Music and Texts of GARY BACHLUND
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On "Der stiler bulgar" - (2023)
Found as early as collections around 1908, one learns "bulgar is a type of Yiddish music. Originating in Bessarabia (now Moldova), where northeast Romania meets Ukraine, Bulgar has a distinctive rhythm that is supposed to be “Bulgarian” (not a common Bulgarian rhythm, to be sure, though a significant Bulgarian minority lived in southern Bessarabia)." And interestingly, Benny Goodman’s trumpet player Ziggy Elman used the tune as "Fralich in Swing" for which Johnny Mercer wrote lyrics, changing the title to “And the Angels Sing”. In the slower tempo and with lyrics, it became a hit in 1939.
3 pages, circa 3' 30" - an MP3 demo is here:
The score is available as a free PDF download, though any major commercial performance or recording of the work is prohibited without prior arrangement with the composer. Click on the graphic below for this score.
