Davorin Jenko Даворин Јенко | |
|---|---|
 Davorin Jenko | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Martin Jenko[1] (1835-11-09)9 November 1835 |
| Died | 25 November 1914(1914-11-25) (aged 79) |
| Occupations | Musician |
| Member of | Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts |
Davorin Jenko (born Martin Jenko; 9 November 1835 – 25 November 1914) was aSlovene andSerbiancomposer. He is sometimes considered the father of Sloveniannational Romantic music.[2][3] Among other songs, he composed the melody for theSerbiannational anthem "Bože pravde" ("God of Justice"), the formerSlovenian national anthem "Naprej, zastava Slave" ("Forward, Flag of Glory!"), and the popular Serbian andMontenegrin song "Serbian Marseillaise".
Jenko was born in theUpper Carniolan village ofDvorje, in what was then theAustrian Empire, and baptizedMartinus Jenko.[4] After graduating from high school inTrieste, he went toVienna, where he studied law. During his Viennese stay, he founded the Slovene Choir Society in Vienna.[5]
In 1862, he moved to the town ofPančevo in southern Vojvodina, now inSerbia, but then in the Hungarian part of theDanube monarchy, where he worked as the choirmaster of the localSerbian Orthodox Church.[6] He later moved on the other side of the border toBelgrade, where he worked as a composer in theSerbian National Theatre.[6] In 1865 Jenko was elected member of the Serbian Learned Society and in 1887, he was named among the first four members of the Academy of Arts of theRoyal Serbian Academy of Sciences.[6]
He lived in Serbia until 1897, when he moved toLjubljana in his nativeCarniola. He died in Ljubljana, and was buried in theŽale cemetery in theBežigrad district. In Belgrade, an international music competition is dedicated to Davorin Jenko.
During his life, Jenko composed several pieces both inSlovene andSerbian.[5] He wrote the first Serbian operetta (The Sorceress,Врачара 1882)[7] and composed the music for the Serbian national anthem, based on the lyrics ofJovan Đorđević.[8]
Most of his Slovene pieces were composed during his stay in Vienna. In 1860, he composed the music for the patriotic songNaprej, zastava Slave for the lyrics written by his cousinSimon Jenko. He also composed several other Slovene patriotic poems, which later became a crucial part of the Slovenian national canon.
Davorin Jenko - Stankovic's work in Serbia was immediately continued by the manifold and beneficial activity of the Slovene Davorin Jenko. The first period of his life and work belonged to the time of Slovene romanticism.. choir-master of the Slovene Choral Society of Vienna..
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