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HISTORY OF CROATIAN MUSIC FAMOUS CROATIAN ARTISTSThe thousand year old musical heritage of Croatia is indeed unique. Borne of the finest cultural and religious customs in Europe, Croatian artists contributed much to choral, instrumentation and composition within a continental milieu and developed a distinct, diverse national musical tradition as well. This heritage continues to be celebrated and nurtured by Croats around the world.The sacral origins of Croatian music are rooted in the neumatic code of the Sacramentary MR 126 which appeared after the establishment of the Archbishopric of Zagreb in 1094. This work became the basis of the Zagreb Ceremony which was among the oldest documents of the Latin liturgy in Northern Croatia. From the 11th to 15th centuries, a series of neumatic codes and manuscripts related to the liturgy and pontifical ceremonials revealed an incredible diversity in the form of Benevento script in Dalmatia, Gregorian chant in the north as well as Glagolitic chant and Old Church Slavonic found throughout Croatian lands. These important remnants indicate that an organized musical life existed in the Sava River valley in the north and along the Adriatic coast in the south, particularly in Zadar, Šibenik, Trogir, Split and Kotor. This period also witnessed the use of the Croatian language with the first hymn in 1320 and grew with the creation of the cantorate of the Split cathedral in 1347. The presence of church organists in Zagreb and Zadar in the 14th century also facilitated this trend. The Renaissance period heralded a new era in Croatian music as central European and Italian influences took it beyond the religious milieu. In the 1500s, many Croats studied abroad, gained prominence and returned to their homeland to incorporate folklore and popular elements in the creation of a new domestic music tradition. Composition of frotollas and madrigals moved from a homophonic to more complex polyphonic structure in this era while music and dance became a growing part in theatrical productions. The flourishing Republic of Dubrovnik, with its wealth of writers, composers, musicians and actors was perhaps the best example of this artistic activity into the 1700s. While the Baroque period had influenced both secular and sacral traditions, it had a greater effect upon the latter. Most prominent of these was the Paulist Hymnal of 1644,

a collection of over 50 melodies almost all in the Croatian language. Croatian ecclesiastical hymns and mass texts were also included in the Cithara octochorda, the greatest printed collection of sacred hymns and arias of the 1700s and evidence that the faithful sang in their native tongue even during Latin mass. As part of the Croatian national revival (also called Illyrian movement) of the 1830s, Croatian music fostered greater national consciousness in opposition to Hungarian and German hegemony. This was perhaps best exemplified by Antun Mihanović’s poem Horvatska Domovina, set to music by Josip Runjanin, which later became Croatia’s national anthem. This period of Romanticism saw the establishment of the Croatian Musical Institute (1827) and Croatian Musical Academy (1829) who would produce world renown composers, musicians and vocalists. At a local level, this period saw a flowering of musical ensembles, theatre groups, dramatic theatre and popular festivals. The early 1900s saw many Croats study music abroad and their return ushered in the Modernism period of Croatian music. This talented group gained prominence primarily as composers and in the field of pedagogy. A number of these emphasized the folk tradition in their works during the interwar period while others fulfilled the demand for Croatian dance melodies with the rise of popular music after 1933. Following World War II, an interest in vocal music influenced by folk tradition enjoyed a revival but most composers sought out the cosmopolitan of musical speech and did not hide their admiration for modern European music. The tremendous growth of musical ensembles in the form of light orchestral music and jazz and Croatian composers produced works on par with those in so-called western culture. Since 1971, popular music has mirrored global trends yet still incorporated folklore elements. The downfall of communism led to a resurgence of national themes across all types of music. Freed from the oppression of ideology, celebration of national expression has fostered creative fusion of components of folklore (composition, vocals, instrumentation) with all musical genres.

Croatian artists have contributed much to the field of music as educators, composers, musicians and vocalists in Croatia and throughout the world.During the Renaissance and Baroque periods, the works of Ivan Lukačić (ca.1584-1648) and Luka Sorkočević (1734-1789) attested to the highly developed musical life of Dalmatia in Croatia. Vatroslav Lisinski’s (1819-1854) production of the first opera, solo song and choral and orchestral music set a high standard in Croatian national musical expression for future artists. Ivan Zajc’s (1832-1914) popular opera Nikola Šubić Zrinjski symbolized patriotism in the struggle against foreign domination. Jakov Gotovac (1895-1982) was the long-time opera conductor of the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb and composer of the opera Ero s onoga svijeta. Among Croatia’s prominent classical artists is Josip Kašman (1850-1925), an operatic baritone who performed in Europe, North America, South America and Africa and then taught in Rome until his death. In the early 1900s, Soprano Milka Trnina (1863-1941) performed at the greatest opera houses in Germany, Austria and the United States and taught her craft in New York City before she retired to Zagreb, Croatia. Zinka Kunc Milanov (1906-1989), studied under Trnina and after almost a decade with the opera in Zagreb, she continued her career as a soprano with the Metropolitan Opera of New York from 1937-66 where she also served as a vocal instructor. Louis Svećenski (1862-1926), born Ljudevit Kohn in Osijek, was a Croatian-American violinist with the famous Kneisel Quartet and Boston Symphony Orchestra (1885-1903) who later taught at the Julliard School in New York City and Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.Popular Croatian musical artists from the older generation include Ivo Robić, Vice Vukov, Tereza Kesovija, Zdenka Vučković, Gabi Novak, Arsen Dedić, Zvonko Spišić and Beti Jurković. Other Croatian pop music stars are Oliver Dragojević, Josipa Lisac, Krunoslav “Kićo” Slabinac, Vera Svoboda, Mišo Kovač, Jasna Zlokić, Đelo Jušić, Meri Cetinić, Željko Bebek, Gibonni and the popular group Prljavo Kazalište. Croats who have gained prominence in the global music industry are Luka Bulić and Stjepan Hauser of the 2Cellos, Lorde (Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O’Connor), Krist Novoselić of Nirvana, Walter Parazaider of Chicago, David Paich of Toto, Johnny Mercer and Guy Mitchell.

OPERA HOUSES IN CROATIA CROATIAN MUSIC IN CANADAAs one of Europe’s smallest nations with a population of approximately four million people, Croatia has the unique distinction of having four major opera houses. These fine examples of architecture continue to host opera, concert, theatrical and ballet performances. The Croatian National Theatre also operates three smaller venues in Varaždin, Šibenik and Zadar.

The Croatian National Theatre was founded in 1836 during the national revival of the Illyrian Period. The addition of an opera company in

1870 and the arrival of Ivan Zajc as its first Director led to the relocation of the theatre from Zagreb’s Upper Town to its current site at the Square of the Republic of Croatia. Construction took a year and a half and the building opened in October, 1895. With a capacity of 709 seats, it was designed by Ferdinand Fellner and Hermann Helmer of Vienna who built many other opera houses in the Austro-Hungarian empire and entrenched Croatia’s place in the cultural life of central Europe.The first theatre in Rijeka was built in 1765 and the current was opened in late 1885. Due to political circumstances, Croats were unable to use the facility for much of the first half of the 20th century and Croatian productions reappeared after 1945. It was later renamed the Croatian National Theatre Ivan pl. Zajc in Rijeka and gained status as a national theatre in 1991. Its architects were Fellner and Helmer of Vienna, Austria.When the Croatian National Theatre was opened as the Split Municipal Theatre in 1893, the city of Split had a population of 16,000 people. With a capacity of 1000, the theatre was considered the largest structure of its kind in southeastern Europe. Its architects were Emilio Vecchietti and Ante Bezić of Split.The Croatian National Theatre in Osijek in eastern Croatia opened in 1866. The demand for culture was so great that it was enlarged and reopened in 1907. Designed in baroque style by local architect Karlo Klausner, its exterior and internal components were damaged during the Croatian War of Independence, extensively restored and re-opened in 1994.

Croatian music has played a significant part in the lives of Croatian immigrants in Canada since the late 1800s. For Croatian miners, railway labourers and lumberjacks in Canadian frontier areas it served as a much needed source of leisure after a hard day’s work under challenging work conditions. Prior to 1914, Croatian tamburica orchestras were established throughout Canada while others were created with the establishment of fraternal societies.

In the interwar era, over 20,000 immigrants arrived in Canada. From the late 1920s and through the Great Depression of the 1930s, many benevolent organizations and Croatian National Homes were created across the country and were mandated to educate and preserve Croatian culture for their members. Tamburica orchestras, choirs and theatre groups flourished during this period and facilitated learning as well as an outlet for cultural expression. There is also evidence of Croatian hymns being sung at mass held by Croatian missionaries who visited various communities across Canada.

Another wave of Croatian immigrants arrived in Canada following World War II as displaced persons and refugees. After years in refugee camps in Allied occupied zones in Austria, Italy and Germany their arrival in Canada led to the establishment of Roman Catholic missions and churches throughout Canada. Croatian parishes not only established choirs but also sponsored folklore groups that provided specialized instruction in music, song, and dance for parishioners. Secular Croatian organizations also supported cultural education and programming throughout Canada through such institutions as national homes, independent choirs and regional cultural societies. Croatian-Canadians embraced the federal policy of multiculturalism which allowed Croats to nurture their identity which was denied to them in the ancestral homeland.

The Canadian Croatian Choral Society is proud to continue in this tradition to share Croatia’s diverse musical heritage with our fellow Canadians.

For more information on the Canadian Croatian Choral Society please visit us at www.canadiancroatianchoralsociety.com or email us at contact@cccschoir.com