Music of Slovenia
Part of a series on the |
Culture of Slovenia |
---|
![]() |
People |
Languages |
Cuisine |
Religion |
Sport |
In the minds of many foreigners, Slovenian folk music means a form of polka that is still popular today, especially among expatriates and their descendants. However, there are many styles of Slovenian folk music beyond polka and waltz. Kolo, lender, štajeriš, mafrine and šaltin are a few of the traditional music styles and dances.
Prehistory
![]() | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (June 2008) |

The Divje Babe flute, a perforated bone found in a cave at the Divje Babe site Cerkno, Slovenia. It is controversially believed to be a flute, which makes it possibly the oldest known musical instrument ever. Its age is estimated at approximately 55,000 years.
The history of modern Slovenian music can be traced back to the 5th century, when Christianity spread in
Classical music
Medieval
During the medieval era, secular music was as popular as church music, including wandering
George Slatkonia, a Carniolan conductor and composer from Novo Mesto, became the director of the Vienna Boys' Choir in 1498.
Renaissance
By the time of
Enlightenment
In 1701,
Beginning in 1768, German theatre companies arrived and became very popular. The 1794 formation of the Philharmonische Gesellschaft was important because it was one of the first such orchestras in Central Europe.
19th century
The 19th century saw the growth of a distinctively Slovenian classical music sound based on
Composers of Slovenian
20th century
In the early 20th century, impressionism was spreading across Slovenia, which soon produced composers Marij Kogoj and Slavko Osterc.
Avant-garde
Contemporary
Contemporary classic music composers include Uroš Rojko, Tomaž Svete, Brina Jež-Brezavšček and Aldo Kumar.
Opera
![]() | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (October 2012) |
The Slovenian National Theatres in Maribor and Ljubljana serve as the national opera and ballet houses. Mezzo-soprano Marjana Lipovšek was born in Ljubljana.
Film music
![]() | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (October 2012) |
The composer of film scores for 170 films was Bojan Adamič (1912–1995).[9]
Folk music
Vocal
Rural harmony singing is a deep rooted tradition in Slovenia, and is at least three-part singing (four voices), while in some regions even up to eight-part singing (nine voices). Slovenian folk songs, thus, usually resounds soft and harmonious, and are very seldom in minor.
Instrumental
Typical Slovenian folk music is performed on Styrian harmonica (the oldest type of accordion), fiddle, clarinet,
- Steirische Harmonika
- Kontra
- Hammered dulcimer
- Cimbalon grande
- Drone zither
- Violin zither
- Zither
- Tamburica
- Fiddle
- Carnian fiddle
- Cello
- Brunkula cello
- Gaida
- Brass instruments, such as baritone horn
- Clarinet
- Jaw harp
- Clay pot bass
- Okarina
- Akelêmb
- Klopotec
- Panpipes
- Wooden cross flutes of various sizes
- Psaltery
- Tambourine
Folk music revivalists include Volk Volk, Kurja Koža, Marko Banda, Katice, Bogdana Herman, Ljoba Jenče, Vruja, Trinajsto praše, Šavrinske pupe en ragacone, Musicante Istriani, and Tolovaj Mataj.
One of the best Slovenian diatonic accordionists is Nejc Pačnik who won the accordion world-championship twice, in 2009 and 2015.
Slovenian pop-folk music
From 1952 on, the
Many musicians followed Avsenik's steps, one of the most famous being Lojze Slak.
Slovenian song festival
A similarly high standing in Slovene culture, like the Sanremo Music Festival has had in Italian culture, was attributed to the coastal Melodies of Sea and Sun (In Slovene: Melodije morja in sonca) and Slovenian song festival (In Slovene: Slovenska popevka), dedicated to a specific genre of popular Slovene music.[10]
Popular music
Contemporary music
![]() | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (March 2008) |
Among pop, rock, industrial, and indie musicians the most popular in Slovenia include
Pop, rock, metal, and indie music
Other popular bands, most largely unknown outside the country, include
Singer-songwriters
Slovenian post-WWII singer-songwriters include
World music
The 1970s Bratko Bibič's band Begnagrad is considered one of the direct influences on modern world music. Bibič's unique accordion style, often solo, with no accompaniment, has also made him a solo star.
Punk rock
Slovenia was the center for punk rock in the Titoist Yugoslavia. The most famous representatives of this genre were Pankrti, Niet, Lublanski Psi, Kuzle, Čao Pičke, Via Ofenziva, Tožibabe, and Otroci Socializma.
Techno and tech-house
Slovenia has also produced two renowned DJs: DJ Umek and Valentino Kanzyani. Specialising in a frantic brand of party techno and tech-house, the pair co-founded the label Recycled Loops as well as having many releases on labels such as Novamute, Primate, Intec and Bassethound Records.
Neue Slowenische Kunst
Neue Slowenische Kunst (a German phrase meaning "New Slovenian Art"), aka NSK, is a controversial political
Composition

NSK's best-known member is the musical group
Characteristics
NSK art often draws on symbols drawn from
Both IRWIN and Laibach are emphatic about their work being collective rather than individual. Laibach's original songs and arrangements are always credited to the group collectively; the individual artists are not named on their album covers; at one point, there were even two separate Laibach groups touring at the same time, both with members of the original group. Similarly, the IRWIN artists never sign their work individually; instead, they are "signed" with a stamp or certificate indicating approval as a work from the IRWIN collective.
The NSK were the subject of a 1996 documentary film written and directed by
NSK State
Since 1991, NSK has claimed to constitute a
The NSK passports are an art project and as such are not valid for travel. However, many desperate people have fallen for a scam in which they are issued a NSK passport. Most of these scams originate in Nigeria and Egypt.[21]
Laibach
Laibach
See also
- Drone zither – type of Slovenian zither
- Klopotec – a type of a scarecrow used as a folk instrument
- List of radio stations in Slovenia
- List of Slovenian musicians
- Slovenian rock
- Slovenian-style polka
References
- Burton, Kim, "The Sound of Austro-Slavs". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), World Music, Vol. 1: Africa, Europe and the Middle East, pp 277–278. ISBN 1-85828-636-0
- Klemenčič, Ivan, Slovenski godalni kvartet. Ljubljana, Musicological Annual XXIV, 1988.
- ^ Oto Luthar The land between a history of Slovenia
- ^ George J. Buelow A history of baroque music 2004 p701
- ^ Vlado Kotnik Opera, power and ideology: anthropological study of a national art 2010 In 1732, a performance of the tragedia per musica 'II Tamerlano' written by Maestro di Capella Giuseppe Clemente Bonomi, a bandmaster of the Carniolan vice-regent, the duke Francesco Antonio Sigifrid Della Torre e Valassina,
- ^ Essays presented to Egon Wellesz Jack Allan Westrup – 1966 IL TAMERLANO DE GIUSEPPE CLEMENTE BONOMI Dragotin Cvetko (Ljubljana) Parmi les compositeurs du passé musical européen don't les biographies n'ont pas encore été l'objet de Recherches approfondies ou qui même n'ont pas encore été étudiés ...
- ^ Italian Opera in Central Europe: Volume 1 – Page 64 Melania Bucciarelli, Norbert Dubowy, Reinhard Strohm – 2006 In the libretto for the Ljubljana performance this introduction is followed, on page six, by the remark: La Musica è Virtuosa Fatica del sempre Celebre Signor Abbate D. Giuseppe Clemente de Bonomi actually Maestro di Cappella di Sua ...
- ^ The musical times: Volume 108 JSTOR (Organization) – 1967 Dragon Cvetko writes about a hitherto unknown composer whose name occurs in none of the big music dictionaries: Giuseppe Clemente Bonomi. Apparently Bonomi was maestro di cappella to a nobleman in Ljubljana, Slovenia, in 1732, ...
- ^ Report: Volume 10 International Musicological Society. Congress – 1970 An interesting personality of the Italian late Baroque is Giuseppe Clemente Bonomi, "maestro di capella" of the vicedom of Carniola. In the libretto of his opera "II Tamerlano", staged in the palace of the vicedom in Ljubljana, in 1732, ...
- ^ Alberto Colzani -Il teatro musicale italiano nel Sacro Romano Impero nei secoli, 1999 -"Its music was composed by Giuseppe Clementi de Bonomi, then employed as music director of the private chapel of the Carniolan vice-dominus, Count Anton Siegfried Thum Valsassina, in Ljubljana. After 1732 operatic performances in ..."
- ISBN 961-91080-2-7. Archived from the original(PDF) on 20 May 2006.
- ^ Slovenska popevka: velik poudarek na pevcih in skladateljih, pesniki bolj v oklepaju. Enkrat še zapoj: 50 let Slovenske popevke Vladimirja Frantarja pri celjski Mohorjevi družbi., Delo, 5. September 2012.
- ^ "WALKING DEAD ON BROADWAY - to support WITHIN DESTRUCTION in March! - Arising Empire". www.arising-empire.com. Archived from the original on 2 February 2018.
- ^ Pripotovanje hrepenenca — Tomaž Pengov, kantavtor, Mladina, 3 March 2007
- ^ Monroe, Alexei. Interrogation Machine. MIT Press, 2005. p 3.
- ^ Anonymous. "State of Art: the new Slovene Avant Garde" (2004). Northwest Film Forum and Scala House, program for exhibit 18 – 24 November 2004 at Northwest Film Forum, Seattle.
- ^ a b Regina Hackett. "Slovenian art collective is adept at working politics and art". Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 19 November 2004.
- ^ "Laibach". Laibach.nsk.si. Archived from the original on 12 June 2008. Retrieved 11 June 2008.
- ^ Holden, Steven (2 October 1996). "Facing the Menace of Totalitarianism". The New York Times. Retrieved 11 June 2008.
- ^ "[ NSKSTATE.COM ] [ The Slovenia of Athens ]". Nskstate.com. Archived from the original on 9 March 2008. Retrieved 11 June 2008.
- ^ "[ NSKSTATE.COM ] [ HOW TO GET A PASSPORT ]". Nnskstate.com. Archived from the original on 6 April 2008. Retrieved 11 June 2008.
- ^ "[ NSKSTATE.COM ]". Nskstate.com. Archived from the original on 6 April 2008. Retrieved 11 June 2008.
- ^ "[ NSK Passport ]". DHC 2008. Archived from the original on 14 May 2011. Retrieved 7 June 2010.
- Kumer, Zmaga, Pesem slovenske dezele, Maribor 1975; cf. Songs of Slovenia (zrc-sazu.si)
External links
Media related to Music of Slovenia at Wikimedia Commons