Petko Staynov (

Bulgarian Bulgarian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Bulgaria * Bulgarians, a South Slavic ethnic group * Bulgarian language, a Slavic language * Bulgarian alphabet * A citizen of Bulgaria, see Demographics of Bulgaria * Bul ...

: Петко Стайнов; December 1, 1896 in

Kazanlak Kazanlak ( bg, Казанлък , Thracian and Greek Σευθόπολις (''Seuthopolis''), tr, Kazanlık) is a Bulgarian town in Stara Zagora Province, located in the middle of the plain of the same name, at the foot of the Balkan mountain ...

– June 25, 1977) was a

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

and

pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...

. He enriched the Bulgarian musical culture and contributed considerably to its development. A composer of great creative talent, of wide musical and general culture, possessing a keen sense for the topical ideas of modern time, he dedicated his entire life and all his abilities to Bulgarian music and musical culture, and to the

Bulgarian Academy of Sciences The Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (abbreviated BAS; bg, Българска академия на науките, ''Balgarska akademiya na naukite'', abbreviated ''БАН'') is the National Academy of Bulgaria, established in 1869. The Academy ...

Life

At the age of six Staynov injured one of his eyes; as a result, the other eye was also infected. At 11 he lost his sight completely. He graduated from the Institute for the Blind in

Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and ha ...

(1915), where his talent for music showed for the first time. Later he studied music with Andrei Stoyanov and made his initial attempts at composing. In 1920 he left for

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

for a year of studies at the Private Musical Lyceum in

Braunschweig Braunschweig () or Brunswick ( , from Low German ''Brunswiek'' , Braunschweig dialect: ''Bronswiek'') is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, north of the Harz Mountains at the farthest navigable point of the river Oker, which connects it to the Nor ...

. In 1923 he graduated from the

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...

Musical Conservatory, majoring in composition under Alexander Wolf and in piano under Ernst Munch. Having returned to Kazanluk in 1925, he created his first major work: the Thracian Dances symphonic suite in three movements. He later added an additional movement to the suite, Mechkarsko (The Bear Warder's Dance, 1926). In 1927 he moved to Sofia and began teaching piano at the Institute for the Blind. Petko Staynov worked mainly in the genres of

symphonic A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning com ...

and

choral A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which ...

music. Being equally talented in both, he generalised some trends in Bulgarian musical creativity and opened new vistas to its development. He adapted the European musical tradition to the Bulgarian way of thinking, to the abilities of both performers and listeners, to the natural process of advancement of the national music. From European music Staynov adopted some expressive devices and forms, the resources of the

symphony orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, ce ...

, the construction of a well-engineered structure. What characterises him as a markedly Bulgarian musical creative artist is the introduction of a Bulgarian musical style of his own. This style was expressed to its fullest in the completely independent melody (without direct quoting of folk music) and in the harmonic language of his work. The idea of his compositions is clarified through the lyrics of his choral songs and ballads and through the programmatic titles of most of his symphonic works.

Works

Staynov's symphonic output includes the suites ''

Thracian The Thracians (; grc, Θρᾷκες ''Thrāikes''; la, Thraci) were an Indo-European speaking people who inhabited large parts of Eastern and Southeastern Europe in ancient history.. "The Thracians were an Indo-European people who occupied t ...

Dances'' (1925, 1926) and ''A Fairy Tale'' (1930), the symphonic poems ''A Legend'' (1927) and ''Thrace'' (1937), ''Symphonic Scherzo'' (1930), the concert overtures ''Balkan'' and ''Youth Overture'' (1936 and 1953), two symphonies (1945 and 1949). They reveal the beauty of his native land, the fervour of folk dances, and evoke fairy-tale images. His two symphonies are marked by deeply felt philosophic generalisations. Staynov's symphonic works breathe powerful philosophic suggestions, while some of them, like, for example, ''Thracian Dances'' and ''Thrace'', have become symbolic for Bulgarian music. Petko Staynov's choral songs reveal features of the Bulgarian people's character (''A Fir Tree Is Bending''; ''A Bright Sun Has Risen''; ''Hey, Ivan''; ''Play a Tune, Dimo''; ''Oh, That Man Dimo''; ''Hey, Dimo''). Till the early 1930s, he followed the traditions of choral art laid by the first composers in the genre, introducing at the same time elements of his own style. With his choral ballads Staynov laid the foundation of a whole new field in Bulgarian music. In them he recreated mainly dramatic events from Bulgaria's older and new history and thus achieved a national ballad sound (e.g. ''The Secret of

Struma River The Struma or Strymónas ( bg, Струма ; el, Στρυμόνας ; tr, (Struma) Karasu , 'black water') is a river in Bulgaria and Greece. Its ancient name was Strymṓn (Greek: Στρυμών ). Its drainage area is , of which in Bulgaria, ...

'', 1931; ''Urvich'' for mixed choir on lyrics by N. Rakitin, 1933; ''Horsemen'', 1932; ''One Hundred and Twenty Men'' for male choir on lyrics by P.P. Slaveykov, 1935; ''A Maiden's Lament'' for mixed choir on lyrics by T. Kunev. 1936; ''Comrade Anton'' for mixed choir on lyrics by I. Radoev, 1954; ''Godfather German'' for mixed choir on lyrics by D. Panteleev, 1955). For his ballads, the composer employed elements from the national intonation fund, but the strictly folk sounding would have impeded his creative fervour in achieving effective dramatic narration. Staynov's ballads pose technical difficulties to their performers and have remained to the present day a touchstone for the performing mastery of Bulgarian choirs. His overall work in both the symphonic and the choral genres contributed to some neglected stages in the development of Bulgarian music and thus further established his status as an outstanding figure in Bulgarian musical culture.

Public offices

Petko Staynov held the chair of the Union of Folk Choirs in Bulgaria (the Bulgarian Singing Union) and of the Contemporary Music Association of Bulgarian Composers (1933–44), and served as Director of the National Opera (1941–44). In 1941 he was elected Regular Member (Academician) of the

and in 1948 he became Director of the newly founded Institute for Music with Museum (later Institute of Musicology) with the Academy; held this position to the end of his days. He was also member of the Presidium of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. Academician-Secretary of the Department of Arts and Culture at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences was among the other positions he held. Under his wise and competent direction, these institutions, unions, associations and other organizations reached the highest levels of their achievements. In 1965, he founded National Festival of Bulgarian Folk Art with Rayna Katsarova and Anna Kamenova. Petko Staynov's ideas about the social functions of music, about the significance of folk music for the creativity of Bulgarian composers, about the creation of a Bulgarian musical style, choral singing, choirs, school musical education, composers and their works, performers and events in the country's musical life were laid down in numerous articles, most of which were published in the collection ''Petko Staynov: On Bulgarian Musical Culture'', 1967. Petko Staynov held numerous high state awards. He died on June 25, 1977. Petko Staynov's Grave

References

External links

Peter Staynov's Home websitePeter Grouev Staynov Foundation websitePetko Staynov; Music and Legacy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Staynov, Petko 1896 births 1977 deaths Bulgarian classical composers People from Kazanlak Blind classical musicians Burials at Central Sofia Cemetery Members of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Hochschule für Musik Carl Maria von Weber alumni 20th-century classical composers Male classical composers 20th-century male musicians