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" Maritza Rushes", also known as the "
Chernyaev Chernyaev or Chernyayev () is a Russian masculine surname, its feminine counterpart is Chernyaeva. It may refer to * Anatoly Chernyaev (1921–2017), Russian historian and writer * Ilya Chernyaev (1893–1966), Russian and Soviet chemist * Irina Che ...
March", was the
Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...
n
national anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European ...
from 1886 until 1947. The music was derived from the
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
folk song Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be ca ...
Wenn die Soldaten durch die Stadt marschieren“ that was popular in
Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...
during the mid-19th century. The original text was written by Nikola Zhivkov, a head teacher in
Veles Veles may refer to: *Veles (god), a Slavic god *Veles Municipality, in North Macedonia *Veles, North Macedonia, a city, seat of the municipality, formerly called Titov Veles *Veles Bastion, Stribog Mountains on Brabant Island, Antarctica *Veles, s ...
(now in
North Macedonia North Macedonia, officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo to the northwest and Serbia to the n ...
). The lyrics were edited many times, most notably in 1912 by the poet
Ivan Vazov Ivan Minchov Vazov (; – 22 September 1921) was a Bulgarian poet, novelist, and playwright, often referred to as "the Patriarch of Bulgarian literature". He was born in Sopot, a town in the Rose Valley of Bulgaria (then part of the Ottoman Em ...
. The title refers to the
Maritsa Maritsa or Maritza ( ), also known as Evros ( ) and Meriç ( ), is a river that runs through the Balkans in Southeast Europe. With a length of ,
, a river in the
Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...
.


History


History of the melody

In 1839 in Breslau, the poet Alexander Kosmar created the satirical farce "The Pirates". Originally, the song was performed with entertainment and satirical sense in
cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...
s. It quickly gained popularity, and soon the melody of the song became the German song "Wenn die Soldaten durch die Stadt marschieren". The melody of the anthem was introduced to Bulgaria by Atanas Gratinski. He heard the song in the city of Shumen, when the Crocus Orchestra from Hungarian emigrants that settled in the city performed the German song „ Wenn die Soldaten durch die Stadt marschiern“ ("When the Soldiers March Through the City"). The melody inspired Gratinski to adjust the song to the poem ''Sunshine'' which he created between 1855 and 1856 and taught the song to his students. The song become popular in Bulgaria. In the beginning of 1925, a competition for musical harmonization of the anthem was announced. The scientific archive of the
Bulgarian Academy of Sciences The Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (abbreviated BAS; , ''Bŭlgarska akademiya na naukite'', abbreviated БАН) is the National Academy of Bulgaria, established in 1869. The Academy, with headquarters in Sofia, is autonomous and consists of a S ...
maintains 15 projects for the composition, some of which composed anonymously, while the other projects was composed by Georgi Atanasov, Ivan Kasabov, Nikola Yordanov,
Dobri Hristov Dobri Hristov (; 14 December 1875 – 23 January 1941) was one of the major Bulgarian composers of the 20th century. He wrote mainly choral music, as well as some church music and music for the orchestra. Hristov was born in Varna, then in the ...
and other composers. In 1935 a proposal was made to merge this song with the royal anthem of Bulgaria. The proposal was worked on by Pancho Vladigerov and Menakhem Bensusan, but it eventually failed. However, after the project, the royal anthem was performed after "Maritza Roars" without interruption.


History of the lyrics

Nikola Zhivkov created the lyrics of the song when he was among the Bulgarian volunteers who participated in the Serbian-Turkish war that broke out in 1876. He created the song because of his admiration to the personality and charisma of General Mikhail Chernyayev, who commands the Bulgarian volunteers. The song was originally composed under the title of "Chernyaev March". The melody of the song was inspired by the musical poem ''Sunshine''. The "Chernyaev March" was first published in 1877 in the newspaper ''Sekidnevni Novinar'' by S.P. Bobekov, and then in 1878 in the album ''Gusla i pesni''. The title of the song was later changed to „“ at the play ''Ilyo Voyvoda''. The song was published at the end of the play. The lyrics of the song underwent a major revision by poet Ivan Vazov in 1912. Covered by the patriotic enthusiasm after the first victories during the Balkan War, the folk poet wrote almost entirely new lyrics of the song, borrowing motifs from his own poem ''Maritza rushes bloodily'', which would be the first and second line of the song. He published it for the first time on 4 December 1912 with the following editorial note: Another minor revision was done in 1914. The revision appeared in the poem collection ''Under the Thunder of Victories''. Because of the
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, the revision gained small attention. This has led Ivan Vazov to republish the text in his poem ''Songs for Macedonia 1913–1916'' printed in 1916 with the following remark: There are some other attempts to revise the text in the following years, but proved unsuccessful.


Usage of the anthem

The anthem was used as the official Bulgarian anthem from the
Bulgarian unification The Unification of Bulgaria () was the act of unification of the Principality of Bulgaria and the province of Eastern Rumelia in the autumn of 1885. It was co-ordinated by the Bulgarian Secret Central Revolutionary Committee (BSCRC). Both had ...
in 1885, and was relinquished in 1947, replaced by the anthem " Our Republic, Hail!".


Notable performances of the anthem

The anthem was last played as the national anthem of Bulgaria on 1 January 1947 by the
Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...
's
Alexandrov Ensemble The Alexandrov Ensemble (), commonly known as the Red Army Choir in the West, is an official army choir of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Russian armed forces. Founded during the History of the Soviet Union, Soviet era, the ense ...
, at a reception given by the President of the 6th Grand National Assembly,
Vasil Kolarov Vasil Petrov Kolarov (; 16 July 1877 – 23 January 1950) was a Bulgarian communist political leader and leading functionary in the Communist International (Comintern). Biography Early years Kolarov was born in Şumnu, Ottoman Empire (now Shum ...
. According to the newspaper "Fatherland Front", the Botev celebrations in Bulgaria was opened on 2 June 1947 with "Maritza Rushes".


Status of the anthem in the Bulgarian People's Republic

The anthem served as a '' de facto'' anthem in the Bulgarian People's Republic, due to the absence of mention of the anthem at the constitution of that time, the
Dimitrov Constitution The Dimitrov Constitution was the second Constitution of Bulgaria, in effect from 1947 to 1971.Konstantinov, EmilConstitutional Foundation of Bulgaria (Historical Parallels). Rigas Network, 2002. It formed the legal basis for Communist rule in ...
. During the era of the Bulgarian People's Republic, "Maritza Rushes" is almost always associated negatively. During these times, the lyricist
Ivan Vazov Ivan Minchov Vazov (; – 22 September 1921) was a Bulgarian poet, novelist, and playwright, often referred to as "the Patriarch of Bulgarian literature". He was born in Sopot, a town in the Rose Valley of Bulgaria (then part of the Ottoman Em ...
was considered a ''
petite bourgeoisie ''Petite bourgeoisie'' (, ; also anglicised as petty bourgeoisie) is a term that refers to a social class composed of small business owners, shopkeepers, small-scale merchants, semi- autonomous peasants, and artisans. They are named as s ...
''. During the regime, the song was considered to be written by a bourgeois poet, performed during bourgeois times, and was reminiscent of the monarchical regime. Even though the anthem was considered bourgeois, there was no indication that the anthem was banned during the regime.


Proposals of the readoption of the anthem

During the discussion for the new constitution of Bulgaria in the 7th Grand National Assembly, there are some proposals submitted for a new anthem. The most popular proposal include the readoption of "Maritza Rushes" as the national anthem of Bulgaria.


Performance of the anthem in the battlefield

The anthem was the standard march of the Bulgarian Army in the battlefield. During the
Serbo-Bulgarian War The Serbo-Bulgarian War or the Serbian–Bulgarian War (, ''Srăbsko-bălgarska voyna'', , ''Srpsko-bugarski rat''), a war between the Kingdom of Serbia and the Principality of Bulgaria, erupted on and lasted until . Despite Bulgaria's statu ...
and the
Balkan Wars The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans, Balkan states in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan states of Kingdom of Greece (Glücksburg), Greece, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia, Kingdom of Montenegro, M ...
, the Bulgarian Army fought while chanting the anthem's lyrics. The military orchestra constantly plays the anthem during the battle, even when their instruments are shot by enemy bullets and broken by grenades.


Russo-Turkish War

During the Second Battle of Shipka Pass in the
Russo-Turkish War The Russo-Turkish wars ( ), or the Russo-Ottoman wars (), began in 1568 and continued intermittently until 1918. They consisted of twelve conflicts in total, making them one of the longest series of wars in the history of Europe. All but four of ...
, the Russian command saw that the spiked position couldn't be held back any more. General Stoletov, the commander of the Bulgarian forces, took a decision to retreat. The Russian regiments retreat along the Gabrovo highway to slow Turkish troops. The Bulgarian volunteers were at the Shipka Peak, while the Turkish forces were ''en route'' to capture the Bulgarian positions. Bravely, Major Chilyayev stood on a rock and sang "Maritza Rushes". When they heard it, the volunteers stopped and slammed their march, and threw themselves in a
bayonet charge A bayonet (from Old French , now spelt ) is a -4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... , now spelt ) is a knife, dagger">knife">-4; we might wonder whethe ...
. The Turks saw the frenzied Bulgarians in front of them and retreated from their position.


Serbo-Bulgarian War

During the
Battle of Slivnitsa The Battle of Slivnitsa (, ) was a battle between the Bulgarian army and the Royal Serbian Army on 17–19 November 1885, in the Serbo-Bulgarian War. The Bulgarian victory solidified the unification between the Principality of Bulgaria and ...
, part of the
Serbo-Bulgarian War The Serbo-Bulgarian War or the Serbian–Bulgarian War (, ''Srăbsko-bălgarska voyna'', , ''Srpsko-bugarski rat''), a war between the Kingdom of Serbia and the Principality of Bulgaria, erupted on and lasted until . Despite Bulgaria's statu ...
in 1885, a large group of the Serbian Army was defending their positions at
Slivnitsa Slivnitsa ( ) is a town in western Bulgaria, 22 km away from Sofia, lying on the main road connecting the capital with the Bulgarian-Serbian border. Slivnitsa is part of Sofia Province and is close to the towns of Kostinbrod and Dragoman. ...
and was reinforced before by a 135-kilometer march from southern Bulgaria to the Slivnitsa position. When the two battalions of the Serbian Army' Danubian Regiment arrived on the battlefield, Captain Benderev as the commander of the Bulgarian Army issued order to take Serbian positions immediately. This attack of the Danube Regiment is the most glorious and most important moment in Bulgarian history. Without a fight, in the performance of "Maritza Rushes", the Danube Regiment quickly climbed on a steep cliff. When the Serbian Army heard the lyrics, they escaped panically. The attack by the Bulgarian Army ended the battle with the Serbs retreating.


Balkan Wars


First Balkan War

On 16 October 1912, at Karaağaç, the commander of the 18th King Ferdinand I regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Antonov saw the advancing Turkish infantry battalions. He took over the regal shrine and with a sword taken out, under the anthem's lyrics performed by the regimental brass band, he led the attack of his army. The attacking forces of the Turkish Army were dismissed, and the regiment's advance and division continued with complete success. On the night of 12 March 1913, the commander of the 23rd "Shipka" Infantry Regiment received the task of storming the Ayvaz Baba, a fort in the eastern sector of the Edirne defence. The regiment commander, Colonel Ivan Pashinov, judged that he would not be able to pass the wire barriers on the fortress. Nevertheless, he brought with him the regimental flag and, during the performance of "Maritza Rushes" by the regimental music, he led his regiment forward. Under a hail of bullets and shrapnels, the regiment overcame the enemy wire barriers, and at approximately 5:30 pm on 13 March, the regimental flag waved over the captured Ayvaz Baba fort.


Second Balkan War

During the Second Balkan War in the summer of 1913, when the Modra Wall (Serbia) attacked, the 34th "Trojan" Infantry Regiment, headed by its captain, found itself behind the right wing of the Serbs. Frightened by the setting, he ordered the musicians to lie down in a clearing. At that time Trojans started the attack. The Captainmaster raises his subordinates and the boxing music starts playing "Shumi Maritza". This gives forces to the attackers, and the enemy begins escaping, as during the Serbian-Bulgarian War. Of the captured prisoners, it is understood that against the Bulgarian four companies, the Serbian command has opposed an infantry brigade with two artillery batteries and 22 machine guns. To the question of why their escapes have left their positions, the captives responded.


Lyrics


1914 revision


1912 revision


Original version from 1876


See also

* Anthem of His Majesty the Tsar * „
Mila Rodino "" ( ; ) is the national anthem of Bulgaria. It was composed and written by Tsvetan Radoslavov as he left to fight in the Serbo-Bulgarian War in 1885. It was adopted in 1964. Its lyrics have been changed many times, most recently in 1990. On 12 J ...


Notes


References


External links


Listen to "Shumi Maritsa" (WMA files)
{{Former anthems of Europe 1876 songs Bulgarian patriotic songs Historical national anthems National symbols of Bulgaria European anthems Maritsa