The History of Music and the Ethnomusicology (or Musical Folklore) have been part of the curriculum at the Academy since the very beginning. As early as the 1920s, Dimitar Hadzhigeorgiev (1873 – 1932) and Dimitar Radev (1874 – 1952) compiled course books on music history.
One of Bulgaria’s first professional musicologists, Prof. Stoyan Brashovanov, Ph.D. (1888 – 1956), who earned a doctorate from the Leipiz University on the rhythmical characteristics of Bulgarian folk songs in 1923, is a prominent name in the history of the department and a full-time professor in history of music at the Academy. Prof. Stoyan Dzhudzhev, Ph.D. (1902 – 1998) is the main person behind the Ethnomusicology course (which in the past has been called Bulgarian Musical Folklore). He was a graduate of the Paris Sorbonne, where he earned a doctorate on the rhythmical characteristics of Bulgarian folk songs in 1931. He started teaching at the National Academy of Music in 1934. Before that one of the professors in ethnomusicology was the prominent Dobri Hristov, who laid the foundations for the theory of Bulgarian folklore music.
In 1947, the Music Science Department was founded, with first Head of Department Prof. Stoyan Brashovanov. The course in Church music was part of the department and was taught by Petar Dinev (1889 – 1980), a distinguished expert and researcher. In the 1950s, Head of Department was Prof. Stoyan Dzhudzhev, Ph.D. In the second half of the 1960s, the History of Music and Musical Folklore Department was created.
The courses in History of Music, Ethnomusicology and History of Bulgarian Music make up a significant part of the professional education and development of students from all academic majors. They provide solid foundation for wide professional knowledge and musical culture. The syllabuses are tailored to supplement the knowledge that students receive from other theoretical courses like Harmony, Polyphony, Music Analysis, Composition, Orchestration etc.
In the early 1990s, the various foreign language courses, including Bulgarian as a Foreign Language, were incorporated within the Department – in the past, they were a separate department, which worked with all higher art education institutions in Sofia. At different times, the Art History course was also part of the History of Music and Ethnomusicology Department.
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Current Academic Staff
History of Music
Prof. Natasha Yapova, Ph.D.
Prof. Emilia Kolarova, Ph.D.
Prof. Yuliyan Kuyumdzhiev, Ph.D.
Assoc. Prof. Iliya Gramatikov, Ph.D.
Chief Assistant Petya Tsvetanova, Ph.D.
Ethnomusicology
Prof. Goritsa Naydenova, Ph.D.
Assoc. Prof. Manuela Boncheva, Ph.D.
Old Bulgarian Music
Corresponding Member, Prof. Svetlana Kuyumdzhieva, part-time lecturer
Foreign Languages
Lyubov Taseva (English)
Antonia Bozhkova (English)
Peti Nakeva (French)
Sava Slavchev, Ph.D. (Italian)
Irina Ilieva (German)
Irina Azaryan (Russian), part-time lecturer
Bulgarian as a Foreign Language
Bonka Vasileva, Ph.D.
Savina Savova-Vacheva, part-time lecturer
Virginia Goranova, part-time lecturer
Tanya Ilieva, part-time lecturer
Aspasia Borisova, part-time lecturer
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FORMER ACADEMIC STAFF
History of Music
Prof. Dimitar Hadzhigeorgiev (1873 – 1932)
Prof. Dimitar Radev (1874 – 1952)
Prof. Stoyan Brashovanov, Ph.D. (1888 – 1956)
Stoyan Paunchev, Ph.D. (1916 – 1946), part-time lecturer
Assoc. Prof. Dora Georgieva-Marinska (1914 – 2002)
Prof. Venelin Krastev (1919 – 2015)
Prof. Stoyan Petrov (1916 – 1994)
Lyubomir Sagaev (1917 – 2001), part-time lecturer on history of opera
Prof. Stefan Lazarov, Ph.D., part-time lecturer on history of opera
Prof. Ivan Hlebarov, Sc.D. (1934 – 2015)
Assoc. Prof. Kipriana Belivanova, Ph.D. (1942 – 2001)
Lili Kracheva, Ph.D. (1957 – 2019), part-time lecturer
Prof. Maria Kostakeva, Ph.D.
Yanina Bogdanova, part-time lecturer
Assoc. Prof. Lachezar Karanlakov
Prof. Anda Palieva, Ph.D.
Bulgarian Music Folklore
Prof. Stoyan Dzhudzhev, Ph.D. (1902 – 1997)
Anton Nikolov (1906 – 1971)
Lilyana Tsoneva
Assoc. Prof. Manol Todorov (1925 – 2019)
Acad. Nikolay Kaufmann (1925 – 2018)
Emil Georgiev (1925 – 1992)
Assoc. Prof. Svetlana Zaharieva (1937 – 2013), part-time lecturer
Assoc. Prof. Maria Samokovlieva, part-time lecturer
Blagovesta Nikolova
Prof. Dimitrina Kaufmann, Ph.D.
Prof. Lidia Litova-Nikolova (1943 – 2021)
Church Music
Hristo Popstoyanov (1876 – 1936), part-time lecturer
Petar Dinev (1889 – 1980), part-time lecturer
Angel Popkonstantinov (1905 – 1981), part-time lecturer
Geogri Popvasilev (1905 – 1992), part-time lecturer
Art History
Prof. Atanas Bozhkov (1929 – 1995), part-time lecturer
Assoc. Prof. Dimitar Dimitrov (1939 – 2009)
Prof. Ivan Marazov, part-time lecturer
Assoc. Prof. Radostin Chomakov (1937 – 2016)
Penka Kazandzhieva, Ph.D.
English
Veselina Zaharieva-Korovska (1947 – 2003)
Marin Sirakov, part-time lecturer
Ani Dzhelepova
French
Nadezhda Bakalova
Snezhina Bezhkova
Prof. Blagoy Mavrov (1897 – 1969)
Stefan Mavrov
German
Radka Kazandzhieva-Padeva
Todor Ivanov, Ph.D.
Anna Padeva, part-time lecturer
Assoc. Prof. Kalina Minkova, Ph.D.
Italian
Prof. Blagoy Mavrov (1897 – 1969)
Valentina Topuzova, part-time lecturer
Lyuba Nikiforova, part-time lecturer
Iskra Arnaudova
Kamelia Varbanova, part-time lecturer
Petya Dobreva (Milkova)
Russian
Vera Oranska, part-time lecturer
Ivan Raev
Nikolay Manzov, part-time lecturer
Valentina Polyanova, part-time lecturer
Reina Liggi
Nina Kostenko
Lyudmila Pesheva
Latin and Ancient Greek
Rada Grigorova, part-time lecturer
Elena Vasileva, part-time lecturer
Stefan Mavrov (Latin)
Bulgarian as a Foreign Language
Stefka Bachvarova
Gergana Holyanova
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HEADS OF THE DEPARTMENT
Prof. Stoyan Brashovanov, Ph.D. (1888 – 1956)
Prof. Stoyan Dzhudzhev, Ph.D. (1902 – 1997)
Assoc. Prof. Dora Georgieva-Marinska (1914 – 2002)
Prof. Stoyan Petrov (1916 – 1994)
Prof. Ivan Hlebarov, Sc.D. (1934 – 2015)
Prof. Lidia Litova, Ph.D.
Prof. Anda Palieva, Ph.D.
Assoc. Prof. Manuela Boncheva, Ph.D.
Assoc. Prof. Iliya Gramatikov, Ph.D.