Questions of Yugoslavian Symphonism and Its Institutions: The Case of Belgrade Open Competition of 1934–1935

Taking an open competition for new symphonic composition organized in Belgrade in 1934–1935 as the focus of my enquiry, I wish to investigate complex questions of institutional networks, critical discourse on music and interpersonal relationships that shaped production and reception of symphonic music in the interwar Kingdom of Yugoslavia. The competition was organized by Society of Friends of Art Cvijeta Zuzorić with an ostensible aim of promoting modern art and supporting young artists’ endeavours. I will argue that during the 1930s Cvijeta Zuzorić society engaged in promoting “primordial modernism” as the new model of art production, which was in accordance with the current state politics in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. In order to do so, I will firstly define primordial modernism as the paradigm of artistic production in the interwar Yugoslavia, reflecting both on state cultural politics and on artistic and critical discourse. I will then show how this paradigm permeated the politics of Society of Friends of Art Cvijeta Zuzorić, which was firmly latched onto various mechanisms of state support and which participated in promoting the dominant state ideology. I will show how the open competition for new symphonic work presented an opportunity both to strengthen the influence of Cvijeta Zuzorić society and to widen its reach in promulgating the new artistic paradigm of primordial modernism. Finally, I will discuss the outcome of the competition, scrutinizing the interpersonal relationships of the actors involved and illuminating the processes of organization and decision-making. Discerning the network of micro-power that was shaping symphonic scene in the interwar Yugoslavia, it will be possible to show why the original ideas of the open competition were very hard to implement in the Belgrade music scene