Often called the "father of Serbian music" and the "most important figure of Serbian musical romanticism", Mokranjac is well-regarded and much revered inSerbia. Following his death, the Serbian Music School was renamed theMokranjac Music School in his honour. He has been featured on the country's paper currency and that of theFederal Republic of Yugoslavia. In 1964, the Mokranjac family home in Negotin was restored and turned into a museum and musical centre. Celebrations of Mokranjac's life, known as "Mokranjac days", have occurred annually in the town since 1965. In 1981, a large statue of Mokranjac was constructed in the yard of the Mokranjac family home to mark the 125th anniversary of his birth.
Stevan Stojanović was born on 9 January 1856[1] in the town ofNegotin,Principality of Serbia. Close to the Serbian border with Romania and Bulgaria, Negotin was a small town of just over 3,000 inhabitants at the time of his birth.[2] Stojanović earned the nickname "Mokranjac" after the village ofMokranje, where his ancestors were from.[3] Mokranjac's father, a prosperous restaurant owner who in 1850 had built the house in which the Stojanović family lived, died two days before his son's birth.[2] Growing up with his mother and three siblings, Mokranjac received his firstviolin at the age of ten.[4] He spent most of his youth in Negotin,Zaječar andBelgrade.[5]
In 1878, Mokranjac arranged a concert commemorating the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Belgrade Choir Society, titled "The History of Serbian Song" (Serbian:Istorija srpske pesme).[7] He and his family lived in their family home in Negotin until 1883. In 1887 Mokranjac made a permanent move to Belgrade, where he became the conductor of the Belgrade Choir Society,[2] a position he would hold until his death.[8] The choir was successful both inSerbia and abroad[9] and under his leadership it became respected and well known throughout Central Europe andRussia because of its high performance standard and repertoire, which was made up of many Serbian folk songs, as well as pieces composed by Mokranjac himself.[10] It touredBulgaria, Croatia,Montenegro,Ottoman Turkey, and Russia.[11] In 1899, the choir toured Berlin,Dresden, and Leipzig.[9] During this time, Mokranjac married Marija, a member of the choir who was twenty years his junior.[12] The couple had one son, Momčilo.[4]
Mokranjac founded the Serbian School of Music in 1899,[13] as well as the first Serbianstring quartet, in which he played thecello.[2] Although his most famous works date from the late 19th century, Mokranjac continued composing during the 1900s.[10] In mid-1914, he left Belgrade and moved toSkopje to escapeWorld War I.[14] He is buried in theNew Cemetery of Belgrade.
Early in his career, Mokranjac recorded Serbian Orthodox church chants in staff notation. A gifted composer,[5] he first published a book of church melodies in 1908, titledOctoechoes[7] or "Eight Tones" (Serbian:Osmoglasnik). Published in Belgrade, it became the basic textbook for students inSerbian Orthodoxseminaries followingWorld War I.[15] Mokranjac's chants were unique because he removed their ornamental and microtonal elements and harmonized them, making them distinct from otherEastern Orthodox church chants.[16] Consequently, chants written by Mokranjac were used more than those written by other composers. Older versions of church chants were suppressed or forgotten.[15]
Later melodies, drawn from oral tradition, were published posthumously. Mokranjac also composed many pieces of sacred music in apolyphonic style similar to that of ItalianRenaissance composerGiovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina. Travelling often toLevač andKosovo to collect and record traditional melodies, Mokranjac played a significant role in promoting music from the rural areas of Serbia. A composer committed tochoral music, he achieved this partly by his composition of fifteen choral suites to which he gave the name "Garlands" (Serbian:Rukoveti), made up of a total of eighty-two songs[7] composed from 1883[17] to 1913.[18]
Mokranjac composedThe Divine Liturgy of St. John Crysostom andIvko's slava in 1901. In 1906, he created a mixed chorus version ofThe Glorification of Saint Sava, which was originally composed for a male chorus in 1893. In 1913, Mokranjac composed the eighty-second and final piece of "Garlands", titledWinter Days (Serbian:Zimski dani). He also composed numerous songs for children's choir.[18]
Considered the "father of Serbian music"[2] and the "most important figure of Serbian musical romanticism",[20] Mokranjac is well-regarded and much revered in Serbia.[2][21] His works are considered the corner stones of Serbian music theatre.[22] Serbian Orthodox chants recorded by Mokranjac and other composers form the basis of most modern Serbian church singing.[21]
In 1964, the Mokranjac family home in Negotin was restored and turned into a museum and musical centre.[2] Celebrations of Mokranjac's life, known as "Mokranjac days", have occurred annually in the town since 1965.[12] In 1981, a large statue of Mokranjac was constructed in the yard of the Mokranjac family home to mark the 125th anniversary of his birth.[2]
Mokranjac published reviews, wrote prefaces, articles, and other journalistic works, often anonymously.[27]
Pri jězoru (By the Lake). For trio (soprano, alto, and tenor with piano accompaniment), arranged by Bjarnat Krawc (Op. 1);Tri lužisko-serbske spěwy (Three Lusatian-Serbian Songs): 1)Žeždjenje (Longing), 2)Postrow dominje (Greeting to the Homeland), 3)Zlote přeća (Golden Wishes). For solo voice with piano accompaniment, arranged by Bjarnat Krawc (Op. 2). Review inJavor 10 (1887): 158–159.[28]
Concert of the Belgrade Choral Society, held on 27 July of this year, and its critic inMale novine,Odjek, 13 and 15 August 1891.
Seoska lola (The Village Dandy). Theatrical song, composed and arranged for piano by Davorin Jenko.Srpski književni glasnik (Serbian Literary Herald) IV, no. 3 (1901): 235–237.
Report by Stevan St. Mokranjac, music teacher of the St. Sava Seminary, on a collection of songs in one and two parts for kindergartens, elementary, and lower secondary schools, arranged by Kosta Berin. The collection was offered by his widow to be printed at state expense and used for its intended educational purpose.Prosvjetni glasnik (Educational Herald) 8 (1902): 131–136.
Predgovor (Preface) toSrpske narodne pjesme i igre s melodijama iz Levča (Serbian Folk Songs and Dances with Melodies from Levac).Srpski etnografski zbornik (Serbian Ethnographic Collection), book III. Belgrade, 1902, VII–XXI.
Srpske narodne pjesme i običaji iz Levča (Serbian Folk Songs and Customs from Levac). Preface by Stevan Mokranjac.Srpski književni glasnik (Serbian Literary Herald) VIII, no. 3 (1902): 216–227. (Response to the review of the book by B. Joksimović.)
Stevan St. Mokranjac. Annual member.Godišnjak Srpske kraljevske akademije (Yearbook of the Serbian Royal Academy) XIX (1905). Belgrade, 1906, 457–476.
Izveštaj o radu u Srpskoj muzičkoj školi (Report on the Work of the Serbian Music School) for the 1907/08 school year and proposal for future work, with tables. Dated 6 July 1908, Belgrade.Prosvjetni glasnik (Educational Herald) I (1909): 69–75.
Collected works
Mokranjac, Stevan Stojanović (1992).Collected Works: Vol. 1, Secular Music I (Garlands) (in Serbian). Knjaževac / Belgrade: Music Publishing Enterprise "Nota" ;Zavod za udžbenike i nastavna sredstva.ISBN86-17-02319-8.
Mokranjac, Stevan Stojanović (1994).Collected Works: Vol. 2, Secular Music II (Choruses) (in Serbian). Knjaževac / Belgrade: Music Publishing Enterprise "Nota" ;Zavod za udžbenike i nastavna sredstva.
Mokranjac, Stevan Stojanović (1995).Collected Works: Vol. 3, Secular Music III (in Serbian). Knjaževac / Belgrade: Music Publishing Enterprise "Nota" ;Zavod za udžbenike i nastavna sredstva.
Mokranjac, Stevan Stojanović (1993).Collected Works: Vol. 4, Sacred Music I (Liturgy) (in Serbian). Belgrade / Knjaževac: Institute for Textbooks and Teaching Aids ; Music Publishing Enterprise "Nota".ISBN978-86-17-15885-7.
Mokranjac, Stevan Stojanović (1995).Collected Works: Vol. 5, Sacred Music II (in Serbian). Knjaževac / Belgrade: Music Publishing Enterprise "Nota" ;Zavod za udžbenike i nastavna sredstva.ISBN978-86-17-19189-2.
Mokranjac, Stevan Stojanović (1996).Collected Works: Vol. 6, Sacred Music III (in Serbian). Knjaževac / Belgrade: Music Publishing Enterprise "Nota" ;Zavod za udžbenike i nastavna sredstva.ISBN978-86-17-19190-8.
Mokranjac, Stevan Stojanović (1996).Collected Works: Vol. 7, Sacred Music IV (Octoechos) (in Serbian). Knjaževac / Belgrade: Music Publishing Enterprise "Nota" ;Zavod za udžbenike i nastavna sredstva.ISBN978-86-17-15886-4.
Mokranjac, Stevan Stojanović (1998).Collected Works: Vol. 8a, Sacred Music V (General and Occasional Chant) (in Serbian). Knjaževac / Belgrade: Music Publishing Enterprise "Nota" ;Zavod za udžbenike i nastavna sredstva.
Mokranjac, Stevan Stojanović (1998).Collected Works: Vol. 8b, Sacred Music V (Festal Chant) (in Serbian). Knjaževac / Belgrade: Music Publishing Enterprise "Nota" ;Zavod za udžbenike i nastavna sredstva.
Mokranjac, Stevan Stojanović (1996).Collected Works: Vol. 9, Ethnomusicological Records (in Serbian). Knjaževac / Belgrade: Music Publishing Enterprise "Nota" ;Zavod za udžbenike i nastavna sredstva.ISBN978-86-17-19208-0.
Mokranjac, Stevan Stojanović (1999). Despić, Dejan; Peričić, Vlastimir (eds.).Collected Works: Vol. 10, The Life and Work of Stevan St. Mokranjac (in Serbian). Knjaževac / Belgrade: Music Publishing Enterprise "Nota" ;Zavod za udžbenike i nastavna sredstva.ISBN978-86-17-07534-5.
The bibliography of musical works by Stevan St. Mokranjac comprises 289 items.[29]
Rukovet I: From My Homeland, for male choir and tenor solo, nine songs, 1884 (Serbian: I Руковет. Из моје домовине)
Rukovet II: From My Homeland, for mixed choir and tenor solo, five songs, 1884 (II Руковет. Из моје домовине)
Rukovet III: From My Homeland, for mixed choir and tenor solo; for male choir, 1888 (III Руковет. Из моје домовине)
Rukovet IV ("Mirjano!"): From My Homeland, for solo (bass-baritone or tenor) with accompaniment of mixed choir, piano, and castanets, 1890 (IV Руковет („Мирјано”!). Из моје домовине)
Rukovet V: From My Homeland, for soprano and tenor solo and mixed choir, ten songs, 1892 (V Руковет. Из моје домовине)
Rukovet VI: "Hajduk Veljko", From My Homeland, for tenor solo and mixed choir; for tenor solo and male choir, five songs, 1892 (VI Руковет: „Хајдук Вељко”. Из моје домовине)
Rukovet VII: From Old Serbia and Macedonia, for mixed choir and tenor solo; for male choir and tenor solo, five songs, 1894 (VII Руковет (Из Старе Србије и Македоније))
Rukovet VIII ("From Kosovo"), for mixed choir, four songs, 1896 (VIII Руковет („Са Косова”))
Rukovet IX ("From Montenegro"), for mixed choir, four songs, 1896 (IX Руковет („Из Црне Горе”))
Rukovet X ("From Ohrid"), for mixed choir, five songs, 1901 (X Руковет („Са Охрида”))
Rukovet XI: From Old Serbia, for mixed choir; for male choir, four songs, 1905 (XI Руковет (Из Старе Србије))
Rukovet XII (From Kosovo), for mixed choir; for male choir, five songs, 1906 (XII Руковет (Са Косова))
Rukovet XIII: From Serbia, for mixed choir, in two versions, A minor and B minor, four songs, 1907 (XIII Руковет (Из Србије))
Rukovet XIV ("From Bosnia"), for mixed choir; for female choir, five songs, 1908 (XIV Руковет („Из Босне”))
Rukovet XV: From Macedonia, for mixed choir, five songs, 1909 (XV Руковет (Из Македоније))
^Милановић, Биљана, ed. (2014).СТЕВАН СТОЈАНОВИЋ МОКРАЊАЦ (1856–1914) ИНОСТРАНЕ КОНЦЕРТНЕ ТУРНЕЈЕ СА БЕОГРАДСКИМ ПЕВАЧКИМ ДРУШТВОМ. Београд: МУЗИКОЛОШКИ ИНСТИТУТ СРПСКЕ АКАДЕМИЈЕ НАУКА И УМЕТНОСТИ, МУЗИКОЛОШКО ДРУШТВО СРБИЈЕ. pp. 71–73, 156.ISBN978-86-80639-16-1.
^Acović, Dragomir (2012).Slava i čast: Odlikovanja među Srbima, Srbi među odlikovanjima. Belgrade: Službeni Glasnik. p. 344.
^Perić, Đorđe (1999). Despić, Dejan; Peričić, Vlastimir (eds.).Život i delo. Belgrade: Zavod za udžbenike i nastavna sredstva Beograd, Muzičko-izdavačko preduzeće Nota. p. 256.
^Perić, Đorđe (1999). Despić, Dejan; Peričić, Vlastimir (eds.).Život i delo. Belgrade: Zavod za udžbenike i nastavna sredstva Beograd, Muzičko-izdavačko preduzeće Nota. p. 256.
^Перић, Ђорђе (1999). Деспић, Дејан; Перичић, Властимир (eds.).Живот и дело. Београд: Завод за уџбенике и наставна средства Београд, Музичко-издавачко предузеће Нота. pp. 268–367.
Blume, Friedrich (1961).Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart: allgemeine Enzyklopädie der Musik, Volume 9 [The Music in Past and Present: General Encyclopedia of Music, Volume 9] (in German).Kassel,Germany: Bärenreiter.
Cuhaj, George S. (2010).Standard Catalog of World Paper Money – Modern Issues: 1961–Present.Iola, Wisconsin: Krause Publications.ISBN978-1-4402-1512-4.
Milojković-Đurić, Jelena (1984).Tradition and Avante-Garde: The Arts in Serbian Culture Between the Two World Wars, Volume 2.New York: Eastern European Monographs.ISBN978-0-88033-052-7.
