Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Remembering Marcel Cellier, discoverer of "The Mystery of Bulgarian Voices"

Marcel and Catherine Cellier
Photo: library

Ten years ago today, Swiss ethno-musicologist and music producer Marcel Cellier (1925-2013) passed away. He left behind a bright mark in the history of Bulgarian music in this country and around the world. Marcel Cellier and his wife Catherine devoted a large part of their lives to Bulgarian folklore - love that dates back to the middle of the 20th century, when they first heard Bulgarian folk songs broadcast on BNR. It was music that captivated them and linked their lives with "the mystery of Bulgarian voices", the archives of the BNR recall. This is the person who presented to the world the performances of the Ensemble for Folk Songs of the Bulgarian Radio, which became famous around the globe under the name "The Mystery of Bulgarian Voices".

Marcel Cellier began cooperation with the Bulgarian National Radio by purchasing recordings for a radio broadcast in Switzerland dedicated to Bulgarian choral singing. The 30-minute radio shows were broadcast once a month from 1960 to 1990. "The Mystery of the Bulgarian Voices," as Catherine Cellier called the show, became a trademark. In 1975, the first album under the title "The Mystery of Bulgarian Voices" emerged. The second album under the same title was awarded a "Grammy" in the category "Best Traditional Folk Recording" for 1989.



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

National strike in Belgium will affect Sofia-Brussels flights

The national strike in Belgium, scheduled for 13 February, will lead to flight cancellations from/to Sofia from/to Brussels and Charleroi. Another flight is being diverted towards the Netherlands, BNR’s correspondent in Brussels Anguelina Piskova..

published on 2/12/25 12:54 PM

Germany deports 7 refugees to Bulgaria under the Dublin Regulation

The German province of North Rhine-Westphalia has carried out its first charter flight to deport refugees, bTV reported. The flight included 7 young men from Afghanistan and Syria. They have no criminal records.  The deportation is in accordance..

published on 2/12/25 11:09 AM
Vazrazhdane Leader Kostadin Kostadinov

Parliament to discuss the water supply from Arda River for irrigation in Greece

A hearing of the Prime Minister, the Ministers of Energy, Environment and Water, Agriculture and Food, and the Director of the National Electricity Company (NEK), has been included in the agenda of Bulgaria’s Parliament for February 12 at the..

published on 2/12/25 10:58 AM