Tihana Škojo, Zdravko Drenjančević: THE ROLE OF POPULAR SONGS IN CONFIRMING CROATIAN NATIONAL IDENTITY
Scientific paper
Tihana Škojo, Academy of Arts and Culture in Osijek, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek
Zdravko Drenjančević, Academy of Arts and Culture in Osijek, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek
DOI: https://doi.org/10.59014/XZUF4839
Keywords:
emotions, national identity, popular music
Abstract
The experiential, emotional reception of a piece of music depends on a number of
factors. Considering this complex phenomenon from a subjective aspect, the individual
experience of a particular piece of music is influenced by the time and place of
listening, as well as by physical and social factors, structural elements of the music,
and other qualitative elements. Popular music, due to its distinctive features, which
are manifested through a simpler melodic and rhythmic structure, elicits an intense
emotional response from the listener even at the first listening. The textual element
plays a significant role in this, as it can completely change the affective valence of
the piece of music. Based on the musical analysis of nine popular songs from the
Homeland War, the most intensive period in Croatian history in social and political
terms, the paper discusses all the experiential elements that influenced the emotional
reception and the popularity of these songs. The impact of lyrics on the affective dimension
of the acceptance of the songs is highlighted, as is the setting in which they
were composed and the significance they had for the formation of national identity.
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