Dalmatia has a rich and long musical tradition. The music is typically Mediterranean and often strongly resembles seaside Italian, Spanish or Portuguese music in temperament and structure. What distinguishes it, from the latter are the exclusively vocal (a cappella) songs performed by male ensembles of five to eight members - "klapa"- so called "klapa" songs.

The musical tradition comprises dances, instrumental music, and, above all, vocal music. Due to its immense richness, it has inspired new forms of music, such as opera (Jakov Gotovac, Ero s onoga svijeta), operetta (Franz von Suppè, Des Matrosen Heimkehr and Ivo Tijardović, Mala Floramye) and, finally, pop music. In recent decades, composers and folklorist-musicologists have made great efforts to preserve the original traditional music.

Dances range from simple reels in inland areas to much more complex seaside urban dances. They are accompanied by instrumental or combined instrumental and vocal music. The most common instruments are the "gusle" (a one-stringed fiddle) in inland regions and the mandolin at the seaside.

The most prominent aspect of Dalmatian culture is, of course, its vocal music. When we speak of it, we primarily think of urban music, which is much better known and preserved than the less attractive and often dissonant inland music.

So-called Dalmatian "klapa" songs are at the core of this music. "Klapa" in the Dalmatian dialect means company or group, while in musical terms it refers to ensembles of five to eight members. Traditionally, the ensemble consists only of male voices, but today we witness the emergence of many mixed and female ensembles with varying numbers of members.

Nevertheless, its basic characteristic and distinction are, and remain, solely vocal harmony singing, only rarely discreetly and quietly accompanied by instruments. Part singing, usually in four parts, is originally spontaneous, performed by ear and not by following written notation, so harmonisation is simple. A low-pitched accompaniment is emphasised by a larger number of singers, giving the songs a more intimate atmosphere.

Klapa songs have a slow, free rhythm and are often without any time signature (libero). Sometimes they even include complex metres. The songs are usually quite serenade-like love songs, typically addressing a beloved girl. However, merry and satirical songs also exist. Regardless of the theme, they are always in a major key.

It is therefore not surprising that, in preserving original folk music, composers and musicologists-folklorists invested most of their effort in this particular area. Consequently, a special annual festival of amateur Dalmatian singing was established in Omiš - the Festival of the Dalmatian Klapas. In only a few years, this festival has grown into a cultural institution of great importance and reputation. The lack of original records and the limited number of available songs prompted composers to write more complex harmonisations of existing songs, as well as many entirely new songs, while still respecting tradition (Ljubo Stipišić - Delmata, Dalmatino poviscu pritrujena).

Klapa songs are the most valuable and distinctive part of the broader urban song heritage. Other urban Dalmatian songs also share more or less all of the above-mentioned characteristics. However, they have a broader and more varied repertoire of songs, performed by various mixed vocal-instrumental ensembles. From this, the most notable difference arises: the rhythm is no longer completely free. The most common accompanying instruments are mandolins.

Dalmatian culture website. Created in 1997 and maintained since then with minimal intervention. Contact.