Brass Band Music in the Slovácko Region and Its Social and Cultural Capital

Authors

TURČANOVÁ Barbora

Year of publication 2021
Type Article in Proceedings
Conference Od folkloru k world music : Hudba a kapitál
MU Faculty or unit

Faculty of Arts

Citation
web https://www.folkoveprazdniny.cz/kolokvium-2021-hudba-a-kapital
Keywords brassband music; Pierre Bourdieu; music
Description Brass band music as an instrumental grouping and musical genre has been present in the culture of the Czech lands and Slovakia since the end of the 18th century. From the military milieu, where its function was primarily utilitarian, it spread to the countryside through urban promenades. There, brass music bands interpreted the period-attractive repertoire, which consequently became part of the folk music tradition. From the 19th century onwards, not only did brass band form, sound, repertoire, and function change, but so did the social and cultural capital of the related individual musicians and their groups. The paper focuses on the Moravian ethnographic region of Slovácko throughout the 20th century until the present, as the changes in the capital of brass band music have been most visible then. Gradually, the cultural capital of individuals (in this case, playing a wind instrument of the brass family) intersected with the demands of the period (new musical and dance repertoire, new playing opportunities), resulting in an increase of social capital and social value. During the second half of the 20th century, such value also became the accepted part of folk traditions. At the same time, the economic capital of Slovácko brass band music increased, especially abroad, where its uniqueness gained it a strong fan base. The links with foreign countries, the mass media and especially the Internet have constituted a strong pillar of the development of brass band music. Thanks to established connections and links with local performing opportunities, brass music in the Slovácko region still has strong social capital.
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