Page 213 - Weiss, Jernej, ur./ed. 2021. Opereta med obema svetovnima vojnama ▪︎ Operetta between the Two World Wars. Koper/Ljubljana: Založba Univerze na Primorskem in Festival Ljubljana. Studia musicologica Labacensia, 5
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oi: https://doi.org/10.26493/978-961-293-055-4.211-224
Operettas Staged by the Slovak National
Theatre During the Years 1920–19381
Michal Ščepán
Muzikološki inštitut Slovaške akademije znanosti
Institute of Musicology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences
In 2020, Slovakia commemorates the 100th anniversary of its most im-
portant cultural establishment, the Slovak National Theatre. In the histo-
ry of this institution, the first two decades were extremely complicated, and
operettas played an important role on its stage.
With the Martin Declaration signed on 30 October 1918, the Slovaks
officially declared their independence from Hungary and became part of
a new country, Czechoslovakia. The new democratic conditions brought
about significant progress in all fields, not only in the political and social
spheres, but also in culture and education. In the 19th century, the Slovak
national awakening movement considered the latter two fields to be the
foundations of national awareness. However, in the new state, both needed
a proper centre for their development. Although the capital of the Slovaks
in the Austro-Hungarian Empire was, at least implicitly, Turčiansky Svätý
Martin, several cities in different parts of the country were taken into ac-
count when deciding on the capital within the new federal republic. In the
end, the choice fell upon Bratislava.
One of the priorities of the Czechoslovak government was to acquire
the territory of the city of Pozsony/Pressburg. The name Bratislava began
1 This article is the result of the implementation of the Personality and Work in the
History of Musical Culture of the 18th–20th Centuries in Slovakia (No. 2/0116/20)
project supported by the Scientific Grant Agency of the Ministry of Education, Sci-
ence, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic and the Slovak Academy of Scien
ces, Bratislava, Institute of Musicology of the SAS, 2020–2023.
211
Operettas Staged by the Slovak National
Theatre During the Years 1920–19381
Michal Ščepán
Muzikološki inštitut Slovaške akademije znanosti
Institute of Musicology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences
In 2020, Slovakia commemorates the 100th anniversary of its most im-
portant cultural establishment, the Slovak National Theatre. In the histo-
ry of this institution, the first two decades were extremely complicated, and
operettas played an important role on its stage.
With the Martin Declaration signed on 30 October 1918, the Slovaks
officially declared their independence from Hungary and became part of
a new country, Czechoslovakia. The new democratic conditions brought
about significant progress in all fields, not only in the political and social
spheres, but also in culture and education. In the 19th century, the Slovak
national awakening movement considered the latter two fields to be the
foundations of national awareness. However, in the new state, both needed
a proper centre for their development. Although the capital of the Slovaks
in the Austro-Hungarian Empire was, at least implicitly, Turčiansky Svätý
Martin, several cities in different parts of the country were taken into ac-
count when deciding on the capital within the new federal republic. In the
end, the choice fell upon Bratislava.
One of the priorities of the Czechoslovak government was to acquire
the territory of the city of Pozsony/Pressburg. The name Bratislava began
1 This article is the result of the implementation of the Personality and Work in the
History of Musical Culture of the 18th–20th Centuries in Slovakia (No. 2/0116/20)
project supported by the Scientific Grant Agency of the Ministry of Education, Sci-
ence, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic and the Slovak Academy of Scien
ces, Bratislava, Institute of Musicology of the SAS, 2020–2023.
211
