Page 296 - 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. 296
glasbene migracije: stičišče evropske glasbene raznolikosti
With regard to certain previous interpretations of the role of Czech
musicians, it seems necessary to emphasize that their more or less unam-
biguous inclusion in the Slovenian camp, which can be found in some re-
cent literature on music history, has no basis in reality. We must bear in
mind that despite the emphasis on Austro-Slavic reciprocity, no unam-
biguous siding with one or the other camp could be observed among the
large majority of Czech musicians. Their decisions about which music in-
stitutions they would cooperate with were not based on the national factor,
but for the most part on entirely practical reasons mostly related to liveli-
hood. In their case, the so-called spiritual migrations are not so much con-
ditioned by national reasons as by external incentives, either as a reality of
survival or simply a search for advantages following the ubi béne, ibi patria
principle.
In determining the role of Czech musicians in the Slovene lands, cer-
tain other issues related to the interpretation of music history in the Slovene
lands are emerging. It is a fact that the concept of a more explicitly nation-
ally-conditioned music culture strongly marked not only Slovenian music
of the 19th and early 20th centuries, but also the subsequent image of Slove-
nian music historiography.
The more successful Czech musicians were thus silently “naturalized”
and treated as “Slovenian”, while their not so successful or nationally not
entirely irreproachable Czech colleagues were often the target of chauvin-
istic outbursts in the media, and after their death they were struck by dam-
nacio memorie on the part of music historiography. Similarly, those parts
of their musical opuses that did not fit into the concept of Slovenian music
culture were frequently overlooked.
Given the decisive role of Czech as well as other music migrants in the
Slovene lands, the question consequently arises whether we should consid-
er replacing, in 19th century Slovenian music historiography, the concept of
Slovenian music history that still prevails in some area with a more inclu-
sive concept of music history in the Slovene lands.
Perhaps the time has finally come for us to illuminate in more detail
the activities of each great man who, using his mind, knew well enough
how to excel in the territory of present-day Slovenia, which seems to be
the aim of the currently emerging history of 19th century music in the Slo-
vene lands, to be issued by the Institute of Musicology at the Research Cen-
tre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts in Ljubljana. There is no
doubt that only by integration, and not by renouncing tradition, can we to-
294
With regard to certain previous interpretations of the role of Czech
musicians, it seems necessary to emphasize that their more or less unam-
biguous inclusion in the Slovenian camp, which can be found in some re-
cent literature on music history, has no basis in reality. We must bear in
mind that despite the emphasis on Austro-Slavic reciprocity, no unam-
biguous siding with one or the other camp could be observed among the
large majority of Czech musicians. Their decisions about which music in-
stitutions they would cooperate with were not based on the national factor,
but for the most part on entirely practical reasons mostly related to liveli-
hood. In their case, the so-called spiritual migrations are not so much con-
ditioned by national reasons as by external incentives, either as a reality of
survival or simply a search for advantages following the ubi béne, ibi patria
principle.
In determining the role of Czech musicians in the Slovene lands, cer-
tain other issues related to the interpretation of music history in the Slovene
lands are emerging. It is a fact that the concept of a more explicitly nation-
ally-conditioned music culture strongly marked not only Slovenian music
of the 19th and early 20th centuries, but also the subsequent image of Slove-
nian music historiography.
The more successful Czech musicians were thus silently “naturalized”
and treated as “Slovenian”, while their not so successful or nationally not
entirely irreproachable Czech colleagues were often the target of chauvin-
istic outbursts in the media, and after their death they were struck by dam-
nacio memorie on the part of music historiography. Similarly, those parts
of their musical opuses that did not fit into the concept of Slovenian music
culture were frequently overlooked.
Given the decisive role of Czech as well as other music migrants in the
Slovene lands, the question consequently arises whether we should consid-
er replacing, in 19th century Slovenian music historiography, the concept of
Slovenian music history that still prevails in some area with a more inclu-
sive concept of music history in the Slovene lands.
Perhaps the time has finally come for us to illuminate in more detail
the activities of each great man who, using his mind, knew well enough
how to excel in the territory of present-day Slovenia, which seems to be
the aim of the currently emerging history of 19th century music in the Slo-
vene lands, to be issued by the Institute of Musicology at the Research Cen-
tre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts in Ljubljana. There is no
doubt that only by integration, and not by renouncing tradition, can we to-
294
