Croatian Music

Arsen Dedić

Arsen was born under the sign of Leo in Šibenik on July 28th, 1938 in a family of farmers. During the second half of the 20thcentury, he would grow into an iconic figure of the Croatian cultural scene. A straight-A student at an esteemed high school in Šibenik, talented in visual arts and poetry (his first poems were published in Poletissued in Zagreb and Vidikissued in Split), he was a promising flautist at his music school. He moved to Zagreb, the mythical destination of Šibenik students (position held by Padua and Prague in the past) where he would earn both of his high school diplomas. In the fall of 1957 he enrolled at the law school.

Arsen's works of art, poetical strides and musical talent (there are stories of him receiving his first compliment at the age of fifteen from Lovro Matačić, a famous conductor, who was a guest performer in Šibenik) indicated that there would be problems in terms of his future life choices. The Academy of Fine Arts was a possible option when he left his home town and set off into the world. He selected law to please his parents, but he made his own decision to enrol once again in the final year of the music high school. It is as if he wanted to let us know that “cramming“ to become a lawyer did not mean giving up the flute and the music conservatory. Furthermore, an excursion into the world of entertainment that followed as an additional activity after commencing university studies would turn out to be a journey with no return to that finish line he preferred: career of an academic musician and a serious composer despite his flautist diploma. He would forever remain on a dead-end track.

He created an authentic song writing style by combining his musical and poetic talents. He travelled the world and his creations can hardly be counted! Around 40 albums, some official, some pirated, and 32 books! He wrote music for more than 30 movies, 140 theatre plays, 21 TV dramas and series, 11 documentaries, 10 animated movies... He received numerous awards, including Nagrada Slavenskiby Vjesnik, Premio Tencofrom Sanremo (among the first nine songwriters in the world, in the company of Cohen and Dylan), Premio Brel, numerous Porinsand the one for his lifetime achievements, two Zlatna arenasfrom Pula and others.

I do not believe it was a coincidence that he lived in an apartment in the building at Haulikova ulica 4 with a sign he used for the title he authored for his discography epitaph – Dobrotorov dom (Philanthropist’s Home). The symbolism lies in the fact that it was carried by the inventory of a tremendous career in arts and show business. Arsen Dedić is undeniably a philanthropist who took care of the fate of the Croatian pop-music for decades with his fascinating work giving it selflessly the fruits of his many talents until his passing on August 17th, 2015.

Ivo Robić

During the 1950s he was our connection with the world of pop music. He was our jukebox man: he would sing whatever song you wished to hear! During those years, his records could have been your entire music collection. He recorded 62 large singles (78 rpms!) and three LP records that were – for those rare gramophone owners – a respectable collection. He was also the stronger side of a domestic festival of pop music, 1953 Zagreb Festival (the other, softer side, was Rajka Vali). He was also our first “gasterbeiter“ (migrant worker), also the first pop-singer, unfortunately the only one until now (!) who paved the way to the great world of show business with his golden record entitled Morgen.

He would reveal his decision not to follow in his father's footsteps, a judge and dignitary in Bjelovar, (Ivo was born in Garešnica located near Bjelovar on January 28th, 1923) in Zagreb when he traded his law studies for night performances and singing on the State Radio Station hoping to catch up to his idol, Tino Rossi, a master of bel canto from Corsica. The popularity of the Independent State of Croatia (the earliest preserved radio recordings dating back to 1944) would help him meet his future wife Marta, but also come to terms with the fact that during the first days following the war, his status of a radio singer would be suspended in the new state and his existence would depend solely on his performances in the night Grill Room at Gradski podrum in Zagreb. Radio Zagreb kept him on the side lines for a while, but then started playing his songs under the name of Ivo Borić until an intervention at the very top of the communist party gave him back his identity. Finally, in 1949, after many years of performing in bars and on the radio and departure of the big brother, Robić, a “microphone singer“, got his foot inside the Jugoton's door that was becoming more and more ambitious. During the next ten years he recorded an entire record collection, from Morgento the start of his international career at Polydor, and became Jugoton's singing crown jewel.

He composed some of the greatest oldies from the 1950s: Srce, laku noć, Ja ću doć’,Za tobom čeznem, Ne plači, and the greatest hit Samo jednom se ljubi, Nobody came close to the imagined monument of the bard of popular music from the 1950s. With Morgenand a prominent German producer and composer, Bert Kaempfert, Robić made a step into the world where he left a piece of himself, at least in Germany (He released as many as 14 records for Polydor between 1959 and 1966!). You are sure to come across his name in many important global encyclopaedias and numerous books when you research the popular music phenomena.

He was placed on the pedestal of our king of oldies a long time ago. He passed away in a Hospital in Rijeka on March 9th, 2000 after a short illness.

Vice Vukov

During the time of the greatest popularity of pop music festivals (from the end of the 1950s to the beginning to the 1970s), Vice Vukov (Šibenik, August 3rd, 1936) was undoubtedly its greatest star. It would be difficult to list all of his successes in this limited space since his debut in Opatija '59 to Zagreb '71. He won the second place at the Intervision festival (eastern European equivalent of Eurovision). He also represented the former country twice at the Eurosong: in London in 1963 and in Napoli in 1965.

This Šibenik native with Apollo-like face and a beautiful baritone with a powerful high repertory showed up in Opatija out of nowhere and won straight away with the “song that surprised and fundamentally changed my life“, as Vukov himself experienced his debut in the Crystal Hall at the Hotel Kvarner with his song Mirno teku rijekeby a prominent veteran composer, Miroslav Biro, and a young poet, Dragutin Britvić. Since that time, Vice, who sang since he became aware of his existence (together with his sister Meri and brother Joško) in the legendary Kolo of Šibenik (for a short time), in company, with klapas, then during his university studies with the Academic Choir Ivan Goran Kovačićand its octet; he sang opera arias, Dalmatian songs, folk songs, songs from Zagorje and oldies, became the voice that captivated and won. His voice was adored by many regardless of genre preferences or musical changes that sealed the fate of many show business stars. This is why some other changes would start to influence Vice's artistic and life path in general soon.

At the beginning of 1972, during the time of the Croatian Spring and tragic events that marked it, in order to avoid getting arrested, Vice was forced to remain abroad. He was prohibited from public performances and recordings in his home country turning him into a type of a martyr. When he returned in 1989 following an exile from the show business that lasted nearly twenty years with a new record entitled Bella Italia, in the ears of many fans that title sounded like beautiful Croatia.

During the 1990s, in independent Croatia, he refused to play the part of a victim and a Croatian Spring icon. He returned to the scene with a string of triumphant concerts at the Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall in Zagreb. A trained erudite and philosopher, during the last decade of his turbulent life, he decided to dedicate himself to publicity work and he became actively engaged in politics. Interestingly, as an independent member of the parliament (principled and never resentful, especially when Croatian interests were in question), he was on the list of the same party that discredited and persecuted him at the beginning of the 1970s. He authored three books:Pogled iza ogledala, Tvoja zemljaand Moji pariški zapisi.

He fell down the stairs at the Croatian Parliament on November 17th, 2005 and spent three years in a coma. He died in his sleep on September 24th, 2008 at the Special Hospital for Pulmonary Diseases in Zagreb.

Siniša Škarica, musical editor