The Vision of the Balkans in Musical Culture: Between Viennese Operetta and Eurovision
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Author
Piotrowska, Anna G.
Journal
Supplement Series for the Journal of Religion & Society
Supplement Series for the Journal of Religion & Society
Page
124-135
124-135
Editor(s)
Simkins, Ronald A.; Roddy, Nicolae
Simkins, Ronald A.; Roddy, Nicolae
Volume
19
19
Date
2019Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
This article addresses the representation and conceptualization of the Balkans in musical culture since the nineteenth century. It argues that typical strategies of (self-)exoticizing and the approximation of dominant musical tendencies promoted Balkan musical uniqueness by underlining its naturalness and authenticity and are part of the legacy of nineteenth-century ideological and musicological theories. A few carefully selected examples, namely, Viennese operettas, popular films by Emir Kusturica, and Balkan performances in the Eurovision Song Contest (specifically the 2007 winner Marija Šerović’s “Molitva” [“Prayer”] which transcended religious and ethnic boundaries in its appeal), will demonstrate the primary types of narratives used to depict Balkan music to the outside world.Keywords: Balkan, musical culture, Viennese operetta, Eurovision, Gypsy music