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The Bulgarian Voices - Angelite
From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist
The Bulgarian Voices - Angelite · The Bulgarian Voices Angelite is the name under which a Bulgarian women's choir became known in the West. The choir sings modern arrangements of traditional Bulgarian folk melodies. Almost all the singers originally come from villages, and are chosen for the beauty and openness of their voices. They follow a long training in a centuries-old singing style. That style features two-part singing, a distinctive tone colour, unusual scales, unusual time signatures and sharp harmonies.
Music and breakthrough
The choir, founded in 1952 at Bulgarian radio and television, became widely known through the project Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares by the Swiss ethnomusicologist Marcel Cellier. A first record appeared in 1975. In 1986 and 1988 the label 4AD reissued two compilation albums. The label's founder Ivo Watts-Russell became fascinated by the music after receiving a cassette from Peter Murphy of Bauhaus. In 1989 Cellier received a Grammy for Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares, Volume Two.
Influence
The influence reached far. Three soloists performed as Trio Bulgarka and sang on records by Kate Bush. The Bulgarian melody Kaval sviri formed the basis of the theme music of the television series Xena: Warrior Princess. In this way the choir brought the sound of Bulgarian folk music to an audience that had never heard of Bulgaria.
Listening
Pilentze Pee · The Bulgarian Voices - Angelite, 1994