Serbian Literary Magazine and avant-garde music

Abstract

One of the most excellent periodicals in the history of Serbian literature Serbian Literary Magazine (1901-1914, 1920-1941), also played an exceptionally important part in the history of Serbian music criticism and essay literature. During the period of 35 years, SLM had released nearly 800 articles about music. Majority of that number belongs to the music criticism, but there are also studies and essays about music ethno musicological treatises, polemics, obituary notices, as well as many ample and diverse notes. SLM was published during the time when Serbian society, culture and art were influenced by strong challenges of Europeanization and modernization. Therefore, one of the most complicated questions that music writers of this magazine were confronted with was the question of avant-garde music evaluation. Relation of critics and essay writers to the avant-garde was ambiguous. On one side, SLM's authors accepted modern art in principle, but, on the other side, they questioned that acceptance when facing even a bit radical music composition. This ambivalence as a whole marked the work of Dr Miloje Milojević, the leading music writer of SLM. It is not the same with other critics and essayists Kosta Manojlović was more tolerant, and Dragutin Čolić and Stanislav Vinaver were true protectors of the most avant-garde aspirations in music. First of all SLM was a literary magazine. In the light of that fact it has to be pointed out that very early, way back in 1912, critics wrote about Arnold Schoenberg, and that until the end of existence of this magazine the readers were regularly informed about all important avant-garde styles and composers of European, Serbian and Yugoslav music. The fact that Schoenberg Stravinsky, Honegger or Josip Slavenski mostly were not accepted by critics and essayists, expresses the basic aesthetic position of this magazine. Namely, SLM remained loyal to the moderate wing of modern music, music that had not rejected the tonal principle and inheritance of traditional styles (Baroque, Classicism, Romanticism). Its ideal was the modern national style style that would present the synthesis of relatively modern artistic and technical means and national folklore.

Srpski književni glasnik (1901-1914, 1920-1941), jedan od najboljih časopisa u istoriji srpske književnosti, odigrao je izuzetno značajnu ulogu i u istoriji srpske muzičke kritike i esejistike. S obzirom na to da je ovaj časopis izlazio u vreme kada su srpsko društvo, srpska kultura i umetnost bili izloženi snažnim izazovima evropeizacije i modernizacije, jedan od ključnih problema Glasnikove estetike bio je problem vrednovanja avangardne (muzičke) umetnosti. Istraživanje je pokazalo da su muzički pisci svojim čitaocima počeli veoma rano da pružaju obaveštenja o radikalnim pravcima savremene muzike, ali i da su u svojim vrednovanjima, najvećim delom, ostali privrženi tonalnosti i modernizovanom nasleđu tradicionalnih stilova, dakle umerenijem krilu muzičkog modernizma.