Evolution and Change of Folk Musicianship in the 20th Century

Abstract

Z ljudskimi godci se je do zdaj raziskovalno največ ukvarjala etnomuzikologinja Zmaga Kumer; po njenih zapisih bi dejavnost ljudskih godcev lahko kronološko postavili v obdobje do druge svetovne vojne. Od takrat pa vse do danes se je dojemanje in izvajanje ljudske glasbe tako spremenilo, da izraz ljudski godec ne more več zajeti različnih dojemanj tega pojava. Ljudski godci so v takšni ali drugačni obliki navzoči tudi danes. Pri tem se opiram na delitev Mojce Kovačič, ki opredeljuje tri vrste ljudskih godcev danes, na terenu pa sem s pogovori preveril njene ugotovitve. Obstajajo godci, ki se strogo držijo starega izročila, so tudi takšni, ki staro izročilo priredijo na nov način in dodajajo element sodobnejših glasbenih usmeritev, in so naposled godci, ki igrajo to, kar ljudje danes želijo poslušati, tako kakor so počeli ljudski godci nekoč. V prispevku želim raziskati, kako se je spremenilo ljudsko godčevstvo na Slovenskem, skratka – kdo so ljudski godci danes.

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Ethnomusicologist Zmaga Kumer, one of the main researchers of folk musicians in the past, argued that, folk musicians existed up to the Second World War. However, the understanding and performance of folk music has changed so much since then that the expression “ folk musician” cannot cover all the ramifications of existing practices. Folk musicians are still present and active today in different forms. Referring to Mojca’s Kovačič distinction among three types of present-day folk musicians, I have studied her assertion through my fieldwork and gained interviews with scholars and musicians. There are musicians that strictly follow the old, traditional way of performing; musicians that transform traditional folk music by adding modern arrangements; and musicians that simply play what people like to hear. In this paper, I explore the transformation of folk music performance in Slovenia – in other words, who folk musicians are today.