David Dalle
Thursday December 16th, 2021 with David Dalle
Bulgarian music meets the Renaissance master Palestrina.
I was perusing the Eastern European part of my collection when I found an album I completely forgot existed, a fascinating meeting of Bulgarian folk music and the Renaissance master of vocal polyphony, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina. Bulgarian composer Ivan Lantos arranged one of Palestrina's many masses (he composed 105 masses), the Missa Primi Toni, for the Bulgarka Jr vocal quartet. Bulgarka Jr features four women folk singers from different regions in Bulgaria. Ivan Lantos also adds several instrumentals and a few modern touches to the mass. This is an album from 1994 which I had not listened to in a couple of decades and rediscovering it brings great pleasure.
Before we hear the Bulgarian-Palestrina mash up, we will hear them separately, starting with a short mass by Palestrina by the Tallis Scholars, to put the pure and beautiful sound of original Palestrina in our ears first, followed by some Bulgarian vocal and instrumental music.
| Missa Brevis Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina/The Tallis Scholars - Palestrina Masses - Gimmell Records |
| Lale li si Cosmic Voices of Bulgaria - Mechmetio - Intuition |
| Bre, Petrunko Cosmic Voices of Bulgaria - Mechmetio - Intuition |
| Mechmetio Cosmic Voices of Bulgaria - Mechmetio - Intuition |
| Trakiisko horo Yuri Yunakov - Balada - Bulgarian Wedding Music - Traditional Crossroads |
| Veseli Zborni Ivo Papasov and his Orchestra - Balkanology - Rykodisc |
| Ivo's Ruchenitsa Ivo Papasov and his Orchestra - Balkanology - Rykodisc |
| Missa Primi Toni Ivo Papasov and his Orchestra-Ivan Lantos/Ensemble Bulgarka Jr - Missa Primi Toni - Erato |
| Ending with two songs from two very different worlds, but sharing a similar place in their communities. The first is a very old Newfoundland song sung by Patrick Rossiter recorded in 1970's. He said he learned this song in the 1920's. Patrick Rossiter was a farmer, but he was valued tremendously by his community as a singer and storyteller, an individual who preserves an oral history of their community. This is not much different than the role of griots in West Africa, such as Senegalese Ablaye Cissoko we hear as well. |
| The Fisher Who Died In His Bed Patrick Rossiter - Songs of the Newfoundland Outports - A Pigeon Inlet 
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| Tallah Ablaye Cissoko - Le griot rouge - Ma Case |
| Diaba Ablaye Cissoko - Le griot rouge - Ma Case |
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2:00 PM, December 16th, 2021