Chalga (Чалга) is a form of Bulgarian music a mixture of Balkan folk, incorporating a blend of Arabic, Turkish, Greek, and Roma (Gypsy) influences, as well as motifs from Balkan traditional music, even flamenco and klezmer music. It is known for repeating musical themes and dance rhythms and its style of dancing called kyuchek in Bulgarian. Many chalga hits were Greek or Turkish, covered by Bulgarian singers, often in more complex musical arrangements. Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... For other uses, see Music (disambiguation). ... Arabic music includes several genres and styles of music ranging from Arab classical to Arabic pop music and from secular to sacred music. ... Turkish music includes the music of modern Turkey, together with related musics in neighbouring regions that once lay within the former Ottoman Empire, and closely related ethnic variants in Central Asia stretching as far as the Xinjiang Autonomous Region of China. ... The Roma people (pronounced rahma, singular Rom, sometimes Rroma, and Rrom) along with the closely related Sinti people are commonly known as Gypsies in English, and as Tsigany in most of Europe. ... ... Flamenco is a Spanish musical genre with strong, rhythmic undertones and is often accompanied with a similarly impassioned style of dance characterized by its powerful yet graceful execution, as well as its intricate hand and footwork. ... Klezmer (from Yiddish כּלי־זמיר, etymologically from Hebrew kli zemer כלי זמר, musical instrument) is a musical tradition which parallels Hasidic and Ashkenazic Judaism. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

History

The word chalga originates in the Turkish word çalgı (pronounced "chal-guh"), which means "playing" or "music". Indeed, the movement is derived from the art of the chalgadzhia (derived from the Turkish çalgıcı meaning "musician"), a type of musician who could play virtually any type of music, but added his own distinctive beat or rhythm to the song. Often a chalgadzhia would not be able to read music, but instead played from memory on his caval, (an end-blown flute). Playing in groups at festivals or weddings, these performers initiated the popularization of chalga. A 1919 Kaval. ... â™  This article is about the family of musical instruments. ...

Behind the Iron Curtain

In the socialist period, this genre was held in disfavor by the establishment for many reasons. Such simple peasant music had no place in a forward-looking, modern socialist state^{[citation needed]}, and when Todor Zhivkov (the last communist leader of Bulgaria) decided to steer a more nationalistic tack in the 1980s, such oriental traditions were regarded as inferior to those with more purely Slavic roots. Chalga also came with a provocative hip-shaking dance and at times lewd lyrics, and thus its morality as well as its origins were considered dubious. It is also possible that, as an art form predominantly practiced and developed by the Roma, racial and ethnic discrimination played a part. Socialism is a social and economic system (or the political philosophy advocating such a system) in which the economic means of production are owned and controlled collectively by the people. ... Todor Hristov Zhivkov (Bulgarian: ; IPA: ) (September 7, 1911–August 5, 1998) was the Communist leader of Bulgaria from March 4, 1954 until November 10, 1989. ... Manifestations Slavery Racial profiling Lynching Hate speech Hate crime Genocide (examples) Ethnocide Ethnic cleansing Pogrom Race war Religious persecution Gay bashing Blood libel Paternalism Police brutality Movements Policies Discriminatory Race / Religion / Sex segregation Apartheid Redlining Internment Anti-discriminatory Emancipation Civil rights Desegregation Integration Equal opportunity Counter-discriminatory Affirmative action Racial...

While discouraged in Bulgaria, chalga-like music met less restriction in neighbouring SFR Yugoslavia, which operated a much more flexible form of socialism. Many Bulgarians listened to "turbo-folk" on Serbian radio stations. The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from 1945 to 1992. ... Religious socialism Key Issues People and organizations Related subjects Socialism refers to a broad array of ideologies and political movements with the goal of a socio-economic system in which property and the distribution of wealth are subject to control by the community. ... Turbo-folk is a music genre originating in Serbia in the early 1990s. ...

Throughout the Balkans, folk traditions have been modernized. In Greece, pop music incorporated the traditions of laïkó ("popular"), a genre based mainly on the melos of Asia Minor Greeks. Many of its tunes were later borrowed by pop-folk musicians in Bulgaria. Laïkó's relative known as "Skiladiko" is close to early Bulgarian chalga, as exemplified by the Kristal Orchestra and others. In Turkey, arabesque music, a mixture of local and Middle Eastern influences, has gained ground since the 1960s. Laïkó was the pop music of Greece the 1950s and 1960s. ... Laïkó was the pop music of Greece the 1950s and 1960s. ... Skiladiko (or Skyladiko) is either a derogatory term to describe laiko or a decadent form of laiko. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Arabesk. ...

Post-Communist renewal

In 1989, when the Zhivkov regime fell, restrictions were lifted and a new culture emerged. The "new" and "forbidden" were released from the underground. Chalga tunes swept the nation, now played openly and available on mass media. A new generation of musicians grabbed the public spotlight, performing songs that might have led to official sanctions only a year before.

Some critics believe that the movement reached its peak around 1998-1999, and has been replaced by Bulgarian pop-folk. However, it remains a popular genre. Earlier folk divas like Toni Dacheva, the singer of Kristal Orchestra, were followed by stars such as the "Mother of Chalga", Rousse-born Gloriya, (Rousse is a Bulgarian city on the Danube) onto the scene; pop-folk legends Desi Slava, Ivana, Aneliya, and others all became household names. Several recording studios, headed by Payner and Planeta, pump out a steady stream of tracks every week on dedicated, hugely popular TV channels. Dohodno Zdanie is a theatre building which is considered a symbol of the city Rousse (also transliterated as Ruse or Russe; Bulgarian: ; formerly also Rustchuk) is the fifth-largest city in Bulgaria, with a population of 176,115. ... Gloriya (Глория) is a famous pop/folk singer from Bulgaria. ... This article is about the Danube River. ... Desi Slava (Cyrillic: Деси Слава), born July 3, 1979, in Radnevo, near Stara Zagora, is a Bulgarian singer of pop-folk or chalga and R&B. // Desi Slavas real name is Desislava Ivanova. ...

Chalga in the new century

By the 2000s, chalga's popularity increased, overtaking such genres as Serb and Greek pop music in popularity^{[citation needed]}..

At the same time more traditional Bulgarian music and close to traditional folk singing artists emerged like Elitsa and Stoyan, who represented Bulgaria in Eurovision 2007.^[1] This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Stoyan Yankoulov (Bulgarian: ) (born 10 September 1966), known as Stundji(Bulgarian:Стунджи) is one of Bulgarias most popular and renowned drummers and percussionists. ... The term Eurovision has several meanings: technically, the Eurovision Network created by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). ...

Among the other styles competing (and in some cases merging) with chalga (Ustata, rapper, and Sofi Marinova, ethnic Roma singer of chalga, made a duet) are most notably rap and hip hop music, represented by artists and groups like Dope Reach Squad, Upsurt, Misho Shamara and Spens. Rap has also gained commercial success in Sofia (the capital of Bulgaria) and Varna, as well as in many televised videos. RAP may mean: the IATA airport code for Rapid City Regional Airport Rassemblement pour lalternative progressiste, a Québecois political party. ... Hip hop music is a style of music which came into existence in the United States during the mid-1970s, and became a large part of modern pop culture during the 1980s. ... Dope Reach Squad (DRS) originated as a Bulgarian grafitti crew, making grafitti since 1998. ... Upsurt is a Bulgarian rap group. ... Categories: Possible copyright violations ... This article is about the capital of Bulgaria. ... This article is about the city in Bulgaria. ...

Today chalga record companies collaborate and work with partners mainly from the other Balkan countries, making this type of Bulgarian music popular both in its home - Bulgaria, and abroad in the Balkans. Balkan redirects here. ...

Popular biases about chalga and the phenomenon of chalga

With its most mild forms (which appeared only lately) chalga is, at times and to an extend, almost indistinguishable^{[citation needed]} from Bulgarian pop music, when not referred to the often called loudly offensive (even by chalga listeners) Bulgarian chalga kyuchek. This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Chalga is popular in so-called "chalga dance clubs" and national type pubs, called kruchma (кръчма). Although it is widely acclaimed by the masses (and by ungrounded foreigners^[2]) as an interesting modern approach to folklore and a great way for entertainment, there is a significant intellectual and to some extend public dislike of the genre. It is often criticized by intellectuals and generally admirers of the "good old (pop) ways in music", and mostly by lovers of rock, as tawdry,^[3] having rather loose morals,^[4] shocking outlook of singers^[5] and having too much, for the traditional Bulgarian European tastes, Eastern, Arabic roots, and for its ranging from trivial to sometimes ridiculous lyrics. Example of chalga kuchek lyrics: A nightclub (often dance club or club, particularly in the UK) is an entertainment venue which does its primary business after dark. ... An amusingly named pub (the Old New Inn) at Bourton-on-the-Water, in the Cotswold Hills of South West England A pub in the Haymarket area of Edinburgh, Scotland A public house, usually known as a pub, is a drinking establishment found mainly in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada... For other uses, see Rock music (disambiguation). ...

Another example:

Chalga texts vary in language, most often they are sang in Bulgarian, but sometimes it is a mix of languages - Bulgarian and Turkish, Bulgarian and Roma, even Bulgarian and Serbian. Some song are sang in Roma.

The controversy about chalga has led to some musical and linguistic research, and to a great number of public discussions.^[10]

Chalga proponents often say it is the new Bulgarian folk, while chalga haters, who often dislike even national folk, say that it has nothing to do with the real national folk music.

The discussion of chalga is often winning many pros and cons but with its somewhat modernization (in appearance, lyrics and music) in the 21 century chalga won even more lovers, making the debate senseless.^{[citation needed]}

Video Examples

• Desislava, Reggaeton and a little chalga
• Girl dancing chalga as kyuchek.

Bibliography

• Седемте гряха на чалгата. Към антропология на етнопопмузиката, Розмари Стателова, ISBN 9540115361 (in Bulgarian) (translation of the title: The seven deadly sins of chalga. Toward an anthropology of ethnomusic, Rozmary Statelova)

Notes

1. ^ AOL video of Eurovision performance
2. ^ Beethoven, Schiller and chalga, Boyko Penchev (bg)
3. ^ Is chalga innocent? (bg)
4. ^ Moral panic during transition (bg)
5. ^ Politically incorrect 'chalga', Marlene Smits (en)
6. ^ Doko is extremely unusual Bulgarian name^{[citation needed]}(Could it be a Gipsy name?)
7. ^ "Doko, Doko" sang by Kondyo
8. ^ a modification of a Bulgarian saying: "Dog drags [in the transitive verb sense]; there is no trace left"
9. ^ "Pyramids, pharaohs" ("Пирамиди, фараони") - from the hit album Pyramids, pharaohs /1996/ of Volodya Stoyanov (Volodya Stoyanov's Biography (bg)). Refers to the financial pyramids from the dawn of democracy in Bulgaria during the 90's.
10. ^ New Folk: The phenomenon of chalga in modern Bulgarian folk, Milena Droumeva (en)

A transitive verb is a verb that requires both a subject and one or more objects. ...

References

• The phenomenon of chalga in modern Bulgarian folk by Milena Droumeva

See also

• Turbo-folk
• Manele
• Arabesque-pop music
• Laïkó
• Laïka
• Skiladiko

Turbo-folk is a music genre originating in Serbia in the early 1990s. ... Manele (singular: manea) is a music style from the Balkans, mainly derived from Turkish, Greek, Arab or Serbian love songs. ... History (Timeline and Samples) Genres: Alternative - Classical - Dance - Folk - Hip hop - Jazz - Military - Ottoman - Pop - Religious - Rock Music awards Kral - MÜ-YAP - MGD Charts Powerturk 40 - Kral 20 Annual festivals Istanbul International Music Festival - Istanbul International Jazz Festival - Ankara IMF - Izmir European Jazz Festival Media Bant magazine - Mix! - Adante - BlueJean... Laïkó was the pop music of Greece the 1950s and 1960s. ... This article is about the Greek music-culture. ... Skiladiko (or Skyladiko) is either a derogatory term to describe laiko or a decadent form of laiko. ...

External links

• Chalga playlist - Chalga playlist
• Music-Bulgaria.com - List of Bulgarian chalga CDs
• [1] - VideoBG.pl Bulgarian Pop-Folk VideoClips