Još Hrvatska ni propala
Encyclopedia
Još Hrvatska ni propala ("Croatia Has Not Yet Fallen") is a famous Croatian
patriotic reveille
which was penned by Ljudevit Gaj
and set to music by the composer Ferdo Livadić
in 1833. The song is considered the anthem of the Illyrian Movement
, which constituted a great part of the Croatian national revival
.
Gaj's story of how the song came about was related in Franjo Kuhač
's work Illyrian Songwriters (Ilirski glazbenici). Travelling to Samobor
to visit Livadić, Gaj thought to himself, "Croatia has not yet fallen so long as we [revivalists] are alive". At the same time he heard the sound of villagers singing in church. When he arrived at Livadić's house, he already had the words and melody ready. That night they penned several other verses, of which three became the best known and were treated as the unofficial anthem of the Illyrian Movement.
The song was first performed publicly on February 4, 1835 in a Zagreb theatre.
Croats
Croats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
patriotic reveille
Reveille
"Reveille" is a bugle call, trumpet call or pipes call most often associated with the military or summer camp; it is chiefly used to wake military personnel at sunrise...
which was penned by Ljudevit Gaj
Ljudevit Gaj
Ljudevit Gaj was a Croatian linguist, politician, journalist and writer. He was one of the central figures of the Croatian national reformation, also known as the Illyrian Movement.-Origin:...
and set to music by the composer Ferdo Livadić
Ferdo Livadic
Ferdo Livadić was a Croatian composer.A leader of the 19th century Croatian national revival, Livadić wrote the tune for "Još Hrvatska ni propala", the anthem of the Illyrian movement...
in 1833. The song is considered the anthem of the Illyrian Movement
Illyrian movement
The Illyrian movement , also Croatian national revival , was a cultural and political campaign with roots in the early modern period, and revived by a group of young Croatian intellectuals during the first half of 19th century, around the years of 1835–1849...
, which constituted a great part of the Croatian national revival
Romantic nationalism
Romantic nationalism is the form of nationalism in which the state derives its political legitimacy as an organic consequence of the unity of those it governs...
.
Gaj's story of how the song came about was related in Franjo Kuhač
Franjo Kuhac
Franjo Ksaver Kuhač was a piano teacher, choral conductor, and comparative musicologist who studied Croatian folk music. Kuhač did a great deal of field work in this area, collecting and publishing 1,600 folk songs...
's work Illyrian Songwriters (Ilirski glazbenici). Travelling to Samobor
Samobor
Samobor is a town in the Zagreb County, Croatia. It is part of the Zagreb metropolitan area.-Geography:Samobor is located west of Zagreb, between the eastern slopes of the Samoborsko gorje , in the Sava River valley.-Population:...
to visit Livadić, Gaj thought to himself, "Croatia has not yet fallen so long as we [revivalists] are alive". At the same time he heard the sound of villagers singing in church. When he arrived at Livadić's house, he already had the words and melody ready. That night they penned several other verses, of which three became the best known and were treated as the unofficial anthem of the Illyrian Movement.
The song was first performed publicly on February 4, 1835 in a Zagreb theatre.
Lyrics
| Croatian | English translation |
|---|---|
Još Hrvatska ni propala dok mi živimo, visoko se bude stala kad ju zbudimo. Ak je dugo tvrdo spala, jača hoće bit, ak je sada u snu mala, će se prostranit. Hura! nek se ori i hrvatski govori! Ni li skoro skrajnje vrijeme da nju zvisimo, ter da stransko teško breme iz nas bacimo? Stari smo i mi Hrvati, nismo zabili da smo vaši pravi brati, zlo prebavili. Hura! nek se ori i hrvatski govori! Oj, Hrvati braćo mila, čujte našu riječ, razdružit nas neće sila baš nikakva već! Nas je nekad jedna majka draga rodila, hrvatskim nas, Bog joj plati, mlijekom dojila. Hura! nek se ori i hrvatski govori! |
Croatia is not doomed as long as we live, it will rise high when we revive it. If it's slept this hard and long, it will grow stronger, if it's so small in its sleep, it will expand. 'Hurrah!' let it resound, spoken in Croatian! Isn't it high time to raise (the flag?) and throw away the heavy foreign burden? Us Croats, we are old too, we did not forget that we are your true brethren, regardless of the evil. 'Hurrah!' let it resound, spoken in Croatian! Oh, Croats, dear brothers, hear us when we say, there is no force that will separate us now! One dear mother gave birth to us once, breastfed us Croatian milk, thank God for that. 'Hurrah!' let it resound, spoken in Croatian! |