The Influx of Bohemian Violinists to Slovenia and Croatia up to the 1920s

Abstract

The ethnic territories of Croatia and Slovenia have always been transitional geographic zones that were open to various kinds of cultural and musical migrations and meetings of various musical traditions. One of the most important groups of immigrant musicians was the Bohemians that appeared in Croatia and Slovenia towards the end of the eighteenth century. From the beginning of the nineteenth century until the 1920s, about ninety musicians (violinists) originating from Bohemia were active as violin teachers, orchestra members (concertmasters and conductors), and military music directors that signifi cantly shaped musical life in several cities and towns in Croatia and Slovenia. The most important group of these was the Prague violinists (violin alumni of the Prague Conservatory), whose representatives Václav Huml and Jan Šlais were the founders of the Zagreb and Ljubljana violin schools, respectively.