Lidija Percan

Istrian folk music is the traditional music of the Istrian peninsula, today largely in Croatia (with a smaller portion in Slovenia), best known for its distinctive two-part singing and playing in the so‑called Istrian scale. This hexatonic, narrow-interval modal system often features microtonal inflections and cadences that resolve to unison or the octave, producing a tense yet haunting sonority. Performances typically involve two voices singing "na tanko i na debelo" (literally "thin and thick"—a higher and a lower part) in close, sometimes rough parallel motion. Instrumental traditions include piercing double-reed shawms (sopile/sopela in Croatian; roženice in Slovenian Istria), the mih (a local bagpipe), dvojnice (double flute), and later the diatonic accordion. Dances such as the Istrian balun accompany this music, linking the vocal and instrumental styles to communal festive life. In 2009, UNESCO recognized "Two-part singing and playing in the Istrian scale" as part of the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, underscoring both its antiquity and its vibrant, living tradition.