International Symposiums on Music Therapy in Zagreb 1970-2010: Interview with Darko Breitenfeld
By Serafina Poch
Introduction
The First International Congress on Music Therapy was held in Zagreb, Yugoslavia, in 1970, within the "III International Congress of Social Phychiatry" four years before the First World Congress of Music Therapy in Paris 1974. The Zagreb Congress was the first one attended by some of the most prestigious professional music therapists of that time from Europe and the United States.
I have the honour of doing an interview with Dr. Breitenfeld, for two reasons. The first reason is that, in March 2008, Dr. Barbara Wheeler and I were travelling from Zaragoza to Barcelona, after attending the "Second National Congress of Music Therapy," and I suggested to her the importance of remembering the first International-World Congresses for younger generations to know.
The second reason is because I was in Zabreb in 1970 during the Congress. In addition, years later, contacts were established between the Department of Psychiatry of the University of Zagreb and the same Department at the University of Barcelona.
I am very grateful to Dr. Wheeler for her expertise in doing these interviews that have aroused great interest. It is a duty not to forget the work of a pioneering music therapist. Many thanks, Dr. Wheeler.
The Congress in 1970
Serafina Poch: It was an extraordinary experience for me to attend the "I International Congress on MT" within the "III International Meeting of Social Psychiatry" (1970), it was the first Music Therapy Symposium that I attended after the Annual Meetings of NAMT in the USA in 1966 and 1967. I would like to know: Who started the idea of the First International Congress in Zagreb? And why?
Darko Breitenfeld: The Congress in 1970 was the result of previous MT international meetings in Zagreb, Opatija, Vienna, Salzburg, Prague, Wroclaw-Krakow, and Ljubljana during the sixties. At that time we promoted the development of MT in various aspects in institutions and clinics for children and adults in Croatia and other Yugoslav republics.
S. P.: Before we go on, I want to ask you about your personal background. I recently learned that your father, a medical doctor, sang in the choir of physicians still existing today.
D. B.: My family has been musically active for generations, both playing the piano and solo singing. My father, brother, and my son, as well as me, have been active in solo and choir singing in the Zagrabian physicians' choir for 70 years too, from the thirties of the 20th century. I am a psychiatrist, but also an educated musician.
S. P.: How did you become interested in the world of Music and Medicine?
D.B.: First, Almost 60 years ago I began studying scientific information on medicine and music in medical bibliographies, and then in the last twenty years on the internet. In the beginning I mostly occupied myself with MT, and later also with performing musicians΄ diseases. A special Medical centre for performing musicians was founded in Dubrava hospital, Zagreb. We recently published a book "When playing music hurts".
In addition, so far we have organized five international symposia on medicine of performing musicians (1977-2010). Since 1956, I have also been studying the diseases of composers (Mozart, Handel, Mahler, Wolf, etc). It has resulted in several book and many publications, of which 30 are in English. Many of them were presented at the MM symposium 2010.
S. P.: Please tell me about the preparation for the Congress in 1970, whose Presidents were Psychiatry Professors: V. L. Hudolin (YU)(Organizer), Jules H. Masserman (USA), and Joshua Bierer (U.K.) Honorary Presidents.
D.B.: First of all Croatia was a part of developed middle European musical institutions and therapy developments. Also, the great development of social psychiatry was made possible by Hodolins coorganization of SP Congresses in Zagreb, Dubrovnik, Opatija, Garda, Milano, Lisbon, Barcelona, Athens, etc.
For the first time the profession of music therapists was there recognized thanks to broader therapeutic attitudes of social psychiatry. Yugoslavia was a country with a mild communist regime, and as such was an ideal meeting place for musical therapists of East and West. Then, we published many articles within the book of Congress/Symposia proceedings.
S. P.: What were the main topics of the Congress in 1970?
D. B.: The topics were social psychiatry (children with special needs, geriatrics, alcoholism, drugs-dependencies) and other aspects of music therapy.
International Board of Music Therapy in Socialy Psychiatry
S. P.: What were the conclusions of the Congress?
D. B.: We founded an International Board of MT in Socialy Psychiatry, with me as the president, active until now. It resulted in 20 MT international symposia in Zagreb and other cities of the Mediterranean region, etc.
S.P.: As the President of the "I.B.MT. in Social Psychiatry " you were invited by the "Asociación Española de Musicoterapia" (I was the founder and General Secretary) to come to Madrid, in 1978 to teach at a Conference of the Psychiatric Department of the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (Prof. F. Alonso Fernández, Director) on the subject: "Transcultural Aspects of Music Therapy". And in 1982 you came to Barcelona to participate in the " II Conference Catalano-Croatian of Social Psychiatry". I know that Mediterranean International Symposia in MT took place every one or two years. I attended one on 1975.
D.B.: These symposia took place only until the late eighties' due to bad economic situation and later war in ex Yugoslavia. From 1995 and further we started again with international MT and MM symposia. 2010 symposium was my jubilarian international meeting as I have spent more than 50 years in MM activities.
S. P.: In that last International MM Symposium mentioned (2010), I was surprised –by a subject that is not usually presented: the pathographies - diseases of famous musicians/composers. You did many research and publications. Please, tell me.
D. B.: We have studied about 1500 composers pathographically. We prepared a lexicon book on 350 composers and their disorders, diseases, depressions, dependences, destinies, deaths. Soon it will be published in Croatian and possibly in English too. At the 2010 MM Symposium, we presented with international participants the composers pathographies of more than 10 nations. They should be published in their states first by local authors, also here in Croatia.
Music Therapy in Croatia
S.P.: How did the former Yugoslavia suffer in the War, and how did this affect the development of MT?
D. B.: A hundred thousand innocent people were killed mainly by aggressors in most republics of former Yugoslavia. This resulted in dissipation of the federal Yugoslavia, not wanted any more on the basis of one nation's dominance and colonial methods of ruling. This caused a decline in all scientific superstructures, including music therapy, for more than 10 years.
S.P.: And finally, allow me, Dr. Breitenfeld, to ask about the future of MT in Croatia and other Yugoslav republics.
D. B.: MT and MM are most developed in Croatia. We try to help the development of other neighbors; they were present and active participants of the 2010 meeting. We plan to held more specific, smaller international meetings in Zagreb and on the Croatian coast, as well as in Slovenia, Hungary, Italy, Austria. I will finalize my activities and publications/books by promoting further research and PhDs on the series of medical fields: composers, performers and therapy problems. I would like to motivate my young collaborators to be engaged even more in the further scientific-organizational development. In May 2011 a Cleveland University Hospital USA (Fatorini, Janigro,) and Zagreb University Hospital (Breitenfeld, Prstačić, etc.) meeting took place in Zagreb and Opatija-Lovran.
S. P.: For me, Croatia has been a referent point on MT, especially regarding the treatment of alcoholic patients. What is happening in that area at this moment?
D. B.: Yes, one of our main topics was and is MT in social psychiatry. But other fields have not been neglected. The main goal of this interview is to document that the Zagreb International Congress of Music Therapy (in Social Psychiatry) in 1970 within the Third SP World congress was a logical first great MT international congress/meeting. It should be known as the FIRST one as it took place before the Parisian in 1974. It enabled the organization of the following MT international meetings/ congresses (Paris, Herdecke, Genova, etc.). Our potentials were documented and proven by 2010 symposium with up to 100 reports. The summaries of our MM 2010 symposium are published (in book and electronic form), and received a preliminary edition on the symposium. We lecture about MT and other creative therapies and pathographies on Zagreb Music academy and the Faculty for education and rehabilitation. In 1970 we organized the Croatian MT society. Recently we published books on children and adult MT.
S.P.: Dr. Breitenfeld, it has been an honor and pleasure to have the opportunity to share with you the memories of 50 years of dedication to Music in Medicine. Please continue with your work. The new generation of music therapists needs to know all the work carried out in Europe from the beginning. They must know that nothing can be achieved without the dedication and effort. Thank you very much.
Proceedings from the Zagreb International Symposia on Music Therapy/Medicine an Music
- Proceedings from the 1st Zagreb International Symposium on Music Therapy, 1970
- Proceedings from the 2nd Zagreb International Symposium on Music Therapy, 1974
- Proceedings from the 3rd Zagreb International Symposium on Music Therapy, 1979
- Proceedings from the 4th Zagreb International Symposium on Music Therapy, 1980
- Book of Abstracts from 5th Zagreb International Symposium on Medicine and Music , 2010
