Page 33 - Weiss, Jernej, ur./ed. 2026 Skladateljska društva nekoč in danes.../Composers’ Societies Past and Present...

The Coexistence of the Social, the Professional and the Artistic
complemented by strong rights management and representation activity
that is providing a solid financial foundation for future operations.
The Society began the celebrations of its sixtieth anniversary with the
separation of its operational and programme management, the restructur-
ing of its financial operations, significantly increased activity and renovat-
ed premises. It also obtained the use of the premises on the ground floor of
its building that it had been trying to secure since the 1980s.
The dynamics of society at that time could be illustrated by the words
of its President at the time, Jani Golob. When asked at the 60 anniversa-
th
ry celebrations how he predicted the future, he humorously replied: “In the
next sixty years, we will double or triple what we are doing now.” 35

The importance of the Society of Slovene Composers
The Society of Slovene Composers is a professional association and, as such,
in addition to its wide range of programme activities, has also looked after
the professional needs of its members throughout the entire period of activ-
ity covered by the present paper. This has included giving its opinion on the
granting of freelance artist status or increases in the pension entitlements
or healthcare and tax benefits of Slovene composers. In its early years it also
provided loans to members who found themselves in financial and social
difficulties and helped them arrange workspaces, purchase manuscript pa-
per, and so on. It provided them with petrol vouchers and, in the period of
foreign exchange restrictions, even helped them buy tax-free musical in-
struments and tape recorders, in cooperation with the Union of Compos-
ers of Yugoslavia. Within the limits of its financial resources, it has contrib-
uted to preserving the memory of its late predecessors in their birthplaces
and places of remembrance.
The natural companions of the society of musical creators were per-
forming ensembles, including the aforementioned Collegium musicum and
the Ansambel Slavko Osterc. The latter began its artistic journey in 1961 as
part of the Collegium cycle, still without a name. Although not formally part
of the society’s regular activities, the ensemble played an exceptional am-
bassadorial role in promoting contemporary Slovenian and Yugoslav mu-
sical creativity at home and abroad under the direction of its long-standing

35 Jani Golob’s statement from the documentary film “Društvo slovenskih skladateljev
in njegov čas [The Society of Slovene Composers and Its Time].” Based on a screen-
play by Sonja Kralj, the film was directed by Aleš Žemlja and produced by Television
Slovenia’s Cultural and Arts Programme in 2005.

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