Variations on the Bulgarian Folk Song Chichovite Konje

All music is folk music. I ain't never heard a horse sing a song.
Louis Armstrong

Today's post features different versions of the Bulgarian folk song Chichovite Konje. It translates to "My Uncle's Horses" and is from the Shope folklore region. You can find the original lyrics with a translation here.

One of my uncles passed away recently. When he was a young man, he had a job tending horses, so this post is dedicated to him.  He lived to the age of 96.

Video #1 is the most popular version of Chichovite Konje,  sung by the Philip Koutev choir. This is a high energy piece of music, and typical of the Shope region.



Video #2 features a solo female singer. I don't know her name, but I got a little dizzy watching her. The background noise takes something away from the performance, which is otherwise good.



Video #3 is a totally different (and modern) rendition of this song.  This time it has a masculine touch with two men and one woman (one of the men plays a drum).  There is no other musical accompaniment.



If you enjoyed this you may also like:

Modern Versions of Traditional Bulgarian Folk Songs. Part Three (links to Part One and Part Two are included here).

How to Recognize Regional Differences in Bulgarian Folk Music, Part One


This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Variations on the Bulgarian Folk Song: Kaval Sviri

Gabrielle: Xena, this was our only frying pan! Why do you do that? You do have weapons, don't you?
Xena: I like to be creative in a fight. It gets my juices going.
Gabrielle: Can we cook with your juices?

from Xena, Warrior Princess, Episode: A Day in the Life

Today's post features variations of the Bulgarian folk song Kaval Sviri, which was used in the series Xena, Warrior Princess. It ran from 1995 - 2001 and was extremely popular. Despite its popularity, I never watched an entire episode, and never knew that the theme music was from Bulgaria.I found out entirely by accident while traveling through the Universe of YouTube.

Xena, Warrior Princess was a fantasy show based on Greek, German and Norse mythology. Xena attempts to redeem herself from the sins of her past by using her fighting skills to help the defenseless. Her sidekick and best friend, Gabrielle, is also a major character.

Kaval Sviri is a song about a young woman who falls in love with a young man who plays the kaval (also known as a shepherd's flute).  I found the lyrics (in Bulgarian) with transliteration.

Video #1 is the song as used in the program, played by the group Dashina from the Berklee College of Music. It is a very powerful piece and familiar to fans of the show. I really like this passionate, modern rendition of Kaval Sviri. There are no traditional Bulgarian folk instruments used here. Instead, there are a bass, violins, viola, a keyboard, drums, clarinet, and an electric guitar.



Video #2 is what Kaval Sviri sounds like with a large ensemble, a capella (no instrumental accompaniment)  with male and female performers.  The group is the London Bulgarian Choir.



Video #3 is performed by Ensemble Trakia. It was released in 1988 on the album Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares, Vol. II.



Video #4 is the same song,  also a capella, with a small group this time.They have very powerful voices that harmonize well.

You can read about The Nightingale Trio here.  Surprise, none of the ladies is Bulgarian! They used to perform with the Yale Slavic Chorus, and started their own group after they graduated.



If you enjoyed this you may also like:

Modern Versions of Traditional Bulgarian Folk Songs, Parts One, Two and Three

Bulgarian Folklore and Pop Culture


This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.