Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
Date of Degree
9-2026
Document Type
Doctoral Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Program
Music
Advisor
Kofi Agawu
Committee Members
Anaar Desai-Stephens
Kalin Kirilov
L. Poundie Burstein
Subject Categories
Music Theory
Keywords
eastern Europe, vocal, transcription, comparative analysis, modulation, drone
Abstract
This dissertation investigates developments in arrangements and compositions made for Bulgarian choirs between 1950 and 2025. Arrangements from Bulgaria’s communist period (1944-1989), when musical radio broadcasts were tailored to promote nationalist sentiment, eventually reached the ears of foreigners on the other side of the Iron Curtain via recordings and ensemble tours. These obrabotki (arrangements of folk tunes) became popular in the “world music” boom of the 1980s, and foreign composers soon began to create new compositions for Bulgarian choirs to sing on albums and in scores for film, television, and video games. Over time, the uses of Bulgarian choir in foreign popular media have become more musically diverse, and the themes with which it is associated have multiplied far beyond evocations of eastern Europe or women’s empowerment.
After chapter 1 reviews relevant history, chapter 2 presents an exploration of tonicization practices in obrabotki written in Bulgaria during the communist period, arguing that the mode of the original melody helps determine the level of flexibility in tonicization. Chapter 3 analyzes Kate Bush’s collaboration with Trio Bŭlgarka on two albums, showing how traditional vocal techniques are given new meanings for new projects. Chapter 4 examines trends in drone, harmony, and Bulgarian language across three decades of film and television uses of Bulgarian choir, identifying areas of stasis and change in how characteristic features of obrabotki are reproduced. Chapter 5 offers two case studies of video game scores, exploring how musical norms seem to develop differently in culturally different markets. Finally, chapter 6 summarizes the findings and discusses avenues for future research. The broad chronological scope of the work provides context for the examples chosen for close musical analysis, many of which have not previously been analyzed in print.
Recommended Citation
Beliveau, Annie, "Analyzing Harmony in Bulgarian and Bulgarian-Influenced Choral Arrangements from the Radio to the Screen" (2026). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/6850
