Stevan Stojanović - Mokranjac | Origin of Street Names

Stevan Stojanović - Mokranjac (1856 - 1914) was the most significant Serbian classical music composer, music educator, founder of the first Serbian music school, and a role model for generations of future composers and music professionals at the beginning of the 20th century.

Originally from Old Serbia, Stevan Stojanović was born in Negotin, where his ancestors had settled in the early 19th century. In fact, the Stojanović family came from the vicinity of Prilep and moved to the nearby village of Mokranje, which later became the nickname of the future composer.

He received his elementary education in his hometown, attended high school in Zaječar, and then enrolled in the Faculty of Philosophy at the Great School in Belgrade (predecessor of the University of Belgrade). Playing the violin and having a sense of music since childhood, he became a member of the First Belgrade Singing Society, which then directed him towards music studies that he pursued with interruptions in Munich, Rome, and Leipzig.

Upon his return to Belgrade, he worked as a music teacher in high schools in Belgrade and Niš. He became the conductor of the Singing Society and, together with his younger colleague Stanislav Binički, launched the first music school in Serbia - still the most esteemed institution of its kind in Serbia today.

Stevan Mokranjac wrote his first compositions during his studies. The authenticity of his compositions was reflected in the fusion of traditional Serbian and Balkan music with the current trends in classical music of that time in Europe.

The most significant musical work of Stevan Mokranjac is his Rukoveti (Garlands), fifteen compositions that represent unique blends of traditional folk music from different parts of Serbia and the Balkans, with elements of classical music. These fifteen compositions incorporate segments from hundreds of folk songs, which is why they are considered perhaps the greatest achievements of Serbian classical music in history. Mokranjac's Tenth Garland, featuring motifs from the traditional Macedonian song Biljana platno beleše, is considered by many as one of the most popular and probably the most beautiful domestic compositions.

In addition to the Garlands, Mokranjac's opus includes a large number of compositions inspired by spiritual and historical motifs, as well as music for choral singing and church services. Among them, the Cherubic Hymn stands out in particular.

Stevan Mokranjac was married to Marija Predić, a relative of the famous painter Uroš Predić, who also created one of the most famous portraits of Mokranjac. Their son, Momčilo Mokranjac, was a distinguished professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy in Belgrade.

During the outbreak of the Great War, Mokranjac moved to Skopje, where he passed away a few months later due to a severe illness. His remains were transferred to Belgrade in 1923 and reburied with appropriate honors at the New Cemetery.

In honor of the greatest Serbian composer, his birthplace in Negotin has been transformed into the Stevan Mokranjac Memorial Museum, and for over half a century, the annual event called "Mokranjac Days" has been held in Negotin every September, dedicated to the memory of one of the most significant musical creators.

Symbolically, the name of Stevan Mokranjac is now carried by a large number of streets and schools in cities throughout Serbia.