Ljubljana’s Concert Life and the Perception of Music During the First World War: Between Art and Patriotism

Abstract

The article deals with the organisational, repertoire and reception aspects of Ljubljana’s concert life during World War I. The relationship between the artistic and propagandistic functions of music is reflected in the share of first performances, as well as in the impact that new occasional compositions had on the audiences. In the last wartime concert season of 1917/18, during the time of fateful political changes both the nationality of visiting artists and the repertoire also symptomatically reveal a stronger cultural-propaganda role of music.