Traditional music and dance
Dubrovnik and the entire Dalmatian region have perfectly preserved their (many) musical and choreographic traditions. So, even outside of religious festivals, it's anything but rare to come across a folk costume here and there, particularly in the Konavle region, around Cavtat or in the village of Čilipi. In the latter case, folklore is notoriously ubiquitous. The village has made it its main attraction, led by the Čilipi Folklor association, which every Sunday from April to November puts on a show perfectly synthesizing all the local tradition. Of course, you'll hear the klapa, a regional treasure and source of great pride throughout Dalmatia. Klapa are polyphonic songs, possibly dating back to the 19th century, originally sung only by men in choirs of five to eight, usually with two tenors, a baritone and a bass. That said, more and more mixed formations are coming together, even purely female ones like Klapa Galluna. The texts deal with love, wine and the fatherland (a complete program), but can also be satirical. While klapas are traditionally performed a cappella, they are now sometimes accompanied by guitar or mandolin. A heritage in perpetual motion that the younger generation has appropriated in its own way, blending it with more modern aesthetics such as rock and pop.
Listening to klapa in Dalmatia is easy. The tradition runs through the streets, and it's not uncommon to see a few old-timers singing a cappella on a café terrace after a few drinks! Otherwise, the region, and Dubrovnik in particular, boasts a number of famous ensembles such as Klapa Maestral and Klapa Ragusa, who regularly perform in the area, notably at the Dalmatinskih Klapa festival in the town of Omiš, the most important in the discipline. Dubrovnik also has its own klapa festival, Aklapela, usually held at the end of April, as does Cavtat, which hosts Na Me Pogled Tvoj Obrati, its klapa ensemble gathering, every first weekend in September.
Another great local tradition, linđo is the most popular dance in Dubrovnik's coastal region and has been danced in the same way for over two hundred years. While a musician plays the lijerica - the region's quintessential instrument, a kind of Dalmatian three-string violin that is placed on one knee - the dancers move in a circle around him, with the latter giving orders (rhymed, often funny). He also decides who dances with whom and dictates the steps while encouraging the dancers.
The linđo tradition is kept alive by Dubrovnik's Lindjo folk ensemble, as well as the Folklorni Asambl Linđo. The latter ensemble was founded in 1964 and performs in the sumptuous setting of the Lazareti complex.
The nijemo kolo, a silent round dance with no musical accompaniment - apart from a few interludes at the beginning or end of the dance - is a curiosity from the Dalmatian hinterland and is performed on feast days, weddings, carnivals and so on. Rhythmed by the muffled sound of steps, this dance welcomes everyone, men and women alike, up to a maximum of twenty dancers. A pillar of identity for many villages, nijemo kolo was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2011.
Included on the same list a year earlier, in 2010, ojkanje singing is another of the region's treasures. Practiced in the Dalmatian hinterland of the Dinaric Alps, this two-part song is performed by two or more male or female singers, using a special tremolo technique. The song lasts as long as the main performer can hold his or her breath. Although this practice is maintained generation after generation, some variants have disappeared over time, as Unesco notes on its website: "Recent conflicts and the rural exodus to the cities that have reduced the region's population, as well as changing lifestyles, have led to a sharp decline in the number of performers, resulting in the disappearance of many archaic genres and styles of solo singing."
The second home of local folklore, the island of Korčula proudly perpetuates its martial dances: the moreška (sword dance from the town of Korčula), the kumpanija (another sword dance, this one from Blato, Vela Luka and Pupnat) and the moštra (in Žrnovo). The former is a performance depicting the battle against the Moors - a tradition found on various Mediterranean islands - while the latter two are native dances, accompanied by mišnice, the local bagpipes. Whatever the case, the steps are performed by men who are virtuosos of the sword. Performances take place in the villages concerned on the feast day of the patron saint.
Traditional instruments
In addition to the lijerica mentioned above, the region boasts a number of other typical instruments, such as the tambura. This string instrument of Turkish origin is popular throughout the country and among the Croatian diaspora. In Osijek, Slavonia, an annual festival is dedicated to the tambura. Widespread throughout the Dinaric Alps, the gusle is also a popular instrument among the Dalmatians. This single-stringed instrument is often used to accompany epic poetry, recounting important historical or patriotic events and celebrating war heroes. Mile Krajina is Croatia's cult folk poet and gusle player. The diple, the last instrument to be played in Dalmatia, is a type of bagpipe with different variations depending on the region or country: Istria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro and so on.
Dalmatian folklore can be enjoyed at the Dubrovnik Carnival (Dubrovački Karneval), which is well worth a visit, the St. Blaise festival in Dubrovnik on February 3, or the Konavle, Glazba & Riječ ("Music and Word" festival) in the villages of Konavle and Cavtat, with its share of klapas concerts and theatrical performances.
Classical music
Croatia has not made a significant contribution to world classical music. That said, a few names are worth noting, starting with Vatroslav Lisinski (1819-1854). Considered the founder of Croatian nationalist music, he composed the first national opera Ljubav i Zloba (Love and Mischief) and was one of the pillars of Illyrism, a movement aimed at creating unity among southern Slavic populations in the face of Austro-Hungarian domination. Ivan Zajc (1832-1914), composer and conductor, considered the Croatian Verdi, whose work and reforms played a major role in revitalizing classical music in the country. Dalmatian-born Josip Hatze (1879-1959) wrote the first mass and cantata in the Croatian language, while Dubrovnik-born Blagoje Bersa (1873-1934) was one of the central figures in Croatian musical life at the turn of the 20th century, and had a remarkable influence on national composers through his Romantic aesthetic, renewed with more modern stylistic elements. A prolific composer, he wrote symphonies, operas, chamber and piano music. To complete this family of great names in Croatian art music, let's also mention Josip Štolcer Slavenski (1896-1955), whose folkloric influence brought him closer to Bartók and Kodály, the great avant-gardist Ivo Malec (1925-2019), well known in France for his work with the Groupe de recherches musicales, and finally Pavle Dešpalj (1934-2021), conductor who was invited to lead many prestigious ensembles around the world, and was honorary conductor of the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra and director of the famous Dubrovnik Summer Festival (Dubrovacke Ljetne Igre), one of the country's most prestigious and long-standing events, bringing classical music, dance and theater to the historic sites of the old town. Other noteworthy events in the region include the Ana in the City (Ana U Gradu) festival, celebrating the virtuosity of cellist Ana Rucner, the Korkyra Baroque Festival in Korčula, held in St. Mark's Cathedral, St. Nicholas' Church and the Church of All Saints, and the Epidaurus Festival in Cavtat.
