Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2024 All Rights Reserved

The anthem of Bulgaria’s Independence was created on September 22, 1908

Photo: archive

Bulgaria's Independence, solemnly declared in the town of Veliko Tarnovo on September 22, 1908, was celebrated throughout the country on that same day. Especially significant was the celebration in the Black Sea city of Burgas, where the Anthem of Independence was performed for the first time. Its author is Georgi Shagunov - conductor of the 24th Black Sea Infantry Regiment, a musician with a huge contribution to the development of the symphony orchestra and various choirs in Burgas, who also helped lay the foundations of the opera theatre in the city.

Born in Plovdiv in 1873, Georgi Shagunov graduated from the French Catholic College "St. Augustine" in his hometown. His parents sent him to France in the hope that he would study medicine there, but he chose musicinstead. He graduated from the Lycée Saint Jean in Lyon, and then from the Lyon State Conservatory. As a student he was appointed assistant conductor of the Lyon City Brass Band.

Georgi returned to Bulgaria in 1895 and became a military bandmaster. On September 22, 1908, inspired by the great event of the declaration of Bulgaria’s Independence, Shagunov created  both the text and the melody of the anthem, and studied it with the military brass band. Exhilarated, the musicians marched around Burgas, performing the anthem, and the people began to sing along with them.

It is known that Georgi Shagunov was very popular and loved by his fellow citizens, who often danced and had fun to the sounds of the city brass band. He was also the first teacher of brass instruments at the Burgas Music School. He is the author of dozens of marches, the most famous of which is "One Testament".

However, the Anthem of Independence was left in oblivion for many years. Found in the composer's archives, it was brought back to life at the beginning of the new millennium.

English Rositsa Petkova



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Kottarashky with 2 events in Berlin: a premiere of the film Balkan Black Box and a concert

Kottarashky is one of the most intriguing musicians to have appeared on the Bulgarian music scene in the first decade of the 21 st century. The man behind the stage name is Nikola Gruev, and his work is an ongoing genre-blending experiment. He is..

published on 11/5/24 8:23 AM

A concert of Japanese taiko drums group will delight music lovers in Sofia

Lovers of Japanese music will be able to enjoy a concert of traditional Japanese taiko drums performed by the band Wadaiko-Sai from Japan . The concert will be held in the capital's Bulgaria Hall at 7 p.m. as part of the Days of Japanese Culture in..

published on 11/5/24 5:05 AM

Surprise for Bulgarian audiences - Austrian violinist Rainer Honeck and Bulgarian pianist Plamena Mangova give first concert together

Little-known works will be performed by outstanding musicians at the Bulgaria Hall in Sofia on 6 November.  Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge, Op. 10, an early work by Benjamin Britten dedicated to his composition teacher Frank Bridge, will be..

published on 11/4/24 2:32 PM