National and transnational aspects of music: case study of Dvořák early reception in Slovenia

Abstract

The case study of the early reception of Dvořák’s works in Slovenia is the starting point for the research of the – in musicology often highlighted –
relationship between “Slavic” and “German” music and once more tries to shed a light on the question of the national and the transnational in music of the European area on the brink of the 20th century. The article examines the first performances of Dvořák’s works in Ljubljana through the prism of performance possibilities and reception of music before the Great War. It focuses on critical reviews of the premieres, with emphasis on the review of the cantata Svatební košileperformed by the choir of the Glasbena matica Music Society from Ljubljana in Vienna – conducted by Dvořák (1896). Furthermore, a collection of songs Milotinkeis introduced that was dedicated to Dvořák by Fran Gerbič.