We all know that music can heal – but did you know that music can save lives? We present to you the incredible story of a Rhodope bagpiper, who is a legend around his native Chepelare and the surrounding area. “Sivkovska Chosta Gora”, played by Mikhail Kiryakov as a last wish, moved the military judges in 1917 and they pardoned him and 4 others.
During the week of the forest, Todor Papucharov recalled on social networks the amazing story about the strong spirit of the people of Rhodope and a forgotten Chepelarian:
“My last wish before the shooting is to play my favorite song with my bagpipe.”
These words became the reason for the Rodopian Mikhail Kiryakov to save his life and that of other soldiers in 1917. Kiryakov and 4 others were sentenced to death by firing squad in front of the other soldiers for edification.
One asked for food, another for cigarettes. It was the turn of Mikhail Kiryakov of Chepelare to ask for something before he was killed.
“If it’s possible – to whistle for the last time. For life and death – it’s up to me,” said the native of Rodop.
The military judges looked at each other and answered him: “Okay, play whatever song you want.” They brought him the bagpipe, untied his hands, and Mikhail played with all his heart. Everyone was silent and listened to his favorite song, “Mila mi mi, mamma, drachka mi mi, sivkovskana dense forest”.
When he finished playing the song, there was a commotion, old soldiers in the ranks, wearing everything from the war, sobbed aloud. And when the condemned man finished whistling and singing the last verses, the soldiers shouted: “Mercy”, “Mercy”.
Then the military board withdrew to a meeting and canceled the death sentence of the bagpiper and the others. The pardoned flocked to embrace him with tears in their eyes.
Then it is said that Mikhail Kiryakov was even a separate commander of 21 people. Some of them were shot and fell into a dug-out trap before the turn of the natives came.
The truth of the story of the Rhodope bagpiper, which sounds like a legend, was told in 1937 by the researcher of the history of the Rhodope Mountains and writer Vasil Dimitrov, known by his literary pseudonym Yantai Kavalov. According to relatives of Kiryakov, he was not actually a deserter, but was wounded and could not find his regiment. For fear of being caught by Serbian military units, he wandered for a whole week.
The compiler of the list of rebel soldiers entered him as one of the participants in the Military Uprising. Kiryakov did not part with his beloved bagpipe during all three wars in which he participated – First Balkan, Second Balkan and First World.
He carried it in his rucksack and played it to the army at rest and before heavy battles. The soldiers called it the mournful song. After the war, Kiryakov became a forester and moved from Chepelare to Devin.
“He regularly took part in the amateur bands in the city until he was very old, and his bagpipe is one of our exhibits,” says Tatiana Dimitrova, curator of the museum in Devin.
His granddaughter claims that until the end of his life, her grandfather played no other bagpipe than the one that saved his life, because he believed it brought him good luck. The bagpipe is smaller than the current ones played by kaba bagpipe masters. From long use it became unsightly and worn, but the old man did not leave it.
“He could have bought many bagpipes, but we didn’t find another one, this was his only one, I remember it,” says Yordanka.
Even during his lifetime, he exhorted his three sons to send him with the bagpipes to the cemetery and play “Sivkovskana chosta gora” for him. “100 kaba bagpipes”, people from Devin remember. He died on January 1, 1971.”
