Page "Music of Croatia" Paragraph 13

Taking into consideration the presence of folk music, the aspirations of the Illyrians went far beyond the results achieved, something that is also continued in the work of Ivan Zajc ( 1832 – 1914 ) in the second half of the century.

His masterpiece, the opera Nikola Šubić Zrinjski, ever since its opening night in Zagreb in 1876, had not lost in popularity, partly because its heroic patriotism functions as a symbol of Croatia's victory.

Finally, owing to the founder of Croatian ethno-musicology and musical historiography, Franjo Kuhač ( 1834 – 1911 ), the systematic research of folklore evolved simultaneously with Zajc's endeavours.

Finally it should be added that in Zajc's and Kuhač's era, major halls for musical performances and concerts were built: in Zagreb the building of the Croatian Music Institute ( 1876, 1895 ) with a concert hall, and the building of the Croatian National Theatre ( 1895 ), including the theatre buildings in Rijeka ( 1885 ), Split ( 1893 ) and Osijek ( 1907 ) where, along with the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb, drama, opera and ballet performances are still played today.