Traditional music and dance
Dubrovnik and the entire Dalmatian region have perfectly preserved their (many) musical and choreographic traditions. Thus, even outside of religious holidays, it is anything but rare to come across a folk costume here or there, especially in the Konavle region, in the vicinity of Cavtat or the village of Čilipi. In the latter case, folklore is notoriously omnipresent. The village has made it its main attraction, led by the Čilipi Folklor association, which every Sunday from April to November offers a show that perfectly synthesizes the entire local tradition. Of course, one can hear the klapa, a regional treasure that is a source of great pride throughout Dalmatia. Klapa are polyphonic songs, possibly dating from the 19th century, originally sung only by men in a choir of five to eight, usually with two tenors, a baritone and a bass. That said, more and more mixed groups are being assembled, and even purely female groups like Klapa Galluna. The texts deal with love, wine, the fatherland (a complete program), but can also be satirical. If the klapas are traditionally performed a cappella, they are now sometimes accompanied by guitar or mandolin. A heritage in perpetual movement that the young generation has appropriated in its own way by marrying it to more modern aesthetics such as rock or pop.
Listening to klapa in Dalmatia is easy. The tradition runs in the streets and it is not rare to see some old people pushing the song a cappella at the terrace of a coffee after some drinks! Otherwise, the region, and in particular Dubrovnik, has a few famous ensembles such as Klapa Maestral or Klapa Ragusa that regularly perform in the area, notably at the Dalmatinskih Klapa festival in the town of Omiš, the most important in the discipline. Dubrovnik also has its own klapa festival, Aklapela, usually held at the end of April, as does the city of Cavtat, which hosts Na Me Pogled Tvoj Obrati, its klapa ensemble gathering, every first weekend in September.
Another great local tradition, the linđo is the most popular dance in the Dubrovnik coastal region and has been danced in the same way for over two hundred years. While a musician plays the lijerica - the region's quintessential instrument, a kind of three-stringed Dalmatian violin that is placed on one knee - the dancers move in a circle around him, with the musician giving (rhyming, often funny) orders. He also decides who dances with whom and dictates the steps while encouraging the dancers.
The tradition of linđo is kept alive by the Lindjo Folklore Ensemble of Dubrovnik, as well as the Folklorni Asambl Linđo. The latter ensemble was founded in 1964 and performs in the lavish setting of the Lazareti complex.
Rather from the Dalmatian hinterland, let's still mention this curiosity that is the nijemo kolo, silent round, without musical accompaniment - except for some interludes at the beginning or conclusion of the dance - that is practiced on holidays, weddings, carnivals etc. This dance is performed on feast days, weddings, carnivals, etc. Rhythmized by the muffled sound of the steps, this dance welcomes everyone, men and women, within the limit of twenty dancers. A pillar of identity for many villages, the nijemo kolo was registered on the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2011.
Included a year earlier, in 2010, on the same list, the ojkanje song is another of the treasures of the region. Practiced in the Dalmatian hinterland of the Dinaric Alps, this two-part song is performed by two or more performers, male or female, using a special tremolo technique. The song lasts as long as the main performer can hold his or her breath. Although this practice continues generation after generation, some variants have disappeared over time, as Unesco notes on its website, "Recent conflicts and the rural-to-urban migration that has reduced the region's population, as well as changing lifestyles, have led to a sharp decline in the number of performers, resulting in the disappearance of many archaic solo singing genres and styles." (Source: https://ich.unesco.org/fr/USL/le-chant-ojkanje-00320)
The second home of local folklore, the island of Korčula proudly perpetuates its martial dances: the moreška (sword dance from the town of Korčula), the kumpanija (another sword dance, this one from Blato, Vela Luka, and Pupnat), and the moštra (in Žrnovo). The first one is a performance representing the fight against the Moors - a tradition that can be found on various Mediterranean islands - while the other two are native dances, accompanied by mišnice, the local bagpipe. In any case, the steps are performed by men, virtuosos of the sword. Performances are held in the villages concerned on the day of the patron saint's feast.
Traditional instruments
Apart from the lijerica mentioned above, there are a few other typical instruments in the region such as the tambura. This string instrument of Turkish origin is popular throughout the country and among the Croatian diaspora. In Osijek, Slavonia, there is even an annual festival dedicated to it. The gusle is also a popular instrument in the Dalmatian Alps. This single-stringed instrument is often used to accompany epic poetry, telling of important historical or patriotic events and celebrating war heroes. Mile Krajina is Croatia's cult folk poet and gusle player. The diple is a kind of bagpipe, the last instrument to be played in Dalmatia, with different variations depending on the region or country: Istria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, etc.
Some opportunities to get in touch with Dalmatian folklore: the Dubrovnik Carnival (Dubrovački Karneval), which is well worth a visit, the St. Blaise festival in the same city on February 3, or Konavle, Glazba & Riječ ("Music and Word" festival) in the villages of Konavle and Cavtat, including its share of klapas concerts and theatrical performances.
Classical music
Croatia has not made a significant contribution to world classical music. That said, a few names are worth noting, starting with Vatroslav Lisinski (1819-1854). Considered the founder of Croatian nationalist music, he composed the first national opera Ljubav i Zloba (Love and Mischief) and was one of the pillars of Illyrism, a movement that aimed to create unity among the southern Slavic populations in the face of Austro-Hungarian domination. Ivan Zajc (1832-1914), composer and conductor, considered the Croatian Verdi, whose work and reforms contributed to the revitalization of classical music in the country. Originally from Dalmatia, Josip Hatze (1879-1959) is the author of the first mass and the first cantata in the Croatian language, while Blagoje Bersa (1873-1934), originally from Dubrovnik, was one of the central figures of Croatian musical life at the turn of the 20th century and a remarkable influence on national composers through his romantic aesthetic renewed with more modern stylistic elements. He was a prolific composer of symphonies, operas, chamber and piano music. To complete this family of great names in Croatian art music, let us also mention Josip Štolcer Slavenski (1896-1955), whose folkloric influence brought him closer to Bartók or Kodály, the great avant-gardist Ivo Malec (1925-2019), well known in France for his work with the Groupe de recherches musicales, and finally Pavle Dešpalj (1934-2021), pavle Dešpalj (1934-2021), a conductor who was invited to conduct many prestigious orchestras in the world and was honorary conductor of the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra and director of the famous Dubrovnik Summer Festival (Dubrovacke Ljetne Igre), one of the most prestigious and long-standing events in Dubrovnik, which brings together classical music, dance, and theater in the historic sites of the old city. Other notable events in the region include the Ana U Gradu festival, celebrating the virtuosity of cellist Ana Rucner, the Korkyra Baroque Festival in Korčula, held in St. Mark's Cathedral, the churches of St. Nicholas and All Saints, and the Epidaurus Festival in Cavtat.
