The music of
Slovakia
Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...
has been influenced both by the county's native
Slovak peoples and the music of neighbouring regions. Whilst there are traces of
pre-historic
Prehistory, also known as pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the use of the first stone tools by hominins 3.3 million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use of ...
musical instruments, the country has a rich heritage of
folk music
Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...
and
mediaeval liturgical
Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. ''Liturgy'' can also be used to refer specifically to public worship by Christians. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and partic ...
music, and from the 18th century onwards, in particular, musical life was influenced by that of
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
. In the 19th century, composers such as
Ján Levoslav Bella began to write
romantic music with a Slovak character. In the twentieth century, there were a number of composers who identified with Slovak culture. After the
fall of communism
The Revolutions of 1989, also known as the Fall of Communism, was a revolutionary wave that resulted in the end of most communist states in the world. Sometimes this revolutionary wave is also called the Fall of Nations or the Autumn of Nat ...
in 1989–90 the country also began to develop its own
popular music
Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.Popular Music. (2015). ''Fu ...
scene in Western style.
History of music in Slovakia
The term ''Slovak music'' is slightly confusing; many peoples lived over the ages in the territory now represented by the state of Slovakia, and the history of the region's music is therefore not merely the history of the music of the Slovaks
left, Ejlucka, Luckasiroka, traditional Slovak song.
Earliest times
Bone
A bone is a rigid organ that constitutes part of the skeleton in most vertebrate animals. Bones protect the various other organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells, store minerals, provide structure and support for the body, ...
pipe
Pipe(s), PIPE(S) or piping may refer to:
Objects
* Pipe (fluid conveyance), a hollow cylinder following certain dimension rules
** Piping, the use of pipes in industry
* Smoking pipe
** Tobacco pipe
* Half-pipe and quarter pipe, semi-circular ...
s dating from the
Early Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...
(about 3000 BC) have been found in the
Nitra
Nitra (; also known by other alternative names) is a city in western Slovakia, situated at the foot of Zobor Mountain in the valley of the river Nitra. It is located 95 km east of Bratislava. With a population of about 78,353, it is the fifth l ...
region, testifying to the early role of music in the
Celtic 'Nitra Culture'. Such instruments were produced continuously, albeit with more sophistication, up to the
mediaeval period. Other early instruments found include
drums dating back to the
Palaeolithic
The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic (), also called the Old Stone Age (from Greek: παλαιός ''palaios'', "old" and λίθος '' lithos'', "stone"), is a period in human prehistory that is distinguished by the original development of stone to ...
period,
iron
Iron () is a chemical element with Symbol (chemistry), symbol Fe (from la, Wikt:ferrum, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 element, group 8 of the periodic table. It is, Abundanc ...
and
bronze bell
A bell is a directly struck idiophone percussion instrument. Most bells have the shape of a hollow cup that when struck vibrates in a single strong strike tone, with its sides forming an efficient resonator. The strike may be made by an inte ...
s from the 3rd or 4th century AD. Other folk instruments of the region whose early development must remain largely conjectural include the
fujara
The fujara () is a large wind instrument of the tabor pipe class. It originated in central Slovakia as a sophisticated folk shepherd's overtone fipple flute of unique design in the contrabass range.
Ranging from 160 to 200 cm long (5'3" ...
and the Slovak versions of
bagpipes and the
jaw harp. They certainly existed in the 15th century.
The medieval period
From the medieval period onwards writers identify a number of principal streams of music in Slovakia. The principal classifications include church music, folk music, and instrumental music heard in towns and courts. Each of these has of course numerous subsidiary classifications.
Some of the oldest recorded forms of music in Slovakia are
liturgical
Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. ''Liturgy'' can also be used to refer specifically to public worship by Christians. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and partic ...
song (in
Old Slavonic
Old Church Slavonic or Old Slavonic () was the first Slavic literary language.
Historians credit the 9th-century Byzantine missionaries Saints Cyril and Methodius with standardizing the language and using it in translating the Bible and other ...
) from the time of
Great Moravia
Great Moravia ( la, Regnum Marahensium; el, Μεγάλη Μοραβία, ''Meghálī Moravía''; cz, Velká Morava ; sk, Veľká Morava ; pl, Wielkie Morawy), or simply Moravia, was the first major state that was predominantly West Slavic to ...
n empire (9th century), from which developed much of the sacred music of later centuries. Latin
plainsong
Plainsong or plainchant (calque from the French ''plain-chant''; la, cantus planus) is a body of chants used in the liturgies of the Western Church. When referring to the term plainsong, it is those sacred pieces that are composed in Latin text ...
was also widespread in the region at this early period, especially after the incorporation of Slovakia into the Kingdom of
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the ...
in 1218. Early
codices
The codex (plural codices ) was the historical ancestor of the modern book. Instead of being composed of sheets of paper, it used sheets of vellum, papyrus, or other materials. The term ''codex'' is often used for ancient manuscript books, with ...
include the 'Nitra Gospels' of c. 1100, and the 'Pray codex' (c. 1195). From the 15th to the 17th centuries,
polyphony
Polyphony ( ) is a type of musical texture consisting of two or more simultaneous lines of independent melody, as opposed to a musical texture with just one voice, monophony, or a texture with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords, ...
was practised and developed at many urban centres, including
Bratislava,
Bardejov
Bardejov (; hu, Bártfa, german: Bartfeld, rue, Бардеёв, uk, Бардіїв) is a town in North-Eastern Slovakia. It is situated in the Šariš region on a floodplain terrace of the Topľa River, in the hills of the Beskyd Mountains. ...
,
Levoča
Levoča (; hu, Lőcse; rue, Левоча)
is a town in the Prešov Region of eastern Slovakia with a population of 14,700. The town has a historic center with a well preserved town wall, a Gothic church with the highest wooden altar in the wo ...
and
Kežmarok
Kežmarok (german: Kesmark or ; hu, Késmárk, yi, קעזמאַרק, Kezmark, pl, Kieżmark) is a town in the Spiš region of eastern Slovakia (population 16,000), on the Poprad River. Prior to World War I, it was in Szepes county in the ...
.
[OMOL, ''Slovakia'']
In 1526 when Slovakia became part of the empire of the
Habsburgs, Bratislava became a coronation city, and this was to greatly influence the development of formal music in the country's towns. In the countryside, folk music developed in a more insular manner in the country's various regions.
Seventeenth and eighteenth centuries
As elsewhere in Europe, the Church and the aristocracy became the main patrons of formal music during this period. Church composers were active throughout the country; e.g., in the polyphonic tradition, Andreas Neoman who worked at
Bardejov
Bardejov (; hu, Bártfa, german: Bartfeld, rue, Бардеёв, uk, Бардіїв) is a town in North-Eastern Slovakia. It is situated in the Šariš region on a floodplain terrace of the Topľa River, in the hills of the Beskyd Mountains. ...
and elsewhere in the early 17th century, Ján Šimbracký (d. 1657),
organist
An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists. In addition, an organist may accompany congregational h ...
at the Protestant church in
Spišské Podhradie
Spišské Podhradie (german: Kirchdrauf, hu, Szepesváralja) is a town in Spiš in the Prešov Region of Slovakia. Its population is around 4,000.
Spišské Podhradie is situated at the foot of the hill of Spiš Castle. It had a Zipser German ...
, and Samuel Marckfelner (1621–1674), organist at
Levoča
Levoča (; hu, Lőcse; rue, Левоча)
is a town in the Prešov Region of eastern Slovakia with a population of 14,700. The town has a historic center with a well preserved town wall, a Gothic church with the highest wooden altar in the wo ...
. In the larger towns, especially in Bratislava, the influence of the Italian
concertante
Sinfonia concertante (; also called ''symphonie concertante'') is an orchestral work, normally in several movements, in which one or more solo instruments contrast with the full orchestra.Collins: ''Encyclopedia of Music'', William Collins Sons & C ...
style was felt, composers in this vein including Samuel Capricornus (1628–1665) (who eventually became
kapellmeister for a prince of
Stuttgart), his successor at the Protestant church in Breatislava,
Johann Sigismund Kusser (1626–1696).
By the eighteenth century, Catholic musicians began to take the musical lead over their Protestant colleagues. A highly rated composer was František Xaver Budinský (1676–1727), who appears to have been a
Jesuit lay brother and worked in
Trnava
Trnava (, german: Tyrnau; hu, Nagyszombat, also known by other alternative names) is a city in western Slovakia, to the northeast of Bratislava, on the Trnávka river. It is the capital of a ''kraj'' ( Trnava Region) and of an '' okres'' ( T ...
,
Prešov,
Košice,
Trenčín
Trenčín (, also known by other alternative names) is a city in western Slovakia of the central Váh River valley near the Czech border, around from Bratislava. It has a population of more than 55,000, which makes it the eighth largest muni ...
, and elsewhere in Slovakia. His compositions include three
symphonies, the earliest known to have been written in Slovakia.
Nineteenth century
In the first half of the 19th century, a national musical tradition began to develop around Slovakia’s impressive folk heritage. Modern Slovak music drew from both classical and folk styles. A key figure who began this fusion is
Ján Levoslav Bella, born in
Liptovský Mikuláš
Liptovský Mikuláš (; until 1952 ''Liptovský Svätý Mikuláš'', german: Liptau-Sankt-Nikolaus; hu, Liptószentmiklós) is a town in northern Slovakia, on the Váh River, about from Bratislava. It lies in the Liptov region, in Liptov Bas ...
(1843–1936), a contemporary of
Antonín Dvořák and
Leoš Janáček
Leoš Janáček (, baptised Leo Eugen Janáček; 3 July 1854 – 12 August 1928) was a Czech composer, musical theorist, folklorist, publicist, and teacher. He was inspired by Moravian and other Slavic musics, including Eastern European f ...
. Slovak modes and melodies can be heard clearly in his third
string quartet, as well as in many of his other works. He also wrote the first
opera
Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...
to be performed in Slovak, ''Kováč Wieland'' (''Wieland the Smith''), written in German in 1880-1890, but premiered in Slovak in Bratislava in 1926.
Modern times
Well-known works from the 20th century include the compositions of
Eugen Suchoň
Eugen Suchoň (September 25, 1908 – August 5, 1993) was one of the most important Slovak composers of the 20th century.
Early life
Eugen Suchoň was born on September 25, 1908 in Pezinok, (Slovakia). His father, Ladislav Suchoň, was an ...
,
Alexander Moyzes
Alexander Moyzes (4 September 1906 – 20 November 1984) was a Slovak neoromantic composer.
Biography
Moyzes was born into a musical family in 1906 at Kláštor pod Znievom, Austro-Hungarian Empire. His father was the composer and educato ...
,
Alexander Albrecht and the operas of
Ján Cikker
Ján Cikker (29 July 1911 – 21 December 1989) was a Slovak composer, a leading exponent of modern Slovak classical music. He was awarded the title ''National Artist'' in Slovakia, the Herder Prize (1966) and thIMC-UNESCO International Music Pri ...
.
The internationally most acknowledged composers of the 21st century are
Vladimír Godár
Vladimír Godár (born 16 March 1956, in Bratislava) is a Slovak classical and film score composer. He is also known for his collaboration with the Czech violinist, singer, and composer Iva Bittová. As an academic, he is a writer, editor, and ...
,
Peter Breiner
Peter Breiner (born July 3, 1957, in Humenné, in former Czechoslovakia, present day Slovakia) is a Slovak pianist, conductor, and composer.
Breiner began to play and study the piano at age four. At age nine, he started to study at the Cons ...
,
Peter Machajdík and
Iris Szeghy
Iris Szeghy (born 1956) is a Slovak composer living in Switzerland.
Biography
Iris Szeghy was born in Prešov, Slovakia. She studied piano and composition at the Conservatory in Košice and composition at the Music Academy in Bratislava, she ende ...
. Operatic soprano
Lucia Popp
Lucia Popp (born Lucia Poppová; 12 November 193916 November 1993) was a Slovak operatic soprano. She began her career as a soubrette, and later moved into the light-lyric and lyric coloratura soprano repertoire and then the lighter Richard Str ...
was born in
Záhorská Ves.
Musical ensembles and festivals
Amongst the most significant contemporary orchestral ensembles are the
Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra of Bratislava, the
State Philharmonic Orchestra of Kosice, the
Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Slovak Chamber Orchestra (known as the'' Warchalovci'' after their founder
Bohdan Warchal), and the chamber orchestra
Capella Istropolitana
The Cappella Istropolitana is a Slovak chamber orchestra based in Bratislava, Slovakia
Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is b ...
. There are opera companies in Bratislava, Košice and
Banská Bystrica. Music festivals include the annual ''
Bratislava Music Festival The Bratislava Music Festival (''Bratislavské hudobné slávnosti'' in Slovak language, Slovak) is an international Music festival, festival of classical music that takes place annually in the city of Bratislava, Slovakia. It is a major Slovak musi ...
'' (Bratislavské hudobné slávnosti), ''Indian Summer in
Levoča
Levoča (; hu, Lőcse; rue, Левоча)
is a town in the Prešov Region of eastern Slovakia with a population of 14,700. The town has a historic center with a well preserved town wall, a Gothic church with the highest wooden altar in the wo ...
''
Levočské babie leto, ''Festival of
Piešťany'' (Piešťanský festival), one of longest established festivals, dating from 1955, the Konvergencie Chamber Music Festival founded in 1999 by cellist,
Jozef Lupták
Jozef Lupták (born 30 December 1969, Slovakia) is a Slovak cellist and artistic director. He is a performer of classical and contemporary cello repertoire as well as Chassidic and Roma-Gypsy revivalist music in Eastern Europe and is the artis ...
, Music at Fulla (Hudba u Fullu) in Ružomberok founded 2009 by composer
Peter Machajdik, and many others.
See also
*
List of Slovak composers
*
Slovak folk music
Slovakia has an enormous reservoir of folk music. The people of Slovakia tend to designate themselves as the "singing nation". Many musicological studies evidence that Slovak folk music is indigenous and has ancient origins, even in respect to ne ...
*
Slovak popular music
*
The 100 Greatest Slovak Albums of All Time
The 100 Greatest Slovak Albums of All Time is a list of the best album releases issued by Slovak recording artists. As the first such list presented in Slovakia, it was published by '' Nový čas'' daily on 22 September 2007.
The list is entirely ...
Notes
References
*
*
*
How to know that music is your calling
External links
*
Audio clips: Traditional music of Slovakia. Musée d'ethnographie de Genève. Accessed November 25, 2010.
Slovak Music Centre (Hudobné Centrum)Slovak Philharmonic OrchestraSlovak Radio Symphony OrchestraCapella IstropolitanaKonvergencie Festival'Indian Summer in Levoca' Festival
{{DEFAULTSORT:Music Of Slovakia
*