The list of Serbian anthems includes all official and unofficial national anthems that Serbia has had throughout its history as well as regional anthems of the Republika Srpska, a constituency of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The list also contains the anthem dedicated to the first Serbian archbishop and founder of the autocephalous Serbian Orthodox Church, Saint Sava.
Himna Svetom Savi and Vostani Serbije are among the first (albeit unofficial) Serbian anthems. The exact date when the anthem dedicated to Saint Sava was written is not known, while the Pesma na insurekciju Serbijanov, ie Vostani Serbije, was composed in 1804 when it was sung by the Serbian educator Dositej Obradović out of a desire to welcome the outbreak of the First Serbian Uprising. However, the first official, national anthem of Serbia was Bože pravde, written by Jovan Đorđević and composed by Davorin Jenko, which is also one of the oldest anthems in the world. Bože pravde was also the official anthem of Republika Srpska (until 2008, when the anthem Moja Republika was adopted) and Republic of Serbian Krajina. During the World War II, Oj Srbijo, mila mati was used as the de facto anthem of the Government of National Salvation of Milan Nedić during the German occupation of Serbia (1941-1944).[1]
| Name of the anthem | Year | In official use | Creator/s | State | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unofficial national anthem. Vostani Serbije was one of the first Serbian songs of anthem character, composed just before the beginning of the First Serbian Uprising.[2] This song did not have a composition, so it was only recited at gatherings and in festive moments.[3] The song was printed in Venice in 1804 and reprinted in 1833 in Belgrade, as a supplement to Dositej's autobiography The Life and Connections of Dimitrij Obradović. The song had seven stanzas and a refrain repeated after each stanza. The first two stanzas of the song were later given a contemporary melodic treatment in the arrangements of three Serbian composers.[4] | ||||||
| Official national anthem. After the assassination of Prince Mihailo, Milan Obrenović came to the throne in 1872, celebrating his coming of age. Then he ordered a play from the manager of the National Theater in Belgrade, Jovan Đorđević, who quickly wrote and presented the play Markova sablja (with the aim of glorifying Serbian history and the house of Obrenović) and Bože pravde, composed by Davorin Jenko. Đorđević's song quickly gained more popularity among the people than the piece itself, and in 1882, on the occasion of Milan's enthronement as Serbian king, Đorđević reworked the text and so his new version became the first official anthem of Serbia.[5] [6] In 1903, after the May Coup, the Obrenović dynasty died out and the house of Karađorđević came to the helm of Serbia. The new Serbian king Peter I wanted to change the anthem; various competitions in which many Serbian poets participated were unsuccessful, so in 1909, it was decided to promulgate Bože pravde as the official national anthem again, with minor changes to the text. | ||||||
| Unofficial national anthem.[7] Originally called Srbiji, the song Oj Srbijo mila mati was first published in 1860 and was written by the Novi Sad poet Luka Sarić. Its first, longer version, Srbiji ("to Serbia") by poet Luka Sarić was published in 1860 in the literary magazine of Slovenka in Novi Sad.[8] In 1891, a Czech migrant to Serbia, Vojtěch Šístek, a member of the Singing Association Branko, composed the melody and the song quickly became very popular. A very long song, with seven stanza with eight lines each, it was shortened in 1909 by another member of the Branko association, Dragomir Brzak, to four stanza with four lines each. This version, with the name Oj Srbijo, mila mati (Oh Serbia, Dear Mother) entered the school program prior to World War I. It was very popular during the Balkan Wars and World War I. During the World War II, it was used as the de facto anthem of the Government of National Salvation of Milan Nedić during the German occupation of Serbia.[9] | ||||||
| Official national anthem. Serbia decided to renew its national symbols (including anthem) in 2004. The recommendation on the use of the coat of arms, flag and anthem was adopted unanimously in the National Assembly in 2004.[10] After restoring its independence in 2006, Bože pravde was constitutionally sanctioned as defined by the Article 7 of the Constitution of Serbia.[11] It utilizes slightly modified original lyrics, asserting that Serbia is no longer a monarchy — all the verses that had a monarchist overtone were changed. |
| Name of the anthem | Year | In official use | Creator/s | State | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Bože pravde" was adopted in 1992 as the national anthem of the Republika Srpska, later (after the end of the Bosnian War) used as the regional anthem until 2006, when it was ruled down by the country's constitutional court for being unconstitutional.[12] [13] | ||||||
| There were 27 proposals received for the anthem selection contest in 2008 and, in the shortlist, "Moja Republika" was selected. It was performed for the first time on 9 January 2009 at the ceremonial academy in the Concert Hall of Banski dvor in Banja Luka, as part of the Republika Srpska Day celebration. |