Page 235 - Weiss, Jernej, ur. 2017. Glasbene migracije: stičišče evropske glasbene raznolikosti - Musical Migrations: Crossroads of European Musical Diversity. Koper/Ljubljana: Založba Univerze na Primorskem in Festival Ljubljana. Studia musicologica Labacensia, 1
P. 235
davor in jenko between slovenian and ser bian music
Orthodox cathedral – Saborna crkva in Belgrade, the Serbian capital. One
should connect Jenko’s enthusiasm to give a personal contribution to the
field of Orthodox Church music with the fact that he highly respected the
ideas and ecumenical visions of bishop Josip Juraj Strossmayer (1815–1905),
to whom he dedicated his very first published opus, Slovenian songs (op. 1).
Jenko’s gift for recognising the symbolic and musical elements needed
to support the processes of social and national awakening, this time of the
Serbian people, gave its first fruitful results also in Pančevo. By carefully se-
lecting patriotic lyrics by Serbian poets (among which were also the most
prominent, e.g. Đura Jakšić), Jenko composed several important patriotic
choral songs that soon became part of the canonic repertoire of numerous
singing societies both in the Principality/Kingdom of Serbia and in Aus-
tria/Austro-Hungary, including the Slovenian lands.32 At the same time,
the final result of all of these successful activities, as Jenko enriched his
personal “transcultural capital”, had opened the doors wide for the com-
poser to make his final, decisive “migration step”; to move to the Principal-
ity of Serbia, in 1865.
There exists a letter of recommendation, signed by Kornelije Stank-
ović, where Kornelije, one of the first prominent conductor of the First Bel-
grade Singing Society, proposes Davorin Jenko to replace him in the duty
of choir-master. In the brackets that follow, Jenko’s name stays “Slovenac”
– Slovene.33 In the next, almost forty extremely dynamic and mostly very
successful years in Belgrade, during which Jenko took all the leading po-
sitions in the Serbian capital’s music life, and that also brought to him the
highest recognitions (including citizenship in 1894, signed by the king, Al-
eksandar Obrenović34) from all state and cultural instances,35 in the eyes
32 E.g. “Što ćutiš Srbine tužni?” [Sad Serb, why are you so quiet?] (lyrics: V. Vasić),
“Sabljo moja dimišćijo” [Damascus Sabre of Mine] (lyrics: M. Popović), “Bogovi
silni naših otaca” [Mighty Gods of Our Fathers](lyrics: D. Jakšić). The latest choral
piece was composed for Jakšić’s historical drama Seoba Srbalja [Migration of Serbs],
first performed in Belgrade (May, 21 1863) and was repeated soon after, with great
success, in Vršac, Timisoara, Velika Kikinda, Čakovo, Novi Sad and Sombor. About
the warm reception of Jenko’s music composed in Pančevo among Slovenians, see
Cvetko, Davorin Jenko i njegovo doba, 58.
33 Ibid., 59.
34 Ibid., 149 (see particularly footnote 360).
35 To mention just a few of the most respectable recognitions: Jenko was elected a full
member of the Serbian Learned Society in 1869; from 1879–81 and in 1883 he ser-
ved as the Secretary of its Committee for the Arts. He became a full member of the
Serbian Royal Academy in 1887. He was awarded the medal of St. Sava of the III, IV
and V degree, as well as with the Order of Duke Miloš the Great. He was also an ho-
233
Orthodox cathedral – Saborna crkva in Belgrade, the Serbian capital. One
should connect Jenko’s enthusiasm to give a personal contribution to the
field of Orthodox Church music with the fact that he highly respected the
ideas and ecumenical visions of bishop Josip Juraj Strossmayer (1815–1905),
to whom he dedicated his very first published opus, Slovenian songs (op. 1).
Jenko’s gift for recognising the symbolic and musical elements needed
to support the processes of social and national awakening, this time of the
Serbian people, gave its first fruitful results also in Pančevo. By carefully se-
lecting patriotic lyrics by Serbian poets (among which were also the most
prominent, e.g. Đura Jakšić), Jenko composed several important patriotic
choral songs that soon became part of the canonic repertoire of numerous
singing societies both in the Principality/Kingdom of Serbia and in Aus-
tria/Austro-Hungary, including the Slovenian lands.32 At the same time,
the final result of all of these successful activities, as Jenko enriched his
personal “transcultural capital”, had opened the doors wide for the com-
poser to make his final, decisive “migration step”; to move to the Principal-
ity of Serbia, in 1865.
There exists a letter of recommendation, signed by Kornelije Stank-
ović, where Kornelije, one of the first prominent conductor of the First Bel-
grade Singing Society, proposes Davorin Jenko to replace him in the duty
of choir-master. In the brackets that follow, Jenko’s name stays “Slovenac”
– Slovene.33 In the next, almost forty extremely dynamic and mostly very
successful years in Belgrade, during which Jenko took all the leading po-
sitions in the Serbian capital’s music life, and that also brought to him the
highest recognitions (including citizenship in 1894, signed by the king, Al-
eksandar Obrenović34) from all state and cultural instances,35 in the eyes
32 E.g. “Što ćutiš Srbine tužni?” [Sad Serb, why are you so quiet?] (lyrics: V. Vasić),
“Sabljo moja dimišćijo” [Damascus Sabre of Mine] (lyrics: M. Popović), “Bogovi
silni naših otaca” [Mighty Gods of Our Fathers](lyrics: D. Jakšić). The latest choral
piece was composed for Jakšić’s historical drama Seoba Srbalja [Migration of Serbs],
first performed in Belgrade (May, 21 1863) and was repeated soon after, with great
success, in Vršac, Timisoara, Velika Kikinda, Čakovo, Novi Sad and Sombor. About
the warm reception of Jenko’s music composed in Pančevo among Slovenians, see
Cvetko, Davorin Jenko i njegovo doba, 58.
33 Ibid., 59.
34 Ibid., 149 (see particularly footnote 360).
35 To mention just a few of the most respectable recognitions: Jenko was elected a full
member of the Serbian Learned Society in 1869; from 1879–81 and in 1883 he ser-
ved as the Secretary of its Committee for the Arts. He became a full member of the
Serbian Royal Academy in 1887. He was awarded the medal of St. Sava of the III, IV
and V degree, as well as with the Order of Duke Miloš the Great. He was also an ho-
233
