Klapa

Last night I dragged myself away from Seks I Grad (tragic, but Sex in the City with subtitles is an excellent learning tool) and went into town to watch Koncert klape Srdela.

I’ve talked about klape groups before – you remember - and I even suggested that you checked some out on u tube (this feels as though I am asking if you have done your homework… did you, did you check them out on u tube??).

History lesson – not a very old history, maybe 50 years old – perhaps klapa has a history in liturgical church singing. Klapa (which means literally a ‘group of people’ ) is cappella singing at its very best, with the main subjects being love, wine, the sea, the homeland, love, the sea, the homeland- you get the picture. Traditionally a man's domain, but there are women klapa groups – but don’t often try and mix the two (some do). I prefer the male klape groups. I love a good strong bass.

The main features of the music are beautiful harmony and melody – sometimes there is the addition of a mandolin and a guitar, but often there is no accompaniment. There are 1st and 2nd tenors, baritones and bass singers. Double the numbers to enlarge the group.
There are two basses in Klape Srdela, and if I understood the Croatian introduction, these two were father and son.

Trg Hrpina was fairly crowded, no seating left on the blue seats so I perched myself on a wall at the back of the crowd. At one point a space became available beside me and I just about got bowled over by the rush for it – there was a literal stand off as two women challenged each other for the two feet of concrete wall. Seriously, there is no such thing as decorum when it comes to important things like space. I told you. I think the woman who plumped her plump bum down in victory was Russian. Well done her, a major victory for mankind.

The singing was divine. Watching the crowd was interesting too. Check out this little guy – he was swaying away to the music.

At one point the MC was talking about the music – there was an element of homesickness in the words for the men from the Makarska area who had left to go to work and live in New Zealand and Australia.. There was a sigh from the man perched behind me ‘ Aime, Novog Zelanda je bas lijepa’ (NZ is really beautiful). I turned around and said ‘ja sam iz Novog Zelanda’ and had a friend for life – slike were taken (photos) and there was a bit of back slapping.

And amongst those perched on my wall, there were the most beautiful voices – a baritone behind me and a tenor from the photographer – and they knew all of the words. When the group (my group together with the klapa group) sang a song that my mother has and enjoys, even I got homesick.

When it finished, and the crowd slipped into the darkness of the midnight hour, I wandered back along Kalalarga, and back to my apartment. This photo is pretty dark, but enlarge it and you will see how lovely it is. And then go and u tube some klapa music. (Or ring my mum and ask to borrow some CDs!)