SAŽECI DOKTORSKIH RADOVA – SUMMARIES OF PhD THESES, ARMUD6 51/1 (2020) 131-139 131

SAŽECI DOKTORSKIH RADOVA U

MUZIKOLOGIJI – SUMMARIES OF
DOCTORAL THESES IN MUSICOLOGY

THE ELEMENTS OF TRADITIONAL SLAVONIAN MUSIC

IN THE PIECES OF 20TH-CENTURY ART MUSIC COMPOSERS1

Zdravko DRENJANČEVIĆ (Osijek)

http://doi.org/10.21857/yvjrdcledy

The doctoral dissertation entitled The Elements of Traditional Slavonian Music in

the Pieces of 20th-Century Art Music Composers aims to scientifically research the
presence of Slavonian melos in 20th-century art music.
The role and presence of Slavonian traditional music in art music is almost
completely unknown, even unfairly neglected. In some papers and analyses the
influence of Slavonian melos on certain composers’ works is mentioned (Kovačević,
Tomašek), however, the authors do not delve deeper into the issues themselves,
and there are no detailed scientific studies on these issues. Therefore, this disserta-
tion tries to comprehensively and thoroughly deal with the issue of the presence
and importance of Slavonian traditional music in art music.
The dissertation research area is 20th-century art music in which we find the
influence of the traditional musical heritage of Slavonia. Specific objectives have
also emerged from the research area:
1. to research the tonal material and select and present examples with particu-
lar relevance to the topic of the dissertation;

1
Summary of the PhD thesis defended on 7 December 2018 at the University of Ljubljana, Univer-
sity Department of Academy of Music. Thesis supervisor: Professor Ivan Florjanc.
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2. to present the compositional procedures and techniques that have com-

bined the contemporary composers’ expression with the traditional Slavo-
nian musical heritage;
3. to recognize and highlight the characteristics of Slavonian musical expres-
sion that were the source of composers’ inspirations;
4. to list and describe the compositional techniques of the 20th-century com-
posers incorporating Slavonian traditional elements.
The research was conducted on the basis of pre-elaborated stages. As the main
task of the dissertation was to prove the presence of Slavonian melos in 20th-
century art compositions, it was necessary to determine the characteristics and
criteria for the definition of Slavonian traditional music. Therefore, the first phase
entailed defining the Slavonian traditional musical elements and determining the
characteristics that would represent Slavonian origin in the compositions, that is,
those aspects which derive from the Slavonian musical heritage. In this process,
the key criteria for defining the term Slavonian were first set. For this purpose,
three key parameters were used: geographical location, population, and the
language or dialect which the population uses in general communication, and is
consequently found in traditional songs. This was followed by an analytical
examination of individual traits and segments of Slavonian traditional expression,
with the aim of setting clear criteria for determining Slavonian melos. The empha-
sis was on the following:
- melodic features;
- metric-rhythmic features and possible particularities;
- harmonic properties;
- sound-instrumental features;
- characteristics of formal materials;
- features of musical types and genres in traditional Slavonian customs, ritu-
als and mythology.
Preconditions for further research were created by defining the characteristics
of Slavonian melos.2 The next phase of the research involved collecting, listing and
cataloguing musical material in which elements of Slavonian traditional music
could be confirmed. Various sources were used during the collection of the mate-
rial. One of the sources were personal contacts with the composers, which were
achieved in various ways: through questionnaires, interviews, but also in direct
and informal conversations with the composers. Various legal entities and institu-
tions have also proven to be an important source in the collection of the materials:
Hrvatsko društvo skladatelja (The Croatian Composers’ Society), Hrvatski sabor
kulture (The Croatian Cultural Association), Muzički informativni centar (The
Music Information Centre), Hrvatska udruga zborovođa (The Croatian Choral

2
It encompasses the qualities of music of Šokac, the indigenous population of eastern Croatia.
SAŽECI DOKTORSKIH RADOVA – SUMMARIES OF PhD THESES, ARMUD6 51/1 (2020) 131-139 133

Conductors Association), Hrvatski glazbeni zavod (The Croatian Music Institute),

Hrvatski tamburaški savez u Osijeku (The Croatian Tamburitza Association in
Osijek), Hrvatsko društvo tamburaških pedagoga (The Croatian Society of Tam-
buritza Educators), Institut za etnologiju i folkloristiku (The Institute of Ethnology
and Folklore Research), Muzička akademija u Zagrebu (The Music Academy in
Zagreb), Sarajevska filharmonija (The Sarajevo Philharmonic Orchestra), Hrvatska
radiotelevizija (Croatian Radio and Television) and Hrvatsko narodno kazalište u
Osijeku (The Croatian National Theatre in Osijek). Various archives and libraries
also represented an extremely important source: Nacionalna i sveučilišna knjižnica
u Zagrebu (The National and University Library in Zagreb), Knjižnice grada
Zagreba (The Zagreb City Libraries), Gradska i sveučilišna knjižnica Osijek (The
Osijek City and University Library), Središnja nadbiskupijska i fakultetska
knjižnica u Đakovu (The Central Archdiocesan and Faculty Library in Đakovo),
radio station archives, private archives and publications in various magazines,
lexicons, music catalogues and concert programmes. A significant and diverse
musical oeuvre was collected, on the basis of which we created a catalogue with
orchestral, concert, chamber, solo, vocal-instrumental, vocal and stage works. We
had to approach the material in a selective manner, based on the two set criteria:
(1) the presence and possibility of deductive reasoning of the presence of Slavo-
nian melos in 20th-century art compositions and (2) the artistic value of the com-
position, in the assessment of which we paid attention to the composer’s style and
compositional techniques within a piece of music. A significant but not a decisive
factor was the degree of musical education of the author of the work.
While collecting the material, we have also found significant works originat-
ing from the first two decades of the 21st century. In their style and composition
these works do not fundamentally differ from the 20th-century compositions.
With the intention of conducting the research as fully as possible and taking into
account the fact that the authors of these compositions completed their musical
education and developed their own compositional style in the 20th century, we
have included these works in our catalogue as well. Thus, the extension of the dis-
sertation to the middle of the second decade of the 21st century is only tentative,
since the selected works, both in their content and style, belong to the musical ex-
pression of the 20th century.
Based on the above, we have selected 62 compositions.
- Orchestral compositions (21): Symphony Orchestra (6), Chamber Orchestra
(1), String Orchestra (1), Wind Orchestra (1), Tamburitza Orchestra (11) and
Accordion Orchestra (1)
- Concert Compositions (1)
- Chamber music (10)
- Solo Compositions (5)
- Vocal Instrumental Compositions (5)
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- Vocal Compositions (16)

- Stage Compositions (4)
The next stage of the research involved the musical analysis of the elements of
traditional Slavonian music in 20th-century art music. Our task was to substanti-
ate the presence of traditional Slavonian musical elements in the nine composi-
tions carefully selected from the entire oeuvre of compositions inspired by Slavo-
nian melos. In this in-depth analytical phase of the research, the selected composi-
tions are also representatives of particular compositional types and musical forms.
The criteria set for the selection of compositions implied the variety and repre-
sentativeness of the composer’s approaches and his creativity. We have also tried
to encompass different instrumental ensembles (solo, chamber, orchestral-sym-
phonic and oratorio-stage works) by our choice of compositions.
Guided by the basic criterion we have given in the title of the dissertation - The
Elements of Traditional Slavonian Music in the Pieces of 20th-Century Art Music Com-
posers, our intention was to show the breadth of compositional approaches in the
application of these elements. We have included the consistent quotation of Slavo-
nian tunes in compositions, a latent application of certain musical elements, as
well as the application of various parameters of Slavonian music, freely treated
(melodies, rhythm, harmony, etc.).
Based on all the criteria, we have selected the following compositions:
1) Slavko Zlatić: Treći simfonijski ples (1939).
2) Zlatko Pibernik: Slavonska rapsodija (1958).
3) Davor Bobić: Vukovarski requiem, 1st movement - Predskazanje (2001).
4) Zvonimir Bradić: Rondo Slavonico, Op. 77 (1974).
5) Ivo Josipović: Drmeš za Pendereckog (1986).
6) Boris Papandopulo: Kvintet za klarinet i gudački kvartet, Op. 90, 3rd move-
ment - Allegro con brio (1940).
7) Tomislav Uhlik: Lijepo ti je rano uraniti, from the cycle of 12 paraphrases of
Croatian folk tunes for piano (2003).
8) Davor Bobić: Slavonica (2013).
9) Jakov Gotovac: Bećarac from the opera Ero s onog svijeta (Ero the Joker), Op. 17
(1935).
The final results of the research are presented in the fifth, synthetic chapter of
the dissertation. The presence of Slavonian traditional music in 20th-century art
music is evidenced through five compositional elements. Melodic traits (1) repre-
sent the most significant element of Slavonian melos in art music. The key seg-
ments of melodic design are the characteristic tonal relationships (scales) and the
application of pure quintile intervals. With (2) metric-rhythmic elements we will
emphasize rhythmic features, which often rest on the structure of Slavonian reels
and dances. Among the (3) harmonic features of Slavonian melos in the selected
compositions, the original, simpler structure and the characteristic harmonic func-
SAŽECI DOKTORSKIH RADOVA – SUMMARIES OF PhD THESES, ARMUD6 51/1 (2020) 131-139 135

tion of the dominant (D), as well as the function of the dominant’s dominant (D/D),
come to the fore. On the harmonic plane, a significant association of Slavonian
traditional music is represented by the dominant function, which occurs at the
endings of musical phrases and in cadences. A significant contribution to the pres-
ence of Slavonian melos in art compositions is also found through (4) sound-in-
strumental features. Among these features we will single out the melodic forma-
tion of vocal and instrumental sections within the composition, modelled on tradi-
tional singing and playing, the application of characteristic elements of traditional
vocal expression and composing for instrumental ensembles, which represent a
connection with the traditional musical heritage of Slavonia. Composers some-
times find the impetus to create using (5) characteristics of the musical types and
the ritual and traditional tunes from Slavonia.
The application of Slavonian traditional elements within the chosen oeuvre is
manifested in two ways. The first (1) way is based on the application of traditional
music quotes in compositions. The presence of Slavonian melos is clearly recog-
nizable in these examples. We have noticed that most composers are in favour of
this kind of application of traditional elements. We have noticed that the majority
of composers tend to use traditional elements in this way. We have also noted dif-
ferent compositional approaches in applying these quotes. The second (2) way of
applying Slavonian traditional elements in 20th-century music is manifested in the
use of different melodic-rhythmic structures, derived from the live rhythm and
playful character of Slavonian dances and reels as well as the singing melody lines
of Slavonian traditional tunes.
Based on our research, we noticed that a special interest in the application of
Slavonian traditional elements was expressed by the generation of composers
born mainly in the early 20th century (Papandopulo, Zlatić, Kunc, Matz, Dugan Jr.,
etc.). Therefore, the largest number of Slavonian melos-inspired compositions date
from the time between the two world wars (the new national direction) until the
end of the first half of the 20th century.
It is certain that the use of Slavonian melos by some composers was influ-
enced by their origin (Albini, Rakijaš), but also by their musical and pedagogical
activity in Slavonia (Pibernik, Marković, Bobić). It is important to emphasize that
interest in elements of Slavonian melos is also found in the musical works of com-
posers who are not of Croatian origin (Mirk, Strauss R., Götz).
In one of the chapters of the dissertation, we discussed the presence of com-
positional techniques in the oeuvre of compositions inspired by Slavonian melos.
Among the rich application of different techniques, we have highlighted the most
significant ones: fourth-fifth relations, pedal functions, bitonality, horizontal poly-
meter and application of polyphony.
In the last chapter of the paper, we have provided replies to the research ques-
tions and hypotheses based on the collected and processed results.
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Based on the listed and catalogued material, which contains more than 60
compositions, we have concluded that the oeuvre of compositions inspired by Sla-
vonian melos presents only a minority in the overall artistic work of the 20th cen-
tury. However, the exceptional importance and contribution of Slavonian tradi-
tional musical heritage to the overall development of 20th-century Croatian music
is evident.