Mediterranean Aspects of the Yugoslav Musical Realm

Abstract

Discussion on the subject and definition of the once again topical „Mediterranean art tradition“ is turned into a basis for an attempt at aesthetic-theoretical penetration into the concept of musical „Mediterraneanisms“, especially of those within the Yugoslav domain. The cognizance of the fundamentals and leading principles of the Mediterranean mentality, together with the awareness of the historical clash between the three civilization-cultural-religious realms (Christian, Islamic, Orthodox) serves as a framework for sorting out not just individual typical compositional techniques but even more the three parallel relevant levels of subject-matter where such musical „Mediterraneanisms“ are traceable. These are: ancient aesthetic doctrine of the beautiful with a pronounced dimension of the expressive, then play (and playfulness) as a distinctive aesthetic designation entailing divergent effects and consequences, and finally the musical „intonation“ and pre-formed musical material (in B. Asaf jev and Th. Adorno's sense) as the groundwork of artistic formation.