Original scientific paper
PLESZOPISZEN BY MAKSIMILIJAN VRHOVEC OR HOW THE CIRCLE DANCE BECAME THE SYMBOL OF UNITY
Stjepan Sremac
; Hrvatski Sabor Kulture
Abstract
on his way back stopped in Zagreb from June 27 till July 1. He was given a grand
reception, and among many cultural programmes a dance act Pleszopisen by Bishop
Maksimilijan Vrhovec particularly stood out. Vrhovac wrote the lyrics to a folk tune, and
noblemen and noblewomen dressed in folk costumes performed (danced and sang) a circle
dance. In the lyrics, besides celebrating the imperial couple, Vrhovac made a clear
statement of the wish and the political aim that all Croatian countries be unified, as well as
the culture and the language. Croatian, Dalmatian and Slavonian women represented the
components of the Croatian tripartite state, and the circle dance their unity.
The idea to symbolize the unity with a circle dance was soon accepted by main
protagonists of the Illyrian movement, but they retained it only in the form of textual,
poetic expression. The Illyrians spread Vrhovac's aspiration for unity and togetherness of
Croats to the South Slavic nations, including the Bulgarians.
The news of the success of Vrhovac's choreography in the same year (1818) reached
the Serbs living in Vienna. Davidović, the editor of "Novine Serbske" (Serbian
Newspaper), wrote that "Srbli Zagrebci" (Serbian people form Zagreb), wearing various
folk costumes, danced a Serbian circle dance and sang in the Croatian language. Probably
through Davidović and his newspaper, the Serbian poet Branko Radičević was inspired by
Vrhovac's Pleszopiszen when writing a circle dance in the poem "Đački rastanak" (A
Student's Farewell). It is striking that Radičević does not include Slovenes into his circle
dance, and with the existing regional division his further fragmentation goes to people
from Dubrovnik, Srijem, Bačva. This is corresponding with the attitudes of Vuk Karadûić,
who considers only the people speaking the čakavian dialekt to be Croatians, those
speaking the kajkavian dialect are to him close to the Slovenes, and the Croatians
speaking the štokavian dialect (and all other people using the štokavian dialect) are
actually Serbs.
Soon after his death Radičević was pronounced the greatest poet of Serbia, and
Jovan Paču, a composer from Vojvodina, set to music the circle dance from "Đački
rastanak" and harmonized it for a choir and an orchestra. After the World War II, "Brankovo
kolo" (Branko's circle dance) became obligatory literature in Croatian elementary school
textbooks, with the clear intent of the authorities of the time to use it as a symbol of
brotherhood and unity of the nations and ethnic groups of Yugoslavia. In the second half of
the 1960s choreographers form Novi Sad and Belgrade composed choreographies for
"Brankovo kolo" to the music by Jovan Paču. Folklore ensembles from Serbia and
Vojvodina included "Brankovo kolo" into their repertoire, and it was almost regularly
performed during the gatherings of Yugoslav folklore ensembles in Belgrade on the
occasion of various festivities. Packed into the idea of "brotherhood and unity of Yugoslav
nations and ethnic groups" the Greater Serbian basis of "Brankovo kolo" remained
unrecognized.
Keywords
Maksimilijan Vrhovac; circle dance; national renaissance; symbol; Branko Radičević
Hrčak ID:
33135
URI
Publication date:
2.12.2002.
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