Page 126 - Glasbenopedagoški zbornik Akademije za glasbo v Ljubljani / The Journal of Music Education of the Academy of Music in Ljubljana, leto 12, zvezek 25 / Year 12, Issue 25, 2016
P. 126
SBENOPEDAGOŠKI ZBORNIK, 25. zvezek
Summary
The path of development of teaching guitar in Slovenian music schools started in the first
half of the 20th century, much later than in some other, more guitar-friendly nations,
where guitar playing has much longer and richer tradition. Otherwise modest historical
sources testify about guitar’s presence in our region since the end of the 15th century,
particularly showing its subordination in relation to other instruments.
At the end of World War I in Slovenian territory there were only a few musicians playing
the guitar on amateur level, they were self-taught by foreign guitar courses or textbooks.
That inspired Slovenian composer and pedagogue, self-taught guitar player, Adolf
Gröbming (1891-1969), to write the first Slovenian textbook for guitar in 1925, entitled
Kitarska šola za zaèetnike, namenjena zlasti spremljavi petja (Guitar school for
beginners, designed especially to accompany singing).
Because of increased interest in playing guitar there emerged first companies for the
production and trading of guitars, as well as music schools where the guitar playing was
taught. In 1930s, teaching of guitar first started in the music school of Railway Society
Drava in Maribor. The music school on the right bank of the river Drava operated between
1931 and 1941, when due to the German occupation ended. Before the commencement of
World War II, guitar lessons began as well in the Music school of National Railway
Society Sloga in Ljubljana. During the occupation, in Slovenian music schools guitar
lessons only took place in Ljubljana in the music school Sloga, and at the Secondary
School of Music at the Academy of Music. In the latter, the teaching of guitar was for the
first time performed in the school year 1941/42 and it was taught by Stanko Prek, the most
prominent representative of Slovenian guitar playing of the 1st half of the 20th century.
The period in the aftermath of World War II until the beginning of 1960s was
unfavourable for guitar playing on the Slovenian territory. Soon after the liberation, the
teaching of guitar in Slovenian music schools was abolished, it was taught only in the
scope of cultural-artistic clubs. In 1960s began the revival of guitar playing in Slovenia. In
spite of the lack of adequate human resources, under heavy pressure of the youth eager to
learn the guitar and their parents, the responsible agreed on the gradual integration of the
guitar into music schools in the department of folk instruments. In the middle of 1960s, a
number of Slovenian music schools already implemented teaching of guitar, but not in the
same way and without a coordinated curriculum. In some places the lessons were held as
group classes, in other places as individual classes, the length of the lessons differentiated,
the majority of teachers was without a proper education, experience and knowledge. At
the end of 1960s, Slovenian guitar teaching staff joined together to fulfil higher objectives,
such as regularization of the status of guitar at music schools, creation of modern
curriculum, organisation of systematic training of pedagogical personnel, and with joint
work enabled new impetus to the development of guitar playing in Slovenia.
In recent years interest in guitar playing is growing steadily, and the conditions for
teaching are improving as well. To this certainly contributed Toma Šegula with his
course Young Guitar Player (Mladi Kitarist). The collection of five textbooks was issued
126
Summary
The path of development of teaching guitar in Slovenian music schools started in the first
half of the 20th century, much later than in some other, more guitar-friendly nations,
where guitar playing has much longer and richer tradition. Otherwise modest historical
sources testify about guitar’s presence in our region since the end of the 15th century,
particularly showing its subordination in relation to other instruments.
At the end of World War I in Slovenian territory there were only a few musicians playing
the guitar on amateur level, they were self-taught by foreign guitar courses or textbooks.
That inspired Slovenian composer and pedagogue, self-taught guitar player, Adolf
Gröbming (1891-1969), to write the first Slovenian textbook for guitar in 1925, entitled
Kitarska šola za zaèetnike, namenjena zlasti spremljavi petja (Guitar school for
beginners, designed especially to accompany singing).
Because of increased interest in playing guitar there emerged first companies for the
production and trading of guitars, as well as music schools where the guitar playing was
taught. In 1930s, teaching of guitar first started in the music school of Railway Society
Drava in Maribor. The music school on the right bank of the river Drava operated between
1931 and 1941, when due to the German occupation ended. Before the commencement of
World War II, guitar lessons began as well in the Music school of National Railway
Society Sloga in Ljubljana. During the occupation, in Slovenian music schools guitar
lessons only took place in Ljubljana in the music school Sloga, and at the Secondary
School of Music at the Academy of Music. In the latter, the teaching of guitar was for the
first time performed in the school year 1941/42 and it was taught by Stanko Prek, the most
prominent representative of Slovenian guitar playing of the 1st half of the 20th century.
The period in the aftermath of World War II until the beginning of 1960s was
unfavourable for guitar playing on the Slovenian territory. Soon after the liberation, the
teaching of guitar in Slovenian music schools was abolished, it was taught only in the
scope of cultural-artistic clubs. In 1960s began the revival of guitar playing in Slovenia. In
spite of the lack of adequate human resources, under heavy pressure of the youth eager to
learn the guitar and their parents, the responsible agreed on the gradual integration of the
guitar into music schools in the department of folk instruments. In the middle of 1960s, a
number of Slovenian music schools already implemented teaching of guitar, but not in the
same way and without a coordinated curriculum. In some places the lessons were held as
group classes, in other places as individual classes, the length of the lessons differentiated,
the majority of teachers was without a proper education, experience and knowledge. At
the end of 1960s, Slovenian guitar teaching staff joined together to fulfil higher objectives,
such as regularization of the status of guitar at music schools, creation of modern
curriculum, organisation of systematic training of pedagogical personnel, and with joint
work enabled new impetus to the development of guitar playing in Slovenia.
In recent years interest in guitar playing is growing steadily, and the conditions for
teaching are improving as well. To this certainly contributed Toma Šegula with his
course Young Guitar Player (Mladi Kitarist). The collection of five textbooks was issued
126
