Klapa: Folk Music of Croatia

Klapa music is a way of a cappella composing that firstly appeared in the littoral Croatia during the mid-19^th century, the word klapa came from a word in slang Italian spoken in Trieste at the time, it means a group of people and the composing pattern traces its forms to liturgical church singing. The themes in general celebrated loves, wine (grapes), country (homeland) and also the sea.

source of picture: www.eurovision.tv

The klapa band comprises of a first tenor, a second tenor, a baritone, and a bass. It is possible to double all the voices except from the first tenor, though klapa is a cappella music that on some occasion is possible to add a gentle guitar and a mandolin.

The klapa composing has become regular as a popular littoral Croatia. Several young people from the Dalatia treasure klapa and sing it frequently when it is going out as eating or drinking. Its music has gained popularity among the mainstream people in the coastal regions of Croatia with the new klapa that was initiated by the younger generations combining klapa vocals with other music patterns like the klapa libar’s metal cover of Pusti da ti leut svira and the pop/klapa song that is Kako cu joj rec da varin by klapa DVD a Zrnovnica Sv. Florijan that won the Split song festival in 2010.