Page 247 - Weiss, Jernej, ur./ed. 2021. Opereta med obema svetovnima vojnama ▪︎ Operetta between the Two World Wars. Koper/Ljubljana: Založba Univerze na Primorskem in Festival Ljubljana. Studia musicologica Labacensia, 5
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contested entertainment: discussions on operetta in belgrade ...
tres compared with Zagreb or Ljubljana. In other words, the director and
drama director of the National Theatre in Belgrade in 1905 – Dragomir
Janković (1867–1942) and Milan Grol (1876–1952),9 two highly educated and
experienced theatre critics, who had a profound insight into European cul-
tural life – started the struggle against operetta at the repertoire of the Na-
tional Theatre in Belgrade. The debate was concluded by the decision not to
stage any new operettas at the National Theatre, and to phase out the exist-
ing ones. This aim was fulfilled only after World War I. Operetta was thus
seen negatively, as commercial entertainment which was not appropriate
for the Belgrade audiences that should be educated with valuable literary
and musical forms.10 The recommended repertoire included national Serbi-
an and Slavic operas, as well as ones by Mozart, Lorzing, and Weber, among
others.11 This discussion deeply marked the attitude to operetta not only
before World War I, but also the cultural policy of the Kingdom of Serbs,
Croats, and Slovenes. The efforts of composers, musicians, theatre manag-
ers and musicians in this regard were reflected in the interwar period by the
lack of operetta at the repertoire of the National Theatre in Belgrade.
9 Dragomir Janković was a well-known Belgrade literature and theatre critic, diplo-
mat, author, and interpreter. He studied in Belgrade, Vienna, Berlin, London, and
Paris. He was an attaché in the Serbian Embassy in London and Berlin, the secretary
of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Serbia, Minister of the Court and the King’s sec-
retary. Janković was also a dramatist (1898–1900) and the director (1903–1906) of the
National Theatre in Belgrade.
Milan Grol was a literature and theatre critic, author, politician and interpreter in
Belgrade. He studied in Belgrade and Paris. He occupied different positions in the
National Theatre in Belgrade, as a drama director’s assistant (1898–1900), drama-
tist (1903–1906), and director (1909–1910; 1911–1914; 1919–1924). During World
War I, Grol was working in the Serbian Press-Office (1916–1918), and during World
War II he was a minister in the governments in exile (1943–1943), and a vice-presi-
dent of the temporarily government of the Democratic Federative Yugoslavia (1945).
See Borivoje S. Stojković, “Rukovodioci Narodnog pozorišta u toku jednog veka,”
Godišnjak grada Beograda 14 (1967): 291–5; L. D. [Luka Dotlić], “Janković Drago-
mir,” Enciklopedija Srpskog narodnog pozorišta, https://www.snp.org.rs/enciklope-
dija/?p=5031; Ž. P. [Živojin Petrović], “Grol Milan,” Enciklopedija Srpskog narodnog
pozorišta, https://www.snp.org.rs/enciklopedija/?p=4458.
10 It is noteworthy that Janković regarded operetta as an unsuitable genre for the state
national theatre, but not for private theatres. Indeed, the private Opera on Boulevard
(Opera na Bulevaru, 1910–1911) in Belgrade owned by Žarko Savić, a singer celebrat-
ed around the world, staged both operas and operettas.
11 See Milan Grol, “Pitanje operete u Narodnom pozorištu,” Srpski književni glasnik
11, no. 4 (1904): 302–10; Dušan Janković, “Opereta u Narodnom pozorištu,” Delo 35,
no. 1 (1905): 106–10; Petar Krstić, “Muzika i Opereta u Narodnom pozorištu,” Srpski
književni glasnik 15, no. 4 (1905): 274–5.
245
tres compared with Zagreb or Ljubljana. In other words, the director and
drama director of the National Theatre in Belgrade in 1905 – Dragomir
Janković (1867–1942) and Milan Grol (1876–1952),9 two highly educated and
experienced theatre critics, who had a profound insight into European cul-
tural life – started the struggle against operetta at the repertoire of the Na-
tional Theatre in Belgrade. The debate was concluded by the decision not to
stage any new operettas at the National Theatre, and to phase out the exist-
ing ones. This aim was fulfilled only after World War I. Operetta was thus
seen negatively, as commercial entertainment which was not appropriate
for the Belgrade audiences that should be educated with valuable literary
and musical forms.10 The recommended repertoire included national Serbi-
an and Slavic operas, as well as ones by Mozart, Lorzing, and Weber, among
others.11 This discussion deeply marked the attitude to operetta not only
before World War I, but also the cultural policy of the Kingdom of Serbs,
Croats, and Slovenes. The efforts of composers, musicians, theatre manag-
ers and musicians in this regard were reflected in the interwar period by the
lack of operetta at the repertoire of the National Theatre in Belgrade.
9 Dragomir Janković was a well-known Belgrade literature and theatre critic, diplo-
mat, author, and interpreter. He studied in Belgrade, Vienna, Berlin, London, and
Paris. He was an attaché in the Serbian Embassy in London and Berlin, the secretary
of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Serbia, Minister of the Court and the King’s sec-
retary. Janković was also a dramatist (1898–1900) and the director (1903–1906) of the
National Theatre in Belgrade.
Milan Grol was a literature and theatre critic, author, politician and interpreter in
Belgrade. He studied in Belgrade and Paris. He occupied different positions in the
National Theatre in Belgrade, as a drama director’s assistant (1898–1900), drama-
tist (1903–1906), and director (1909–1910; 1911–1914; 1919–1924). During World
War I, Grol was working in the Serbian Press-Office (1916–1918), and during World
War II he was a minister in the governments in exile (1943–1943), and a vice-presi-
dent of the temporarily government of the Democratic Federative Yugoslavia (1945).
See Borivoje S. Stojković, “Rukovodioci Narodnog pozorišta u toku jednog veka,”
Godišnjak grada Beograda 14 (1967): 291–5; L. D. [Luka Dotlić], “Janković Drago-
mir,” Enciklopedija Srpskog narodnog pozorišta, https://www.snp.org.rs/enciklope-
dija/?p=5031; Ž. P. [Živojin Petrović], “Grol Milan,” Enciklopedija Srpskog narodnog
pozorišta, https://www.snp.org.rs/enciklopedija/?p=4458.
10 It is noteworthy that Janković regarded operetta as an unsuitable genre for the state
national theatre, but not for private theatres. Indeed, the private Opera on Boulevard
(Opera na Bulevaru, 1910–1911) in Belgrade owned by Žarko Savić, a singer celebrat-
ed around the world, staged both operas and operettas.
11 See Milan Grol, “Pitanje operete u Narodnom pozorištu,” Srpski književni glasnik
11, no. 4 (1904): 302–10; Dušan Janković, “Opereta u Narodnom pozorištu,” Delo 35,
no. 1 (1905): 106–10; Petar Krstić, “Muzika i Opereta u Narodnom pozorištu,” Srpski
književni glasnik 15, no. 4 (1905): 274–5.
245
