Vinko Žganec
Encyclopedia
Vinko Žganec is a well-known Croatia
n ethnomusicologist.
Žganec was born in Vratišinec
in Međimurje. He started to be interested in music
early in his childhood and jotted down his first folk song in 1908. In 1916, he published his first book
of Croatian folk songs from Međimurje. Later he extended the work to cover the Bunjevci
Croats
in Hungary
and Croats
from Gradišće in Austria
. He studied theology
and later law
, becoming a Doctor
of Law in 1919.
The famous composer
and ethnomusicologist Béla Bartók
kept in close contact with him while collecting folk songs along the border of Hungary and Croatia
. Bartók respected Žganec because of both the accuracy of his research
and the notation
. Music started to be his primary focus in 1945 when he become the head of the Ethnographic Museum in Zagreb
. During the span of his research, Žganec collected, recorded, and wrote down more than 19,000 songs
; these have been preserved for future generations to be used and studied. There is some evidence that he collected more than 25,000 songs (15,000 just from his native Međimurje). Some of them were not entirely documented.
Žganec became the first director of the Institute of Folklore Research, and was an active participant in the Folklorist Society of Croatia. He taught at the Academy of Music in Zagreb where he was a great influence on his colleagues and students. Similar to Žganec's work was that of Franjo Kuhač
, another man who devoted his life to research on the national cultural heritage.
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
n ethnomusicologist.
Žganec was born in Vratišinec
Vratišinec
Vratišinec is a municipality in Međimurje County, Croatia.The municipality is named after its seat, the village of Vratišinec, located around 11 kilometres north of Čakovec, the county seat of Međimurje County...
in Međimurje. He started to be interested in music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
early in his childhood and jotted down his first folk song in 1908. In 1916, he published his first book
Book
A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of hot lava, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf or leaflet, and each side of a leaf is called a page...
of Croatian folk songs from Međimurje. Later he extended the work to cover the Bunjevci
Bunjevci
Bunjevci are a South Slavic community and ethnic group living mostly in the Bačka region of Serbia and southern Hungary...
Croats
Croats
Croats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
in Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
and Croats
Croats
Croats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
from Gradišće in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. He studied theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
and later law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
, becoming a Doctor
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
of Law in 1919.
The famous composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and ethnomusicologist Béla Bartók
Béla Bartók
Béla Viktor János Bartók was a Hungarian composer and pianist. He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century and is regarded, along with Liszt, as Hungary's greatest composer...
kept in close contact with him while collecting folk songs along the border of Hungary and Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
. Bartók respected Žganec because of both the accuracy of his research
Research
Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...
and the notation
Musical notation
Music notation or musical notation is any system that represents aurally perceived music, through the use of written symbols.-History:...
. Music started to be his primary focus in 1945 when he become the head of the Ethnographic Museum in Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
. During the span of his research, Žganec collected, recorded, and wrote down more than 19,000 songs
Croatian Tamburitza
-History:Croatian tamburitza is a folk song played with a tambura and is accompanied with a dance. The origin is most commonly thought to be introduced from the Turks by way of Bosnia between the 14th and 16th century. Although, others believe that the tambura was introduced by the Persians...
; these have been preserved for future generations to be used and studied. There is some evidence that he collected more than 25,000 songs (15,000 just from his native Međimurje). Some of them were not entirely documented.
Žganec became the first director of the Institute of Folklore Research, and was an active participant in the Folklorist Society of Croatia. He taught at the Academy of Music in Zagreb where he was a great influence on his colleagues and students. Similar to Žganec's work was that of Franjo Kuhač
Franjo Kuhac
Franjo Ksaver Kuhač was a piano teacher, choral conductor, and comparative musicologist who studied Croatian folk music. Kuhač did a great deal of field work in this area, collecting and publishing 1,600 folk songs...
, another man who devoted his life to research on the national cultural heritage.