Slovenian-style polka is an American style of polka in the Slovenian tradition. It
is fast and features piano and accordion. It is usually associated with Cleveland
and other Midwestern cities. It is also known as "Cleveland Style" or, more rarely,
"Croatian Style". The Slovenian style polka band always includes a piano accordion
and a Diatonic button accordion, also called a "button box". There is often a banjo,
saxophone, or clarinet, as well as a bass guitar and drum set for rhythm. The Slovenian
style polka in the United States of America came about when immigrants from Slovenia
taught the old songs to their children. Those children, as adults, translated the
old songs from the Slovene language into English, and arranged them in a polka beat.
At first Slovenian style polka was just music for ethnic clubs and union halls, but
the commercial success of Frankie Yankovic and other musicians soon introduced the
genre to a wider audience. Dr. William Lausche incorporated the elements of classical
music and early jazz at which point the style took on a type of swing that can be
heard in his piano playing, even on some early Yankovic recordings. Johnny Pecon
and Lou Trebar consequently extended the style to its furthest reaches harmonically,
to the point of even including blue notes, substitutions, borrowed and altered chords
homophonically or in the implied or broken form. In addition to Frankie Yankovic,
notable musicians in this style include Walter Ostanek, Joe Grkman, Dick Tady, Johnny
Pecon, Eddie Habat, Stan Blout, Kenny Bass, Bob Timko, Lou Trebar, Dr. William Lausche,
Eddie Platt, Lou Sadar, Paul Yanchar, Adolph Srnick, Johnny Kafer, Joe Luzar, Dick
Flaisman, Bruce Burger, Marty Sintic, Matt Hoyer, Mary Udovich and Josephine Lausche,
and many others. The music of Slovenia is closely related to German, Austrian and
Istrian because of its common history and Alpine and littoral culture. In the minds
of many Slovenes and foreigners, Slovenian folk music means a form of polka that
is still popular today, especially among expatriates and their descendants in the
area of Cleveland, Ohio. In fact Slovenian folk music consists of many different
styles and is far from being only polka and waltz. Slavko Avsenik is one of the most
influential and popular polka and waltz musicians in the world[citation needed].
Oberkrainer music, which the Avsenik Ensemble popularized, remains very popular today
and is always a strong candidate for folk music awards in Slovenia and Austria. Slavko
and his brother, Vilko, are usually credited as the pioneers of Slovenian popular
music, having solidified its style in the 1950s. One of the most famous modern Slovenian
bands is Laibach, an early 1980s industrial music group. Ljubljana-native Bratko
Bibič's former band Begnagrad was a massively influential 1970s group that are considered
one of the direct influences on modern world music. Bibič's unique accordion style,
often solo, with no accompaniment, has also made him a solo star. The history of
modern Slovenian music can be traced back to the 5th century, when Christianity spread
in Carantania. Liturgical hymns were introduced, and became the first plainchant
to make a connection to the peoples' language. During the mediaeval era, secular
music was as popular as church music, including wandering minnesingers. By the time
of Protestant Reformation in the 16th century, music was used to proselytize. The
first Slovenian hymnal, Eni Psalmi, was published in 1567. This period saw the rise
of musicians like Jacobus Gallus and Jurij Slatkonja. In 1701, J. B. Hoffer dounded
the Academia Philharmonicorum based on the Italian model. Italy was an important
musical influence of the period.As the economic depression hit the country in the
last half of the 18th century, music declined in popularity. Beginning in 1768, German
theater companies arrived and became very popular. The 1794 formation of the Philharmonische
Gesellschaft was important because it was one of the first such orchestras in Central
Europe. The 19th century saw the growth of a distinctively Slovenian folk music sound
based on romanticism, while the German minority continued to push for a stronger
Germanic identity. In the early 20th century, impressionism was spreading across
Slovenia, which soon produced composers Slavko Avsenik, Marij Kogoj and Slavko Osterc.
