Meet Music Education Society of Tivat, Celebrating 110 Years!

City orchestras have in the past been significant features of cities along the Mediterranean coast. Nevertheless, numerous challenges have arisen; there are not a large number of cities that have preserved this tradition today. In Montenegro, along with Tivat, wind orchestras operate in Herceg Novi, Kotor, Đenovići and Budva.

 

Apart from unavoidable participation in all manifestations of importance for the city, the Music Education Society today can boast numerous performances throughout Montenegro, but also in the countries of the region. Recently, they returned from a tour of the wind orchestras in Shkoder, Albania, where eight music companies performed.

 

 

"Although the eight orchestras at first glance seem like a lot, there are actually a significant number of musicians in one place," says Nevilla Klakor, the Kapellmeister of the Music Education Society Tivat, expressing the pleasure that an even more significant number of musicians will take part in the 110th birthday in Tivat.

 

 

Unlike most other societies of this type, the Music Education Society of Tivat is in the ambit of the amateur orchestra, in which the musicians perform without compensation. Therefore, the prizes and plaques earned in Shkoder are even more valuable and significant. "The wind orchestras in Albania are connected with music schools that make them professional musicians. Our Society is amateur, made up of different generations, musicians from eight to 68 years. In recent years, we have had a significant change of generations; part of the orchestra is composed of children of elementary school age. In that sense, Tivat Music School is a source that regularly complements us with young forces," explains Nevilla Klakor.

 

When asked about the importance of the Music Education Society of Tivat for the development of music education in this city, the president of the Society, Boris Lanceroti, said:

 

"We can say that the Music Education Society was and still is a kind of support when it comes to music education in Tivat, primarily in the sense of long tradition. When something exists for more than a hundred years, it is undoubtedly a traditional basis for repeating the same activity in some other form. The music school is a public institution that represents a different profile of the organization. However, our continued cooperation, already processing the tradition of the people who played in our Society, and later acquired the title and professor of Music, certainly make this connection essential and will last for the benefit of our organizations, as well as the well-being of the city."

 

 

Based on a long experience in the field of music, Boris Lanceroti states that Tivat has excellent musical potential when it comes to wind instruments, perhaps the biggest in Montenegro. "It takes only a little better organization to present Tivat as a guideline in the field of wind instruments, especially when we have in mind that the Music School in Tivat, both primary and secondary, has already profiled itself as an important educational institution for training.

 

The Music Education Society of Tivat was founded in 1909. "One hundred years, it can be done as a moment. But when you begin to analyze documents, events, people based on photography, knowledge, and the story, then you realize it is an extended period. Especially precisely this period - from 1909 to the present day, as there were wars and various situations, both good and bad - then you were increasingly proud of the people who were members of the Society, who managed to maintain the Society in all these situations."

 

Speaking of the founding of the Music Education Society Tivat, under which name it was founded in 1909, Lanceroti emphasizes that it is essential to know some of the events that happened before that year, which created the atmosphere for such a society to be founded.

 

 

"In Tivat, of course, people played and sang even before that year. They played, making their everyday life better with various celebrations. Antun Žeželić formed the first organized orchestra in Tivat with 12 members in 1891. Fortunately, we have their photo, we recognize all these people, and we can see the instruments they played, so we know the structure of this orchestra. It was a professional group of musicians who performed classical music. In addition to this orchestra, it is worth mentioning the establishment of a Music school in Tivat in 1900. The same Antun Žeželić founded this school with his wife, Ana. Both were teachers at the Public school in Tivat. The first music school was in the house of Jako Golub in the village of Tripovići, in the locality which in Tivat is called Donji Kantun. The next company to be mentioned is Starčević Tamburitza Orchestra, founded by Šime Staničić, known as Šimeta in 1906. I consider all this as preparation of the atmosphere and habits of people for organized dealing with Music, and preparation for that year in 1909 and the founding of the Society,"explained Lanceroti.

 

 

The Music Education Society Tivat was founded by Ilija Sindik, Sime Staničić, and Filip Vuksanović. These are the citizens of Tivat who were able to write down their wishes, formulate their intention to establish an orchestra, and gather the courage to present this idea to the mayor, captain in retirement Marko Krstovic, who performed this function voluntarily. They managed to convene the City Council, and the Council adopted the Decision on the Establishment of the Music Education Society. Everything was transparent under the then law and regulations. They only had the last and most difficult to provide funds for the purchase of instruments.

 

"There are still some facts on the scene, without which the establishment of this Society would be almost impossible. In the then Arsenal, the Austro-Hungarian Navy had its orchestra, at that moment with two Kapellmeister. One of them was Czech; his name was Antun Blažek. Asked to make a specification of the instruments for the Music Education Society Tivat, he normally envisioned the procurement of Czech instruments. He brought this specification with the prices of instruments to the City Council, which decided to finance their procurement. According to the witnesses of that time, the mayor trembled a bit, and said: "Poor children, do you know what you are doing?" I think that's close to the truth because that year the entire budget of the municipality of Tivat was sent for the purchase of instruments, there were no funds left for others activities," says its president, Boris Lanceroti. They say it was the first and only year when the budget was in the minus. The municipality went bankrupt by passing a decision on the purchase of instruments for the city orchestra.

 

"Antun Blažek was also the first Kapellmeister of the Music Education Society, which then gathered 23 musicians. They were not people who knew the notes, knew the instruments, or could play. He taught them everything and Music, as citizens of Tivat still call it. The first appearance was at today's intersection, near the Old Town Hall. The reason for the show was the visit of the Austro-Hungarian crown prince, Archduke Friedrich," said Lanceroti, emphasizing the pleasure of seeing the photo from that performance today in the cabinet of the president of the municipality. That was the beginning.

 

Later, the Society performed for the pride of all citizens, and there were also situations when they did not want to play, again for the pride of citizens, explains Lanceroti. There were also situations when they were banned from performing. What was the constant- significance of an event in Tivat was measured by the entire century of whether the Music Education Society took part in it. If it was music, the gathering was significant; if there was no music, then it wasn't so valuable.

 

 

These attitudes towards the city orchestra of Tivat inhabitants also have today. In addition to the cultural and artistic, the city orchestra of Tivat and its citizens has a strong symbolic and emotional character. With the city in good days, with its citizens for the sad moments, the performance of the Music Education Society was a regular segment of the funeral ceremony. Due to the shift of generation, the orchestra has lost this function, which it had since its first decade of existence. But the relationship with music is ongoing.

 

 

"For our very successful New Year's concerts, the concert halls are always filled to the last place. Last year's show in the biggest concert hall in the city, in the Administration building of Porto Montenegro, confirmed this again. That is what makes us happy, what gives us strength. At the end of the year, when we are tired of all the problems and challenges, and at the concert, we are welcomed by 700 people, then all our efforts and renunciation gets the full meaning, and we continue," says the Society's Kapellmeister Nevilla Klakor.

 

 

On the occasion of the great jubilee, 110 years of activity of the Music Education Society of Tivat, our city will host many orchestras from the region, who are going to magnify its birthday. Participation at the birthday party of has so far been confirmed by 12 wind orchestras, which, knowing that the average number of members is between 30 and 40, leads to the number of about 350 musicians who will play on the streets of Tivat on 15 June. The program called "Big Noise" foresees the great defile of the streets of the city from three directions towards the city waterfront Pine, where the orchestras will arrange a joint performance of the marches. 

Each orchestra will have its term to present its program and the way of playing to the audience in Tivat. "I think it will be a big event, for the citizens of Tivat, as well as for all the guests who are in our town on that day, and certainly for us," they added, inviting citizens to join the celebration of the 110th birthday of the oldest cultural institution of Tivat.

 

The manifestation to mark the 110th anniversary is supported the Tourist Organization of Tivat and the Municipality of Tivat, and many local institutions, companies, civil society organizations, and individuals are grated to take part in the festival of wind orchestras scheduled for 15 June from 7 pm.