After retreating through Montenegro and Albania, Serbian Army troops which had military orchestras were accommodated in Corfu, Thessaloniki, Bizerte, and some towns in Macedonia and Bulgaria. The soldiers spent their time recovering and preparing for the Front. Among the military orchestras which played a major role in speeding up the recovery and boosting the morale of Serbian soldiers, nurturing cultural memory and maintaining a sense of closeness with their motherland, and whose number was reduced after 1916, two stood out in particular: the Orchestra of the King’s Guard (conducted by Stanislav Binički) and the Band of the Cavalry Division (conducted by Dragutin Pokorný). The musical scores lost during the Serbian Army’s retreat through Albania, known as the ‘Albanian Golgotha’, were copied or transcribed from memory. Furthermore, in some of the above-mentioned towns printing offices printed the musical material.
The diverse musical and archive material left behind by warriors-musicians and musicians-warriors found its way from the war front to the Library of the Faculty of Music. The special collections housed in the Library of FoM contain scores created during the war, dedicated to the Serbian Army and its commanders, musical scores performed at concerts in Corfu, Thessaloniki, Bizerte, Tunis, Algiers and other cities of the Maghreb, where the army was recovering after its retreat through Albania and getting ready for the Front, and scores of compositions with corresponding orchestral parts, while the dedications and annotations accompanying the scores reveal the places and dates of concerts, personal impressions of the authors and performers, as well as the movements of the Army and civilians during the War.
Each musical composition shown here tells a certain story, and brings to life the time and conditions in which it was created or performed.
The diverse musical and archive material left behind by warriors-musicians and musicians-warriors found its way from the war front to the Library of the Faculty of Music. The special collections housed in the Library of FoM contain scores created during the war, dedicated to the Serbian Army and its commanders, musical scores performed at concerts in Corfu, Thessaloniki, Bizerte, Tunis, Algiers and other cities of the Maghreb, where the army was recovering after its retreat through Albania and getting ready for the Front, and scores of compositions with corresponding orchestral parts, while the dedications and annotations accompanying the scores reveal the places and dates of concerts, personal impressions of the authors and performers, as well as the movements of the Army and civilians during the War.
Each musical composition shown here tells a certain story, and brings to life the time and conditions in which it was created or performed.
Покорни, Драгутин. Марш. Ниш: Д. Покорни, 1915.
During the First World War, Dragutin Pokorný (1867-1956) was the conductor of the Band of the Cavalry Division, with whom he endured the hardships of the Albanian Golgotha and was then transferred to Bizerte with the Serbian troops. Pokorný composed March (Марш) for military orchestra in October 1915 in the city of Niš, the then capital of Serbia, where he held concerts with the Band of the Cavalry Division. The score for symphonic orchestra was written in pencil, and five sheets of the entire composition were stitched together by a thread.
Miloyevitch, Miloye. Serbian rapsody: for piano: opus 16. Salonique: M. Milojević, [1916].
The Serbian composer Miloje Milojević (1884-1946) was stationed in Thessaloniki with the High Command during 1916 and 1917. In that city, Milojević composed Serbian Rhapsody for string orchestra, in which he arranged popular folk dances and songs. The manuscript of the Rhapsody from 1916, an arrangement for piano solo, is kept in the Library of the Faculty of Music. In this written copy the titles of the movements and the notes are in English, while the front cover was illustrated by the composer himself with a vignette in the colours of the Serbian flag.
A version of the Rhapsody for piano solo was printed in 1921 in Paris, entitled Dans mon pays (In My Country), in the series Œuvres des compositeurs Serbes.
A version of the Rhapsody for piano solo was printed in 1921 in Paris, entitled Dans mon pays (In My Country), in the series Œuvres des compositeurs Serbes.
Saint-Saëns, Camille. Samson et Dalila. Bizerte: s. n., 1916.
The manuscript of the orchestral parts of Dalila’s aria My heart opens to your voice (Mon coeur s'ouvre à ta voix), from Camille Saint-Saëns's (1835-1921) opera Samson and Delilah (Act II), was written in Bizerte in 1916. Even though the name of Jean Wittmann, most likely the copyist of the score, appears on the last page, the signature that appears repeatedly in the orchestral parts is illegible, leaving the name of the musician responsible for writing most of the orchestral parts unknown. Several orchestral parts were written in different handwritings, which leads to the conclusion that a number of musicians took part in preparing the material. There is no text written under the vocal section, so it is possible that the aria was performed as an instrumental piece.
It is interesting that the melody of the Serbian anthem Bože pravde (God of Justice) was written on the back of the cello part, with the remark "Bugle ou Piston B", a brass instrument typically used in military music.
It is interesting that the melody of the Serbian anthem Bože pravde (God of Justice) was written on the back of the cello part, with the remark "Bugle ou Piston B", a brass instrument typically used in military music.
Винш, Индрих. Ђенерал Терзић марш. Крф: Картографска радионица Топографског одељења Врховне команде, 1917.
Božidar Terzić was a Serbian general and Army Minister during the First World War. The march General Terzić (Ђенерал Терзић) was composed by Indrih Vinš, conductor of the Slavonic-Serbian Band, as a homage to the military commander. The score was printed in Corfu in 1917 at the Cartographic Workshop of the High Command’s Topographic Section.
Mokranjac, Stevan Stojanović. Tri junaka. Bizerta: s. n., 1917.
The Band of the Cavalry Division also performed the song Three Heroes (Tri junaka) by Stevan Mokranjac (1856-1914). The extant first violin parts suggest that the song was arranged for voice accompanied by orchestra, probably only the strings. The notes written on the sheets of the score reveal that the accompaniment to the song was performed by Nikola Nikolić, [Dimitrije] Golemović, Stanko Jovanović and Nenad Gračanin in Bizerte, in October 1917.
Music sheets of the Air de Paris et Helene are attached to the back of each instrumental part.
Music sheets of the Air de Paris et Helene are attached to the back of each instrumental part.
Février, Henry. Aux Morts pour la Patrie. Bizerta: s. n., 1917.
The Band of the Cavalry Division played an important role in deepening the friendship with the Allies and local communities. The Band took part in several celebrations organised by the Allied forces and, in order to meet the demands of the audience and potential sponsors, it expanded its repertoire of Serbian music to include performances of national anthems and the Allies’ patriotic songs. One of them is To the fallen for the fatherland (Aux morts pour la Patrie), composed by Henry Février (1875-1957), which was performed, according to the notes in the transcripts, in Bizerte on November 21, 1917. The notes suggest that this work was performed by Sava Drenovac and other musicians who were mentioned by their name or surname (Miladin, Golemović, Stanko, Nenad, Hoffner).
Дреновац, Сава (мелограф). [Народне песме]. Бизерта: б. и., 1917.
Among the manuscripts preserved in Dragutin Pokorný’s library, there is a single sheet of paper containing the original melodies of Serbian and Macedonian folk songs and dances: Haj vidim diko, Pišnula Jana, Tri put mi čukna na pendžer, Pojdo gore, pojdo dole, Moj čardače, Tamo daleko, Krca, krca nova kala, and Kolo.
Sergeant Sava Drenovac, member of the Band of the Cavalry Division, wrote down those popular melodies with their text. His signature was also written on the viola part of the piece Aux morts pour la patrie, so it can be assumed that it was Drenovac who played this instrument in the orchestra.
Sergeant Sava Drenovac, member of the Band of the Cavalry Division, wrote down those popular melodies with their text. His signature was also written on the viola part of the piece Aux morts pour la patrie, so it can be assumed that it was Drenovac who played this instrument in the orchestra.