| Popis: |
Formed around a ritual of transition, weddings have always been one of the most important life- cycle customs in Croatia. Even though nowadays, in changed social and economic circumstances, the bride’s and groom’s lives are not so strongly affected by the marriage as they were in the past, it appears that wedding is still one of the key events in the life of an individual. In today’s prevailing two-part structure, the utmost attention is paid to the affirmative and concluding part of the wedding: celebration. Within the constantly growing spectrum of elements forging a memorable wedding celebration, music and musicians are regarded as crucial, both on structural and symbolic level. Nevertheless, despite weddings being consistently abbreviated and certain customs omitted, musicians’ role as active participants in weddings has over the past decades not diminished in any way. The sustained use of music is a result of its enhancing role in the enactment of ritual acts and social relations which precisely rests upon musicians’ skillful work. Extensive ethnographic research has demonstrated that, over the last several decades, two main streams have profiled on the wedding market forming a highly competitive ground: music bands and DJs. Within the described context, the objective was to explore the complex interconnection and mutual influence between the three distinct and overlapping elements: the wedding couples and participants, the music, and the musicians who perform at weddings. Building on the ethnographic findings, I examined musical performances, their purpose and significance within wedding celebrations in Zagreb area with particular focus on musicians and their layered working lives. Framing the discussion using the key concepts of creativity and music labor, I argue that weddings are a site of musicians’ waged, affective, and creative labor. This, together with the overall influence of the ever- growing wedding market within the great machinery of wedding industry, has resulted in their professionalization over the last several decades and compelled them to act in accordance with the market-based economy which requires increasing engagement as well as various competitive and survival strategies which they successfully employ, primarily thanks to collaborative endeavors. |
