March on the Drina explained

March on the Drina
Released:1915

The "March on (or to) the Drina" (Serbian: Марш на Дрину|Marš na Drinu, pronounced as /mârʃ na drǐːnu/) is a Serbian patriotic march which was composed to commemorate the Serbian victory in Battle of Cer during World War I and came to be seen as a symbol of Serbian resistance and victory in the World War I. Along with the other World War I song, Tamo daleko, it became a powerful symbol of Serbian culture and national identity and remains popular amongst Serbs in the Balkans and the diaspora.

History

World War I

The Drina river served as the boundary between Bosnia and Serbia, and by the outbreak of World War I, Bosnia had been under the control of Austria-Hungary for more than three decades. River is an important symbol of Serbian national identity, as there is a historic desire of Serbs in the Serbia to unite with brethren living in Bosnia. The Serbian defeat of Austro-Hungarian forces at the Battle of Cer in August 1914 was the first Allied victory over the Central Powers during World War I.

Stanislav Binički composed what became known as "March on the Drina" shortly after the Battle of Cer. Binički dedicated it to his favourite commander in the Serbian Army, Col. Milivoje Stojanović, who had fought during the Battle of Cer, but was killed later in the Battle of Kolubara. His composition was initially titled "March to Victory". The song experienced widespread popularity during and after the war.

Socialist Yugoslavia

The song was popular in Socialist Yugoslavia after World War II. It was released as a single and other formats on the Zagreb-based Yugoton label.[1] The recording by Ansambl Urošević was awarded Zlatna Ploča ("Gold Record") for their single release on Yugoton. Song was played at the presentation ceremony for the Nobel Prize in Literature when Serbian writer Ivo Andrić was named a Nobel laureate in 1961.

The Avala Film studio released a war film in 1964, titled March on the Drina, that featured the march in a historical dramatization of the 1914 Battle of Cer and based on the march which featured the tune.

Contemporary period

In 1992, song received a plurality of popular vote on referendum for the new national anthem of Serbia, but was never officially adopted.[2] That same year, the Socialist Party of Serbia used the song as the soundtrack for an important promotional spot prior to the 1992 Serbian general elections.

In 2013, the song was at the centre of a controversy after it was performed by a Serbian choir entertaining the United Nations General Assembly. Vuk Jeremić, the President of the United Nations General Assembly, Ban Ki-moon, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, and other United Nations officials gave the song a standing ovation. Bosniak organizations responded to the performance by demanding that Jeremić be removed from his position as President of the United Nations General Assembly. Jeremić stated that "we Serbs are very proud of it [the song] and wanted to share it with the world". He went on to say that "regrettable attempts at twisting the meaning of our musical gift offered to the world last Monday are deeply offensive to the Serbian people". The United Nations later apologized for the ovation and Ban Ki-moon expressed regret that some were offended by the song.

Lyrics

Serbian lyrics to the song were written in 1964 in Socialist Yugoslavia by poet and journalist Miloje Popović to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Cer. Only four verses of Miloje Popovic's 1964 poem were recorded in 1966 by vocalist Ljubivoje Vidosavljević and the Narodni Orkestar "Carevac".

International hit

The composition became an international hit and a staple of world music. Swedish composer Felix Stahl obtained the rights to the song which he published and promoted. Danish guitarist Jørgen Ingmann had a number one hit on the Danish pop singles chart in 1963 in a version arranged for solo electric guitar on the Swedish Metronome Records label.[3] [4] His recording was also released in West Germany, where it reached No. 5, in the UK, in France, and in the U.S. on ATCO Records, 6277. Patti Page, The Shadows, Chet Atkins, Frankie Yankovic, Horst Wende, and James Last also recorded the song.

There were many different lyrics set to the music in several languages, English, German, and Italian. English lyrics were added in 1964 by American songwriter Vaughn Horton for a recording by Patti Page under the title "Drina (Little Soldier Boy)". German lyrics were added by Walter Rothenburg in 1964 and Bert Olden in 1976. Italian lyrics were added in 1964 by Daniele Pace for the recording by Marie Laforêt.

Popular international versions

See also

Notes

Sources

Notes and References

  1. http://www.discogs.com/artist/1728517-Ansambl-Mi%C4%87e-Uro%C5%A1evi%C4%87a Discogs.com.
  2. Web site: Svi naši referendumi. Radio-televizija Vojvodine. Novi Sad. 2008-03-06.
  3. http://www.danpop.dk/631217.html Danish Top 20 Chart.
  4. https://books.google.com/books?id=M0UEAAAAMBAJ&dq=billboard+magazine+december++1963+jorgen+ingmann&pg=PA35 The single was No. 1 for 2 weeks in Denmark.
  5. http://www.secondhandsongs.com/medium/18819 Second Hand Songs: Drina March.
  6. https://books.google.com/books?id=A0UEAAAAMBAJ&dq=drina+mars+spotniks&pg=PA31 Hits of the World Chart
  7. http://www.45cat.com/record/db7236 45cat.com.
  8. http://www.discogs.com/Frankie-Yankovic-Saturday-Night-Polka-Party/release/1510570 discogs.com.