Sounds of the Borderland is the first book-length study of how popular music became a medium for political communication and contested identification during and after Croatia's war of independence from Yugoslavia. It extends existing cultural studies literature on music, politics, and the state, which has largely been grounded in Western European and North American political systems. The outbreak of war in 1991 saw almost every professional musician in Croatia take part in a wave of patriotic music-making and the powerful state television system strive to bring popular music under its control. As the political imperative shifted from securing national survival to consolidating a homogenous nation-state, the music industry responded with several strategies for creating a national popular music, producing messages about the nation and, in the ongoing debates over the origins of the folk music that inspired many songs, a way to define the nation by expressing what Croatia was not. The war on ethnic ambiguity which cut through individuals' social and creative lives played out across the airwaves, sales racks and gossip columns of a small country that imagined itself a historical and cultural borderland. Baker's book provides valuable insight into the role of music in a wartime and post-conflict society.

A study of race, gender, religion, and affect in postwar Croatian music Playing It Dangerously questions what happens when feelings attached to popular music conflict with expressions of the dominant socio-cultural order, and how this tension enters into the politics of popular culture at various levels of human interaction. Tambura is a genre-crossing performance practice centered on an eponymous stringed instrument, part of the mandolin family, that Roma, Croats, and Serbs adopted from Ottoman forces. The acclamation that one "plays dangerously" connotes exceptional virtuosic improvisation and rapid finger technique and is the highest praise that a (typically male) musician can receive from his peers. The book considers tambura music as a site of both contestation and reconciliation since its propagation as Croatia's national instrument during the 1990s Yugoslav wars. New sensibilities of 'danger' and of race (for instance, 'Gypsiness') arose as Croatian bands reterritorialized musical milieus through the new state, reestablishing transnational performance networks with Croats abroad, and reclaiming demilitarized zones and churches as sites of patriotic performance after years of 'Yugoslavian control.' The study combines ethnographic fieldwork with archival research and music analysis to expound affective block: a theory of the dialectical dynamics between affective and discursive responses to differences in playing styles. A corrective to the scholarly stress on music scenes saturated with feeling, the book argues for affect's social regulation, showing how the blocking of dangerous intensities ultimately privileges constructions of tambura players as heroic male Croats, even as the music engenders diverse racial and gendered becomings.

First published in 1994 in one volume. An A-Z of the music, musicians and discs. 2006 edition available as an e-book.

The Tamburitza Tradition is a lively and well-illustrated comprehensive introduction to a Balkan folk music that now also thrives in communities throughout Europe, the Americas, and Australia. Tamburitza features acoustic stringed instruments, ranging in size from tamburas as small as a ukulele to ones as large as a bass viol. Folklorist Richard March documents the centuries-old origins and development of the tradition, including its intertwining with nationalist and ethnic symbolism. The music survived the complex politics of nineteenth-century Europe but remains a point of contention today. In Croatia, tamburitza is strongly associated with national identity and supported by an artistic and educational infrastructure. Serbia is proud of its outstanding performers and composers who have influenced tamburitza bands on four continents. In the United States, tamburitza was brought by Balkan immigrants in the nineteenth century and has become a flourishing American ethnic music with its own set of representational politics. Combining historical research with in-depth interviews and extensive participant-observer description, The Tamburitza Tradition reveals a dynamic and expressive music tradition on both sides of the Atlantic and beyond, illuminating the cultures and societies from which it has emerged.

The Rough Guide to Croatia is the most comprehensive handbook to this spectacular destination. A 24 page full-colour section introduces Croatia's highlights, from the medieval city of Dubrovnik to the beaches of the Dalmatian coast. Throughout, there are discerning reviews of all the best places to stay, eat and drink - to suit any pocket. Finally, the Contexts section provides an authoritative background on Croatia's history, politics and culture.

"A History of Baroque Music is a detailed treatment of the music of the Baroque era, with particular focus on the seventeenth century. The author's approach is a history of musical style with an emphasis on musical scores. The book is divided initially by time period into early and later Baroque (1600-1700 and 1700-1750 respectively), and secondarily by country and composer. An introductory chapter discusses stylistic continuity with the late Renaissance and examines the etymology of the term "Baroque." The concluding chapter on the composer Telemann addresses the stylistic shift that led to the end of the Baroque and the transition into the Classical period."--Jacket.

This book represents a survey of the cultural and economic life of the Croatian people, who have long been noted for their significant contributions to the arts and the humanities. It contains a wealth of factual information on various aspects of one of the most interesting regions in Europe. The authors of the articles which make up this work are all specialists in their respective fields. They have compiled a scholarly review of many of the notable works by Croatian historians, political scientists, artists, and persons in other fields. There is also general information on various aspects of geography and demography, and statistics on population, ecology, religion, nationality and other important areas of Croatian life are included. Other important features are ten maps showing the administrative divisions of Yugoslavia and adjacent countries, and 32 pages of illustrations depicting folk arts, handicrafts, music, painting, sculpture and architecture. This reference work will be invaluable to libraries, and will be a useful source of information for historians, writers on Central European affairs, students of art and ethnic developments, and the layman interested in the Croatian people and their cultural history.

An expert guide to the present-day cultural life of Croatia and how it has been influenced by the nation's tumultuous past. Culture and Customs of Croatia offers an expert insider's look at a Balkan nation which, for the first time since the 12th century, is free to draw on its own traditions to determine its political, philosophical, and cultural identity. Culture and Customs of Croatia provides a comprehensive overview of Croatian art and culture with an emphasis on the historical factors contributing to contemporary Croatian life. An in-depth exploration of the country's past lays the groundwork for a discussion of a number of current issues, including progress towards EU membership, the expanding role of the Catholic Church, preservation of the country's World Heritage Sites, the growing popularity of the nation's Adriatic coastline as a beach vacation destination, and the complex, still reverberating legacy of the former Yugoslavia.

Croatia is a country in southeastern Europe, bordered by Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the southeast, Montenegro to the southeast, and the Adriatic Sea to the southwest. The country is also known as Hrvatska in Croatian, and its capital and largest city is Zagreb. Croatia has a population of approximately 4.05 million people, with the majority of residents identifying as ethnic Croats. Croatia has a rich cultural history that dates back to prehistoric times. Its strategic location between Central Europe and the Mediterranean has made it an important crossroads for various civilizations, including the Illyrians, Romans, Byzantines, Ottomans, and Austro-Hungarians. Croatia gained its independence from Yugoslavia in 1991 and has since become a member of the European Union, NATO, and the United Nations. The country is known for its stunning coastline, beautiful national parks, and rich culinary traditions, and it has become an increasingly popular tourist destination in recent years.