Sound of Kaval and Visions of Serbian Homeland

Abstract

Following the exclusion of Kosovo from the authority of the Republic of Serbia in 1999, and the fall of Slobodan Milošević’s regime in 2000, the Serbian music production scene witnessed the burgeoning of a new music genre – ‘ethnic’ (Serbian) music. This new genre has renounced links with the popular ‘folk’ music of the 90s, charged with perpetual accusations of low artistic value and ostensive connections with the former regime, and has offered a novel approach to appreciating and enjoying folklore music material. New arrangements of folk tunes have been modelled after world music production, and their audiovisual presentation has usually featured images of ‘traditional’ art.1 The new approach to Serbian folk music has gained broad appeal, with the performers ranging from well-known stars featured by the national media to grassroots amateurs who commonly find their audiences through Internet-based social networks. One of the striking features of this new genre has been the widespread introduction of the kaval, a flute-like woodwind instrument originally associated with Balkan mountain shepherd communities and allegedly of Ottoman origin. Starting with the Serbian entry in the 2004 Eurovision Song Contest, where the kaval featured prominently, the instrument has appeared in a wide gamut of musical products labelled as Serbian ethnic music, from highly professional production to the tracks of freelance and amateur performers. My aim is to examine how contemporary Serbian nationalistic discourse is mediated through the use of the kaval and how the reception of kaval sound is situated between visions of Serbian, Balkan, and Oriental belonging. I also pose the question how the genre of Serbian ethno music engages in constructing the image of Serbian national territory through performing a soundscape marked by the sound of the kaval.