Culture
Friday, 18 September 2009 13:08 Last Updated on Friday, 30 October 2009 13:35
Contemporary Bulgarian culture is a lively blend of the millennium-old folk traditions of the region; a more formal culture, which played a vital role in the emergence of national consciousness under Ottoman rule and in the development of a modern state; and, from World War II until the early 1990s, the development of a strong socialist element.
Because Bulgaria's population is largely homogeneous, the degree of cultural variation even at the regional level is small. The state encourages cultural development at all levels of society and supports the dissemination of culture, particularly through schools, libraries, museums, publishing and the press, radio, television, and cinema.
The early impetus of Bulgarian traditions in the arts was cut short by the Ottoman occupation in the 14th century, and many of the early masterpieces were destroyed. Artistic life emerged again in Bulgaria during the national revival in the 19th century: among the most influential works were the secular and realist paintings of Zahari Zograph in the first half of the century and Hristo Tsokev in the second half. At the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century, Bulgarian painters such as Anton Mitov and the Czech-born Ivan Mrkvi c ka produced memorable works, many of them depicting the daily life of the Bulgarian people. In the early decades of the 20th century further development of both style and subject matter took place, and the foundations were laid for later artists such as Vladimir Dimitrov, an extremely gifted painter specializing in the rural scenes of his native country; Tsanko Lavrenov, a noted graphic artist and art critic who also painted scenes of old Bulgarian towns; Zlatyo Boyadjiev, noted for his village portraits; and Ilya Petrov, who painted scenes and themes from Bulgarian history. After World War II, Socialist Realism began to dominate Bulgarian artistic circles; its influence is seen in the broad historical themes that were adopted by modern artists in genres ranging from cartoons to still-life paintings and regional landscapes.
The first performances of Bulgarian classical music date from the 1890s, and the earliest Bulgarian opera, by Emanuil Manolov, was performed in 1900. He, along with other Bulgarian composers, concentrated on solo and choral vocal works, although between World War I and World War II several symphonies and works for ballet, in addition to choral and opera works, were created by such composers as Lyubomir Pipkov, Petko Stainov, and Pancho Vladigerov. Bulgarian composers in the second half of the 20th century have experimented with new tonality in vocal and instrumental music. Recordings and concert tours abroad have won much wider audiences for traditional Bulgarian vocal music.
The Bulgarian theatre remains a popular source of entertainment. The former socialist government encouraged the adoption of political themes for modern plays, as evidenced by the works of Georgi Karaslavov (1904–80) in his depictions of the Bulgarian countryside and the socialist struggle for social justice. World classics and modern foreign dramas are also produced.
Bulgaria's literary tradition can be traced to the 9th century, when Saints Cyril and Methodius created the alphabet for Old Bulgarian (Old Church Slavonic). During Ottoman domination, literature could be preserved only in the monasteries and churches. With the national revival in the 19th century, Bulgarian literature flowered once more and was used as a subtle spiritual means of fighting for the country's liberation.
Bulgaria's motion-picture industry has expanded considerably since World War II. Bulgarian audiences take interest in both domestic and foreign films, and the country's feature and documentary films have a wide export market. Animated cartoons also are popular. Many of the motion pictures are produced at the Cinema Centre near Sofia.
Bulgaria has almost 10,000 libraries, with a total holding of about 110,300,000 volumes, and more than 200 museums. There are also a few thousand chitalishte s, cultural centres similar to reading rooms, found in even the smallest villages. Two of the major museums in Sofia are the National Archaeological Museum and the National Ethnographical Museum. Plovdiv also has some well-known museums, particularly for archaeology and ethnography, and other important archaeological museums are in Stara Zagora, Burgas, and Varna. Regional specialist museums are also popular. The major state libraries include the Cyril and Methodius National Library and the Central Library of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, both in Sofia.
The highest research institution in the country is the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. It is involved in international cooperative projects and has cultural treaties with other European countries.
Bulgaria observes many festivals and competitions. Examples are the International Folklore Festival, held early in August in Burgas, and the Varna Summer International Festival, primarily a music festival, held in July. Historical plays are popular, particularly when staged outdoors in summer against the natural backdrop of important monuments or buildings associated with events in the country's history. The local festivals provide an opportunity for new musical and literary works to be performed.
*Extract from Britannica with certain modifications aiming towards correctness.
