Macedonian and Balkan Folk Music

Bitov Music

Thanks to Mark Levy for all his work over the years in advocating for traditional Bulgarian folk music. Thanks to Bob Snider for permission to use the recorded pieces for Bucimiš and Pazardžiska Rŭčenica (you can purchase CDs of this music from him).

All the transcriptions below are available as a zip archive (464KB).

You should not think of the transcriptions as the last word on what's recorded: I sometimes combined versions of melodies into one, or had to guess at some of the ornaments. Speaking of ornaments, I have finally completed a legible key of the kaval ornaments I use for these transcriptions. For more specific questions, feel free to ask me via the contact form.

Name Transcription mp3 Real Audio Midi
Bučimiš Yes Yes Yes Yes
Dajčovo Horo (Kolev) Yes No No Yes
Gankino (Koutev) Yes Yes Yes Yes
Pazardžiska Rŭčenica Yes Yes Yes Yes
Piperovo Horo Yes Yes Yes Yes
Strandžansko Horo Yes No No Yes