Page 252 - Weiss, Jernej, ur. 2017. Glasbene migracije: stičišče evropske glasbene raznolikosti - Musical Migrations: Crossroads of European Musical Diversity. Koper/Ljubljana: Založba Univerze na Primorskem in Festival Ljubljana. Studia musicologica Labacensia, 1
P. 252
glasbene migracije: stičišče evropske glasbene raznolikosti
At the other side, the perception of musical life from the viewpoint
of policy and ideology is particularly interesting, because Austro-Hunga-
ry did not have an elaborated strategy for its systematic development. But,
when it became evident that the immigrants’ population began to nourish
the Western European culture for their own needs, the government recog-
nized the possibility for using music for the promotion of their own goals
and cultural supremacy. For Austro-Hungary, the development of musical
circumstances was recommendable in the scope and form in which it could
be used as a powerful political means. Thus, for instance, the Government
loudly and clearly supported visiting theatre troupes that performed mu-
sical and drama pieces such as farces, singspiels and operettas by German
authors21, while on the other hand the opening of the first school of music,
where the professional music education could be provided, was awaited for
as long as 20 years.
Also, the attitude toward the B&H musical tradition was particular-
ly disputable and prone to manipulation, since it became incredibly inter-
esting over a short period of time. Actually, entire expeditions of musicians
from various parts of the Monarchy came to study B&H tunes. One of the
first among them was Czech Ludvík Kuba (1863–1956), whose example was
followed by other artists, particularly by composers who stayed in B&H for
a longer or shorter time period. In most cases, it was popular Romanticist
tendency to study “exotic” traditional practices, and B&H was particularly
suitable for this purpose as a body of traditional treasure not studied before.
However, it is undisputable that the administration spotted a possibility for
political maneuvering in the traditional music as well. Under the pretext of
cultivating the traditional musical practices, the idea emerged that music
could be used as a useful means for impressing the grassroots. This possi-
bility was clearly observed by many foreign musicians, such as Gyula Julius
Major (1859–1925), Franz Liszt’s student of Hungarian origin, who visited
B&H several times in the 1909–1913 period.22 Besides an open interest in the
local musical tradition, which resulted in the Bosnichen Volksoper Mila pre-
miered in Bratislava in 1913, Major and his librettist M. Wasserman sent a
note to the Imperial Ministry of Finance pertaining to the establishment of
the Regional Theatre in Sarajevo. The goal of the Theatre, according to Ma-
21 Josip Lešić, Pozorišni život Sarajeva (1878–1918.) (Sarajevo: Svjetlost, 1973).
22 Lana Šehović Paćuka, “A Bosnian Musical Adventure of Hungarian Composer Gyu-
la/Julius Major,” in Multipart Music. Personalities and Educated Musicians in Tra-
ditional Practices, Pál Richter and Lujza Tari, ed. (Budapest: Institute of Musicology
RCH HAS, 2015), 358–374.
250
At the other side, the perception of musical life from the viewpoint
of policy and ideology is particularly interesting, because Austro-Hunga-
ry did not have an elaborated strategy for its systematic development. But,
when it became evident that the immigrants’ population began to nourish
the Western European culture for their own needs, the government recog-
nized the possibility for using music for the promotion of their own goals
and cultural supremacy. For Austro-Hungary, the development of musical
circumstances was recommendable in the scope and form in which it could
be used as a powerful political means. Thus, for instance, the Government
loudly and clearly supported visiting theatre troupes that performed mu-
sical and drama pieces such as farces, singspiels and operettas by German
authors21, while on the other hand the opening of the first school of music,
where the professional music education could be provided, was awaited for
as long as 20 years.
Also, the attitude toward the B&H musical tradition was particular-
ly disputable and prone to manipulation, since it became incredibly inter-
esting over a short period of time. Actually, entire expeditions of musicians
from various parts of the Monarchy came to study B&H tunes. One of the
first among them was Czech Ludvík Kuba (1863–1956), whose example was
followed by other artists, particularly by composers who stayed in B&H for
a longer or shorter time period. In most cases, it was popular Romanticist
tendency to study “exotic” traditional practices, and B&H was particularly
suitable for this purpose as a body of traditional treasure not studied before.
However, it is undisputable that the administration spotted a possibility for
political maneuvering in the traditional music as well. Under the pretext of
cultivating the traditional musical practices, the idea emerged that music
could be used as a useful means for impressing the grassroots. This possi-
bility was clearly observed by many foreign musicians, such as Gyula Julius
Major (1859–1925), Franz Liszt’s student of Hungarian origin, who visited
B&H several times in the 1909–1913 period.22 Besides an open interest in the
local musical tradition, which resulted in the Bosnichen Volksoper Mila pre-
miered in Bratislava in 1913, Major and his librettist M. Wasserman sent a
note to the Imperial Ministry of Finance pertaining to the establishment of
the Regional Theatre in Sarajevo. The goal of the Theatre, according to Ma-
21 Josip Lešić, Pozorišni život Sarajeva (1878–1918.) (Sarajevo: Svjetlost, 1973).
22 Lana Šehović Paćuka, “A Bosnian Musical Adventure of Hungarian Composer Gyu-
la/Julius Major,” in Multipart Music. Personalities and Educated Musicians in Tra-
ditional Practices, Pál Richter and Lujza Tari, ed. (Budapest: Institute of Musicology
RCH HAS, 2015), 358–374.
250
