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 disease of the kidneys. On January 30th, 2014 were marked.[1]
Early life[edit]
Born on 30th January, 1914 in Sevlievo, Boris Nikolov Mashalov was coming from a family of singers and craftsmen. The talent for singing came from his father’s side and it had been in the family since the first one or two decades of 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 knows 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 had always taken part of 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 to become house-painters. He worked while singing.
Own family[edit]
Boris married his wife Bogdana in 1937. They had three children: Dobrinka (the eldest), Milan, and Rayna (the youngest).
Career[edit]
The beginning of his folklore career[edit]
In 1937 Boris Mashalov met the musicologist Subcho Subev who takes Boris to Bulgarian National Radio on 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 the 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 a head. They travelled cities and villages to popularize the 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 disease of the kidneys.
Songs[edit]
His repertory includes more than 400 songs.
References[edit]
- ↑ 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[edit]
1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQFRdXAQ8EU
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKcYIcdtTHQ
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