Wednesday, July 9, 2008
In Tune
Our morning started out at AUGB where we met our speaker for the day, Dr. Hristo Krotev, Music Professor and Choir Director at the university. He told us that over 700,000 pieces of folk music have been created and that the high diversity from various regions has created a “continent of music.” Dr. Krotev treated us to a peek into one of the most crucial and unique elements of Bulgarian music and dance: which “establishes a feeling for time and time proportions.” He went on to explain the difference between “internal process,” which embodies all time factors inside of the body, such as a heartbeat; and “external process,” which includes time processes outside of the body, including seasonal changes. After introductions on both sides, Dr. K. identified the musicians vs. the non-musicians (information that would come in handy during the subsequent pop quiz!) For those “musical illiterates” in the group, the lecture began on an elemental level as we were introduced to the even beats of 2/2 time before progressing—with examples—to 2/3, 2/4 etc. “Ha! This is easy—no problem,” we thought, and even the aforementioned oral quiz did not stump the scholarly understandings of our brave scholar, Karen, who identified the 2/2 beat without flinching!
Time Out
After our café break, the tempo progressed to “13” in a gorgeous display of Bulgarian virtuosity and we ended our session thoroughly impressed! It was interesting to hear the various regional styles of these traditional pieces, and the influences from Eastern or Western motifs found within. Group member, Carol Mohrlock, who has previously visited Poland on a Fulbright-Hays trip, later commented that she could identify the “thread” of Klezmer music (an Eastern European tradition emanating from the Jewish community) that was reminiscent of her visit near the Slovakian border. Finally, Dr. Krotev “gifted” our most musical members with a DVD recording of his choir’s performance at last year’s celebration of the 15th anniversary of AUGB; we enjoyed watching this during our afternoon bus ride to Bansko. The most exciting outcome of this meeting may be a visit to Michigan by the Dr. K.’s choir, which musicians, Pat and Ann, are will attempt to initiate. We look forward to the possibility of a reunion with some of our AUBG friends at a later date, in the U.S.
The Three Surprises
After class we hustled back to Skoptopara Odeen (our sturdy, Communist era-built dormitory) and quickly prepared for our afternoon “field trip.” We were headed to the town of Bansko in the Pirin Mountains, which is an up-and-coming ski resort…a relatively short ride away. Our first surprise (as we disembarked from our trusty bus) was that the weather was different here in the mountains, with a chilly wind whipping past our bare arms. Our second surprise was that the restaurants and museums in the resort section of this not-that-big town were closed (!) These two realizations seemed especially critical because our driver, Gyorgi, had just pulled away and would nor scheduled to return until early evening! As we walked from closed restaurant to closed museum to closed restaurant, our scholarly tummies began growling. Like a mirage beckoning the parched traveler, the wonderful sight of Kamenitsi (beer) umbrellas materialized on the horizon, and we knew what that meant…VODA!! (Water!!) At last we’d found the cafés of the locals. In a slightly weakened state, we trooped into the outdoor oasis of empty tables only to realize that this area was serving beverages, not true sustenance. Some folks elected to search out other nearby umbrella’d oases, but six or seven of us (sans Larry) thought, “No problem, we’ll just head inside to dine!” As we wove our way to the available booth at the far end of the facility we noticed many heads turning to inspect the newcomers…us! Our third surprise revealed itself as we realized that ALL of the diners were MEN, and that we appeared to be an unusual clientele in this setting. “No problem,” we thought; we’re so hungry that we’ll just plunk ourselves down and blend in as best we can…Or Not. We attempted to blend in for about two minutes before all heads bobbed horizontally in unison at the suggestion to leave…NOW! As we slipped out, the exterior signage beyond the establishment appeared to reveal that we had just infiltrated the Bansko Gun Club--at least that’s what we surmised from the oversized image of a revolver centered on the poster. Luckily, we quickly recovered from our faux pas and found excellent dining right down the street!
Having Gathered our Strength…
Fortified by Shopska Salad and other local delicacies, we gathered again and were pleased to find the “House (Museum) of Velyanov” open and welcoming to our investigations. This building is another example of the Bulgarian National Revival effort, but holds a particularly captivating history. During the Renaissance, the two-story house was built from stone and wood by a merchant family and also served to shelter the family’s livestock. Because it was constructed during the Ottoman occupation, warlords from Constantinople were a real and constant threat to its inhabitants. The architecture underscores this fear of intruders, as iron bars on the windows and small rectangular openings in the exterior walls (just large enough for a rifle’s nose) illustrate. In spite of a secret getaway tunnel (leading to the safe haven of the local church) designed to protect a mother and her newborn child, sadly…the merchant’s wife was killed here.
The owner vacated his dwelling and it stayed uninhabited for many years. In 1835, an artist named Velyano Gakushta was hired to paint the local church and was given the dilapidated house in payment for his effort. An eccentric character (hey…he was an artist) Velyano sported a large moustache and fancied dressing up like Napoleon. He decorated the house with murals to brighten it up, such as a sun and moon in the likeness of his wife, Sophia and himself; and a family of wolves caring for their young, as well of scenes of Venice and bluebird motifs, which symbolized Hope. When we were shown the comfy area “where men went to relax and take tea in the heat of the afternoon,” Anne Dale Blair queried as to the whereabouts of the women’s rest area, but received only a chuckle from our guide, in reply. Alas, there was a “women’s room, but it contained the tools necessary for spinning and weaving wool so necessary for running a household.
Pirin Winds
The courtyard of this living piece of history managed to refresh us, while whispering its palpable secrets--via the Pirin winds, as we proceeded to The Holy Trinity Church. We enjoyed its curvilinear entryway, enhanced by lyrically painted symbols along its cornices. After this homage, small groups departed to explore the local crafts guild and vendors, to scoop up more lovely examples of the intricacies of Bulgarian textiles that so many of us find entrancing. Hand-made lace in the form of a fish and “Good Night” tidings in Cyrillic (meant to be stitched to a pillow cover) were among the more unique and charming finds. Also cell phone totes in pink angora wool. Gyorgy graciously arrived earlier than planned and transported us back to Blagoevgrad and the consolation of the heat to which we’ve grown accustomed. The evening ended in the celebration of Andrea’s (real) birthday Happy “3-0” again, fellow traveler
By Shirley Hazlett…“Blog”-adareya!! (That means ‘Thanks for reading my blog,” in Bulgarian!)
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