MUSI111: Encounters In Music
Final Essay
Juliette Keir
Discuss a piece of popular music, in terms of its style, genre and historical context.
Temen Oblak By Christopher Tin
Referencing: Chicago Footnotes
Word Count; 1445
Temen Oblak is a Bulgarian orchestral and choral piece written by Christopher Tin which appears on his
2014 album, ‘The Drop That Contained The Sea’1. Each piece on this album tells a story influenced by
water and the impact water has on our societies and planet. Temen Oblak is an adaptation of Hristo
Botev’s poem ‘A Cloud Of Darkness Has Appeared’ first published in 18732 which tells the story of a
rising storm in the midst of a revolution which is reflected in the music. The style and historical
influence are important when understanding this piece as it is influenced by Bulgarian folklore and
traditional Bulgarian music shapes such as irregular time signatures, one note dissonance and
predominately female vocalists3.
Temen Oblak is an orchestral and choral piece with several movements played by an entire orchestra
and a six part all female choir. The first movement is a slow yet intense introduction to the piece, sung
in forte by all members of the choir with no accompaniment by the orchestra. This moves into time
signature change and tempo change with the main motif of the piece sung by one part, a stark
contrast to the beginning section. The orchestra and other parts join in during this section as it
progresses into a more intense version of this motif. A section similar to the opening comes after this
intense motif section however the vocal quality in this section changes and the dynamics are much
softer than the remainder of the piece. Throughout this section the voices build as parts add as the
piece progresses into the final section. This final section once again includes the motif of the piece and
creates tension until the end.
The style of Temen Oblak is heavily influenced by Bulgarian folklore and traditional Bulgarian music
and is structured on many of the traditional characteristics 1. Bulgarian folklore and music are
predominately sung by women, with the males as the instrumentalists which composer Tin has
followed1. The women use two different types of vocal qualities in the piece, teshka and leka. Teshka is
the loud and nasal sounding vocal tone used often throughout Temen Oblak while leka is a softer and
lyrical sounding quality used throughout section K and L of the piece 1. Temen Oblak is written in an
aeolian mode, a unique characteristic of Bulgarian choral folklore and gives the piece it’s moody
undertone that is carried through by the lyrics and motif of the piece 4. These three pieces also use one
note dissonance and second intervals to achieve the traditional folklore sound regularly throughout
the pieces, rarely solving the dissonance. This one note dissonance is another example of a traditional
characteristic and has been used in music since before the communism era 4. Composer Tin uses
second interval dissonance consistently throughout Temen Oblak, especially when building tension
and transitioning into another section of the piece. Tin also uses an irregular time signature, 7/8, and
changes the time signature throughout the piece from 2/2 to 4/4 which is common in folklore songs
such as Ergen Deda and Kaval Sviri4 and differs from other eastern European music 5. These irregular
and changing time signatures help to increase tension and provides unique accents which both can be
heard in Temen Oblak6.
1
Tin, Christopher. 2014. "Christopher Tin - The Drop That Contained The Sea". Christophertin.Com.
2
Botev, Hristo. 2001. The Poems Of Hristo Botev, Христо Ботев, Стихотворения. United States of America: Project Gutenberg.
3
Henrich, Nathalie, Mara Kiek, John Smith, and Joe Wolfe. 2007. "Resonance Strategies Used In Bulgarian Women's Singing Style: A Pilot
Study". Logopedics Phoniatrics Vocology 32 (4): 171-177. doi:10.1080/14015430600891504.
4
Ivanova Iotova, Anelia. 2013. Traits Of Bulgarian Folk Music. Bulgaria: Research Gate.
5
Goldberg, Daniel Lawrence. 2017. "Bulgarian Meter In Performance". PHD, Yale University.
6
globalsciencellc. 2020. "Bulgaria Arts And Literature – Global Europe". Globalsciencellc.Com. https://www.globalsciencellc.com/bulgaria-arts-
and-literature/.
Examples of irregular time signatures in Temen Oblak and other traditional Bulgarian folklore choral
pieces:
Figure 1: Temen Oblak by Christopher Tin, one time signature 7/8.
Figure 2: Kaval Sviri by Joseph LoDuca, two time signatures 6/8 and 9/8.
Figure 3:
Ergen Deda
by Peter Lyondev, one time signature 7/16.
In all three pieces, it is evident that all three have irregular time signatures that do not conform to
‘regular’ and ‘standard’ time signatures popular in Western and Eastern Europe during the mid-19 th
century.
These three pieces also use one note dissonance and second intervals to achieve the traditional
folklore sound regularly throughout the pieces, rarely solving the dissonance. This one note dissonance
is another example of a traditional characteristic and has been used in music since before the
communism era4.
In many traditional Bulgarian pieces, the repeating melody throughout the piece is often accompanied
by another part singing the same words but singing only one note underneath 7. This melody is often
7
Kirilov, Kalin Stanchev. 2007. "Harmony In Bulgarian Music". PHD, University of Oregon.
the motif of the piece and weaves its way through the song 8. In Temen Oblak, this motif translates to
‘Oh my grandfather, so what time is it! The plough is dragging’ which can be interpreted in the context
of the lyrics to be talking about the difference between the times of war between a grandfather and
grandson.
Examples of one tone harmony underneath the melody:
Figure 4: Ergen Deda motif
Figure 2: Temen Oblak motif
Figure 6: Kaval Sviri motif
8
Mincheva, Penka Pencheva. 2014. "Characteristics Of Bulgarian Folk Music". International Journal Of Literature And Arts 2 (5): 33.
doi:10.11648/j.ijla.s.2014020501.16.
The lyrics and style of Temen Oblak are influenced by Bulgarian revolutionist Hristo Botev, who’s poem
‘A Cloud of Darkness Has Appeared’ was adapted into the piece 9, and a period of Bulgaria’s oppression
by the Turkish Ottoman Empire10. Hristo Botev was born and raised in Bulgaria in the 1850’s where he
and his father were significantly influenced by the Bulgarian National Revival, where the Bulgarians
were planning on overthrowing the Ottoman Empire 11. The Bulgarian citizens at the time, were widely
oppressed, facing massacre and destruction and often seeking refuge in mountains and fields away
from populated cities12.
Botev was heavily involved in the uprisings throughout his life and he was exiled for his public stand
against the Ottoman Empire which resulted in his death while leading a revolt during the April
Uprising10. During Botev’s times of revolutionary uprisings and poetry writing, Bulgaria was a part of
Eastern Europe’s crisis, named ‘The Eastern Question’ in which many eastern and southern countries in
Europe attempted to gain independence from under the Ottoman Empire’s rule 1212. During this period
in time, Botev wrote ‘A Cloud Of Darkness Has Appeared’. This poem, in which Temen Oblak’s lyrics
were adapted from, depicts Botev’s political opinions on the Turkish Empire in Bulgaria and the
oppression that the poor of his country faced. He wrote about a group of revolutionaries who resisted
the Turkish empire and their revenge on those who committed crimes against their fellow citizens 13.
Botev has used common literary themes seen in other Bulgarian literature. Traditionally, Bulgarian
folklore praises nature in literature as the earth provided them with refuge and farmland and give them
superhero and human qualities14 and uses symbolism to describe the life of the oppressed such as the
use of ‘dark clouds’ taking over the sunlight 5. This is evident in Temen Oblak, the title of the song
directly translates to ‘Dark Cloud’ and the use of lyrics throughout the piece reiterate the feeling of the
oppressed citizens.
To conclude, Temen Oblak by Christopher Tin has been influenced heavily by Hristo Botev’s literature,
the history of Bulgaria in the mid to late 19 th century and by Bulgarian Folklore and traditional music.
The piece both lyrically and musically describes life during the revolutionary and oppressed period of
Bulgaria under the Ottoman Rule through the use of literary devices such as symbolism, poetry and
personification while also using musical characteristics such as irregular time signatures, second
intervals and dissonance.
References
9
Tin, Christopher. 2014. "Christopher Tin - The Drop That Contained The Sea". Christophertin.Com.
10
Henninger, Thomas. 1990. "The Bulgarian National Revival: Enforced Elimination Of Some Turkisms From The Lexis". Canadian Slavonic
Papers32 (1): 1-17.
11
Heraclides, Alexis, and Ada Dialla. 2015. Humanitarian Intervention In The Long Nineteenth Century: Setting The Precedent. Manchester:
Manchester University Press.
12
Editors of Britannica. 2018. "Bulgarian Horrors | European History". Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/event/Bulgarian-
Horrors.
13
Смолянинова, Марина. 2018. "SESDIVA - Hristo Botev". Sesdiva.Eu. https://sesdiva.eu/en/virtual-rooms/national-revival-of-slavs/item/36-
hristo-botev-en.
14
Kremenliev, Boris A. 1956. "Types Of Bulgarian Folk Songs". The Slavonic And East European Review 34 (83): 355-376.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/4204747.
Botev, Hristo. 2001. The Poems Of Hristo Botev, Христо Ботев, Стихотворения. United States of America:
Project Gutenberg.
doi:10.1080/00085006.1990.11091924.
Editors of Britannica. 2018. "Bulgarian Horrors | European History". Encyclopedia Britannica.
https://www.britannica.com/event/Bulgarian-Horrors.
globalsciencellc. 2020. "Bulgaria Arts And Literature – Global Europe". Globalsciencellc.Com.
https://www.globalsciencellc.com/bulgaria-arts-and-literature/.
Goldberg, Daniel Lawrence. 2017. "Bulgarian Meter In Performance". PHD, Yale University.
Henninger, Thomas. 1990. "The Bulgarian National Revival: Enforced Elimination Of Some Turkisms From
The Lexis". Canadian Slavonic Papers32 (1): 1-17.
Henrich, Nathalie, Mara Kiek, John Smith, and Joe Wolfe. 2007. "Resonance Strategies Used In
Bulgarian Women's Singing Style: A Pilot Study". Logopedics Phoniatrics Vocology 32 (4): 171-177.
doi:10.1080/14015430600891504.
Heraclides, Alexis, and Ada Dialla. 2015. Humanitarian Intervention In The Long Nineteenth Century: Setting The
Precedent. Manchester: Manchester University Press.
https://christophertin.com/albums/thedropthatcontainedthesea.html.
Ivanova Iotova, Anelia. 2013. Traits Of Bulgarian Folk Music. Bulgaria: Research Gate.
Kirilov, Kalin Stanchev. 2007. "Harmony In Bulgarian Music". PHD, University of Oregon.
Kremenliev, Boris A. 1956. "Types Of Bulgarian Folk Songs". The Slavonic And East European Review 34 (83):
355-376. https://www.jstor.org/stable/4204747.
Mincheva, Penka Pencheva. 2014. "Characteristics Of Bulgarian Folk Music". International Journal Of Literature
And Arts 2 (5): 33. doi:10.11648/j.ijla.s.2014020501.16.
Paliev, Dobri. 1996. "The Metrorhythmic Structure Of Bulgarian Folk Music". Percussive Notes; Indianapolis 34
(3): 37-47.
Tin, Christopher. 2014. "Christopher Tin - The Drop That Contained The Sea". Christophertin.Com.
Смолянинова, Марина. 2018. "SESDIVA - Hristo Botev". Sesdiva.Eu.
https://sesdiva.eu/en/virtual-rooms/national-revival-of-slavs/item/36-hristo-botev-en.
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