Establishment of the music-pedagogical career of Kosta P. Manojlovic: From Oxford studies to the first pedagogical engagements

Abstract

Pursuant to the insight into the personal files of Kosta P. Manojlovic (1890-1949) and other relevant archival materials, deposited in the Archives of Serbia and the Archives of Yugoslavia, the paper examines the issue of the beginnings of the complex professional career of this composer, music life organizer, music performer, writer and pedagogue. Starting from the peculiarities related to the career in the field of music, an extremely important and delicate phase of the transition from the stage of education to the first professional activities has been analysed. Beginning with the correspondence connected with the career development of Kosta P. Manojlovic at a significant moment in Serbian music history and using an interdisciplinary approach, the important aspects of the first development phases of the musician?s professional career have been pointed out. In particular, most attention has been paid to the transition from education to work, which, in the case of the Oxford graduate, was complicated, not only because of the composer?s life circumstances, the World War I which had ended recently, time constraints, but also because of significant differences in education systems between the UK and the newly established Kingdom of SCS. From the very beginning, Manojlovic?s career has shown its multifunctional, changeable, and dynamic sides, but also certain constants, among which his distinct inclination towards the national tradition stands out. Regardless of the significant differences in the relation between the present time, characterised by rapid technological changes, merging of digital technologies with almost all spheres of life and work, new ways of communication and numerous global phenomena, and the period in which an ?idealist romantic? Manojlovic built his own career, some of the most important aspects related to the career development of a professional musician have not changed. Reliance on personal capacities, musical talent, creativity, flexibility, realism and a good assessment of one?s own potentials, but also on the quality of education, entrepreneurship, networking and maintaining a quality relationship with the mentor have been noticed as extremely significant.