We chose this particular subject for this paper because most of the Macedonian well-known wind instrument music performers either completed their elementary and secondary education in Shtip or originate from that area. Before World War I during the rule of the Ottoman Empire in Macedonia, only woodwind instruments from the local folklore tradition were used (kaval, zurla, gajda i.e. bagpipe, etc.). Later, with the chalgiya, came the introduction of the first woodwind instrument of western provenance - the clarinet. Thus, it is impressive that western music practice and tradition of wind instrument performance was acquired in such a brief period of time. Some facts prove that brass instruments were used in the eastern part of Macedonia, but not to an important level. After World War I, the use of instruments of western origin in artistic music corresponds to the customary use of folklore wind instruments.

        During the preparatory stages of this paper we used published materials,as well as interviews with people related to the development of the wind instrument tradition in Shtip. Hence we interviewed Kole Krupishki - a member of one of the first Shtip choirs and lasting secretary of the Sokol brass orchestra, Lazo Cecov - trumpet player in the Sokol brass orchestra, Vancho Samonikov and Mihajlo Dokuzov - one of the first students in the Shtip music school. We visited the Archive and City Library of the city of Shtip, but unfortunately we didn't find any information that was of interest.

        The beginning

        The beginning of the 20th century witnessedan increase of the activities of amateur musicians who obtained some sort of basic music knowledge in school or in church choirs. "The figures of some famous instrumentalists, choir soloists and leaders arise in this period, as well as information about the formation of the first orchestra in Shtip. This orchestra had its first performances in 1905-1906, and mainly consisted of amateur musicians, who were able to play the newly-introduced tempered instruments. Many of the musicians who participated in the vocal groups at the same time were active in instrumental groups." (Mitevski, 1995:78)Surely, one must take these pieces of information cum grano salis for we do not know what genre that orchestra engaged in performing, or whether it included any wind instruments at all.

        Several years before the Balkan wars during World War I, the central figure in the city's music scene was the mandolin player, violinist and leader of the orchestra and choir - Kole Kjulumov. He might have been the leader of a wind orchestra during the last years of the Turkish rule.

        The period between World War I and World War II

        According to Krupishki, the first wind orchestra in the city appeared in the period before World War I. It used to be the Military Orchestra of the Serbian Army, and after World War I it continued its work within the Twelfth Infantry Division, stationed in the city. It consisted of professional musicians who were mainly of non-Macedonian origin.The period between the two World Wars is especially significant for the development of the wind instrument tradition in Shtip because at that time brass instruments were introduced.The above-mentioned orchestra performed concerts not only for the soldiers but for the civilians as well. The city didn't have an orchestra during the summer, when the soldiers were out on practice. Consequently, the jazz orchestra "Toni" was founded, performing mainly  fordances and parties for the young population.

        In addition to the choirs and music companies, the Sokol brass orchestra was formed in 1932 in Shtip. The young musicians from this company were aided by their colleagues from military music. They performed for all the festivities in the city and the neighbouring villages. This music company consisted of amateurs (administrators, workers etc). The Sokol orchestra was especially active between the years of 1932 and 1937 when Mirko Mitic was their bandmaster. Among others, Lazo Cecov, Ljupcho Dokuzov, Metodi Savev and Metodi Dokuzov played the trumpet, Petar Spasov - piccolo, Pero Miroshevic played the flugelhorn, Trajko Pop-Mitrev, Aco Ivanov and Pencho Zarkov clarinet.

        Sergie Mihajlov (1885 - 1975), Russian by descent, played a major role in the city music scene. He was one of the main organisers of the city's music life. In1924 onhis initiative together with Dushan Budimirovic and with the financial help of the citizens the first opera was performed. This was the first opera performance in Macedonia as well. The opera performed was Ruggiero Leoncavallo's 'Pagliacci', where Mihajlov played the orchestral pieces on the piano.

        The period after World War II

        After World War II, Sergie Mihajlov devoted his career to the organization of music education. He initiated the opening of the Elementary Music School, which was later converted into a secondary school. Initially, Sergie Mihajlov taught the wind instrument section. He was followed by Metodi Dokuzov ( 1916 - 1985), who is the essential figure in the development of the professional wind instrument tradition in Shtip. A former military musician, he triggered the growing interest in the school's wind instrument section.

        The wind instruments at the school were old brass instruments left by the military orchestra. According to one of the first students of the school, Vancho Samonikov, the students in the brass section had to use the same mouthpieces because of the lack of financial means.

        After World War II as a continuation of the previous army music, the Shtip City Music was formed. It functioned within the amateurs society "Vancho Prkje". It was initially lead by a Croatian musician by the name of Kreljo (we have no information as to his last name), and was followed by Metodi Dokuzov, who for years worked simultaneously as a teacher in the Secondary Music School. This orchestra included older military musicians, as well as students from the Music School who thus gained experience in orchestral performance.

        Around 1950, the city of Shtip noted the formation of the dance and jazz orchestra of KUD "Makedonka." This orchestra was founded by Kiro Manev, and performed throughout Macedonia and former Yugoslavia. It also included a large number of Secondary Music School students who later proceeded to develop careers in jazz. According to Vancho Samonikov, this orchestra formed musicians independently. After the Secondary Music School, it represented the second centre of popular music education.
 

     Distinguished wind instrument performers

        Several generations of performance have emerged from the Secondary Music School in Shtip. They have achieved significant success in the field of art and pedagogy in Macedonia and abroad. We will present them in groups by the year of enrollement in the Secondary Music School in Shtip.

        Vlasto Ristevski and Blagoj Cheshlarov were the first students who studied trumpet playing in the Elementary Music School. After completing his elementary music education, Cheshlarov continued to study and graduated from the Secondary Music School in Skopje. Cheshlarov played on Macedonian Radio and was the founder of the ensemble for popular music "Macedonia."

        The second generation includes Mihajlo Dokuzov (1938 - ) - French horn, Stojan Dokuzov (1943 - )- oboe (the sons of Metodi Dokuzov), and Vancho Samonikov (1939 - ) - trumpet. Mihajlo Dokuzov was the first French horn player to achieve a university degree in Macedonia. All throughout his career he worked as the first French horn player in the Macedonian Philharmonic Orchestra. After his employment, the orchestra noted substantial improvements in its quality of performance, especially in the brass section. Later he worked as a professor within the Faculty of Music. He was also a member of the first wind quintet in Macedonia - "Skopje Wind Quintet." His brother, Stojan Dokuzov, completed his graduate and post-graduate studies in Ljubljana, and continued to work as the first oboe player in the Ljubljana Philharmonic Orchestra. Vancho Samonikov earned his university degree in Zagreb and completed his post-graduate studies in Paris. He now works as the first trumpet player in the Bern Symphony Orchestra in Switzerland. He worked as a professor of trumpet at the conservatory in Lausanne, Switzerland. During his employment in Lausanne, Samonikov published the paper "The Last Lesson" in the international music magazine "Brass Bulletin." It is dedicated to his first trumpet teacher Metodi Dokuzov. In his paper, Samonikov describes the small town with a great music tradition, the teacher Dokuzov, who not only showed him the first tones of the trumpet, but also taught him something he couldn't learn anywhere else - how to love music and the instrument.
 
 

        We should mention Jordan Hadzi-Nikolov (1948 - ) and Simeon Savev (1942 - ) from the third generation of wind instrument performers. Hadzi-Nikolov works as the first bassoon player in the Ljubljana Philharmonic Orchestra, whereas Savev teaches trumpet at the Secondary Music School in Shtip and is a professor on the Faculty of Music in Skopje.

        Kiril Ribarski (1947 - )  is a distinguished trumpet player of the next generation. He has accomplished an outstanding number of performances (recitals and concerts) at home and abroad. He has entirely concentrated on a career as a soloist, gaining affirmation as an international trombone virtuoso. To prove this fact, we have the 53 compositions written for Ribarski and  dedicated to him by composers from different countries, as well as the gift-trombone that the Brasilian music company "Viril" especially designed for him.

        Goce Micanov ( 1958 - ) and Zorica Milenkovic (1968 - )  belong to the younger generation of notable performers. Micanov is a professor of saxophone at the Secondary Music School in Shtip. He is considered to be one of the best jazz saxophone players in Macedonia. Milenkovic is a flute player who graduated at the Music Conservatory in Paris, and has since been working in the Bern Symphony Orchestra.

        We should also mention other performers from the younger generations of Shtip: Zoran Kazakov - trumpet, former student of Vancho Samonikov, currently works in Switzerland; Darko Mitev - flute, studies in Bern, Switzerland; Hidan Mamudov - clarinet, studies in Salzburg, Austria.

        Thus, it is evident that many wind instrument performers educated in the Shtip Music School have succeeded in developing international careers. In addition to disseminating Macedonian culture abroad, these artists have aided the young musicians of Shtip in pursuing their further education in foreign countries.
 

        The Dokuzov family

        Shtip is known for having families with lasting music traditions. The most prominent of these is the Dokuzov family. We decided to dedicate part of this paper to them because they are closely related to the development of the wind instrument tradition (especially in terms of classical music) in Shtip and in Macedonia.

        Metodi Dokuzov contributed significantly to the formation and development of the wind instrument school in Shtip. He began to play the trumpet at the age of 10. He was a potter by profession, but his great talent and love for music lead him to actively participate in the city's music scene. In 1932, he began to play in the Sokol Orchestra. During his service in the army, he passed the military musician exam and received the title "military musician". After the war he organised a small wind orchestra in Shtip. Afterwards he took part in the organisation of the Music School, and became a teacher of all wind instruments. He influenced the interest for the studies of wind instruments at the school. "He trained a great number of wind instrument performers, who nowadays are popular not only in Macedonia and former Yugoslavia, but in other foreign countries as well." ("Vecher", 1981:15) While teaching at the music school, Metodi Dokuzov lead the City Music of Shtip, always including his students in the performances.

        To honor "the father of the wind instrument tradition in Shtip" ("Nova Makedonija" 25.12.1980), the 30 year anniversary of his work as a teacher was marked by a gala concert in Shtip. The concert was divided into three parts: a performance by the Macedonian Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Fimcho Muratovski, a performance by Metodi Dokuzov's former students accompanied by the Philharmonic Orchestra, and a performance by the City Wind Orchestra conducted by Metodi Dokuzov.

        The tradition of the family has been carried on by his sons - Mihajlo and Stojan Dokuzov. We have already mentioned their accomplishments. The newest generation of this family are his grandchildren - Blagoj Dokuzov - oboe, Mijalche Dokuzov - flute, and Vasko Dokuzov - French horn.

        In this text we touched upon some of the historical, social and cultural facts related to the development of the wind instrument performing tradition in Shtip and the Shtip region. We mentioned Sergie Mihajlov and Metodi Dokuzov as the main cultural figures who inspired young musicians to engage in this kind of performing art. However, it is obvious that in addition to these two key figures, the wind orchestras that appeared between the two World Wars were essential in the development of this tradition. A detailed study of this phenomenon may allude to other factors (geographical, economical, climatic, etc.) that may have contributed to the emergence of such a great number of successful musicians in this area.