Introduction

MIK Festival  (Melodies of Istria & Quarner) was conceived in 1964 with the purpose of adopting the ancient music of these areas to the tastes and demands of modern times, and to encourage composers and lyricists to embrace and use the dialect and the folk music of this area in their musical pursuits. Interestingly enough, it started as "Melodije Kvarnera" and was "retroactively" named "Melodije Istre i Kvarnera" in 1970, when it was named "VII Festival Istre i Kvarnera". The "traveling" nature of the festival has existed since 1967.

The festival has survived cultural and demographic changes, competition from the modern music, and lack of funding, etc., but after all that and some soul searching, it is now being embraced by a number of talented and enthusiastic composers, music writers, singers and bands. MIK songs can now (finally) be heard at radio stations in Istria and Quarner - and in the homes and automobiles of Istrians worldwide. At last, they are realizing that there is good music "po domaće" out there, and can be as beautiful as any.

These pages were created with the idea of reliving the beauty and excitement of MIK concerts, and of bringing the festival closer to the people of Istria & Quarner scattered around the world - who share the nostalgia and interest in preserving musical and linguistic traditions of the old homeland. It was also a way of acknowledging the effort and enthusiasm of the wonderful performers, composers, lyrics writers, and organizers, for giving new life to our linguistic and musical heritage.

"Istarska ljestvica" by Ivan Matetić Ronjgov (1880-1960) was a representation of the tones of the archaic Istrian music in a more modern musical system. This opened the door for composers to use elements of that old folks music in their new creations.