Rich in all things art and culture, music is another genre that definitely you have to listen in Croatia!
Croatia’s music scene is as varied as its archipelago. Between tradition and modern rendition, Croatian music is favored as much by locals as it is internationally.
Between medieval, romanticism, renaissance and baroque, Croatia’s history of music dates back centuries. The oldest preserved artefacts date from the medieval era around the 11th to 15th century. A shift was noticed thereafter during the renaissance and baroque period where music was enjoyed outside of religious walls and celebrated domestically. During the 16th century, folk music was immortalised by way of transcripts which was usually passed down by word of mouth.
Croatia sits in a unique position, given its location, and its music varies depending on the region. The music is juxtaposed with influences from Central Europe, the Mediterranean as well as the Balkans all providing a rich folk approach. The Croatian music culture is highly regarded and celebrated throughout the country and many forms have been registered in UNESCO’s list of Intangible Heritage including some styles below!
Along the Dalmatian Coast, Klapa is the most prominent type of singing. Klapa consists of a group, predominantly males, harmonising in a-capella. Klapa translates to ‘a group of friends’ who sing of love and loss and it serves as a way of passing down the tales of Croatian history. If you hear a live performance of Croatian klapa even once, you will certainly not remain indifferent to this kind of music. Because klapa has been binding people together for years, stealing their hearts and enchanting them with its unique sound.
Hearing the word “klapa” you probably wonder what it is. Klapa in Croatian, and actually in the Dalmatian dialect, stands for “band.” To make things more interesting, klapa is also a term for a form of a cappella music performance. Klapa has also been a traditional form of singing in Croatia for years, most prevalent in the Dalmatian region. As you can see, klapa is three-in-one and probably the easiest way to call it music! The group that makes up a klapa usually consists of two tenor lead singers, one baritone, and one bass. Of course, the types of voices in a band can repeat, forming a group of up to eight (and sometimes ten) people. It used to be that male klapa predominated in Croatia. Nowadays, more and more female klapa are appearing. However, there are no mixed ensembles. Whilst their voices play the major part, Klapa musicians are often accompanied by a tamburica or mandolin – think mini guitar – accordion, and double bass. It’s also more common than not that these singers wear a traditional costume, ‘nošnje’, as they’re performing. There are also joyful and lively songs talking about enjoying life, successes, and funny situations.
So, when listening to the klapas, you can feel both melancholy and great joy. Each song usually begins with a tenor, and then the other vocals join in. What is important here is the dynamic of the song and its sound. Slower songs can be compared to ballads, while faster songs are full of passion and energy. Every summer in the coastal town of Omiš, a klapa festival takes place. Its history dates back to 1967, and since then, it has continued with great success. It is also worth mentioning that since 2012, the klapa has been included in the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Klapa is the pride of Croatians and their national treasure. It is a living tradition maintained naturally, and Croats are not afraid of its disappearance as the number of new Klapa bands participating in festivals is growing. The words of the songs performed by the klapa are not accidental. What matters here is love – of homeland, of the sea, of one’s nation and customs. The lyrics of the songs tell a story of local life. They present interesting stories of the local people. The distinctive harmonies are based on the thirds of major chords, with the other sections following the lead of the first tenor. Interesting what the bass singer is doing, as he (they) will be filling in the rest of the chord, and adding that wonderful deep note that gives weight to the whole song. You can see them projecting their voices downwards! According to istrian old man, carpenter, it takes 40 years of drinking red wine to make a good bass! Traditional klapa songs deal with very similar topics to Scottish, Irish and everyone else’s folk songs: love, fishing, war, death, drinking – all those familiar life events! There’s a mix of the old songs, some specially written recently for klapa, and some brought in from other musical genres.Songs of Croatia: Klapa singing
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