Zapisi folklorne građe s područja karlovačkog Pokuplja
Records of Folk Music from Karlovačko Pokuplje

Summary/Abstract: Karlovačko Pokuplje has not yet been sufficiently researched by ethnomusicologists. The folk music of this area is little known because most recordings are still in manuscript form (269 of them) and only a small number (74) has been published. As for tape recorded collections, the largest one — consisting of 524 music pieces — has been compiled in Duga Resa commune by the author of this article; its transcription is in progress. By critically reviewing some published sources, the author is presenting here characteristics and typical forms of folk music in the Kupa river area by Karlovac. Over half of the published music records are in Franjo Kuhač's collection: »South Slavic Folk Songs«, while others appeared as short contributions in the journal »St. Cecilia« (Zagreb) between 1925 and 1940. Among manuscript music collections in the archives of the Institute of Folklore Research in Zagreb, more significant sources are Vinko Žganec’s collection from Rečica near Karlovac (1947), and N. Karabaić's, F. Židovec’s and Z. Spoljar’s collection from 1951. In these collections, rural vocal folk music is recorded in the first place, while examples from urban environment of Karlovac can be found only in Kuhač’s collection. The recorders were primarily interested in older music tradition (marked by diatonic series of small range), including songs performed during winter and spring rituals (Christmas greeting songs kolede, or those sung at St. George's and St. John’s). Many recordings of so-called samica or rozgalica vocal form, which is specific for this area and is characterized by a melismatic introduction on the syllable oj, are also present in these collections. The material gathered in 1980’s by this author includes both traditional and contemporary folk music repertoire, as well as numerous examples of instrumental music. Specially important among them are samples of music which accompanies the dance drmeš, performed by so-called guci, i. e. a band which is usually made up of two violins, a tambura-bugarija, a bass and — after World War II — an accordion.

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