Valya Balkanska
Encyclopedia
Valya Mladenova Balkanska (born 8 January 1942) is a Bulgaria
n folk music
singer from the Rhodope Mountains
known locally for her wide repertoire of Balkan folksong, but in the West mainly for singing the song "Izlel e Delyu Haydutin", part of the Voyager Golden Record
selection of music included in the two Voyager
spacecraft launched in 1977.
Born in a hamlet near the village of Arda, Smolyan Province
, Balkanska has been singing Rhodopean folk songs since her early childhood. She performs a repertoire of over 300 songs in Bulgaria and abroad. Balkanska is most famous in the West for "Izlel je Delyo
hajdutin", which she recorded in 1968 accompanied by the bagpipe (gaida
) players Lazar Kanevski and Stephan Zahmanov.
Balkanska has been working with the Rodopa State Ensemble for Folk Songs and Dances from Smolyan
, of which she is a soloist, since 1960. Her album Glas ot vechnostta (Voice from the Eternity), released in 2004, is a compilation of her best known songs, including "A bre yunache ludo i mlado", "Goro le goro zelena", and "Maychinko stara maychinko".
In 2002, Balkanska was awarded the Stara Planina Orden (the highest Bulgarian award). She was honoured with her own star plate on the Bulgarian Walk of Fame in Sofia
in December 2005.
Izlel e Delyu Haydutin was used as the opening song for the Afghanistan documentary, Restrepo
.
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
n folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
singer from the Rhodope Mountains
Rhodope Mountains
The Rhodopes are a mountain range in Southeastern Europe, with over 83% of its area in southern Bulgaria and the remainder in Greece. Its highest peak, Golyam Perelik , is the seventh highest Bulgarian mountain...
known locally for her wide repertoire of Balkan folksong, but in the West mainly for singing the song "Izlel e Delyu Haydutin", part of the Voyager Golden Record
Voyager Golden Record
The Voyager Golden Records are phonograph records which were included aboard both Voyager spacecraft, which were launched in 1977. They contain sounds and images selected to portray the diversity of life and culture on Earth, and are intended for any intelligent extraterrestrial life form, or for...
selection of music included in the two Voyager
Voyager program
The Voyager program is a U.S program that launched two unmanned space missions, scientific probes Voyager 1 and Voyager 2. They were launched in 1977 to take advantage of a favorable planetary alignment of the late 1970s...
spacecraft launched in 1977.
Born in a hamlet near the village of Arda, Smolyan Province
Smolyan Province
-Religion:The Smolyan province along with the Kardzhali Province is a province where the predominant religion is not Orthodox Christianity but Islam. However, unlike Kardzhali where the majority of the population is Turkish, the Muslim population of the Smolyan province is made up almost entirely...
, Balkanska has been singing Rhodopean folk songs since her early childhood. She performs a repertoire of over 300 songs in Bulgaria and abroad. Balkanska is most famous in the West for "Izlel je Delyo
Delyo
Delyo was a Bulgarian rebel leader who was active in the Rhodope Mountains in the late 17th and early 18th centuries.Delyo was born in Belovidovo in the Smolyan region in the 17th century. He headed an armed detachment of rebels in the central Rhodopes and acted against the Ottoman authorities'...
hajdutin", which she recorded in 1968 accompanied by the bagpipe (gaida
Gaida
The gaida is a musical instrument, aerophone, using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag.The gaida, and its variations, is a traditional musical instrument for entire Europe, Northern Africa and the Middle East....
) players Lazar Kanevski and Stephan Zahmanov.
Balkanska has been working with the Rodopa State Ensemble for Folk Songs and Dances from Smolyan
Smolyan
Smolyan is a town and ski resort in the very south of Bulgaria not far from the border with Greece. It is the administrative and industrial centre of the homonymous Smolyan Province...
, of which she is a soloist, since 1960. Her album Glas ot vechnostta (Voice from the Eternity), released in 2004, is a compilation of her best known songs, including "A bre yunache ludo i mlado", "Goro le goro zelena", and "Maychinko stara maychinko".
In 2002, Balkanska was awarded the Stara Planina Orden (the highest Bulgarian award). She was honoured with her own star plate on the Bulgarian Walk of Fame in Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
in December 2005.
Izlel e Delyu Haydutin was used as the opening song for the Afghanistan documentary, Restrepo
Restrepo
-People:*José Manuel Restrepo, a Colombian political figure, botanist and historian*Carlos Eugenio Restrepo, a Colombian politician and lawyer*Laura Restrepo, a Colombian writer*Ximena Restrepo, Colombian athlete...
.
External links
- "Valia Balkanska - Izlel e Delio Haidutin", YouTube.com.
- "Biography of Valya Balkanska", Avtora.com.
- Village Music of Bulgaria, CD published in the Nonesuch Explorer series; Elektra Nonesuch 9 79195-2.