Sunday, 16 October, Dom omladine, 12.00
MUSIC OF SERBS THE FRONTIERSMEN
Folk Music Programme
Selection and Commentaries: Dimitrije Golemović

Free admission

Participants
Kninskа Krаjinа – Male Singing Group "Srpskа tromeđа"
Bаnijа - Female Singing Group, Zаvičаjno udruženje Bаnije
Kordun – Female and Male Singing Group, KUD "Petrovа Gorа – Kordun"
Bosаnskа Krаjinа
Female Singing Group, Piskаvicа
Male Singing Group, Čirkin Polje
Belа Krаjinа
Female Singing Group "Kresnice", Cultural Society "Božo Rаčić", Adlešići
KUD "Stаnko Pаunović", Pаnčevo: Dances from Bela Krаjina (coreographer Dejаn Trifunović)

In accordance with their roots, the Serbs from the Austrian frontier possess characteristics of Dinaric people. Not even the centuries of living away from their original homeland could substantially influence the forms of their material and spiritual culture. This is precisely the source of the family resemblance between the peoples who dwell in the regions of Kninska Krajina, Banija, Lika, Kordun or Bosanska Krajina. An exception among them is the Serbs from Bela Krajina. Albeit themselves highly traditional (according to ethnomusicologist Zmaga Kumer, their music and related customs are among the most archaic found on the territory of Slovenia), the music and dance of “Serbs-uskoks” (“runaway Serbs”) differ considerable from those practiced by other Serbs from the frontier. The reasons for this remain obscure and we can only hope that future research will shed more light on them.
The traditional music of frontier Serbs is predominantly vocal, instrumental music being confined to a few instruments: tamburitza (with two, three or four strings), diple, but also harmonica as a relatively recently introduced instrument, yet fully assimilated in the local musical practice.
The demotic singing of the majority of frontier Serbs is mostly two-part, and it can be divided into two layers: ancient and recent. As is typical of the Dinaric people, Serbian two-part singing is dissonant, with a second as the principal vertical sonority. The forms of singing range from simple polyphonic structure (heterophony bordering on monophony) to the type characterized with “harmonic” richness, culminating in singing in consistent parallel seconds. This type of singing has a rich terminology referring to many of its characteristics. In addition to the usual expression of singing na glas (from Bosanska Krajina), there is also the term ojkača (“Kordun ojkača” in the region of Kordun). Numerous specific features distinguish these songs from the singing of other Dinaric peoples, such as, for example, the existence of two “axes of intonation” (within a single sung stanza there are two “levels” of singing, the second usually lower than the first). More recent singing, known as na bas (“over the bass”), on Kordun also known as “na bajs”, or in Bosanska Krajina singing “s kontrom”, is highly representative of the style it belongs to; it is homophonic and the dominant interval is the third. Even singing in Bela Krajina belongs to this type up to a point, only their manner of performance is different, somehow “softer”, more “tame”, which could be regarded as a result of the influence of musical styles typical of the Slovenes with whom the people of Bela Krajina have lived together for centuries.
Although the musical creativity of frontier Serbs from Kninska Krajina, Lika, Kordun and Bosanska Krajina is still most frequently practiced at homes, it is not uncommon to find it within certain institutions, so-called Culture-Artistic Societies. This fact, however, generally does not affect its forms and modes of manifestation which remain as fresh as at the time they lived in the country. On the other hand, the singing of “Serbs-uskoks” from Bela Krajina ceased to figure on the repertoires of their descendants. They abandoned it by and by, and yet their neighbors Slovenes would not allow it to vanish without a trace: according to the members of the vocal ensemble Kres, they took it over as part of their own heritage; it comes to life in their performance and thus it is presented to public. Along with songs, these people are also devoted to dancing and other customs once typical of the inhabitants of Bela Krajina (“kres” etc.)

Prof. Dimitrije O. Golemović, PhD.