Boris Mashalov
The Bulgarian folklore singer, Boris Mashalov, born on January 30th, 1914 in Sevlievo, Northern Bulgaria was one of the magical voices Bulgaria has ever had. His voice was heard in many countries during tours. However, he died young at the age of 48 from a disease of the kidneys. On January 30th, 2014, his birth was marked.[1]
Early life
Born on 30th January, 1914 in Sevlievo, Boris Nikolov Mashalov came from a family of singers and craftsmen. The talent for singing came from his father’s side and had been in the family since the first one or two decades of the 19th century. Their family name was Dimitrovi. Boris’ great grandfather, Dimitar, bred beautiful horses and whenever Turks saw him (during the Ottoman yoke), they called the horses “Mashala, mashala” (i.e. beautiful). Therefore, Boris’ grandfather’s nickname became Dimitar “The Mashala”. Based on this, their surname changed from Dimitrovi to Mashalovi. Boris’ grandfather was known to have had a wonderful voice. He was famous for singing all day. Boris’ mother, Elena, came from a wealthy family of merchants where his father, Nikola, worked. They met, fell in love and had five sons and one daughter. Boris always took part in school celebrations, involving singing. However, at some point because of poverty, the family of young Boris and his siblings had to leave Sevlievo and move to Sofia. Boris had to leave school and, together with his brothers, became house-painters. He worked while singing.
Own family
Boris married his wife Bogdana in 1937. They had three children: Dobrinka (the eldest), Milan, and Rayna (the youngest).
Career
The beginning of his folklore career
In 1937 Boris Mashalov met the musicologist Subcho Subev, who took Boris to Bulgarian National Radio for an audition. He became an employee/contributor at the radio. Although, he didn’t stop being a house-painter. Since 1951, he devoted himself to folklore singing. The same year he took part in a contest and won first place, as well as a laureate for music. Later he was given an order “Cyril and Methodius II degree”, then posthumous I degree. A group called “Ogurchinskata” was created with Tsvyatko Blagoev as its head. They travelled cities and villages to popularize Bulgarian folk music. After Boris gained a lot of popularity and became well-known in Bulgaria, he started going on tours with the Military folk ensemble in the Soviet Union, China, Serbia, Albania, Austria, Germany, Hungary and many more. His last concert was in Velingrad, Bulgaria. He was taken to the Military Medical Academy where he was diagnosed with a disease of the kidneys.
Songs
His repertory includes more than 400 songs.
References
- ↑ 100 years since his birth
1. https://bnr.bg/en/post/100292081/folk-singer-boris-mashalov-100-years-since-his-birth
2. https://www.spomen.bg/article/7561090
3. https://songofthecrookddance.com/artists/mashalov.htm
4. https://bulgarianhistory.org/zableqlo-mi-agance
External links: Videos
1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQFRdXAQ8EU
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKcYIcdtTHQ
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