Bulgarian Composers on the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom

Abstract

This paper aims to present the development of original church music in Bulgaria from its Liberation in 1878 to the present day. The liturgy of St. John Chrysostom holds particular significance for composers. The authors under consideration based their musical compositions on the entire Holy Liturgy. The period under study illustrates various aspects of the evolution of ecclesiastical chant tradition and history. Three general tendencies emerge in the authors’ efforts to create new church chants based on national traditions: on the one hand, the “Bulgarian chant” (bolgarskii raspev); on the other hand, the “Easter church chants”; and finally, the new works by original Bulgarian composers.