Traditional music
Typical of Croatia, the klapa originated in Dalmatia. Historically, only men sang the love of country and sea, a cappella or accompanied by mandolin or harmonium. Arranged in a semicircle, the singers take it in turns to solo at mid-voice in a high tessitura. Another distinctive feature of the klapa is that it is transmitted but sung without written notation. Local communities see it as a key marker of their musical identity, a heritage comparable to Corsican or Basque polyphony. The Klapa Ikson and the now-authorized Klapa Cakulone women's group perpetuate the tradition. Today, the songs of Tomislav Bralić & Klapa Intrade or Klapa & Mora, the group that represented Croatia at Eurovision 2013, are diluted by omnipresent orchestration and heavy arrangements.
The Istrian trad song is characterized by a very particular scale, based on a six-note scale, which has no equal in Croatia. Performed by two singers, usually men, one with a slightly low-toned melody, the other more in a falsetto voice. Partly nasal, this type of singing can be filled with improvisation. It has managed to survive over the years thanks to a community of musicians who pass it on orally. The northern regions of Istria, around Cicarija, have developed their own type of singing, called bugarenje, which means "mourning". A festival is always held to celebrate this. Unaffected by modernity, this unique Istrian way of singing is a major element of regional culture. In 2009, it was included on UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage.
Istrian trad music, which sets the tempo for costumed group singing and dancing, is also played in pairs, combining two wind instruments. Famous in Istria, flutes, called rozenice or sopele/sopile, produce high-pitched tones similar to those of the oboe or bombard. Other wind instruments, with one or two pipes, are used to accompany the dancers in two-part pieces, as are accordions, tamboras and bagpipes made from animal skins. The most popular trad dance in Istria, the balun, is also performed in pairs, who follow the rhythm of an instrumentalist and turn around in time. This traditional music and dance is the region's living cultural heritage, and is still passed on to children and young people. Throughout the year, there are many opportunities to attend these musical performances. Festivities around Christmas and Easter often include a folk show, but also calendar or family celebrations such as weddings,summer festivals or world music festivals. For example, in mid-July in Zagreb, the International Folk Festival invites the world's best troupes, groups and duos from all over the country.
The evolution of classical music
The pre-Classical violinist-composer Giuseppe Tartini was born on April 8, 1692, in Pirano, when the port city belonged to the Republic of Venice. Today, his statue stands in the main square of Piran, in Slovenian Istria, where an international chamber music festival is held every year to celebrate the local boy.
Classical music in Croatia was mainly dominated by vocal figures, but from the 19th century onwards, the country opened up to the first major instrumental compositions. The heart of musical life shifted to the capital, where in 1827 an illustrious musical establishment was founded, the Musikverein, which became the Hrvatski glazbeni zavod (HGZ), followed in 1860 by the Croatian National Theatre (CNT). The composer Blagoje Bersa (1873-1934), who left his mark on Croatian classical music, was greatly influenced by Mahler and Strauss. His powerfully conceived piano works are rich in diversity. Then the neo-national trend, with composers Josip Štolcer Slavenski, Krešimir Baranović and Jakov Gotovac, moved towards more popular Croatian operas such as Ero de l'autre monde.
The Solistes de Zagreb began their career in 1953 as a Zagreb radio and television ensemble, under the artistic direction of Italian cellist and conductor Antonio Janigro and French cellist Marc Coppey. While maintaining a broad classical repertoire, this chamber orchestra is also interested in contemporary music, and ranks among the most outstanding ensembles on the international scene, as does countertenor Max Emanuel Cenčić, who is today considered one of the best in the world.
If the capital is the center of artistic production in classical music, it is Pula that holds the prize for the most beautiful artistic scene. The Roman amphitheater hosts open-air concerts and festivals during the summer months. All styles are represented, from lyrical to symphonic to contemporary music.
Contemporary dance and Istrian salsa
Zagreb has had a classical dance school since 1949. It has since expanded to include several prestigious companies: the Zagreb Dance Company, the Contemporary Dance Studio and the Free Dance Chamber Ensemble. Every year, the Zagreb Contemporary Dance Week, an international festival created in 1984, contributes to the dynamism of the Croatian ballet scene. In addition to Zagreb, the cities of Split, Rijeka and Osijek also have permanent ballet troupes.
Istria has a special relationship with salsa! Europe's biggest salsa festival takes place here from June to early July. It attracts passionate salseros and aficionados from all over the world, from professional dancers to amateurs. Sensual Summer Salsa begins with a week in Opatija, followed by two weeks in Rovinj. The program is rich, with around 120 dance workshops led by the best national and international teachers, conferences, parties, excursions and, above all, Latin shows featuring not only salsa, but also bachata, kizomba, chacha, rumba cubana, mambo, reggaeton and more.
Popular music and rock
Yugoslav rock was a thriving, structured industry before the collapse of the Federation of Yugoslavia. The history of Croatian pop and rock is closely linked to that of the Jugoton label. Founded in 1947, it was the largest record company in the former Yugoslavia. Based in Zagreb, the label released a host of pop-rock artists. A veritable state enterprise, it had its own studios, radio station, pressing plant and network of stores. One of Jugoton's distinctive features was that, alongside mainstream music, it was able to sign a number of punk and new wave groups - perhaps not the most radical, but who sometimes challenged the powers that be. As war approached, the label was privatized and became the property of the Croatian state after the break-up of Yugoslavia. The company's name was changed to simply Croatia Records, a simple name marking the ex-Jugoton's roots in the young Croatian nation.
When political crises arise, any stance taken affects society as a whole and often influences artistic works. When the crisis hit the Balkans, artists had to make a choice: oppose the nationalist regime or serve as its standard-bearer. Some artists emigrated to the West, such as Branimir Stulić, songwriter with the Zagreb-based band Azra, or Dušan Kojić Koja, bassist and singer with the Belgrade alternative band Disciplina Kicme. Conversely, other musicians, such as Prljavo Kazaliste, proudly claimed to support the nationalists. Outside Croatia, contemporary Croatian musicians have found it difficult to make their differences heard. Like Hladno Pivo (Cold Beer), one of the best-known hard rock bands. As for Marko Perković, his drift towards right-wing rock earned him the label of fascist... but he remained very popular all the same. Enlisted in the war in 1991, armed with a Thompson rifle, he made a name for himself with his song Bojna Čavoglave, which cheered up the soldiers. A symbol of the Croatian struggle for independence, this fervent Catholic sings of love for God, family and country with excess.
During the Milošević era, rock went underground. When peace returned, it resumed, but without the same success. Pop and dance took over. In 1989, the Riva group won the Eurovision Song Contest with the song Rock Me. Oliver - Oliver Dragojević - has been one of the most popular Croatian singers since the 1970s. His most famous hits are Cesarica, Luce mala (Little Lucia) and Moje prvo pijanstvo (My First Drunk). Although he passed away in 2018, he remains one of the founders of Dalmatian song. Severina is Croatia's sex symbol, known as much for her music as for her looks. Gibonni started out in a heavy metal band, then evolved his style towards pop-rock, sometimes reminiscent of Peter Gabriel and Genesis. Whether writing for himself or for others, his songs are particularly popular in Croatia. INmusic, held in June in Zagreb's Lake Jarun leisure park, is Croatia's biggest indie rock festival, always featuring major headliners, while the Pula Arena boasts a 2024 calendar with international concerts to die for: rock with The Smile Billets, Avril Lavigne, Simple Minds, Lenny Kravitz, Duran Duran, Croatian variety singer Doris Dragović and tenor singer Andrea Bocelli.
Rap and hip-hop
Some rap and hip-hop artists have also gained recognition: The Beat Fleet started out in Split in 1992, recording three tracks in their garage - local radio stations followed. In 1997, the group released its first album and has since become a benchmark in Croatian hip-hop circles. In the north, the seven-member Zagreb Elemental collective plays an important role. Reggae is championed by So! Mazgoon, a small, ecologically-minded group, who emphasize tropical riddims and percussion, love of the sea and the land, while Zinedin Zidan (that's the real name!) celebrates roots made in Split. The Zaprešić Boys, meanwhile, have established themselves as a rock-rap band supporting Dinamo Zagreb. They are the symbol of patriotism ultra-transposed into soccer. Much cooler, Edo Maajka, the capital's rapper, is openly anti-fascist.
Clubbing and turbo-folk
As rap music found its audience, the clubbing phenomenon took hold in Croatia and Istria in the 1990s, with more and more beach bars, clubs organizing parties and festivals all summer long on beaches entirely dedicated to dance culture. Ultra Europe is the European edition of the famous dance festival, which takes place every year at Split's Poljud stadium, hosting the biggest names in EDM, house and techno. Numerous other parties are also organized, including the Ultra Beach Party (island of Hvar), the Regatta Beach Party on the island of Brač, Dimension at Fort Punta Christo. Turbo-folk also took root during these years, at the same time as Yugoslav unity disappeared, to the benefit of Serbian, Croatian and Bosnian nationalism. This musical style is controversial in Croatia, mainly because it is identified with the eastern part of the former Yugoslavia. Yet, despite all the controversy and uneven quality, it is very popular in the country. There's a media embargo, which means the genre is banned from most TV and radio stations, but the clubs that play turbo-folk are packed. Inseparable from the context of its emergence, turbo-folk invariably rhymes with the rise of nationalism. With the socio-economic upheavals, these new musical sounds replaced the Yugoslav rock bands.
