The mountain of ancient Orpheus - the Rhodopes, South Bulgaria, is the most differentiated as a region. Here the population sings unique in their musical and poetical structure folk songs and it has its own musical instruments and dances. During the Great migration of peoples, around VII century AD the Slavonic tribe "Smoleni" took here the central place and the main settlement in the mountain region now - Smolyan - inherited their name. In the Rhodopies region everybody sings - men, women, solo and together. Most of the melodies are constructed in the old mode Pentatonic. This ancient structure of the melody gives majestic sonority to the slow, rich ornamented songs. They tell about the heard shepherds’ life and the love sorrow of the lasses, who are waiting for them to come back from the White Sea region where they pasture their flocks during the winter time.Almost the whole population sings its songs in one voice.
The Rhodopi Mountains
The mountain of ancient Orpheus - the Rhodopes, South Bulgaria, is the most differentiated as a region. Here the population sings unique in their musical and poetical structure folk songs and it has its own musical instruments and dances. During the Great migration of peoples, around VII century AD the Slavonic tribe "Smoleni" took here the central place and the main settlement in the mountain region now - Smolyan - inherited their name. In the Rhodopies region everybody sings - men, women, solo and together. Most of the melodies are constructed in the old mode Pentatonic. This ancient structure of the melody gives majestic sonority to the slow, rich ornamented songs. They tell about the heard shepherds’ life and the love sorrow of the lasses, who are waiting for them to come back from the White Sea region where they pasture their flocks during the winter time.Almost the whole population sings its songs in one voice.
