The achievements of Dvorak, Borodin and Cajkovskij among others served as models for the first Serbian symphonies. Their themes were often based on authentic folk tunes or on tunes composed in folk spirit, and they demanded thematic work of primarily variational type, thereby producing looser and sometimes rhapsodic structures. Amold Schönberg was not alone in expressing his distaste for such \'folkloristic symphonies\' and their \'static treatment of folklore, but the public and many composers in different countries were sensitive to their melodic, rhythmic and harmonic richness, wide emotional span and lyrical charm. This different kind of symphony had a decisive influence on Serbian composers who wished to create a national school of their own.