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The music ofCroatia, like the divisions of the country itself, has two major influences:Central European, present in central and northern parts of the country includingSlavonia, andMediterranean, present in coastal regions ofDalmatia andIstria.
In Croatia bothpop androck are popular, as well as pop music influenced byDalmatian orSlavonian folk elements.
Since the mid-20th century,schlager andchanson-inspired music have formed the backbone of theCroatian popular music.
The oldest preserved relics of musical culture in Croatia are sacral in nature and represented byLatin medieval liturgical chant manuscripts (approximately one hundred musical codices and fragments dating from the 11th to the 15th centuries have been preserved to date). They reveal a wealth of various influences and liturgical traditions that converged in this region (Dalmatian liturgy inBenevento script, NorthernGregorian chant, and originalGlagolitic chant).
Early in the 15th century, the ideas ofHumanism in Croatia brought about changes to the world of music. Interest in music began to spread outside of monastic and church walls with growing influence of new spiritual tendencies from Central European and particularly Italian cities. Humanists and philosophers promulgated new musical theories and aesthetic ideas: Federik Grisogono,Pavao Skalić,Frane Petrić. The writing down of folk and popular music began in mid-sixteenth century: in the poemFishing and Fishermen's Talk from 1558,Petar Hektorović ingrainedNeoplatonic ideals in popular music; and transcripts of Croatian musical folklore were printed in Venetian anthologies (Giulio Cesare Barbetta 1569,Marco Facoli 1588).Julije Skjavetić fromŠibenik published hismadrigals (Li madrigali a quattro, et a cinque voci 1562), while hisMotetti a cinque et a sei voci, (1564) are characterised by a lavish polyphonic structure under the influence of theDutch school. Music and dance were a component part of theatrical expression (Mavro Vetranović,Nikola Nalješković,Marin Držić,Marin Benetović), while the function of music and sound effects was under the influence ofItalian pastorals.
The most prominent Croatian composers of this period includeIvan Lukačić,Vinko Jelić andAtanazije Jurjević.
New tendencies of earlyBaroque monody soon found their way into the domestic musical tradition, both sacral and secular.Tomaso Cecchini, fromVerona, who spent his entire working life (1603–44) as a choirmaster, organist and composer inSplit andHvar, published his madrigalsArmonici concetti, libro primo (1612) as the oldest Baroque collection written for the Croatian milieu. The collectionSacrae cantiones (Venice 1620) byIvan Lukačić from Šibenik is valuable testimony of sacral music that was performed in Split, and is generally speaking, one of the most significant monuments of old Croatian music altogether. TheFranciscans andPaulists cultivated sacral chants, mostly monophonic and withoutorgan accompaniment (the manuscript cantos of Frane Divnić, Bone Razmilović, Filip Vlahović-Kapušvarac, Franjo Vukovarac and Petar Knežević). Also, worth mentioning is RagusinoVincenzo Comnen, the only representative of the music of the Dubrovnik nobility.
The tradition of theBaroque was more lasting in church/sacral music, which was the musical form that was systematically nurtured in numerous monasteries (especially Franciscan ones) as well as in parish and cathedral churches. The preservation of music manuscripts and prints became a widespread practice in the mid-18th century. Simple vocal-instrumental music for two voices with organ continuo was the form most frequently performed in churches; more prominent individuals active in the sphere of music could be found only in larger urban centres. They were mostlyorganists andmaestri di cappella, skilful composers who had small vocal and/or instrumental ensembles and who frequently acted as music teachers (private or in church schools). The gradual development of the middle class had as one of its consequences the corresponding secular organisation of musical life, particularly in the first decades of the 19th century, a period that saw the establishment of music ensembles, music societies (1827 inZagreb, then inVaraždin,Rijeka,Osijek etc.) and music schools.
In addition, public balls and other events were organised (music academies, theatre performances) with the participation of local and foreign musicians (fromItaly,Austria,Bohemia etc.) including the private collection of music materials for playing music at home. Music became a component part of various festivities, such as the arrival of important political personalities (the new governor or the Habsburg king Frances I, etc.), the feasts of patron saints (St. Blaise inDubrovnik,St. Domnius inSplit,St. Stephen inHvar andZagreb etc.), for which so called art music was specifically composed, with the inclusion of popular elements (bourgeois dances, folk music of the peasantry).
Many Italian and domestic musicians worked in Dubrovnik: in the cathedral choir and orchestra, in the Duke's orchestra, at private and public festivities.[1] An excellent early example of pre-classical symphony and chamber music was given byLuka Sorkočević, a nobleman educated in Rome, as well as his son Antun, a historian and diplomat.Ferdo Livadić (1799–1879) wroteNotturno in F-sharp minor for piano as early as 1822, which is, along withJohn Field's compositions under the same name, one of the earliest examples of that type of piano miniatures in general.[2]
In the course of the 1830s, as a reflection of such tendencies in Europe, theIllyrian Movement emerged in Croatia which assigned not only to literature but to music as well a particular socio-political role: the forming and guarding of national awareness including the struggle againstHungarization andGermanization. Accordingly, in 1846Josip Runjanin (1821–1878) put to musicAntun Mihanović's 1835 poem "Horvatska domovina" (Croatian Homeland), which later became theCroatian national anthem.[2] In such a settingVatroslav Lisinski (1819–1854) composed the first Croatian national operaLjubav i zloba (Love and Malice), which premièred inZagreb in 1846.[2]
Taking into consideration the presence of folk music, the aspirations of the Illyrians went far beyond the results achieved, something that is also continued in the work ofIvan Zajc (1832–1914) in the second half of the century. His masterpiece, the operaNikola Šubić Zrinjski, ever since its opening night in Zagreb in 1876, had not lost in popularity, partly because its heroic patriotism functions as a symbol of Croatia's victory. Finally, owing to the founder of Croatian ethno-musicology and musical historiography,Franjo Kuhač (1834–1911), the systematic research of folklore evolved simultaneously with Zajc's endeavours. In Zajc's and Kuhač's era, major halls for musical performances and concerts were built: in Zagreb the building of theCroatian Music Institute (1876, 1895) with a concert hall, and the building of theCroatian National Theatre (1895), including the theatre buildings inRijeka (1885),Split (1893) andOsijek (1907) where, along with the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb, drama, opera and ballet performances are still played today.
During the 19th century, other instrumentalists and singers won international recognition, for example, the violinistFranjo Krežma (1862–1881), singers, among which Ilma Murska (1834–1889), Matilda Mallinger (1847–1920) who sang at the opening night ofWagner'sDie Meistersinger von Nürnberg in 1868,Milka Trnina (1863–1941) andJosip Kašman (1850–1925), the first Croatian singer to appear at theNew York Metropolitan Opera.[2]
The traditionalfolk music ofCroatia is mostly associated with the following:
Ganga is a type of singing which is characterized by a lone singer singing one line of lyrics and then others joining in for what can be best described as a wail. It is a very passionate form of singing, which is one of the reasons it has been limited in popularity to small towns. Even though it is a unique and autochthonous form of singing by Croats, it is very rare to hear this music on Croatian airwaves. However, several popular Croatian musicians have incorporated some ganga into their work. It can also be heard in concert music: the American composerCraig Walsh incorporates a ganga-inspired wailing, sighing, pitch-bending, micro-tonal vocal style in his 'String Quartet No. 1' (2010), a work commissioned for theSarajevo Chamber Music Festival and theManhattan String Quartet, the second movement of which is clearly paying homage toganga style.
Only recently has ganga begun to address political issues, frequently adopting overtly nationalistic overtones and incorporating themes from the Croatian Homeland War. Although both men and women regularly perform ganga, it is extremely unusual for them to perform songs together. It is not unusual at all for both Catholic and Muslim men to perform ganga together.
Theklapa music is a form ofa cappella singing that first appeared in littoral Croatia during the middle of the 19th century.[3] The wordklapa is derived from a word in slang Italian spoken in Trieste at the time. It refers to "a group of people" and the singing style traces its roots to liturgical church singing. The motifs, in general, celebrate love, wine (grapes), country (homeland) and sea. The main elements of the music are harmony and melody, with rhythm very rarely being very important.
A klapa group consists of a firsttenor, a second tenor, abaritone, and abass. It is possible to double all the voices apart from the firsttenor. Althoughklapa is a cappella music, on occasion, it is possible to add a gentleguitar and amandolin.
Klapa singing has become increasingly popular in littoral Croatia. Many young people fromDalmatia treasureklapa and sing it regularly when going out eating/drinking. This music has gained popularity among mainstream audiences in coastal regions of Croatia, with newer klapa formed by younger generations fusing klapa vocals with other music styles, such as klapa Libar's metal cover of "Pusti da ti leut svira"[4] and the pop/klapa song "Kako ću joj reć' da varin" by klapa DVD-a Žrnovnica Sv. Florijan,[5] which won the Split Song Festival in 2010.
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Tamburica (diminutive oftambura) music is a form offolk music that involves these and related string instruments. It became increasingly popular in the 1800s, and small bands began to form, paralleling similar developments inRussia,Italy andUkraine.
The main themes of tamburitza songs are the common themes of love and happy village life. Tamburitza music is primarily associated with the northern,Pannonian part of the country. It is sometimes said that the first sextet of tambura players was formed byPajo Kolarić ofOsijek in 1847. In 1971 one of the most famous and long lasting tamburitza ensemblesSlavonski Bećari was formed led by the legend of tamburitza musicAntun Nikolić Tuca.
Traditional tamburitza ensembles are still commonplace, but more professional groups have formed in the last few decades. These includeZlatni dukati andEx Panonia, the first such groups,Zdenac, Slavonske Lole,Berde Band and the modernizedrock and roll-influencedGazde.
The style of Tambura music played most often in the United States during the latter half of the 20th century was not significantly different from the style played at the turn of the 19th century. Free of the influences of pop music in Jugoslavia and the nascent, independent republics, and without large quantities of immigrants bringing new methods and styles, American-style Tambura music, and to a lesser extent, Canadian-style Tambura music stayed true to its roots.
Today, the most prevalent forms of Tambura music are folk-pop combinations.
Thegusle music is played on this traditional string instrument. It is primarily rooted inepic poetry with emphasis on important historical or patriotic events. It is the traditional instrument of inlandDalmatia and ofHerzegovina, the part ofBosnia and Herzegovina with predominant Croatian population.
Gusle players are known for glorifying outlaws such ashajduks oruskoks of the long goneTurkish reign or exalting the recent heroes of theCroatian War of Independence.Andrija Kačić Miošić, a famous 18th-century author, had also composed verses in form of the traditional folk poetry (deseterac, ten verses). His bookRazgovor ugodni naroda slovinskog became Croatian folk Bible which inspired numerous gusle players ever since.
As for contemporary gusle players in Croatia, one person that particularly stands out isMile Krajina. Krajina is a prolific folk poet and gusle player who gained cult status among someconservative groups. There are also several other prominent Croatian gusle players who often perform at various folk-festivals throughout Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Diple is a traditional woodwind musical instrument in Croatian music. Sometimes called "Mih", "mjeh", "mjesina" or only "diple", it is played from Istria, Lika, over Dalmatia Islands and Coast to Herzegovina. "Mih" is made of tanned goat or sheep skin and consists of a "dulac" or "kanela" through which the air is blown and "diple" (chanter) on which it is played. Inside the "mih" on the chanter, two single-blade reeds are situated. Unlike bagpipes, "Mih" doesn't have a "trubanj" or "bordun" (drone). Although they are very similar, the "mih" from different parts of Croatia still differ in type of chanter, in the position of holes or in some tiny details (for example ornaments).
The folk music ofZagorje, an area north ofZagreb, is known for small orchestras consisting ofViolins,Cimbule,Tamburice andHarmonike. The Tamburica (also known as tambura) is the Croatian national string instrument. Although there is a rich pool of folk songs in this region, traditions are not being cherished and most Zagorian folk music available is performed by amateur groups. This is also reflected in the quality of the music, which is mostly reduced to happy upbeat songs.
The folk music ofMeđimurje, a small but distinct region in northernmost Croatia, with its melancholic and soothing tunes became the most popular form of folk to be used in the modernethno pop-rock songs. BesideCimbule andViolins, there is also a tradition ofBrass orchestras which used to play an important role in cultural everyday life. On one hand, they were the foundation of every regional celebration or wedding but on the other hand they were also known for playing at funerals or funeral feasts.
InIstria andKvarner, native instruments likesopila,curla anddiple make a distinctive regional sound. It is partially diatonic in nature following the uniqueIstrian scale.
TheSlavonian townPožega hosts a known folkmusic festival,Zlatne žice Slavonije (Golden strings of Slavonia), which has prompted musicians to compose new songs with far-reaching influences, recently including Americanbluegrass.
The towns ofVinkovci andĐakovo, also in Slavonia, host yearly folklore festivals (Vinkovačke jeseni andĐakovački vezovi) where folk music is also listened to as part of the tradition.
The town of Slavonski Brod holds an annual festival called Brodfest, where many of the great tamburica bands come together to play.
The Dubrovnik Summer Festival puts on dramatic music and ballet. It was founded in 1950.
The Osor Musical Evenings was founded in 1976 and takes place in July and August. It plays classical Croatian masters.
The Musical Evenings in Donat takes place during the summer in Zadar. It was founded in 1961, and plays old music.
Thepop music of Croatia generally resembles thecanzonemusic of Italy, while including elements of the native traditional music. Croatian record companies produce much material each year, if only to populate the numerousmusic festivals. Of special note is theSplit Festival which usually produces the most popularsummer hits.
Seasoned pop singers in Croatia include:Meri Cetinić,Mišo Kovač,Ivo Robić,Vice Vukov,Krunoslav Slabinac,Zlatko Pejaković,Arsen Dedić,Vinko Coce,Zdenka Vučković,Darko Domjan,Tereza Kesovija,Gabi Novak,Ivica Šerfezi,Oliver Dragojević,Tomislav Ivčić,Doris Dragović,Radojka Šverko,Maja Blagdan,Jacques Houdek and many others. Also, the groupsMagazin,Novi fosili and Grupa 777 have had sustained careers.
In more recent times, younger performers such asNina Badrić,Severina,Gibonni,Toni Cetinski,Jelena Rozga,Danijela,Lidija Bačić,Antonija Šola,Lana Jurčević and many others have captured the attention of the pop audience. Each of them have successfully blended various influences into their distinct music style. For example, Thompson's songs include traditional epic themes from theDinaric regions; Severina threads between Croatian pop and a folk sound.
Croatian pop music is fairly often listened to inSlovenia,Bosnia and Herzegovina,Serbia,Montenegro andNorth Macedonia due to the union of Yugoslavia that existed until the 1990s. Conversely, Bosnian singers likeDino Merlin and SerbianĐorđe Balašević have an audience in Croatia, as well as some others. More recently theTurbo folk – frowned upon by the establishment some music critics and social commentators – has been popular amongst some sections of Croatian youth. A general resentment to Turbo folk remains as it is not broadcast on state radio and TV. Where on private outlets it may be transmitted, it normally triggers a strong negative reaction from those not liking it. Croatian singers that are using elements of Turbo folk areSeverina andJelena Rozga.
Croatia is a regular contestant on theEurovision Song Contest. Back in Yugoslavia, Croatian pop groupRiva won the contest in1989. Since independence, Croatia's best finish was in2024 with the song"Rim Tim Tagi Dim" byBaby Lasagna, finishing second and the song later going on to chart across Europe.[6] Some of the other Croatians who performed on the ESC includeDanijel Popović,Put,Boris Novković andClaudia Beni.
The most popular rock bands active during the former Yugoslavia includedHaustor,Psihomodo Pop,Azra,Prljavo Kazalište andParni Valjak.
There are several rather popular and long-lasting mainstream rock acts likeParni Valjak,Prljavo Kazalište,Crvena Jabuka,Atomsko Sklonište,Aerodrom, Tutti Frutti Band, Daleka Obala, Đavoli, Stijene, More, Osmi putnik, Metak, etc. They originated in the 1970s and 1980s, and for the better part of their career resorted to a more mellow, mainstream pop-rock sound. Of some note is also theSarajevo school of pop rock which influenced many of these bands, and which also included singers likeŽeljko Bebek who later worked in Croatia.
However,Croatian new wave (Novi val) movement, which exploded in 1979/80 and lasted throughout the 1980s, is considered by many to be the high-water mark of Croatian rock music, both in terms of quality and commercial success. The most influential and popular bands ofNovi val wereAzra,Haustor,Film, even earlyPrljavo Kazalište. Other notable acts wereAnimatori,Buldožer,Paraf,Patrola etc.
In the late 1980s, the region ofIstria became home to a kind of calledČa-val, which often used theČakavian dialect and elements of traditional music from the regions of Istria andKvarner.
The new wave scene has collapsed by the end of the eighties, to be replaced by the newcomers like; Tutti Frutti band,Daleka Obala,Majke andLaufer. While Daleka Obala sported a pop-rock sound influenced by Novi val, Croatian pop and even Dalmatian folk, Majke were a back-to-basics, garage-rock act stylistically influenced by bands like theBlack Crowes,Led Zeppelin orBlack Sabbath, as well as their Serbian counterpartsPartibrejkers. Laufer, led byDamir Urban (who later went on to formUrban & 4), were an early nineties alternative rock band taking their cue from the grunge movement.
Let 3 andKUD Idijoti are also prominent rock acts, popular both for their music and their interesting, often controversial, performances and stunts.
Beginning in the late 1980s, folk-rock groups also sprouted across Croatia. The first is said to beVještice, who combinedMeđimurje folk music with rock and set the stage for artists likeLegen,Lidija Bajuk andDunja Knebl. At the same time on the other side of Croatia, in Istria, a band calledGustafi started playing their own strange amalgamate of rock and Istrian folk, but it took them more than a decade to reach the nationwide audience.
The Splitmetal bandOsmi Putnik has also been a success in Croatia and still are today and are also popular in other ex-Yugoslav republics
The Sisaksurf rock bandThe Bambi Molesters has in the past years gained sizeable international fame and are often touted as one of the best surf-rock acts in the world today.
Alternative rock/metal bandFather have had success with their first albuminspirita in countries like theUK, and have toured with bands likeKorn,Anthrax andApocalyptica.
There is also a number of Croatian bands who play modern music in English, most prominent beingMy Buddy Moose,The orange strips,In-the-go,Kimiko,Cold Snap and Snovi
Dance music in Croatia was an offspring of the local pop music and more Western influences. It developed during the late 1980s and early 1990s, picking up on the trends such aseuro disco andeurodance. It also spawned a wave ofelectronic music artists, mostlyhouse,techno andtrance.
Dino Dvornik is one of the pioneers ofelectronic music in Croatian.
The singerVanna rose to prominence through the dance trioE.T., and the music ofVesna Pisarović has a fair bit of dance beat.
Although E.T. still operates, they've changed singers several times and lost in popularity. The bandColonia is perhaps the only one that rode the dance wave of the '90s and today is one of the most popular performers in Croatia.
The 1990s were marked by the emergence of Croatianrap music. The Ugly Leaders released the first ever Croatian Hip-Hop album, and gained a strong following in and around Rijeka. In 1991, the Croatian Liberation Front released two widely popular protest singles. The first rap band to gain widespread and lasting acclaim wasThe Beat Fleet (TBF) fromSplit, whose members took inspiration from harsh economic and social conditions of war-tornDalmatia, not that different from American inner cities. Their act was followed by a multitude of artists and groups inZagreb, taking inspiration from Americangangsta rap. The Zagreb rappersBolesna Braća (also calledSick Rhyme Sayazz) andTram 11 became particularly popular, and to an extent also the duoNered &Stoka.
The Croatian rap gained much from the factEdo Maajka, aBosnian rapper, signed on to a label in Zagreb. Recently a rapper known asShorty gained much popularity by having songs with a strong regional flavour of his nativeVinkovci. The Zagreb bandElemental also entered the scene featuring one of the few Croatian female rappers.
The tendency to combine different elements also has a long presence in moreclassical music: the operaEro s onoga svijeta, written byJakov Gotovac in the 1930s, blended the traditional music of theDinaric peoples into a scholarly form and achieved great success.
Classical musicians and compositions by Croatian composers are generally not well known worldwide despite having produced a huge and interesting contribution over many centuries. Influences of style were often taken from neighbouring influences (Italy,Austria) or settlers (in the Mediterranean Croatia from Italy, and in Panonia (north Croatia) from Germany andBohemia).
Croatian composers by current relevance in a global framework: (Maybe the order will change in the future, given that 95% of the composition exists as a single copy – the original manuscript, and yet need to be saved from oblivion, and then be performed and recorded on CD, and then presented to the international public)
Modern composers:
Croatian society of composers (Hrvatsko drustvo skladatelja – HDS) is the main organization promoting modern classical music in Croatia.
Jazz appeared in Croatia in the 1920s, and flourished in Zagreb by the late 2000s, making it a regional center for jazz. In 1947, the jazz orchestra of Radio Zagreb was founded, which lives on today as the "HRT Big Band." In 1959,vibraphone playerBoško Petrović, who was likely the most famous Croatian jazz musician, founded theZagreb Jazz Quartet. Today, there is a fair number of active jazz groups in Croatia, and various cities host jazz festivals.[7] Jazz has left its mark on the Croatian pop scene throughout the years, most notably in the works of Drago Diklić and occasionally Josipa Lisac.
Croatian Catholic priests ofDalmatia,Istria andKotor sang inChurch Slavonic language during the 9th and 10th centuries, from which formed different forms of individual or choral spiritual music. The first inscription about that kind of singing dates from 1177, when it was sung laudibus and canticis "in eorum sclavica lingua" toPope Alexander II during his visit inZadar.[8]
Very famous is repertory of church versesCithara octochorda, which was published three times (Vienna: 1701, 1723 and Zagreb: 1757).[9] It contains Christian music inheritance ofCroats, bothKajkavian and Latin verses. Those verses set to music and adapted toorgans famous Croatian church music composersAlbe Vidaković,Anđelko Klobučar and others. That arrangement is part of Catholicliturgy in Croatia today. Croatian church composers (Peran, Vidaković, Klobučar) composed so-calledCroatianMasses, which also become regular part of liturgy.[10]
EffaTha is the first CroatianChristian metal band.[11]Christian pop is very popular among Croatian Catholic youth, especially bands such as Emmanuel, Božja pobjeda (God's Victory) and Srce Isusovo (Heart of Jesus).
The most famous contemporary Christian music singers and composers areDragutin Hrastović,Čedo Antolić, Alen Hržica, Nika Vlahović, Husar and Palić sisters. Some pop singers likeNina Badrić andTajči were also affiliated with Christian music, as much asMeri Cetinić who composed spiritual songs.
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