If there was but one important issue to be highlighted concerning Serbian music of the 20th century, it would certainly be the question of musical nationalism. As in all other countries belonging to the so-called European periphery, composers in Serbia faced the problem of asserting both their belonging to the European musical community and specific differences. The former had to be displayed by their musical craftmanship and creative individuality, while the latter were conveyed through the introduction of native folk elements as tokens of a specific identity.