Bistritsa Babi (Bulgarian: Бистришките баби, "The Bistritsa Grannies") is a multi-generational women's choir in the Shopluk region of Bulgaria carrying on the traditions of traditional dance and polyphonic singing. The choir was founded in 1939, and in 1978 they won the European Folk Art Award. In 2005, they were declared a Masterpiece of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. Their performances of three-part polyphony, which is "retained from pre-Christian times," have toured the world, and they are known for their practice of Shop polyphony, costuming, ring dancing, and their performances of the Lazarouvane (a springtime initiation ritual). Their inheritors, their granddaughters, have been trained to perform the difficult vocal technique of close-harmonized antiphonal singing by listening and practicing with the elderly women. Instruments in the orchestra include bagpipes, rebecks, pandoras, wooden flutes, and accordions.
A recognizable characteristic of the Shope genre is diaphony and parallel voicing. Diaphony is an art form that consists of one or two voices performing a melody constructed from the words izvikva, which means "to shout out," and bouchi krivo, which means "crooked rumbled roars". Other singers hold a monotone drone, sometimes doubled or trebled, to add a sonorous presence to the lead singers. A circle of dancers dressed in traditional costume moves counter-clockwise in a circle holding each other by the waist or belt while stepping lightly. Several variations are performed within this structure depending on the song and ancient ritual purpose.
For the last 20 years, the Bistritsa Grannies have been preparing younger singers to carry on the musical heritage. They work as a group called "Bistritsa Grannies and Their Granddaughters" and have more than 300 songs in their repertoire. These songs have been handed down without the use of notation or recordings. Despite the fact that polyphonic singing has changed in social function over the twentieth century and has become primarily performed on stage, the Bistritsa Babi is still considered an integral part of the region’s culture and plays a significant role in the promotion of traditional expressions among young generations. These women are among a very small number of representatives of traditional polyphony in Bulgaria, with Bistritsa being one of the last areas that have preserved this cultural expression. Due to its location near the Bulgarian capital Sofia, which offers a wide range of cultural attractions, young people are now disengaging from their community-based traditions. Throughout the years, the rich repertoire of songs and dances has been progressively refined to include only the most popular highlights that can be performed on stage.
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