to

become significant additions to our viola repertoire.

228
Hayes, 40.

99
 APPENDIX A: ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF BOJIDAR DOBREV’S
WORKS FOR VIOLA AND CHAMBER ENSEMBLES WITH VIOLA BY
BULGARIAN COMPOSERS

Works for Viola and Chamber Ensembles with Viola by

Bulgarian Composers

Catalog

Compiled by Bojidar Dobrev

Published by Dobrev, Sofia, 2003

Translated by Lisa Nelson with the assistance of Hristo Alexiev229

Summary of Dobrev’s Introduction Notes:

This catalog includes information up to spring 2003. It does not include classical string
formations, string quartets and string trios, which in foreign literature of this sort are always
presented in different editions. In some cases, the year of composition or exact date of first
performance is missing. In different editions, concert programs, articles, reviews, and books,
various pieces can be encountered under different titles as well as different dates they were
written. Because of this, we determined to make the titles as precise as possible by inquiring of
the composers. However unusual music literature in Bulgaria is, this information is made in
accordance with long-established requirements for these sorts of editions in other countries. It
allows us to take a look at the interest of Bulgarian composers toward a specific instrument, as
well as its presence in chamber music (particularly in non-traditional ensembles). The same goes
for the performers, Bulgarian and foreigners, who are noted at the end on a separate list.

The present edition is a continuation of the first presentation of music for viola by Bulgarian
composers from the beginning of the 1980s in the information center of the Primrose
International Viola-Archive (PIVA) at Brigham Young University, Harold B. Lee Library
(Provo, Utah), as well as in the specialized edition of Franz Zeyringer Literature fur Viola (Julius
Schoenwetter Verlag, Hartberg, Austria, 1985).

229
Bulgarian is a Slavic language that uses the Cyrillic alphabet. Names and terms transliterated in the Latin
alphabet may vary in spellings. For example, Khristoskov, Hristoskov, and Christoskov are three common
spellings for the same composer. When translating this catalog, my goal was to be consistent when repeating a
name and also trying to the use spellings most often used in previously-published literature. In addition, the
order of entries is different than Dobrev’s catalog, due to differences in alphabetization in Bulgarian and English.

100
 Table of Contents:

Pieces for Viola and Chamber Ensembles with Viola – 102

Composers – 102
Viola Solo / 2 Violas – 127
Viola and Piano / 2 Violas and Piano – 127
Duets - Strings/Woodwind Instruments with Viola – 129
Viola and Computer / Toneband – 130
Trios with Viola – 130
Quartets with Viola – 130
Vocal–Instrumental Ensembles with Viola – 132
Viola and Orchestra / 2 Violas and Orchestra / Violin, Viola, and Orchestra – 132
Performers - Viola Players – 133

101
PIECES FOR VIOLA AND CHAMBER ENSEMBLES WITH VIOLA
Composers

Vladislav Andonov (b. 1958)

Improvisation on an Indian Theme (1983) for flute, viola, harp, and piano
First performance: Quartet “Eolina” (Nikolai Koev (flute), V. Andonov (viola), Vesella Jeleva
(harp), Stefan Trayanov (piano)), 11/8/1983, Sofia
Recording: CD 1993, Balkanton
Manuscript

Celtic Fairytale (2002) for flute, viola, harp, and harpsichord

First performance: Quartet “Eolina” (V. Andonov –viola), 5/16/2002, Plovdiv

Atanas Atanasov (b. 1952)

Sonata for Violin and Viola (1992)
First performance: Angel Stankov (violin), Yosif Radionov (viola), 2/10/1994, Sofia
Manuscript

Evgenii Avramov (b. 1929)

Pastoral (1968), viola and piano
Edition: Musica, Sofia

Peter Baberkoff (b. 1929)

Sonata for Solo Viola (1963)
Manuscript

Concerto for Viola and Orchestra (1966)

Andreas Sandor, 1967, Symphony Orchestra of Recklinghausen, Germany
Edition: Viola and Piano, A. J. Benjamin, Hamburg

Sonata for Flute, Viola, Harp, and Percussion (1990)

Manuscript

Nikolai Badinski (b. 1937)

Dialogue for Viola Solo (1973)
N. Badinski, 1975, Berlin
Edition: composer’s publication, Berlin

Preltan (1973) for 2 violas and piano (harpsichord, cymbal)

Edition: Pro nova, Berlin

“Col-legno-Concerto” (1975) for viola and orchestra

Edition: Pro nova, Berlin

102
“Con pensier a Samuel Beckett” (1978) viola, cello, and double bass
Manuscript

“Interchangeabilite sur Seine pour trois” (1982) for woodwinds, bowed strings (viola) and
plucking instrument
Manuscript

Rumen Balyozov (b. 1948)

Conflicts, quartet for flute, viola, piano, and harp (1977)
Manuscript

“La Folia” (1992) for viola, cello, and double bass

First performance: Ognian Stanchev (viola), Marieta Ivanova (cello), Petia Bugovska (bass),
6/25/1994, Sofia
Manuscript

“Base and Superstructure” (1992) for viola and cello

Manuscript

Aram Berberian-Datev (b. 1931)

Prelude-Poema (1994), viola and piano
Gergana Dobreva (viola), A. Berberian-Datev (piano), 12/7/1994, Varna
Manuscript

Vasil Bozinov (1888-1966)

Fantasia (1944) for viola and piano
Manuscript

Evgeni Cheshmedjiev (b. 1930)

Contrasts (1992) for solo viola
First performance: V. Andonov, 2/21/1994, Sofia
Manuscript

Dialogues (1994) for violin and viola

First performance: A. Stankov, Y. Radionov (viola), 4/21/1995, Sofia
Manuscript

Lyubomir Denev (b. 1951)

Sonata for Viola and Piano (1976)
Manuscript

103
Tsveta Dimitrova (b. 1968)
Pieces for Bassoon, Violin, Viola, and Double Bass (2000)
Manuscript

Bojidar Dimov (1935 - 2003)230

Dance Song (1990) for voice and viola
Manuscript

Dance Song (1991) for flute, violin, and viola

Manuscript

Plamen Djouroff (b. 1949)

Four Ballads (1987) for flute, viola, harp, and piano
First performance: Quartet “Eolina” (V. Andonov – viola), 1987, Bolzano
Manuscript

Ilya Draganov (1913 – 1977)

Four Miniatures (Pastorale, Humoreske, Elegie, Horo) (1956) for viola and piano
Originally for cello, arranged for viola and piano by B. Dobrev
Manuscript

Ivan Filev (b. 1941)

Recitative (1971) for solo viola
Manuscript

Nayden Gerov (1916-1991)

Concerto for Viola and Orchestra (1958)
Manuscript

Aria (1959) for viola and piano

Edition: compilation Pieces for Viola by Bulgarian Composers, edited by E. Abadjiev, Nauka i.
Izkustvo, 1964

Rondo (1966) for viola and piano

Manuscript

230
The Encyclopedia of Bulgarian Composers by Elisaveta Valchinova-Chendova lists Dimov’s year of birth as
1931.

104
Marin Goleminov (1908-2000)
Song from Woodwind Quintet No. 1 (1938) for viola and piano
Arranged for viola by Stefan Sugarev
Manuscript

Dance from the dance drama “Nestinarka” (1938)

Arranged for viola and piano by the composer
Edition: compilation Light Pieces for Viola, edited by Nedelcho Kisimov, A. Neinski, Nauka i.
Izkustvo, 1973

Prelude (1948) for viola and piano, viola and chamber ensemble
Originally for cello, edited for viola and piano by Stefan Sugarev; arranged for chamber
orchestra by the composer
Recording: Dragomir Zahariev (viola), Elena Vezieva (piano), Bulgarian National Radio, 1974
Edition: Nauka i. Izkustvo, 1950, edited by S. Sugarev; compilation Light Pieces for Viola,
edited by N. Kisimov, A. Neinski, Nauka i. Izkustvo, 1973; compilation Pieces for Viola by
Bulgarian Composers, edited by V. Penev, Nauka i. Izkustvo, 1973; compilation Pieces for Viola
by Bulgarian Composers, edited by V. Penev, Musica, 1989
For viola and chamber orchestra – manuscript

Dance from Five Sketches (1948) for viola and string orchestra
Originally for string quartet, arranged for viola and string orchestra by the composer
Manuscript

Harvest from Five Sketches (1948) for viola and piano

Originally for string quartet, arranged for viola and piano by the composer
Edition: compilation Pieces for Viola by Bulgarian Composers, edited by V. Penev, Nauka i.
Izkustvo, 1973; for viola and string orchestra – compilation Pieces for String Orchestra by
Bulgarian Composers, Nauka i. Izkustvo, 1969
For flute, viola, harp, and harpsichord – arranged by V. Andonov 1994
First performance: Quartet “Eolina” (V. Andonov, viola)
Manuscript

Concerto for Viola and Orchestra (1949)

Originally for cello, arranged for viola by S. Sugarev
First performance: Antonin Hiksa (viola), Symphony Orchestra of Varna, Emil Glavanakov,
10/15/1961
Edition: viola and piano, edited by S. Sugarev, Nauka i. Izkustvo, 1955

Little Suite (1951) for solo viola

Edition: edited S. Sugarev – Nauka i. Izkustvo 1951, 1956, 1965; compilation Pieces for Viola,
edited by E. Abadjiev, Musica, 1976

105
Improvisation, Song, Tongue Twister, Merry Rebeck from Little Suite for Solo Viola (1951)
arranged for flute, viola, harp, and harpsichord by V. Andonov, 1984
First performance: quartet “Eolina” (V. Andonov, viola)
Manuscript

Children’s Pieces (1955) for 2 violas

(Harvester’s Song, Dance, Song, and Joke)
Originally for 2 violins; arranged for 2 violas by S. Sugarev
Edition: compilation Pieces and Etudes for Viola, edited by S. Sugarev, A. Neinski, Nauka i.
Izkustvo, 1957

Three Improvisations (1981) for solo viola

Originally for violin, transcribed for viola V. Andonov
Edition: compilation Pieces for Viola by Bulgarian Composers, edited by V. Andonov, A.
Neinski, Musica, 1989

Grotesque (1987) for flute, viola, harp, and piano

First performance: Quartet “Eolina” (V. Andonov – viola), 9/11/1987, Sofia
Manuscript

Sonata for Violin and Viola (1996)

First performance: A. Stankov (violin), Y. Radionov (viola), 12/11/1997, Sofia
Edition: Union of Bulgarian Composers, Sofia231

Yordan Goshev (b. 1960)

Contrasts (1997) for violin and viola
Manuscript

Parashkev Hadjiev (1912-1992)

Capriccio (1951) for viola and piano, viola and string orchestra
Originally for oboe and piano; arranged for viola by the composer
Edition: compilation Light Pieces for Viola, edited by N. Kisimov, A. Neinski, Nauka i.
Izkustvo, 1973; compilation Pieces for String Orchestra and Solo String Instruments, in 3
volumes, Nauka i. Izkustvo, 1972

Little Gayda Player (1951) for viola and piano

Originally for violin and piano
Edition: compilation Light Pieces for Viola, edited by N. Kisimov, A. Neinski, Nauka i.
Izkustvo, 1970

231
The Dobrev catalog lists this piece as manuscript, but it has been published since 2003.

106
Song and Joke (1952) for viola and piano
Originally for violin and piano; arranged for viola by S. Sugarev
Edition: Nauka i. Izkustvo, 1952; Nauka i. Izkustvo, 1956; compilation Pieces for Viola by
Bulgarian Composers, edited by B. Dobrev, A. Neinski, Musica, 1978
Manuscript for viola and strings

Song (1954) for viola and piano

Originally for violin and piano; arranged for viola by S. Sugarev
Edition: Nauka i. Izkustvo, 1957, edited by S. Sugarev

Rondino (1957) for viola and piano

Originally for violin and piano; arranged for viola by V. Penev
Edition: compilation Pieces for Viola by Bulgarian Composers, edited by V. Penev, Nauka i.
Izkustvo, 1973; compilation Pieces for Viola by Bulgarian Composers, edited by V. Penev,
Musica, 1989

Sonatina (1957) for viola and piano

Originally for violin and piano, arranged for viola by V. Penev
Edition: Musica, 1976, edited by V. Penev

Boyan Ikonomov (1900-1973)

Scherzo (1952) for viola and piano
Originally for cello
Edition: compilation Light Pieces for Viola, edited by N. Kisimov, A. Neinski, Nauka i. Izkustvo
1973

Stefan Ikonomov (1937-1994)

Prelude, Aria, Interlude, and Fugue (1966) for viola and piano, viola and chamber orchestra
Originally for cello, arranged by the composer for viola and piano – 1992, for viola and chamber
orchestra – 1993
First performance: Y. Radionov (viola), orchestra “Sinfonietta,” Andrei Andreev, 2/8/1994,
Sofia
Manuscript

Ilya Iliev (1912-1990)

Sonata op. 35 (1965) for viola and piano
Manuscript

Trio for Clarinet, Viola, and Harp op. 75 (1969)

First performance: Uli Kaliaspolik (clarinet), Herbert Laape (viola), V. Vahi (harp), 3/22/1973,
Tallinn, Estonia
Manuscript

107
“Vestvego” op. 86 (1971) for flute, viola, harp, and narrator
First performance: Kurt Kunar (flute), Heintz Kuleinid (viola), Katarina Hamstedt (harp), Uli
Kilner, 3/29/1973, Erfurt, Germany
Manuscript

Quartet (1976) for flute, viola, harp and piano

First performance: Quartet “Eolina,” (E. Lavrenov - viola)
Manuscript

Konstantin Iliev (1924-1988)

Duo-Sonata (1953) for violin and viola
First performance: Georgi Badev (violin), Nikola Zidarov (viola), 12/5/1968, Sofia
Recording: Bulgarian National Radio, G. Badev, N. Zidarov, 1968
Manuscript

“Ad libitum” (1978) for violin and viola232

First performance: N. Zidarov, Ventsislav Nikolov (cello), 3/15/1978, Sofia
Recording: Bulgarian National Radio, N. Zidarov, V. Nikolov, 1978
Manuscript

Stefan Iliev (b. 1946)

Sonata op. 38 (1982) for viola and piano
Manuscript

“Mezza voce” op. 47 (1985) for viola, bass clarinet, and harp
Manuscript

Concerto for Viola and Chamber Orchestra (1993)

Manuscript

Kiril Ilievski (b. 1955)

Suite (1982) for flute and viola
First performance: Rumiana Petrova (flute), B. Dobrev, 3/20/1983, Sofia
Manuscript

Two Pieces (1986) for viola and piano

Manuscript

Metamorphoses (1992) for violin, viola, bassoon, and double bass

First performance: Quartet “Minkin” (Emil Rapondjiev – violin, Albena Khristova – viola,
Mihail Kovachev – bassoon, Yulia Dishlianova –double bass), 2/24/1994, Sofia
Manuscript

232
The Encyclopedia of Bulgarian Composers lists the instrumentation as viola and cello.

108
Sonata (2001) viola and piano
Manuscript

Danko Jordanov (b. 1959)

Suite for Flute, Violin, Viola and Piano (1994)
Manuscript

Aleksandar Kandov (b. 1949)

“Procession” (1994) for flute, viola, harp and harpsichord
Manuscript

Quartet (1994) for flute, harp, viola, and double bass

Manuscript

Vasil Kazandzhiev (b. 1934)

Duet (1964) for oboe and viola
Edition: compilation Instrumental Duets by Bulgarian Composers, Musica, 1980

Prelude and Fugue (1956) for viola and piano

First performance: S. Sugarev, V. Kazandzhiev (piano), 1956, Sofia
Recording: S. Sugarev, V. Kazandzhiev, 1956, Bulgarian National Radio
Edition: Nauka i. Izkustvo, 1967, edited by Dimiter Bozduganov; compilation Pieces for Viola
by Bulgarian Composers, edited by V. Andonov, A. Neinski, Musica, 1989

Concert Variations for Flute, Viola, Harp, and Harpsichord (1974)

First performance: Quartet “Eolina” (E. Lavrenov – viola), 1974, Sofia
Manuscript

Petar Khristoskov (b. 1917)

Three Caprices for Solo Viola (1954) from “12 Caprices for Solo Violin” op. 1, edited for viola
by the composer
Edition: compilation Pieces for Viola by Bulgarian Composers, edited by V. Andonov, A.
Neinski, Musica, 1989

Capriccio op. 9 no. 1 (1954) for viola and piano

Originally for solo violin; arranged for violin/viola and piano by the composer
Edition: compilation Pieces for Viola by Bulgarian Composers, edited by V. Penev, Nauka i.
Izkustvo, 1973; compilation Pieces for Viola by Bulgarian Composers, edited by V. Penev,
Musica, 1989

Improvisation and Presto op. 14 (1955) for viola and piano

Manuscript

109
Introduction and Presto (1956) for viola and piano
Edition: Nauka i. Izkustvo, 1967, edited by Z. Chavdarov

Capriccio No. 1 (1962) for solo viola

Edition: compilation Pieces for Viola, edited by E. Abadjiev, Nauka i. Izkustvo, 1964;
compilation Pieces for Viola by Bulgarian Composers, edited by V. Penev, Musica, 1989

Shopska Fantasia (1968) for viola and piano

Edition: Nauka i. Izkustvo, 1969

Dimitar Khristov (b. 1933)

“Adagio affabile” (1970) for flute, harp, and viola
First performance: N. Koev (flute), E. Lavrenov (viola), V. Jeleva (harp), 1975, Sofia
Manuscript

Quartet for Flute, Viola, Harpsichord, and Harp (1972)

First performance: Quartet “Eolina” (E. Lavrenov – viola), 1972, Sofia
Manuscript

“Give Me Solace” (1992) for flute, viola, flute, and piano

First performance: Quartet “Eolina” (V. Andonov – viola), 1992, Sofia
Manuscript

“The Double Bass is Heading Towards the Sky” (1993) for violin, viola, bassoon, and double
bass
First performance: Quartet “Minkin” (A. Khristova – viola), 2/7/1994, Sofia
Manuscript

Zhivka Klinkova (1924 – 2002)

Sonata (Dialogue) op. 100 (1969) for flute and viola

First performance: Lydia Oshavkova, P. Nedyalkova,1970, Sofia
Edition: compilation Instrumental Duets by Bulgarian Composers, Musica, 1980

Suite from the ballet “The Lights of the Heidelberg Castle” for flute, viola, harp, and piano
(1987)
First performance: Quartet “Eolina” (V. Andonov, viola) 7/15/1988, Athens, Greece
Manuscript

Sonata for Viola and Guitar (1993)

Manuscript

Four Bulgarian Dances (1993) for 2 violas

Manuscript

110
Georgi Kostov (b. 1941)
Concertino for Viola and Orchestra (1965)
Recording: Ognian Stanchev (viola), Symphony Orchestra of the Bulgarian National Radio,
Vasil Stefanov, 1970
Edition: Nauka i. Izkustvo, 1971; compilation Select Concertinos for Viola, 2 parts, edited by
Blagovest Jekov, Musica, 1983

Passacaglia (1969) for viola and piano

Arrangement of part II of the Concerto for French horn
First performance: B. Dobrev, P. Belneev (piano), 11/22/1984, Sofia
Edition: compilation Pieces for Viola by Bulgarian Composers, edited by B. Dobrev, Musica,
1985

Ilya Krastenjakov (1899-1973)

Sonnet (1942) for solo viola
Manuscript

Prelude in E-flat Major (1943) for solo viola

Manuscript

Prelude in c minor (1943) for solo viola

Manuscript

Prelude in d minor (1945) for solo viola

Manuscript

Boris Kremenliev (1911-1992)

Sonata for Viola and Piano (1957)
Edition: Los Angeles, personal edition

Quartet (1948) for violin, oboe, viola, and cello

Edition: Los Angeles, USA

Yovcho Krushev (b. 1957)

Allegro (1982) for viola and piano
First performance: B. Dobrev, P. Belneev, 11/22/1984, Sofia
Edition: compilation Pieces for Viola by Bulgarian Composers, edited by B. Dobrev, Musica,
1985

Kiril Lambov (b. 1955)

Aria and Improvisation (1990) for viola and piano
First performance: K. Lambov (viola), Rusalina Lambova (piano), 2/11/1991, Sofia
Edition: Union of Bulgarian Composers

111
Henri Lazarof (b. 1932)
Concerto for Viola and Orchestra (1960)
Manuscript

Inventions (1962) for viola and piano233

Manuscript

Tempi concertati (1963) for violin, viola, and chamber orchestra

Manuscript

Ricercar (1968) for viola, piano, and orchestra

Manuscript

Cadence II (1969) for viola and toneband

Manuscript

Volo (Canti da Requiem) (1976) for viola and 2 string ensembles

Manuscript

Jul Levi (b. 1930)

Two Concert Pieces (1975) for flute, viola, harp, and piano
First performance: Quartet “Eolina” (E. Lavrenov – viola), 1975, Sofia
Manuscript

Milcho Leviev (b. 1937)

“Scenes d'enfants” (7 Miniatures for Harp, Viola, Vibraphone and Bass Clarinet) (1995)
Recording: Veselin Trichkov (harp), V. Gerov (viola), Rositsa Mihaylova (vibraphone), Petar
Vasev (clarinet), Bulgarian National Radio, 1995
Manuscript

Vasil Lolov (1913-1992)

Lullaby Song (1973) for viola and piano
Recording: D. Zahariev, E. Vezneva, Bulgarian National Radio, 1974
Edition: compilation Pieces for Viola by Bulgarian Composers, edited by V. Penev, Nauka i.
Izkustvo, 1973

Rondo (1974) for viola and piano

Edition: compilation Pieces for Viola by Bulgarian Composers, edited by V. Penev, Nauka i.
Izkustvo, 1973

233
The entry on page 128 lists the date as 1969.

112
Asen Markov (b. 1937)
Elegia (1954) for viola and piano
First performance: Evgeni Todorov (viola), A. Markov (piano), 3/15/1955, Varna
Manuscript

Tzenko Minkin (b. 1937)

Sonata for Viola and Piano (1986)234
First performance: Valentin Gerov, Tzenko Minkin (piano), 4/18/1983, Sofia
Manuscript

Trio (1983) for flute, viola, and harp

Manuscript

“In You” (1997) for viola and piano

Manuscript

Emil Mirtchev (b. 1953)

Fantasia (1989) for viola solo
Manuscript

Reminiscence for Viola and Magnetic Tape (1994)

Manuscript

Lyubomir Mitzev (b. 1948)

Sonata for Viola and Piano (1982)
First performance: L. Mitzev (viola), Krasimir Taskov (piano), 10/15/1982, Haskovo
Manuscript

Kaleidescope (1999), music for viola and computer

First performance: L. Mitzev, 6/19/1999, Sofia
Manuscript

Dimitar Nikolov (b. 1945)

Klavier Trio No. 1 (1963) for soprano, viola, and piano
Manuscript

Quartet for Flute, Viola, Harp, and Piano (1976)

First performance: Quartet “Eolina” (Emil Lavrenov – viola), 1977, Sofia
Manuscript

234
The Encyclopedia of Bulgarian Composers lists the composition date as 1984.

113
“Passacaglia Capriccioso” (1999) for violin and viola
First performance: Anastasia Abadjieva (violin), Pepa Djeneva (viola), 4/14/2002, Sofia
Edition: Union of Bulgarian Composers

Lazar Nikolov (1922-2005)

Sonata for Viola and Piano (1955)
First performance: Dimitar Bozduganov (viola), Katya Karadicheva (piano), 1959, Sofia
Recording: Nikola Zidarov (viola), Yuliya Ganeva (piano), Bulgarian National Radio
Edition: Nauka i. Izkustvo, 1970

Trio (1993) for violin, viola, and piano

First performance: Lyudmil Nenchev (violin), Valentin Gerov (viola), Daniela Petrova (piano),
2/14/1994, Sofia
Manuscript

“From the Music of Orpheus” (2001) for solo viola

First performance: Valentin Gerov, 4/12/2002, Sofia
Manuscript

Veselin Nikolov (b. 1938)

Prayers (2000) for solo viola, magnetic tape, and light
Manuscript

Emile Noumoff (b. 1962)

Kleine Suite (1983) for viola and piano
Edition: Schott

Svetoslav Obretenov (1909-1955)

Lullaby Song (1940) for viola and piano
Originally for violin
Edition: compilation Pieces for Viola by Bulgarian Composers, B. Dobrev, A. Neinski, Musica,
1978

Horovodna Theme with Variations (1941) for viola and piano

Originally for violin
Edition: compilation Pieces for Viola by Bulgarian Composers, B. Dobrev, A. Neinski, Musica,
1978

114
Filip Pavlov (b. 1950)
Three Pieces (Prelude, Nocturne, Scherzo) (1984) for viola and piano
First performance: B. Dobrev, P. Belneev, 11/22/1984, Sofia
Edition: Nocturne and Scherzo in compilation Pieces for Viola by Bulgarian Composers, edited
by V. Andonov, A. Neinski, Musica, 1989
Prelude – Manuscript235

Concerto for “Eolina” (flute, viola, harp, and piano) (1979)236

First performance: Quartet “Eolina” (E. Lavrenov – viola), 1985, Sofia
Manuscript

Mihail Pekov (b. 1941)

Partita for Piano, Harp, Flute, and Viola (1971)
First performance: Quartet “Eolina” (E. Lavrenov - viola) 12/11/1979, Sofia
Manuscript

Sonatina (1978) for viola and piano

Manuscript

Klavier Quartet (1978) for violin, viola, cello, and piano

First performance: Student String Quartet, 12/11/1979, Sofia
Manuscript

“Piece for Two Lovers” (1980) for soprano, baritone, viola, and piano
First performance: Rumiana Evrova (soprano), Pavel Gerdjikov (baritone), V. Gerov (viola),
Filipina Filipova (piano), 11/19/1980, Sofia
Manuscript

Cantilena and Gavotte (1984) for flute, viola, harp and piano
First performance: Quartet “Eolina” (V. Andonov – viola), 1984, Sofia
Manuscript

Trio for Flute, Viola, and Piano (1986)

First performance: N. Koev (flute), V. Andonov (viola), Stefan Trayanov (piano), 1987, Bolzano
Manuscript

New Sinfonia Concertante (1990) for violin, viola, and orchestra

First performance: A. Stankov, Y. Radionov, Symphony Orchestra of Vratsa, Veselin Baychev,
10/7/1991, Vratsa
Manuscript

235
This work was recently published by the Union of Bulgarian Composers.
236
On page 131, the date is listed as 1984.

115
Petar Petrov (b. 1961)237
Sonata (1993) for violin and viola
Manuscript

Bach-Studiums (1995) for clarinet, viola, and piano

First performance: Rosen Idealov (clarinet), Y. Radionov (viola), Mario Angelov (piano),
12/7/1995, Stara Zagora
Manuscript
Studium 4 for Solo Viola (1990)
First performance: Anton Bonev, 3/20/1998, Stara Zagora
Manuscript

Concerto for Viola and Orchestra (1998)

Edited for viola from Concerto for Violin No. 2
Manuscript

Lyubomir Pipkov (1904-1974)

Pastorale op. 24 (1944) for viola and piano
Originally for violin
Edition: compilation Pieces for Viola by Bulgarian Composers, edited by B. Dobrev, A. Neinski,
Musica, 1978

Prelude op. 30 (1945) for viola and piano

Originally for French horn, arranged for viola by B. Dobrev
Manuscript

Piece for Viola and Piano op. 34 (1951)

Manuscript

Aleksandar Popov (1927-2010)238

Etude (1951) for viola and piano
First performance: Aleksandar Popov (viola), Emil Georgiev (piano), 1952, Sofia
Manuscript

Sonata (1984) for viola and piano

Recording: Khristo Paskalev (viola), Atanas Atanasov (piano), Bulgarian National Radio, 1985

“Games” (1994) for violin and viola

First performance: A. Stankov, Y. Radionov, 5/15/1995, Sofia
Manuscript

237
Petrov’s birth date was listed as 1950 in the Dobrev catalog and 1961 in the Encyclopedia of Bulgarian
Composers.
238
Dates updated by the Union of Bulgarian Composers.

116
Four Children’ Pieces based on the poetry of P. R. Slaveykov (2002) for soprano, 2 violins, and
viola
First performance: Antonia Radneva (soprano), Petya Miroleskova and Aleksandar Miroleskov
(violins), Albena Khristova (viola), 11/7/2002, Sofia

Todor Popov (1922-2000)

Song (1954) for viola and piano, viola and string orchestra
Originally for violin and piano
Edition: for viola and string orchestra – compilation Ensemble Pieces, 3 volumes, Nauka i.
Izkustvo, 1973; for viola and piano – compilation Pieces for Viola by Bulgarian Composers,
edited by V. Penev, Nauka i. Izkustvo 1973; compilation Pieces for Viola by Bulgarian
Composers, edited by V. Penev, Musica, 1989

Artin Poturlian (b. 1943)

Concerto for Viola and Chamber Orchestra (1971)
First performance: viola and piano – Akop Sandjian (viola), Anahit Muradyan (piano), 5/20/1971
Yerevan, Armenia
Manuscript

“Musica da camera” (1973) for oboe, French horn, viola, and piano
Manuscript

Nikolai Ramadanov (b. 1953)

Sonata for Viola and Piano (1983)
First performance: Ivan Pashovski (viola), Nadejda Yotova (piano), 11/27/1983, Sofia
Manuscript

Aleksandar Raichev (b. 1922)

Aria (1973) for solo viola
Edition: compilation Pieces for Solo Viola, edited by E. Abadjiev, Musica, 1976; compilation
Pieces for Viola by Bulgarian Composers, edited by V. Andonov, A. Neinski, Musica, 1989
Recording: Dimitar Penkov, Bulgarian National Radio

Sonata-Poema (1954) for viola and piano

Originally for violin and orchestra, edited for violin and piano by the composer
Arranged for viola and piano by B. Dobrev; arranged for viola and piano by N. Todorov239
Manuscript

Duo for Viola and Cello (1999)

First performance: Aleksandrina Ignatova (viola), Magdalena Dalcheva (cello), 4/16/2003, Sofia
Manuscript

239
Todorov’s edition was not listed in Dobrev’s catalog. Todorov provided me with his transcription.

117
Stefan Remenkov (1923-1988)
Aquarelle and Humoresque op. 6 (1950) for viola and piano
First performance: Zahari Chavdarov (viola), Mary Chavdarova (piano), 1965, Sofia
Edition: compilation Pieces for Viola, edited by Z. Chavdarov, Nauka i. Izkustvo, 1965

Dimitar Sagaev (1915-2003)

Concerto for Viola and Orchestra op. 39 (1965)
2nd revision – for viola and string orchestra – 1999
Manuscript

Sonata for Solo Viola op. 44 (1966)

Manuscript

Quartet for Flute, Viola, Harp, and Piano op. 81 (1976)

First performance: Quartet “Eolina” (E. Lavrenov – viola), 1977, Sofia
Manuscript

Cantilena op. 102 (1983) for solo viola

First performance: B. Dobrev, P. Belneev, 11/22/1984, Sofia
Edition: compilation Pieces for Viola by Bulgarian Composers, edited by B. Dobrev, Musica,
1985

Ivan Shekov (b. 1942)

“Entrada, Intermezzo, und ostinato” (1987) for flute, guitar, and viola
Edition: P. J. Tonger, Rodenkirchen

Concerto-Fantasia for Viola and String Orchestra (1992)

First performance: Semfra Griffiths (viola), Chamber Orchestra of Constance, Wolfgang Mettler,
10/23/1993, Constance
Manuscript

“Sonata per tres” (1994) for violin, viola, and piano

First performance: Srdjan Grujic (violin), Paraskeva Nedialkova-Weit (viola), Constantine Weit
(piano), 9/25/1994, Waldkirch, Germany
Manuscript

Trifon Silyanovsky (1926)240

Sonata for Solo Viola (1961)
First performance: Vladislav Andonov, 4/2/1994, Sofia
Edition: Dobrev

240
According to the Union of Bulgarian Composers, Silyanovsky’s dates should be listed as 1923-2005.
http://www.ubc-bg.com/en/composer/142

118
Tsvetelina Slavova (b. 1961)
Ritual Triptych (1987) for solo viola
First performance: Ventsislav Grigorov, 11/23/1987, Sofia
Manuscript

Leon Souroujon (1913-2008)241

Improvisation on a Religious Theme (1953) for solo viola
Manuscript

Images Espagnoles (1955) for solo viola

Manuscript

Berceuse (1956) for solo viola

Manuscript

Nocturne (1956) for solo viola

Manuscript

Ivan Spasov (1934-1996)

Sonata (1960) for viola and piano
First performance: Stefan Kamasa (viola), I. Spasov (piano), 5/5/1962, Warsaw
Edition: Nauka i. Izkustvo, 1966, edited by Z. Chavdarov

Silvia Statkova (b. 1964)

“Outplaying I” (1996) for viola and piano
First performance: Marcella Neikova (viola), Silvia Statkova (piano), 4/9/1998, Sofia
Manuscript

“Outplaying II” (2001) for viola and piano

First performance: Agop Manikian (viola), Ani Toshkova (piano), 4/15/2003, Sofia
Manuscript

Pencho Stoyanov (b. 1931)

Quartet for Flute, Viola, Harp, and Piano (1972)
First performance: Quartet “Eolina” (Bedros Papazian - viola), 1974, Sofia
Recording: Quartet “Eolina” (B. Dobrev - viola), 1974, Bulgarian National Radio
Manuscript

241
Some sources list Souroujon’s death year as 2007. The piece titles in the manuscripts are written in French,
information for this section is taken from this source; translation from the Bulgarian in the Dobrev catalog would
render slight variations on the titles.

119
Scherzo (1979) for viola and piano
First performance: B. Dobrev, P. Belneev, 11/22/1984, Sofia
Edition: compilation Pieces for Viola by Bulgarian Composers, edited by B. Dobrev, Musica,
1985; Dobrev

Veselin Stoyanov (1902-1969)

Concertino (1955) for viola and piano
Originally for violin and piano, arranged for viola by B. Jekov
Edition: compilation Select Concertinos for Viola and Piano, edited by B. Jekov, Musica, 1981

Stojan Stoyantschev (b. 1931)

“Konversationem” (1980) for flute, oboe, viola, and cello
First performance: Chamber Ensemble Halle, 11/1/1980, Halle, Germany
Manuscript

Nikolai Stoykov (b. 1936)

“Gradus ad Parnasum” Concerto Duet from “Book for the Performer” for violin (muta in viola)
and piano, 2nd volume (1982)
First performance: Nedyalcho Todorov (violin/viola), Atanas Slavchev242 (piano), 1982, Plovdiv
Edition: compilation Pieces for Violin by Bulgarian Composers, part 1, edited by N. Todorov,
Musica, 1984

Todor Stoykov (1932-1993)

Concerto for Viola and Orchestra (1984)
First performance: D. Zahariev, Pazardjik Symphony Orchestra, Ivan Spasov, 2/12/1986, Sofia
Manuscript

Sonata for Viola

Manuscript

Emil Tabakov (b. 1947)

Sonata (1970) for viola and double bass

Manuscript

Sonata (1994) for solo viola

Manuscript

242
“Slavov” in the Dobrev catalog; according to Nedyalcho Todorov, the correct spelling should be “Slavchev”

120
Aleksandar Tanev (1928-1996)
Sonata (1966) for viola and piano
First performance: Paraskeva Nedyalkova (viola), Savka Shopova (piano), 3/9/1971, Sofia
Manuscript

Dimitar Tapkov (b. 1929)

Quartet for Flute, Viola, Harp, and Harpsichord (1973)
First performance: Quartet “Eolina” (Emil Lavrenov – viola), 1973, Sofia
Manuscript

“In Memory of Stefan” for soprano, flute, viola, and harp (1994)
First performance: Rumiana Bareva (soprano), Nikolai Koev (flute), V. Andonov (viola), Vesela
Jeleva (harp), 6/1994, Sofia
Manuscript

Sonata for Solo Viola (2002)

First performance: Nedyalcho Todorov, 4/15/2003, Sofia243
Edition: Union of Bulgarian Composers, Sofia244

Krasimir Taskov (b. 1955)

Concerto for “Eolina” and String Orchestra (1989)
First performance: Quartet “Eolina” (V. Andonov – viola), State Orchestra of Pazardjik, Ivan
Spasov, 1989
Manuscript

Aleksandar Tekeliev (b. 1942)

Poema (1973) for viola and orchestra
Recording: D. Zahariev, Symphony Orchestra of the Bulgarian National Radio, Vasil Stefanov,
Gramophone record by Balkanton, 1974
Edition: for viola and piano, Musica, 1979

Lyuben Todorov (1903-1987)

Allegretto (1945) for viola and piano
Manuscript

Barcarolle (1945) for viola and piano

Manuscript

Folk Song (1946) for viola and piano

Manuscript

243
According to Nedyalcho Todorov, the correct first performance date is 6/15/2002.
244
The Dobrev catalog lists the work as manuscript; it was published after 2003.

121
Duet (1949) for violin and viola
Manuscript

Capriccio in F minor (1952) for viola and piano

Manuscript

Legende (1957) for viola and piano

Manuscript

Song (1957) for 2 violins and viola

Manuscript

Night Song (1958) for viola and piano

Manuscript

Capriccio in D minor (1958) for viola and piano

Manuscript

Concerto for Viola and Piano (1962)

Manuscript

Sorrow (1967) for viola and piano

Manuscript

Mother’s Song (1967) for viola and piano

Manuscript

Stefan Trayanov (1936-1994)

Passacaglia using the name of “BACH” (1993) for flute, viola, harp, and harpsichord
First performance: Quartet “Eolina” (V. Andonov – viola, Filip Pavlov – piano), 1994, Sofia
Manuscript

Yuliya Tzenova (b. 1948)

Concertino for Flute, Viola, Harp, and Piano (1971)
First performance: Quartet “Eolina” (E. Lavrenov, viola), 1975, Sofia
Manuscript

Prelude and Fugue for Flute, Viola, Harp, and Piano (1973)
First performance: Quartet “Eolina” (E. Lavrenov, viola), 1975, Sofia
Manuscript

Three Frescoes with Epilogue (1976) for viola and piano

Manuscript

122
Step and Ragtime (1981) for viola and piano
Edition: Union of Bulgarian Composers

“Music During the Entr'acte” (1986) for viola, double bass, piano, and tape
Manuscript

“Green Silence” (2000) for flute, viola, harp, and piano

Recording: Quartet “Eolina” (V. Andonov, viola), Bulgarian National Radio
Manuscript

Tzvetan Tzvetanov (1931-1981)245

Two Children’s Pieces (1954) for viola and piano
Originally for violin and piano
Edition: compilation Light Pieces for Viola, edited by N. Kisimov, A. Neinski, Nauka i.
Izkustvo, 1970

Pancho Vladigerov (1899-1978)

Caress, op. 9, no. 4 (1920) for viola and piano
Originally for piano; arranged for violin and piano by the composer; edited for viola by Emil
Abadjiev
Edition: compilation Pieces for Viola, edited by E. Abadjiev, Nauka i. Izkustvo, 1964;
compilation Pieces for Viola, edited by E. Abadjiev, Musica, Moscow, 1969

Romance op. 20, no. 1 (1925) for viola and piano

Originally for piano; arranged for flute and piano by the composer; edited for viola by E.
Abadjiev
Edition: compilation Pieces for Viola, edited by E. Abadjiev, Nauka i. Izkustvo, 1964

Song from “Bulgarian Suite” op. 21 (1927) for viola and piano
Originally for symphony orchestra; arranged for violin and piano by the composer, 1928
Edition: compilation Pieces for Viola by Bulgarian Composers, edited Bojidar Dobrev,
Aleksander Neinski, Musica, Sofia, 1978; compilation Pieces for Viola by Bulgarian Composers,
edited by Vladislav Andonov, A. Neinski, Musica 1989

Northern Song op. 24, no. 5 (1931) for viola and piano
Originally for piano; arranged for violin and piano by the composer; edited for viola by E.
Abadjiev
Manuscript

Song from “Miniatures,” op. 29, no. 4 (1934) for viola and piano
Originally for piano; arranged for violin and piano by the composer; edited for viola by E.
Abadjiev
Manuscript

245
The Encyclopedia of Bulgarian Composers lists Tzvetanov’s dates as 1931-1982.

123
Fairy Tale op. 46, no. 2 (1950), viola and piano
Original for piano; arranged for violin and piano by the composer; edited for viola by V. Penev
Edition: compilation Pieces for Viola by Bulgarian Composers, edited by V. Penev, Nauka i.
Izkustvo, 1973; compilation Pieces for Viola by Bulgarian Composers, edited by V. Penev,
Musica, 1989

Boyan Vodenitcharov (b. 1960)

Quartet for Clarinet, Violin, Viola, and Cello (1983)
First performance: Aleksandar Ilchev (violin), Valentin Gerov (viola), Anatoli Krastev (cello),
Boris Borisov (clarinet), 3/13/1984, Sofia
Manuscript

Iasen Vodenitcharov (b. 1964)

“Bucolic” (1999) for baritone, flute, viola, and guitar
First performance: Vincent Bouchot (baritone), Dedalus Ensemble, 4/14/2000, Strasbourg
Manuscript

Etincelles (1999) for flute, viola, and harp

First performance: Trio “Nobis,” 3/15/2000, Paris
Edition: Editions Musicales Europeennes, Paris

“Dreams of the Butterfly” (2001) for viola, guitar, and trombone

First performance: L'itineraire Ensemble, 2/14/2002, Paris
Manuscript

Velislav Zaimov (b. 1951)

Quartet for Clarinet, Violin, Viola, and Cello (1979)
First performance: R. Idealov (clarinet), E. Arabadjieva (violin), O. Stanchev (viola), A.
Atanasova (cello), 6/14/1998, Sofia
Manuscript

Sonata for Viola and Cello (1989)

First performance: Valentin Gerov (viola), A. Atanasova (cello), 2/14/1993, Sofia
Manuscript

Sonata for Solo Viola (1991)

First performance: Y. Radionov, 11/7/1996, Sofia
Manuscript

Concerto for Violin, Viola, and Orchestra (1994)

First performance: A. Stankov (violin), Y. Radionov (viola), State Philharmonic of Vratsa, N.
Nedialkov, 2/8/1996, Vratsa
Manuscript

124
Quartet for Flute, Viola, Harp, and Harpsichord (1995)
First performance: Quaret “Eolina” (V. Andonov – viola), 3/23/1996, Sofia
Manuscript

Suite for Soprano, Flute, Viola, and Harpsichord (1996)

First performance: Ludmila Gerova (soprano), Quartet “Eolina” (V. Andonov – viola),
11/10/1999, Sofia
Manuscript

Quartet (1997) for flute, guitar, viola, and cello

First performance: L. Oshavkova, S. Dobreva, O. Konstantinov (viola), A. Atanasova, 2/1/1998,
Pazardzjik
Edition: Dobrev / orchestral score and parts

Concerto for Two Violas and Orchestra (1998)

First performance: V. Andonov and Stefan Jilkov (violas), State Philharmonic Vratsa, Valeri
Vachev, 4/11/2000, Sofia
Manuscript

Trio Sonata for Violin, Viola, and Piano (1998)

First performance: A. Stankov, Y. Radionov (viola), T. Nestorova, 3/12/1992, Sofia
Manuscript

Klavier Quartet (1998) for violin, viola, cello, and piano

Manuscript

Trio for Clarinet, Viola, and Piano (1998)

First performance: R. Idealov, Y. Radionov (viola), Martin Stambolov, 6/14/2000, Sofia
Manuscript

Sonata for Violin and Viola (1999)

First performance: A. Stankov, Y. Radionov (viola), 3/30/2001, Sofia
Edition: Union of Bulgarian Composers

Trio for Viola, Cello, and Double Bass (2001)

First performance: Aleksandrina Ignatova (viola), Magdalena Dalcheva (cello), Margarita
Kalcheva (bass), 4/16/2003, Sofia
Manuscript

125
Georgi Zlatev-Cherkin (1903-1976)
Sevdana (1944) for viola and piano, viola and string orchestra
Originally for violin,246 arranged for viola by S. Sugarev
Edition: edited by S. Sugarev – Nauka i. Izkustvo 1951,1954, 1964, Dobrev 2001; compilation
Pieces for Viola by Bulgarian Composers, edited by V. Penev, Musica, 1989; for viola and string
orchestra – compilation Pieces for String Orchestra by Bulgarian Composers, Nauka i. Izkustvo,
1973

246
Yosif Radionov says that Sevdana was originally written for cello, although the violin version is the one most
often performed now.

126
PIECES FOR VIOLA AND CHAMBER ENSEMBLES FOR VIOLA
Solo Viola / 2 Violas

Peter Baberkoff – Sonata for Solo Viola (1963)

Nikolai Badinski – Dialogue for Viola Solo (1973)
Evgeni Cheshmedjiev – Contrasts (1992)
Ivan Filev – Recitative (1971)
Marin Goleminov – Little Suite (1951)
– Children’s Pieces (1955) for 2 violas
(Harvester’s Song, Dance, Song, Joke)
– Three Improvisations (1981)
Petar Khristoskov – Three Caprices for Solo Viola (1954) from “12 Caprices for Solo
Violin” op. 1
– Capriccio No. 1 (1962)
Zhivka Klinkova – Four Bulgarian Dances (1993) for 2 violas
Ilya Krastenjakov – Sonnet (1942)
– Prelude in E Flat Major (1943)
– Prelude in C minor (1943)
– Prelude in D minor (1945)
Emil Mirtchev – Fantasia (1989)
Lazar Nikolav – “From the Music of Orpheus” (2001)
Petar Petkov – Studium 4 for Solo Viola (1990)
Aleksandar Raichev – Aria (1973)
Dimiter Sagaev – Sonata for Solo Viola op. 44 (1966)
Trifon Silianovsky – Sonata for Solo Viola (1961)
Tzvetelina Slavova – Ritual Triptych (1987)
Leon Souroujon – Improvisation on a Religious Theme (1953)
– Images Espagnoles (1955)
– Berceuse (1956)
– Nocturne (1956)
Velislav Zaimov – Sonata for Solo Viola (1991)

Viola and Piano / 2 Violas and Piano

Evgenii Avramov – Pastoral (1968)

Nikolai Badinski – Preltan (1973), 2 violas and piano (harpsichord, cymbal)
Aram Berberian-Datev – Prelude-Poema (1994)
Vasil Bozinov – Fantasia (1944)
Ilya Draganov – Four Miniatures (1956)
Nayden Gerov – Aria (1959)
– Rondo (1966)
Marin Goleminov – Song from Woodwind Quintet No. 1 (1938)
– Dance from the dance drama “Nestinarka” (1938)
– Prelude (1948)
– Harvest from Five Sketches (1948)

127
Parashkev Hadjiev – Capriccio (1951)
– Little Gayda Player (1951)
– Song and Joke (1952)
– Song (1954)
– Rondino (1957)
– Sonatina (1957)
Ilya Iliev – Sonata op. 35 (1965)
Stefan Iliev – Sonata op. 38 (1982)
Kiril Ilievski – Two Pieces (1986)
– Sonata (2001)
Boyan Ikonomov – Scherzo (1952)
Stefan Ikonomov – Prelude, Aria, Interlude, and Fugue (1966)
Vasil Kazandzhiev – Prelude and Fugue (1956)
Petar Khristoskov – Capriccio op. 9, no. 1 (1954)
– Improvisation and Presto op. 14 (1955)
– Introduction and Presto (1956)
– Shopska Fantasia (1968)
Georgi Kostov – Concertino (1965)
– Passacaglia (1969)
Boris Kremenliev – Sonata (1957)
Yovcho Krushev – Allegro (1982)
Kiril Lambov – Aria and Improvisation (1990)
Henri Lazarof – Inventions (1969)247
Vasil Lolov – Lullaby Song (1973)
– Rondo (1974)
Asen Markov – Elegia (1954)
Tzenko Minkin – Sonata (1986)
Lyubomir Mitzev – Sonata (1982)
Lazar Nikolov – Sonata (1955)
Emile Noumoff – Kleine Suite (1983)
Svetoslav Obretenov – Lullaby Song (1940)
– Lullaby Song with Variations (1941)
Filip Pavlov – Three Pieces (Prelude, Nocturne, Scherzo) (1984)
Mikhail Pekov – Sonatina (1978)
Lyubomir Pipkov – Pastorale op. 24 (1944)
– Prelude op. 30 (1945)
– Piece for Viola and Piano op. 34 (1951)
Aleksandar Raichev – Sonata-Poema (1954)
Nikolai Ramadanov – Sonata (1983)
Stefan Remenkov – Aquarelle and Humoresque op. 6 (1950)
Dimitar Sagaev – Cantilena op. 102 (1983)
Ivan Spasov – Sonata (1960)
Pencho Stoyanov – Scherzo (1979)
Veselin Stoyanov – Concertino (1955)
Nikolai Stoykov – “Gradus ad Parnasum”
247
The entry on page 112 lists the date as 1962.

128
Aleksandar Tanev – Sonata (1966)
Aleksandar Tekeliev – Poema (1973)
Lyuben Todorov – Allegretto (1945)
– Barcarolle (1945)
– Folk Song (1946)
– Capriccio in F minor (1952)
– Legende (1957)
– Night Song (1958)
– Capriccio in D minor (1958)
– Concerto (1962)
– Sorrow (1967)
– Mother’s Song (1967)
Yuliya Tzenova – Three Frescoes with Epilogue (1976)
– Step and Ragtime (1984)248
Tzvetan Tzvetanov – Two Children’s Pieces (1954)
Pancho Vladigerov – Caress op. 9, no. 4 (1920)
– Romance op. 20, no. 1 (1925)
– Song from “Bulgarian Suite” op. 21 (1927)
– Northern Song op. 24, no. 5 (1931)
– Song from “Miniatures” op. 29, no. 4 (1934)
– Fairy Tale op. 46, no. 2(1950)
Velislav Zaimov – Sonata for Viola and Piano (2010)249
Georgi Zlatev-Cherkin – Sevdana (1944)

Duets – String/Wind Instrument with Viola

Atanas Atanasov – Sonata for Violin and Viola (1992)

Evgeni Cheshmedjiev – Dialogues (1994) for violin and viola
Marin Goleminov – Sonata for Violin and Viola (1996)
Jordan Goshev – Contrasts for violin and viola (1997)
Konstantin Iliev – Duo-Sonata for violin and viola (1953
– “Ad libitum” (1978) for violin and viola250
Kiril Ilievski – Suite (1982) for flute and viola
Vasil Kazandzhiev – Duet (1964) for oboe and viola
Zhivka Klinkova – Sonata (Dialogue) op. 100 (1969) for flute and viola
– Sonata for Viola and Guitar (1993)
Dimitar Nikolov – “Passacaglia Capriccioso” (1999) for violin and viola
Petar Petrov – Sonata (1993) for violin and viola
Aleksandar Popov – “Games” (1994) for violin and viola
Aleksandar Raichev – Duo for Viola and Cello (1999)
Emil Tabakov – Sonata (1970) for viola and double bass
Velislav Zaimov – Sonata for Viola and Cello (1989)

248
The entry on page 123 lists the date as 1981.
249
Zaimov’s Sonata was not included in Dobrev’s catalog because it was written after 2003.
250
The Encyclopedia of Bulgarian Composers lists the instrumentation as viola and cello.

129
Viola and Computer / Toneband

Henri Lazarof – Cadence II (1969) for viola and toneband

Emil Mirtchev – Reminiscence for viola and toneband (1994)
Lyubomir Mitzev – Kaleidescope (1999) music for viola and computer
Veselin Nikolov – Prayers (2000) for solo viola, magnetic tape, and light

Trios with Viola

(without established classical formation of string trio - violin, viola, cello)

Nikolai Badinski -- “Con pensier a Samuel Beckett” for viola, cello, and double
bass (1978)
-- “Interchangeabilite sur Seine pour trois” for woodwinds, bowed
strings, and poking instrument (1982)
Rumen Balyozov -- “La Folia” for viola, cello, and double bass (1992)
Bojidar Dimov -- Tanzlied (Dance Song) for flute, violin, and viola (1991)
Ilya Iliev -- Trio for Clarinet, Viola, and Harp op. 75 (1969)
-- “Vestvego” op. 86 for flute, viola, harp, and narrator (1971)
Stefan Iliev -- “Mezza voce” op. 47 for viola, bass clarinet, and harp (1985)
-- “Sonata per tres” for violin, viola, and piano (1994)
Dimitar Khristov -- “Adagio affabile” for flute, viola, and harp (1970)
Tzenko Minkin -- Trio for flute, viola, and harp (1983)
Lazar Nikolov -- Trio for violin, viola, and piano (1993)
Mihail Pekov -- Trio for Flute, Viola, and Piano (1986)
Ivan Shekov -- “Entrada, Intermezzo, und ostinato” for flute, guitar, and viola
(1987)
Iasen Vodenitcharov -- Etincelles for flute, viola, and harp (1999)
-- “Dreams of the Butterfly” for viola, guitar, and trombone (2001)
Velislav Zaimov -- Trio for Viola, Cello, and Contrabass (2002)251

Quartets with Viola

(without string quartets – two violin, viola, & cello and klavier quartets – violin, viola, cello,
piano)

Vladislav Andonov -- Improvisation on Indian Theme for flute, viola, harp, and piano
(1985)252
-- Celtic Fairytale for flute, viola, harp, and harpsichord (2002)
Peter Baberkoff -- Sonata for Flute, Viola, Harp, and Percussion (1990)
Rumen Balyozov -- Conflicts for flute, viola, piano, and harp (1977)
Boyan Vodenitcharov -- Quartet for Clarinet, Violin, Viola, and Cello (1983)

251
The entry on page 125 lists the date as 2001.
252
The entry on page 102 lists the date as 1983.

130
Marin Goleminov -- Improvisation, Song, Tongue Twister, and Piece for Gadulka
from the Little Suite for Solo Viola for flute, viola, piano,
and harp (1951)
-- Harvest from Five Sketches for String Quartet for flute, viola,
piano, and harp (1948)
-- Grotesque for flute, viola, harp, and piano (1987)
Plamen Djouroff -- Four Ballads for flute, viola, harp, and piano (1987)
Ilya Iliev -- Quartet for flute, viola, harp, and piano (1976)
Kiril Ilievski -- Metamorphoses for violin, viola, bassoon, and double bass
(1992)
Danko Jordanov -- Suite for Flute, Violin, Viola, and Piano (1994)
Aleksandar Kandov -- “Procession” for flute, viola, harp and harpsichord (1994)
-- Quartet for flute, harp, viola, and double bass (1994)
Vasil Kazandzhiev -- Concert Variations (1974) for flute, viola, harp, and harpsichord
Dimitar Khristov -- Quartet for Flute, Viola, Harpsichord, and Harp (1972)
-- “Give Me Solace” for flute, viola, harp, and piano (1992)
-- “The Double Bass is Heading Towards the Sky” for violin, viola,
bassoon, and double bass (1993)
Zhivka Klinkova -- Suite from the ballet “The Lights of the Heidelberg Castle” for
flute, viola, harp, and piano (1987)
Boris Kremenliev -- Quartet for violin, oboe, viola, and cello (1948)
Jul Levi -- Two Concert Pieces for flute, viola, harp, and piano (1975)
Milcho Leviev -- “Scenes d’enfants” – 7 miniatures for harp, viola, vibraphone,
and bass clarinet (1995)
Dimitar Nikolov -- Quartet for Flute, Viola, Harp, and Piano (1976)
Filip Pavlov -- Concerto for “Eolina” for flute, viola, harp, and piano (1984)253
Mihail Pekov -- Partita for piano, harp, flute, and viola (1971)
-- Klavier Quartet for violin, viola, cello, and piano (1978)
-- Cantilena and Gavotte for flute, viola, harp, and harpsichord
(1984)254
Artin Poturlian -- “Musica da camera” for oboe, French horn, viola, and piano
(1973)
Dimitar Sagaev -- Quartet for Flute, Viola, Harp, and Piano op. 81 (1976)
Pencho Stoyanov -- Quartet for Flute, Viola, Harp, and Piano (1972)
Stojan Stoyantschev -- “Konversationen” for flute, oboe, viola, and cello (1980)
Stefan Trayanov -- Passacaglia using the Name of Bach for flute, viola, harp, and
piano (1993)
Dimitar Tapkov -- Quartet for Flute, Viola, Harp, and Harpsichord (1973)
Yuliya Tzenova -- Quartet for Flute, Viola, Harp, and Piano (1971)
-- Fugue for Flute, Viola, Harp, and Piano (1972)
-- “Green Silence” for flute, viola, harp, and harpsichord (2000)255
Velislav Zaimov -- Quartet for Flute, Viola, Harp, and Harpsichord (1995)

253
The entry on page 115 lists the date as 1979.
254
The entry on page 115 lists the instrumentation as piano instead of harpsichord.
255
The entry on page 123 lists the instrumentation as piano instead of harpsichord.

131
Vocal – Instrumental Ensembles with Viola

Bojidar Dimov -- Dance Song for voice and viola (1990)

Dimitar Nikolov -- Piano Trio No. 1 for soprano, viola, and piano (1963)
Mihail Pekov -- “Pieces for Two Lovers” for soprano, baritone, viola, and piano
(1980)
Aleksandar Popov -- Four Children’s Pieces based on the poetry of P. R. Slaveykov
for 2 violins, and viola (2002)
Dimitar Tapkov -- “In Memory of Stefan” for soprano, flute, viola, and harp (1994)
Iasen Vodenitcharov -- “Bucolic” for baritone, flute, viola, and guitar (1999)

Viola (2 Violas) and Orchestra / Viola and Other Solo Instruments with
Orchestra

Peter Baberkoff -- Concerto for Viola and Orchestra (1966)

Nikolai Badinski -- “Col-legno-Concerto” for viola and orchestra (1975)
Nayden Gerov -- Concerto for Viola and Orchestra (1958)
Marin Goleminov -- Prelude for viola and chamber orchestra (1948)
-- Dance from Five Sketches for viola and string orchestra (1948)
-- Harvest from Five Sketches for viola and string orchestra (1948)
-- Concerto for Viola and Orchestra (1949)
Parashkev Hadjiev -- Capriccio for viola and string orchestra (1951)
Stefan Ikonomov -- Prelude, Aria, Interlude, and Fugue for viola and chamber
orchestra (1966)
Stefan Iliev -- Concerto for Viola and Chamber Orchestra (1993)
Georgi Kostov -- Concertino for Viola and Orchestra (1965)
Henri Lazarof -- Concerto for Viola and Orchestra (1960)
-- Tempi Concertati for violin, viola, and chamber orchestra (1963)
-- Ricercar for viola, piano, and orchestra (1968)
-- Volo (Canti da Requiem) for viola and two string ensembles
(1976)
Mihail Pekov -- New Symphonie Concertante for Violin, Viola, and Orchestra
(1990)
Petar Petrov -- Concerto for Viola and Orchestra (1998)
Todor Popov -- Song for viola and string orchestra (1954)
Artin Poturlian -- Concerto for Viola and Chamber Orchestra (1971)
Dimitar Sagaev -- Concerto for Viola and Orchestra op. 39 (1965)
2nd revision for viola and string orchestra (1999)
Ivan Shekov -- Concerto-Fantasia for viola and string orchestra (1992)
Todor Stoykov -- Concerto for Viola and Orchestra (1984)
Krassimir Taskov -- Concerto for “Eolina” and String Orchestra for flute, viola,
harp, piano / string instruments (1989)
Aleksandar Tekeliev -- Poema for viola and orchestra (1973)
Velislav Zaimov -- Concerto for Violin, Viola, and Orchestra (1994)
-- Concerto for Two Violas and Orchestra (1998)
Georgi Zlatev-Cherkin -- Sevdana for viola and string orchestra (1944)

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Performers – Viola Players

Vladislav Andonov
Nikolai Badinski
Anton Bonev
Dimitar Bozduganov
Zahari Chavdarov
Pepa Djeneva
Bojidar Dobrev
Gergana Dobreva
Valentin Gerov
Semfra Griffits
Ventsislav Grigorov
Antonin Hiksa
Aleksandrina Ignatova
Stefan Jilkov
Stefan Kamassa
Albena Khristova
Ognian Konstantinov
Heintz Kuleinid
Herbert Laape
Kiril Lambov
Emil Lavrenov
Agop Manikian
Lyubomir Mitzev
Paraskeva Nedialkova-Weit
Marcella Neikova
Bedros Papazian
Ivan Pashovski
Khristo Paskalev
Dimitar Penkov
Aleksandar Popov
Yosif Radionov
Andreas Sandor
Akop Sandjian
Ognian Stanchev
Stefan Sugarev
Evgeni Todorov
Nedyalcho Todorov
Dragomir Zahariev
Nikola Zidarov

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 APPENDIX B: SPREADSHEET OF COLLECTED VIOLA REPERTOIRE

This appendix contains information about the fifty-four works I have collected for solo

viola and viola with piano. Pieces are arranged in alphabetical order by composer and include

the following details:

Composer and years of composer’s life

Name of piece (English translation)
Instrumentation
Date written
Style/background/pedagogical features: a brief description of style characteristics or
influences and an overview of technical and musical features
Estimated ASTA level: difficulty level based on the American String Teachers
Association String Syllabus, which defines six grades (Grade 1 = simplest
and Grade 6 = most difficult)256
Publisher and edition and/or editor: including title of volume if part of a compilation of
works; only one publishing source is listed for each piece, although some pieces
can be found in more than one collection; a more complete list of publishing
information is listed in Appendix A
Transcription/Original: original instrumentation and transcriber, if known

256
See pages 22-23 for a description of each level.

134
135
136
137
138
139
140
 APPENDIX C: CHART OF TECHNIQUES

KEY

F = focus
R = review
P = prepare

Pieces:
1 = Goleminov Harvest
2 = Hadjiev Rondino
3 = Hadjiev Sonatina
4 = Lolov Rondo
5A = Khristoskov Harvester's Song
5B = Khristoskov Malka Toccata
6 = Lolov Lullaby Song

141
7 = Popov Song
8 = Stoyanov Scherzo
9 = Vladigerov Fairy Tale
10 = Zlatev-Cherkin Sevdana
11 = Goleminov Little Suite for Solo Viola
12 = Raychev Aria for Solo Viola
13 = Souroujon Images Espagnoles
14 = Vladigerov Song
15 = Zaimov Sonata for Viola and Piano

142
APPENDIX D: IRB APPROVAL LETTER

143
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

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Andonov, Vladislav. Personal interview. May 2011, Sofia.
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Bartok, Bela. “The So-called Bulgarian Rhythm.” In Bartok Essays, edited by Benjamin Suchoff,
40-49. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1976.
Buchanan, Donna A. “Bartok's Bulgaria: Folk Music Collection and Balkan Social History.”
International Journal of Musicology 9 (2006): 55-91.
___. The Bulgarian Folk Orchestra: Cultural Performance, Symbol, and the Construction Of
National Identity in Socialist Bulgaria. 2001.
___. “Metaphors of Power, Metaphors of Truth: The Politics of Music Professionalism in
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___. Performing Democracy: Bulgarian Music and Musicians in Transition. Chicago:
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___. “Wedding Musicians, Political Transition, and National Consciousness in Bulgaria.”
In Retuning Culture: Musical Changes in Central and Eastern Europe, edited by Mark
Sloban, 200-230. Durham NC: Duke University Press, 1996.
Buchanan, Donna A., Magdelena Manolova, and Stoyan Petrov. “Bulgaria.” In The New Grove
Dictionary of Music and Musicians, edited by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell. London:
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Caine, Matthew Thomas. “Todor Popov: A Historiography and a Conductor’s Analysis of his
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Cunningham, Martin and Jaume Aiats. “Spain II: Traditional and Popular Music.” In The New
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Dean, Geoffrey. Personal interview. May 2012, Kyustendil, Bulgaria.
Dimitrov, Mario. “The Violin Concerto and its Development in Bulgaria.” Diss., Louisiana
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Dobrev, Bojidar. Repertoire for Viola and Chamber Ensembles with Viola by Bulgarian
Composers: Catalog. Dobrev, 2003.
Flesner, Diana J. “Through the Prism of the Wellspring: From National, to Societal, to Individual
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Hayes, David. “Bulgarian Violin Pieces for the Studio.” American String Teacher Journal. 58.4
(2008): 40-44.
Hlebarov, Ivan. “Pancho Vladigerov.” In The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians,
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Ilcheva, Gergana. Personal interview. May 2011, Sofia.

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Iltcheva, Borislava. “Peter Christoskov's Twelve Caprices for Solo Violin, Opus 1: A Historical
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Jilkov, Stefan. Personal interview. May 2011, Sofia.
Kachuleff, Ivan. Bulgarian Folk Musical Instruments. Translated by Thomas Roncevic. Edited
by Walter Kolar. Pittsburgh: Tamburitza Press, 1978.
Kirilov, Kalin. “Harmony in Bulgarian Music.” Diss., University of Oregon, 2007.
Kirkov, Simeon. Personal interview, May 2012, Kyustendil, Bulgaria.
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Lechev, Boyan. Preface to Caprices for Solo Violin, by Petar Christoskov, 3-4. Translated by
Lyubov Shtilianova. Sofia: Musica Publishing House, 2000.
Lipari, Blagomira Paskaleva. “The Influence of Bulgarian Folk Music on Petar Christokov's
Suites and Rhapsodies for Solo Violin.” Diss., Louisiana State University, 2004.
Lipova, Lora. “Sonatas for Violin and Piano by the Bulgarian Composers Pancho Vladigerov,
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Sergueeva, Albonetti and Viara Dimitrova. “The Role of Bulgarian Folk Music in the Violin
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Silverman, Carol. “The Politics of Folklore in Bulgaria.” Anthropological Quarterly 56 (1983):
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Simidtchieva, Marta. “An Annotated Bibliography of Works for Cello and Orchestra by
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Vladimir Molle. Sofia: Union of Bulgarian Composers, 2003.
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leon_souroujon_violinist2.html.

Discography
Scores:
Goleminov, Marin. “Harvest.” Pieces for Viola by Bulgarian Composers. Sofia: Nauka i.
Izkustvo, 1973.
____. Little Suite for Solo Viola. Sofia: Nauka i. Izkustvo, 1951.
____. “Prelude.” Pieces for Viola by Bulgarian Composers. Sofia: Musica Publishing, 1989
Hadjiev, Parashkev. “Rondino.” Pieces for Viola by Bulgarian Composers. Sofia: Musica
Publishing, 1989.
____. “Rondino.” In Young Violinist’s Repertoire Book 4, 22-25. Edited by Paul de Keyser and
Fanny Waterman. Faber Music, 1986.
____. Sonatina for Viola and Piano. Edited by Veliko Penev. Sofia: Musica, 1976.
____. “Song and Joke.” Pieces for Viola and Piano by Bulgarian Composers. Edited by Bojidar
Dobrev and Alexander Neinski. Sofia: Musica Publishing, 1978.
Khristoskov, Petar. “Three Caprices: Dance, Harvester’s Song, Malka Toccata.” Pieces for Viola
by Bulgarian Composers. Sofia: Musica Publishing, 1989.
Lolov, Vassil. “Lullaby Song.” Pieces for Viola by Bulgarian Composers. Sofia: Nauka i.
Izkustvo, 1973.

146
____. “Rondo.” Pieces for Viola by Bulgarian Composers. Sofia: Musica Publishing, 1989.
Neinski, Alexander. School for Viola. Sofia: Nauka i. Izkustvo, 1963.
Neinski, Alexander and Nedelcho Kissimov, eds. Light Pieces for Viola. Sofia: Nauka i.
Izkustvo, 1973.
Obretenov, Svetoslav. “Horovodna Theme and Variations.” Pieces for Viola and Piano
by Bulgarian Composers. Sofia: Musica Publishing, 1978.
____. “Lullaby Piece.” Pieces for Viola and Piano by Bulgarian Composers. Sofia: Musica
Publishing, 1978.
Pipkov, Lyubomir. “Pastoral, op. 24, no. 2.” Pieces for Viola and Piano by Bulgarian
Composers. Sofia: Musica Publishing, 1978.
Popov, Todor. “Song.” Pieces for Viola by Bulgarian Composers. Sofia: Musica Publishing,
1989.
Raychev, Alexander. Aria for Solo Viola. Sofia: Musica Publishing House, 2002.
_____. Sonata Poema. Viola version unpublished.
Silianovsky, Tryphon. Sonata for Solo Viola. Sofia: Dobrev.
Souroujon, Leon. Berceuse. Unpublished.
_____. Images Espagnoles. Unpublished.
_____. Nocturne. Unpublished.
_____. Improvisation sur un theme religieux. Unpublished.
Stoyanov, Pencho. Scherzo for Viola and Piano. Sofia: Dobrev, 2001.
Stoyanov, Vesselin. “Concertino in C minor.” Select Concertinos for Viola and Piano, edited by
B. Jekov. Sofia: Musica Publishing, 1981.
Sugarev, Stefan. First School for Viola. Sofia: Nauka i. Izkustvo, 1961.
Sugarev, Stefan and Alexander Neinski, eds. Compilation of Pieces and Etudes for Viola. Sofia:
Nauka i. Izkustvo, 1957.
Tapkoff, Dimitar. Sonata for Solo Viola. Sofia: Union of Bulgarian Composers.
Telekiev, Alexander. Poem for Viola and Piano. Sofia: Musica Publishing, 1979.
Vladigerov, Pancho. “Fairy Tale, op. 46, no. 2.” Pieces for Viola by Bulgarian Composers.
Sofia: Musica Publishing, 1989.
______. “Song from 'Bulgarian Suite' op. 21.” Pieces for Viola and Piano by Bulgarian
Composers. Sofia: Musica Publishing, 1978.
Zaimov, Velislav. Sonata for Solo Viola. Manuscript.
____. Sonata for Viola and Piano. Manuscript.
Zlatev-Cherkin, Georgi. Sevdana. Sofia: Dobrev, 2001.
Recordings:
Great Bulgarian Composers: Music of Pancho Vladigerov and Petko Stajnov. With Mincho
Minchev. Cond. Alexander Vladigerov and Vassil Stefanov. Symphonic Orchestra of
the National Bulgarian Radio. Baiko Kanev, 1998.
A Harvest, a Shepherd, a Bride: Village Music of Bulgaria. In the shadow of the mountain:
Bulgarian folk music. Collected in Bulgaria in 1968 and produced by Ethel Raim and
Martin Koenig. New York, N.Y.: Elektra/Asylum/Nonesuch, 1988.
Le Mystere Des Voix Bulgares. Recorded by Marcel Cellier. 1987, Elektra/Asylum/Nonesuch
Records. Cond. Philip Koutev and Krasimir Kyurkchiysi. Bulgarian State Radio and
Television Female Vocal Choir. 2 volumes.

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Pekov, Michail. Serenade op. 179 for Two Violins and Symphony Orchestra. With Angel
Stankov and Yosif Radionov. Cond. Alan Hazeldine. New Festival Orchestra.
Tonstudio.
Radionov, Yosif and Zornitsa Radionova. Bulgarian Masterpieces.
Union of Bulgarian Composers: Works by K. Iliev, D. Christoff, V. Zaimov, B. Petkov, P.
Kerkelov, M. Pekov, V. Kazandjiev. With Nedyalcho Todorov, Verka Stefanova, and
Zornitza Petrova. UBC, 2007.
Vladigerov, Pancho. Concerto No. 1 for Violin and Orchestra. With Nedyalka Simeonova and
Georges Baden. Cond. Assen Naydenov and Alexander Vladigerov. Dresden Orchestra
and National Radio Orchestra.
____. “Song” No. 2 from the Bulgarian Suite, Op. 21/2; Racenista, for Violin and Piano, op.
18/2; and Fantasy on a Bulgarian Folk Dance “Khoro,” op. 18/1. With David Oistrakh,
Abram Makarov, and Vladimir Yampolski. Pipeline Music.

148