Author: Silvia Haralambova

I am a contemporary Bulgarian artist working in the field of fine and applied art. I create paintings and hand-woven wall-hangings. I paint on canvas, paper and hard boards, stones. Mixed media is one of my favourite mediums. I like to embed in my creations, both paintings and textiles, various natural materials, be it little stones, cracked sea shells, straw, wool, silk, cotton, plant fibres, etc. My atelier is located in a village at the foot of the Rhodopi Mountain in Bulgaria, amongst pine threes, cypresses and flowers. I use it for painting and weaving but also for listening and playing music with my husband and friends. https://www.silviaharaart.eu/

Music has had an important place in my life ever since my childhood and it has almost always been present in the process of creating my works. So, art and music are united in some way.  But they also have their own life and path.

For me, good music is the one that touches my heart and soul. No matter where it is deriving from. It could be from any part of the world. At home we have a large collection of blues, jazz, country, pop, rock, art rock, old and classical, folk music.

My husband has played the guitar and bass guitar since his school years. We play and sing together English, Scottish, Irish, American, Greek and Bulgarian folklore.

rebetiko music

In the last 5 years we discovered the Rebetiko music – an urban folk, that the refugees from Asia Minor have brought to Greece in the 20’s of the last century. During the years it evolved and has become a favorite musical style for three generations, being played in tavernas and on many festivals in Greece and abroad. Well deserved, Rebetiko has been included in the list of the Intangible Heritage of UNESCO.

It is no coincidence that Rebetiko is also called the Greek Blues. The songs are joyous and sad; melancholic and dynamic; slow and fast; catchy, sarcastic, danceable and meditative. They cover a wide range of topics and are connected with all that happened in daily life – love, trust, jealousy, betrayal, pretty, faithful and unfaithful women; the occupation, the war, the politicians. The theme of opiates, with which refugees soothe their souls and struggles, occupies a significant part of the rebetiko repertoire as well. The slang used in the songs is curious because many words have quite a different meaning than the usual ones.

The main musical instruments played are Greek bouzouki, Baglama, Tzouras, Folk guitar, Santour, Tzymbal, and Kemence. All of these strings instruments have Eastern origins. Accordion and violine are also involved. In some way, the sound of the bouzouki and the tzouras reminiscent of the American banjo.  Wikipedia has an excellent overview of the Rebetiko phenomenon.

We started learning and performing this kind of music among friends. We do this as a hobby and for pleasure.

percussion

Borislav plays the Greek four-double or three-double strings bouzouki and tzouras and sings in the Greek language. I keep the rhythm by playing percussion, mainly a frame drum called “Bendir”.

Occasionally, in order to add emphasis, I use also Bongos, Zills, Wooden spoons, Tambourine, Maracas made of dates seeds shells, and the Lluvia or Rainstick.

In my eyes, these instruments are pieces of art themselves, coming to life when you play them. They tell stories, express feeling and emotions – from melancholic to elated. No matter their origin, they are wide spread on all continents and are the tools that musicians use to perform any kind of music.

links to illustrate how the instruments sound:

Tambourine, Wooden music spoons (and this one), Zills – finger cymbals – Bongos (here, here, and here), Lluvia (Rainstick),  and  Maracas made of dates seeds shells.

wikipedia histories (click!)