Page 236 - 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
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glasbene migracije: stičišče evropske glasbene raznolikosti
of Serbian cultural elite Jenko (like his numerous contemporaries – Czech
musicians!) always remained “our stranger”… however, being widely and
warmly welcomed and accepted as “our renowned stranger” or “our Slo-
vene”.36 These facts strongly support the theses of Jenko’s migrant position
in Serbian society.
For the purpose of this article, there is no need to recollect the whole
impressive list of Jenko’s achievements in the position of Kapellmeister of
the (King’s) National Theatre. Rather, I will focus on the period of his work
with the First Belgrade Singing Society, which lasted, with short interrup-
tions, for almost twelve years, from 1865 to 1877. According to the docu-
ments preserved in the archives of the Society, meticulously first presented
by Dragotin Cvetko,37 the main cause of frequent clashes between Jenko and
the Society Board was the question of repertoire. Firmly belonging to the
ideas and ideals of the unification of all (at least South) Slavic peoples (and
this would not be changed for the whole of his life!), Jenko did not want to
resign or to surrender under the pressure of several persistent Board mem-
bers who had expected that repertoire, following the spirit of Kornelije, ex-
clusively supports the construction of a national identity based on Serbi-
an folk heritage. Programmes of several important concerts organised and
lead by Jenko would clearly show that his struggle for the broad and versa-
tile Slavic repertoire, which would include the music by prominent Czech,
Croatian, Slovene, Polish and Serbian composers, never stopped.38
norary member of the First Belgrade Singing Society, Obilić and Davorje in Belgra-
de, of Matica srpska and the Serbian National Theatre in Novi Sad, as well as the sin-
ging societies Kolo (Zagreb) and Zora [Dawn] (Karlovac). See Ibid., 147.
36 See Vesić, “Davorin Jenko, ‘naš stranac’ u kulturnom životu Beograda (1865–1914):
kontradiktornosti etničkog koncepta nacionalnog identiteta.”
37 Dragotin Cvetko did not personally research the Archives of the Society. Basic
research, selection of relevant documents and transcripts were made by Stojan
Lazarević (1914–1989), who was, at the beginning of the ‘50s, a young assistant at the
Institute of Musicology SASA. See many letters of correspondence between Dragotin
Cvetko and Petar Konjović in the book by Katarina Bedina, Povprečen nisem hotel
biti. Korespondenca med akademikoma Dragotinom Cvetkom in Petrom Konjovićem
(1949–1968) (Ljubljana: Univerza u Ljubljani – Filozofka fakulteta, 2007), see e.g. 75–
77, 85–89 et passim.
38 All programmes quoted from “Letopis društva” [Chronicles of the Society], in Prvo
beogradsko pevačko društvo. 150 godina, ed. Dinko Davidov (Beograd: Galerija
SANU, 2004), 40, 41, 45.
234
of Serbian cultural elite Jenko (like his numerous contemporaries – Czech
musicians!) always remained “our stranger”… however, being widely and
warmly welcomed and accepted as “our renowned stranger” or “our Slo-
vene”.36 These facts strongly support the theses of Jenko’s migrant position
in Serbian society.
For the purpose of this article, there is no need to recollect the whole
impressive list of Jenko’s achievements in the position of Kapellmeister of
the (King’s) National Theatre. Rather, I will focus on the period of his work
with the First Belgrade Singing Society, which lasted, with short interrup-
tions, for almost twelve years, from 1865 to 1877. According to the docu-
ments preserved in the archives of the Society, meticulously first presented
by Dragotin Cvetko,37 the main cause of frequent clashes between Jenko and
the Society Board was the question of repertoire. Firmly belonging to the
ideas and ideals of the unification of all (at least South) Slavic peoples (and
this would not be changed for the whole of his life!), Jenko did not want to
resign or to surrender under the pressure of several persistent Board mem-
bers who had expected that repertoire, following the spirit of Kornelije, ex-
clusively supports the construction of a national identity based on Serbi-
an folk heritage. Programmes of several important concerts organised and
lead by Jenko would clearly show that his struggle for the broad and versa-
tile Slavic repertoire, which would include the music by prominent Czech,
Croatian, Slovene, Polish and Serbian composers, never stopped.38
norary member of the First Belgrade Singing Society, Obilić and Davorje in Belgra-
de, of Matica srpska and the Serbian National Theatre in Novi Sad, as well as the sin-
ging societies Kolo (Zagreb) and Zora [Dawn] (Karlovac). See Ibid., 147.
36 See Vesić, “Davorin Jenko, ‘naš stranac’ u kulturnom životu Beograda (1865–1914):
kontradiktornosti etničkog koncepta nacionalnog identiteta.”
37 Dragotin Cvetko did not personally research the Archives of the Society. Basic
research, selection of relevant documents and transcripts were made by Stojan
Lazarević (1914–1989), who was, at the beginning of the ‘50s, a young assistant at the
Institute of Musicology SASA. See many letters of correspondence between Dragotin
Cvetko and Petar Konjović in the book by Katarina Bedina, Povprečen nisem hotel
biti. Korespondenca med akademikoma Dragotinom Cvetkom in Petrom Konjovićem
(1949–1968) (Ljubljana: Univerza u Ljubljani – Filozofka fakulteta, 2007), see e.g. 75–
77, 85–89 et passim.
38 All programmes quoted from “Letopis društva” [Chronicles of the Society], in Prvo
beogradsko pevačko društvo. 150 godina, ed. Dinko Davidov (Beograd: Galerija
SANU, 2004), 40, 41, 45.
234
