Davorin Jenko
Encyclopedia
Davorin Jenko was a Slovene composer
. He is sometimes considered as the father of Slovenian national Romantic music. He also composed the melody for the Serbia
n national anthem
Bože pravde
and the former Slovenia
n national anthem Naprej, zastava Slave
.
He was born in the Upper Carniola
n village of Dvorje
, in what was then the Austrian Empire
. After graduating from high school in Trieste
, he went to Vienna
, where he studied law. During his Viennese stay, he founded the Slovene Choir Society in Vienna, which was sponsored by the national liberal politician Valentin Zarnik.
In 1862, he moved to the town of Pančevo
in southern Vojvodina
, where he worked as the choirmaster of the local Serbian Orthodox Church
. He later moved on the other side of the Austrian-Serbian border to Belgrade
, where he worked as a composer in the Serbian National Theatre
.
Jenko was named among the first four members of the Academy of Arts of the Royal Serbian Academy of Sciences, named by King Milan I of Serbia on 5 April 1887.
He lived in the Serbia until 1897, when he moved to Ljubljana
in his native Carniola
.
During his life, Jenko composed several pieces both in Slovene and Serbian
. He wrote the first Serbian operetta (The Sorceress, Врачара 1882)., and composed the music for the Serbian national anthem, based on the lyrics of Jovan Đorđević.
Most of his Slovene pieces were composed during his stay in Vienna. In 1860, he composed the music for the patriotic song Naprej, zastava Slave
(Forward, Flag of Glory!) for the lyrics written by his cousin Simon Jenko
. He also composed several other Slovene patriotic poems, which later became a crucial part of the Slovenian national canon.
He died in Ljubljana, and was buried in the Žale
cemetery in the Bežigrad
district.
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
. He is sometimes considered as the father of Slovenian national Romantic music. He also composed the melody for the Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n national anthem
National anthem
A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a nation's government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people.- History :Anthems rose to prominence...
Bože pravde
Bože pravde
"Bože pravde" is the official anthem of Serbia, as defined by the Article 7 of the Constitution of Serbia. "Bože pravde" was the anthem of the Principality of Serbia and Kingdom of Serbia until 1918 when Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes was formed. It was recommended by the Parliament of...
and the former Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
n national anthem Naprej, zastava Slave
Naprej zastava slave
"Naprej zastava slave" is a Slovene poem that was used as the Slovenian national anthem between 1918 and 1990.It was written by Simon Jenko and set to music by Davorin Jenko on 16 May 1860....
.
He was born in the Upper Carniola
Upper Carniola
Upper Carniola is a traditional region of Slovenia, the northern mountainous part of the larger Carniola region. The centre of the region is Kranj, while other urban centers include Jesenice, Tržič, Škofja Loka, Kamnik, and Domžale.- Historical background :...
n village of Dvorje
Cerklje na Gorenjskem
Cerklje na Gorenjskem is a town and a municipality in Slovenia.Ljubljana Airport is located in Zgornji Brnik, Cerklje na Gorenjskem. Adria Airways has its head office on the airport property.-External links:*...
, in what was then the Austrian Empire
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...
. After graduating from high school in Trieste
Trieste
Trieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...
, he went to Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, where he studied law. During his Viennese stay, he founded the Slovene Choir Society in Vienna, which was sponsored by the national liberal politician Valentin Zarnik.
In 1862, he moved to the town of Pančevo
Pancevo
Pančevo is a city and municipality located in the southern part of Serbian province of Vojvodina, 15 km northeast from Belgrade. In 2002, the city had a total population of 77,087, while municipality of Pančevo had 127,162 inhabitants. It is the administrative center of the South Banat...
in southern Vojvodina
Vojvodina
Vojvodina, officially called Autonomous Province of Vojvodina is an autonomous province of Serbia. Its capital and largest city is Novi Sad...
, where he worked as the choirmaster of the local Serbian Orthodox Church
Serbian Orthodox Church
The Serbian Orthodox Church is one of the autocephalous Orthodox Christian churches, ranking sixth in order of seniority after Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, and Russia...
. He later moved on the other side of the Austrian-Serbian border to Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, where he worked as a composer in the Serbian National Theatre
Serbian National Theatre
The Serbian National Theatre , located in Novi Sad, is one of the major theatres of Serbia...
.
Jenko was named among the first four members of the Academy of Arts of the Royal Serbian Academy of Sciences, named by King Milan I of Serbia on 5 April 1887.
He lived in the Serbia until 1897, when he moved to Ljubljana
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
in his native Carniola
Carniola
Carniola was a historical region that comprised parts of what is now Slovenia. As part of Austria-Hungary, the region was a crown land officially known as the Duchy of Carniola until 1918. In 1849, the region was subdivided into Upper Carniola, Lower Carniola, and Inner Carniola...
.
During his life, Jenko composed several pieces both in Slovene and Serbian
Serbian language
Serbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....
. He wrote the first Serbian operetta (The Sorceress, Врачара 1882)., and composed the music for the Serbian national anthem, based on the lyrics of Jovan Đorđević.
Most of his Slovene pieces were composed during his stay in Vienna. In 1860, he composed the music for the patriotic song Naprej, zastava Slave
Naprej zastava slave
"Naprej zastava slave" is a Slovene poem that was used as the Slovenian national anthem between 1918 and 1990.It was written by Simon Jenko and set to music by Davorin Jenko on 16 May 1860....
(Forward, Flag of Glory!) for the lyrics written by his cousin Simon Jenko
Simon Jenko
Simon Jenko was a Slovene poet, lyricist and writer.Jenko was born in Podreča in the Sora Plain in Upper Carniola, then part of the Austrian Empire, now in Slovenia, as an illegitimate son of poor peasant parents...
. He also composed several other Slovene patriotic poems, which later became a crucial part of the Slovenian national canon.
He died in Ljubljana, and was buried in the Žale
Žale
Žale Central cemetery , often abbreviated to Žale, is the largest and the central cemetery in Ljubljana. It is located in the Bežigrad district and operated by the Žale Public Company.- History :...
cemetery in the Bežigrad
Bežigrad
The Bežigrad District or simply Bežigrad is a city district in the northern part of Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It encompasses the area between the southern rail line to the south, the Upper Carniola rail line to the west, the highway loop to the north, and Šmartno Street and the Žale...
district.