Dejan Despić and “Ahistorical History”: An Auditory Mosaic in the Composition Miniatures for Flobarp Trio for Flute, Oboe, and Harp

Srđan  Teparić

doi:10.5937/newso2565048T

Srđan Teparić University of Arts in Belgrade, Faculty of Music, Department of Music Theory

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5937/newso2565048T

Keywords: ahistorical history, auditory mosaic, neoclassicism, pastoral modus, Dejan Despić

Abstract

This paper analyses Dejan Despić’s Miniatures for Flobarp Trio, linking it to Mirjana Veselinović-Hofman’s use of the concept of “ahistorical history”. In these ten miniatures, Despić crafts an auditory mosaic by subtly compressing Baroque and Impressionistic stylistic references, reducing them to their archetypal essence. Unlike postmodernist citation, Despić synthesises elements into a fluid, functional whole, striving for conciseness and universal classicism. His elitist yet highly communicative approach positions him firmly within a contemporary context. The pastoral modus, a deep, atemporal quality of Despić’s music, allows his “ahistorical history” to be understood as key to its relevant contribution and belonging to contemporary Serbian music.

Author Biography

Srđan Teparić, University of Arts in Belgrade, Faculty of Music, Department of Music Theory

Associate Professor in the Department of Music Theory at the Faculty of Music in Belgrade, where he completed his doctoral studies in 2016. In addition to his academic work, he is active as a music critic for Radio Belgrade 2. He is the author of two significant books: Resemantization of Tonality in the First Half of the Twentieth Century (2020) and Style – History, Emotion (2024). His scholarly articles and research cover a wide range of areas, including: semiotics and semantics of music, аpplication and analysis of meaning, music criticism and analyses, 20th- and 21st-century music, Serbian contemporary music, popular music. Professor Teparić is also an active member of several professional associations, including the Serbian Musicological Society, the Serbian Society for Music Theory, and the Union of Serbian Composers – Music Writers Section.