Page 204 - Weiss, Jernej, ur./ed. 2026 Skladateljska društva nekoč in danes.../Composers’ Societies Past and Present...

Skladateljska društva nekoč in danes | Composers’ Societies Past and Present
The aim was to discover the aesthetic identity of Macedonian musical cul-
ture in the spirit of the era, following the principle of one of the most fa-
mous philosophers of all time, Confucius, who said: “Let me hear the mu-
2
sic of a society and I will tell you what it is like!” In this regard, in Skopje
– as a centre where almost all cultural events took place, in addition to
being the site of the already established musical-cultural and musical-ed-
3
ucational institutions (the Macedonian Philharmonic Orchestra, Radio
4
5
Skopje Symphony Orchestra and Secondary Music School) – the need for
2 Georgi Stardelov, “Kon dvanaesettiot tom: Muzikata na počvata na Makedonija od
Atanas Badev do denes (XX vek),” in Muzikata na počvata na Makedonija od Atanas
Badev do denes: prilozi za istražuvanjeto na istorijata na kulturata na Makedonija,
vol. 12, ed. Georgi Stardelov (Skopje: Makedonska akademija na naukite i umetnos-
tite, 2004), 8.
3 A historical date for reproductive musical culture is November 24, 1944. Following a
decision by AGITPROP of the General Staff of the Government of Democratic Fed-
eral Macedonia, a meeting was held in the house of the Macedonian musician Todor
Skalovski, at which the desire to establish a symphony orchestra was explained,
with it being the first cultural institution of its kind in liberated Macedonia. The
orchestra’s development began on December 15, 1945, with the holding of the first
symphony concert in the hall of the Macedonian National Theatre (Makedonska fil-
harmonija 1944–1974 (Skopje: Makedonska filharmonija, 1974), without pagination).
On April 6, 1950, the orchestra was constituted as an independent artistic institu-
tion named the State Philharmonic of the People’s Republic of Macedonia (“Uredba
za osnivanje na Državna filharmonija na Narodna Republika Makedonija,” Služben
vesnik na Narodna Republika Makedonija VI, nо. 11 (May 15, 1950): 71‒2). Today it
operates under the name the Philharmonic of the Republic of North Macedonia.
4 With the historic broadcast of the Second Session of the Anti-Fascist Assembly for the
National Liberation of Macedonia (hereafter: ASNOM), on December 28, 1944, the
foundations of Radio Skopje were laid. Then, for the first time in the liberated home-
land, the words of the prominent Macedonian writer, essayist, publicist and social ac-
tivist Vlado Maleski were heard over the airwaves. “Radio Skopje is speaking, Radio
Skopje is speaking; Dear listeners, we are broadcasting live from the Assembly hall
the Second Session of ASNOM...” The radio station began regular operations on Jan-
uary 28, 1945. At that time, the Symphony Orchestra was also formed, which initial-
ly had a small number of musicians, but as the musician-performers returned from
the front and the fighting, it grew to 44 members (So zbor i slika: 50 godini svedoštvo:
Makedonsko radio televizija (Skopje: Makedonsko Radio Televizija, 1994), 9–10, 22).
5 The decision to open the Secondary Music School was made at the proposal of the
Presidium for Education of the Presidium of ASNOM, at the session held on De-
cember 1, 1944 in Skopje (Anon., “Rešenie za otvoranje Muzička akademija, Sred-
na umetnička škola i Učitelska škola vo Skopje,” Služben vesnik na Federalna edini-
ca Makedonija vo Demokratska i Federativna Jugoslavija I, no. 1 (February 18, 1970):
23). T. Prokopiev was appointed as the first director, and the school began regular
operations on February 2, 1945 (Snežana Anastasova-Čadikovska and Lazarevska
Lidija, eds., Muzičko-baletski učilišen centar “Ilija Nikolovski-Luj”: 1945-1995 (Skop-
je: Muzičko-baletski učilišen centar “Ilija Nikolovski-Luj,” 1995), 5–6).

204