The Monument to Alexander Kerkov
The Monument to Alexander Kerkov
Tribute to the Pioneer of Fanfare Music
If you walk along the pedestrian zone in Gabrovo, you will notice a very interesting bench with a man sitting on it. Children jokingly ask if this is McDonald’s and why it looks so different here. This is the monument to Alexander Kerkov – one of the most remarkable musicians and pedagogues in the musical history of Bulgaria. Created with love and appreciation in 2021, this monument represents a musician with a thoughtful face and a lively smile, sitting on a bench with a fanfare in his hands. The composition embodies the spirit of Kerkov and his contribution to culture and education.
Alexander Kerkov, born in 1901, was the first composer of fanfare music in Bulgaria and a music educator who dedicated his life to children and the younger generation. He established as many as ten fanfare schools, composed fanfare music and founded the first dance orchestra in the country. His unique talent was expressed in the creation of his own sheet music adapted for fanfare music, on which he composed arrangements of marches, kits, potpourri, concert waltzes, choruses, handbell dances and other works, which today are preserved in the golden treasury of Bulgarian music.
Besides being a serious musician, Kerkov remains famous for his endless jokes and sense of humour. He was also the main organiser of the Gabrovo Merry Theatre. His sense of humour and love of art made the lives of his fellow citizens more colourful and joyful.
In 2018, the Women’s Charitable Society “Mother’s Care” – Gabrovo, launched an initiative to make and exhibit a sculptural figure of Alexander Kerkov. For three years, the Society has been raising funds for the construction of the monument. In 2020, thanks to the support of the Culture Programme of the Gabrovo Municipality, local businesses, the Gabrovo Before and Now Foundation, the Gabrovo Public Endowment Fund and the America for Bulgaria Foundation, the funds were raised and the project realised.
The sculptor Georgi Balabanov, a former student of Kerkov in the fanfare music of Vasil Levski Primary School, was chosen as the author of the composition. For Balabanov, Kerkov was “the perfect music teacher who dedicated his life to children”.
The monument to Alexander Kerkov not only pays tribute to his musical achievements, but also to his deep connection with Gabrovo and its inhabitants. It is a place where you can experience history and be inspired by the life of an extraordinary man who left an indelible mark on Bulgarian musical culture.
