Lyubomir Pipkov

Pipkov was born to a musical family in Lovech, Principality of Bulgaria, on September 6, 1904. His father, Panayot Pipkov, was a composer and bandmaster; his grandfather, Hristo Pipkov, was a clarinetist.^[3] As a child, Pipkov demonstrated an interest in painting and poetry before turning to music. In 1919 he enrolled in the Sofia Music School (today the Lyubomir Pipkov National School of Music), where he studied under Ivan Torchanov, Heinrich Wiesner, and Dobri Hristov.^[3][4] Two years later he composed the fight song for PFC Levski Sofia, an early composition which was subsequently lost.^[5] After graduation, Pipkov composed a number of works, among them his first major score, the 22 Variations for piano.^[3]

In 1926, Pipkov embarked to Paris, enrolling in the École Normale de Musique.^[2] During this period he was a composition pupil of Paul Dukas and Nadia Boulanger; he also studied piano under Yvonne Lefébure.^[2][4] During this period he composed his String Quartet No. 1 and Piano Trio. The former work is credited as being the first ever string quartet composed by a Bulgarian.^[4] Six years later he graduated with honors. In 1932, Pipkov decided to return to his native Bulgaria, where he would remain for the rest of his life.^[4]

Upon setting foot again in his native land, Pipkov took up work as a répétiteur and choirmaster for the National Opera of Bulgaria. On January 23, 1933, Pipkov—along with Pancho Vladigerov, Petko Staynov, and a number of other composers—became one of the founding members of the Contemporary Music Society, an organization which would eventually become the Union of Bulgarian Composers (SBK).^[2] In 1937 Pipkov debuted his first opera, Yana's Nine Brothers. Despite creating a stir at its premiere, the work was not performed again until 1961;^[3] it was revived in Sofia in late summer and fall 2020.^[6][7]

The 1940s would see Pipkov establish himself at the head of Bulgaria's musical establishment. He began by completing his Symphony No. 1, the first of four, in 1940. Pipkov dedicated the score to the fighters of the Republican cause in the Spanish Civil War.^[4] Three years later, he was appointed head of the National Opera of Bulgaria, a post he would hold until 1948. From 1945 to 1954, Pipkov was the elected Chairman of the SBK.^[2] He was also founder and first editor-in-chief of the magazine Muzika (later renamed Bŭlgarska muzika).^[2] Despite his success, he also incurred the dislike and criticism of officialdom in the postwar People's Republic of Bulgaria, which forced his removal from these positions.^[8]

Aside from his work as a composer and teacher, Pipkov was also active as a poet, critic,^[8] and representative for Bulgaria at international conferences of music educators.^[9] He was a board member of the International Society for Music Education.^[10] He remained a professor at the National Academy of Music until his death on May 9, 1974.^[2][8][11]