Zvonko Bogdan
Encyclopedia
Zvonko Bogdan is an eminent performer of traditional folk songs of Serbia
, Croatia
, Hungary
and Romania
. Apart from being famous as a singer, he is also a composer
, painter
and harness racer
. Zvonko Bogdan is of Bunjevac
origin.
, when that part of Yugoslavia was under Axis Hungarian occupation, to a Bunjevac family. He spent the childhood on salaš
(farm) of his mother-side grandfather Stipan Kukuruzar; his other grandfather Franja was a coachman
, tamburitza
musician and bon viveur
. After a brief adventure in local Sombor theatre, he headed for Belgrade
, in age of 19, to enter the drama academy, and started singing in Belgrade kafana
s to earn for living, and he found himself in this job. The engagement in Belgrade's "Union" hotel, meeting place of numerous journalists and bohemes, boosted his career; for almost 30 years, he would sing in "Union" whenever he visited Belgrade. His first solo concert was held at Kalemegdan
terrace. In 1971, he recorded "Hej salaši na severu Bačke", the song he would be forever remembered for. From 1972, he performed with Janika Balázs
' orchestra on Novi Sad
's Petrovaradin fortress
, a hallmark of tamburitza music.
During the turbulent 1990s and Yugoslav wars
, Bogdan largely withdrew from public performances. As he explained, "Simply, I wasn't in a mood to work. Also, the piracy
took so much momentum that I was sick even of thoughts of composing and music... I hope those ugly times have gone and that we would be able to live like humans again".
In 2004, Bogdan performed on Novi Sad Exit festival, mostly devoted to pop/rock, also held on Petrovaradin fortress; it was a tribute of new generations to the old bard and the site which was the cornerstone of the traditional music.
Bogdan sings both original and traditional songs (especially those of the Bunjevac
people he belongs to) accompanied by the traditional tamburitza orchestra. Some of the songs he composed himself, including his most famous "Hej salaši na severu Bačke" ("Hey, farms of Northern Bačka
"). Some of his songs are also in Hungarian
and Roma language.
Accompanying bands on his concerts are the Orkestar Mileta Nikolića (Orchestra of Mile Nikolić - the successor of the famous Orchestra of Janika Balázs
) from Vojvodina
and the Zagrebački tamburaši from Croatia
. The late Janika Balázs and still living Jerry Grcevich are his favourite tamburitza musicians and co-workers. Zvonko Bogdan is still very active and he plays in Serbia and Croatia, and all over the world where Serbian and Croatian people live.
Bogdan is also a prolific harness
racer, and horses and affection for them are common themes in Bogdan's songs. He is considered one of the most successful racers of Vojvodina In 2001, at Zagreb's Hippodrome, he won the Hrvatski kasački derbi (Croatian Harness Race Derby), establishing a record that still stands.
Some of his most recognized songs are:
Bogdan married his wife Mirjana in Belgrade
. They have two children, Sigmund and Evelina. He has been living in Subotica
since 1980.
, Kićo Slabinac and Miroslav Škoro
have recorded many songs that Bogdan wrote or is known for singing them. Zlatni Dukati made an album Starogradska pjesmarica in 1994, with many popular Bogdan's songs. Kićo Slabinac had also started in the 70s to sing tamburitza songs and part of his repertoire is very similar to Bogdan's. Miroslav Škoro, who is an apprentice of Jerry Grchevich, has a habit to perform in almost every concert "Ej salaši na sjeveru Bačke" as dedication to Zvonko Bogdan.
In 1990, Croatian poet Drago Britvić and composer Siniša Leopold wrote a song "Svirci moji" (Musicians of mine) especially for Zvonko Bogdan, for him to perform at the traditional festival of tamburitza songs "Zlatne žice Slavonije" in Požega
, Croatia. Because of the Yugoslavia crisis, Bogdan haven't had a chance to make his performance, but Đuka Čajić stepped in and won the festival. It took more than a decade for Bogdan to publicly perform the song. In HRT
show "Hit do hita", in April 2004, Zvonko Bogdan finally gave his premiere of "Svirci moji". Since then, it became a regular song in his repertoire. Krunoslav Slabinac and Zlatni Dukati have also recorded their version of this song that has become a tamburitza classic.
During the past years, Zvonko Bogdan has written few Croatian patriotic songs such as "Otvori prozor" (Open the Window), "Od Konavala pa do Zagore" (From Konavli to Zagora
), "Markova čežnja" (Marko's Longing). In May 2003, on the Brodfest, annual tamburitza festival held in Slavonski Brod
, Zvonko Bogdan won the "Ruka slobode" award ("Hand of Freedom") for the song "Od Konavala pa do Zagore". The song lyrics were declared the most patriotic lyrics written for Croatian tamburitza scene in 2002.
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
, Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
and Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
. Apart from being famous as a singer, he is also a composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
and harness racer
Harness racing
Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait . They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, although racing under saddle is also conducted in Europe.-Breeds:...
. Zvonko Bogdan is of Bunjevac
Bunjevci
Bunjevci are a South Slavic community and ethnic group living mostly in the Bačka region of Serbia and southern Hungary...
origin.
Biography
He was born in the city of Sombor (present day Vojvodina, Serbia) during the World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, when that part of Yugoslavia was under Axis Hungarian occupation, to a Bunjevac family. He spent the childhood on salaš
Salaš
Salaš is a village in the municipality of Zaječar, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the village has a population of 962 people....
(farm) of his mother-side grandfather Stipan Kukuruzar; his other grandfather Franja was a coachman
Coachman
A coachman is a man whose business it is to drive a coach, a horse-drawn vehicle designed for the conveyance of more than one passenger — and of mail — and covered for protection from the elements...
, tamburitza
Tamburitza
Tamburica or Tamboura refers to any member of a family of long-necked lutes popular in Eastern and Southern Europe, particularly Croatia , Serbia and Hungary. It is also known in southern Slovenia and Burgenland...
musician and bon viveur
Bon viveur
A bon viveur is a person who enjoys the good things of life, especially food. The phrase is derived from the French bon vivant, meaning good living, a bon viveur being a "good liver", or one who lives well. The phrase is not derogatory but conveys a sense of overindulgence...
. After a brief adventure in local Sombor theatre, he headed for Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, in age of 19, to enter the drama academy, and started singing in Belgrade kafana
Kafana
Kafana , kafeana , kavana are terms used in the former Yugoslav countries for a distinct type of local bistro which primarily serves alcoholic beverages and coffee , and which sometimes also has a live band.The concept of a social gathering place for men to drink...
s to earn for living, and he found himself in this job. The engagement in Belgrade's "Union" hotel, meeting place of numerous journalists and bohemes, boosted his career; for almost 30 years, he would sing in "Union" whenever he visited Belgrade. His first solo concert was held at Kalemegdan
Kalemegdan
Belgrade Fortress , represent old citadel and Kalemegdan Park on the confluence of the River Sava and Danube, in an urban area of modern Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Stari Grad...
terrace. In 1971, he recorded "Hej salaši na severu Bačke", the song he would be forever remembered for. From 1972, he performed with Janika Balázs
Janika Balázs
Janika Balázs was a famous tamburitza musician and band leader from Vojvodina, Serbia.-Life:...
' orchestra on Novi Sad
Novi Sad
Novi Sad is the capital of the northern Serbian province of Vojvodina, and the administrative centre of the South Bačka District. The city is located in the southern part of Pannonian Plain on the Danube river....
's Petrovaradin fortress
Petrovaradin fortress
Petrovaradin Fortress is a fortress in Novi Sad, Serbia. It is located in the province of Vojvodina, on the right bank of the Danube river. The cornerstone of the present-day southern part of the fortress was laid on October 18, 1692, by Charles Eugène de Croÿ...
, a hallmark of tamburitza music.
During the turbulent 1990s and Yugoslav wars
Yugoslav wars
The Yugoslav Wars were a series of wars, fought throughout the former Yugoslavia between 1991 and 1995. The wars were complex: characterized by bitter ethnic conflicts among the peoples of the former Yugoslavia, mostly between Serbs on the one side and Croats and Bosniaks on the other; but also...
, Bogdan largely withdrew from public performances. As he explained, "Simply, I wasn't in a mood to work. Also, the piracy
Copyright infringement
Copyright infringement is the unauthorized or prohibited use of works under copyright, infringing the copyright holder's exclusive rights, such as the right to reproduce or perform the copyrighted work, or to make derivative works.- "Piracy" :...
took so much momentum that I was sick even of thoughts of composing and music... I hope those ugly times have gone and that we would be able to live like humans again".
In 2004, Bogdan performed on Novi Sad Exit festival, mostly devoted to pop/rock, also held on Petrovaradin fortress; it was a tribute of new generations to the old bard and the site which was the cornerstone of the traditional music.
Bogdan sings both original and traditional songs (especially those of the Bunjevac
Bunjevci
Bunjevci are a South Slavic community and ethnic group living mostly in the Bačka region of Serbia and southern Hungary...
people he belongs to) accompanied by the traditional tamburitza orchestra. Some of the songs he composed himself, including his most famous "Hej salaši na severu Bačke" ("Hey, farms of Northern Bačka
Backa
Bačka is a geographical area within the Pannonian plain bordered by the river Danube to the west and south, and by the river Tisza to the east of which confluence is located near Titel...
"). Some of his songs are also in Hungarian
Hungarian language
Hungarian is a Uralic language, part of the Ugric group. With some 14 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken non-Indo-European languages in Europe....
and Roma language.
Accompanying bands on his concerts are the Orkestar Mileta Nikolića (Orchestra of Mile Nikolić - the successor of the famous Orchestra of Janika Balázs
Janika Balázs
Janika Balázs was a famous tamburitza musician and band leader from Vojvodina, Serbia.-Life:...
) from Vojvodina
Vojvodina
Vojvodina, officially called Autonomous Province of Vojvodina is an autonomous province of Serbia. Its capital and largest city is Novi Sad...
and the Zagrebački tamburaši from Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
. The late Janika Balázs and still living Jerry Grcevich are his favourite tamburitza musicians and co-workers. Zvonko Bogdan is still very active and he plays in Serbia and Croatia, and all over the world where Serbian and Croatian people live.
Harness racing
Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait . They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, although racing under saddle is also conducted in Europe.-Breeds:...
racer, and horses and affection for them are common themes in Bogdan's songs. He is considered one of the most successful racers of Vojvodina In 2001, at Zagreb's Hippodrome, he won the Hrvatski kasački derbi (Croatian Harness Race Derby), establishing a record that still stands.
Some of his most recognized songs are:
- Hej salaši na severu Bačke
- Osam tamburaša s Petrovaradina
- Bunjevačko prelo
- U tem Somboru
- Već odavno spremam svog mrkova
- Ne vredi plakati
- Govori se da me varaš
- Kraj jezera jedna kuća mala
- Fijaker stari
- Prošle su mnoge ljubavi
- Ko te ima, taj te nema
Bogdan married his wife Mirjana in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
. They have two children, Sigmund and Evelina. He has been living in Subotica
Subotica
Subotica is a city and municipality in northern Serbia, in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina...
since 1980.
Influence
The most prominent Croatian tamburitza artists, such as Zlatni DukatiNajbolji Hrvatski Tamburaši
Najbolji Hrvatski Tamburaši is a Croatian tambura group. The group was formed in 1983 as Zlatni Dukati. After a tour of America organized by the Croatian Fraternal Union, the band started to compose more music about Croatia. This came to coincide with the Croatian War of Independence which brought...
, Kićo Slabinac and Miroslav Škoro
Miroslav Škoro
Miroslav Škoro is a Croatian musician. Škoro's music is characterized by its traditional tamburitza sound, updated to appeal to a contemporary pop audience.-Biography:...
have recorded many songs that Bogdan wrote or is known for singing them. Zlatni Dukati made an album Starogradska pjesmarica in 1994, with many popular Bogdan's songs. Kićo Slabinac had also started in the 70s to sing tamburitza songs and part of his repertoire is very similar to Bogdan's. Miroslav Škoro, who is an apprentice of Jerry Grchevich, has a habit to perform in almost every concert "Ej salaši na sjeveru Bačke" as dedication to Zvonko Bogdan.
In 1990, Croatian poet Drago Britvić and composer Siniša Leopold wrote a song "Svirci moji" (Musicians of mine) especially for Zvonko Bogdan, for him to perform at the traditional festival of tamburitza songs "Zlatne žice Slavonije" in Požega
Požega, Croatia
Požega is a city in western Slavonia, eastern Croatia, with a total population of 26,403 . It is the administrative center of the Požega-Slavonia County.-Geography:...
, Croatia. Because of the Yugoslavia crisis, Bogdan haven't had a chance to make his performance, but Đuka Čajić stepped in and won the festival. It took more than a decade for Bogdan to publicly perform the song. In HRT
Croatian Radiotelevision
Croatian Radiotelevision is a Croatian public broadcasting company. It operates several radio and television channels, over a domestic transmitter network as well as satellite...
show "Hit do hita", in April 2004, Zvonko Bogdan finally gave his premiere of "Svirci moji". Since then, it became a regular song in his repertoire. Krunoslav Slabinac and Zlatni Dukati have also recorded their version of this song that has become a tamburitza classic.
During the past years, Zvonko Bogdan has written few Croatian patriotic songs such as "Otvori prozor" (Open the Window), "Od Konavala pa do Zagore" (From Konavli to Zagora
Zagora (Croatia)
Zagora , sometimes also called Dalmatian Zagora , is the southern inland region of Croatia. The name Zagora means "behind hills", which is a reference to the fact that it is the part of Dalmatia that is not coastal....
), "Markova čežnja" (Marko's Longing). In May 2003, on the Brodfest, annual tamburitza festival held in Slavonski Brod
Slavonski Brod
Slavonski Brod is a city in Croatia, with a population of 59,507 in 2011. The city was known as Marsonia in the Roman Empire, and as Brod na Savi 1244–1934. It is the sixth largest city in Croatia, after Zagreb, Split, Rijeka, Osijek and Zadar. Located in the region of Slavonia, it is the...
, Zvonko Bogdan won the "Ruka slobode" award ("Hand of Freedom") for the song "Od Konavala pa do Zagore". The song lyrics were declared the most patriotic lyrics written for Croatian tamburitza scene in 2002.
Albums
External links
- Tamburaland Artist of the month : Zvonko Bogdan
- Zvonimir Bogdan's entry at Croatian Composer' Society, Collecting Society Database XI Revija nove domoljubne pjesme Hrvatske – "Brodfest 2003" photo album including Zvonko Bogdan receiving "Ruka slobode" Award