Stanislav Binicki

The period of the greatest artistic achievements and most difficult professional challenges in the development of Serbian military music is closely associated with Stanislav Binički. Through his work as a conductor, composer, and educator of exceptional talent and great influence, he left a lasting mark on an entire era of Serbian music history.

He was born on July 27, 1872, in the village of Jasika, near Kruševac. After completing elementary school, he enrolled in the grammar school in Niš, where he began studying violin and flute from his first year. He was taught by choir master and military bandmaster Friedrich Brunetti, military musician Pavle Gajičić, and later by the Czech music teacher Joseph Swoboda. As early as his grammar school years, he displayed a strong affinity for composing and conducting, leading student choirs with notable skill. He continued his musical pursuit throughout his studies, singing with the Obilić Singing Society under the baton of Josif Marinković, as well as with the Belgrade Singing Society, then led by Stevan Stojanović Mokranjac.

In 1896, Binički was awarded a scholarship by the Ministry of Education to pursue studies at the Music Academy in Munich. After his departure, he expressed his gratitude to the then Minister of Education, stating, among other things: “… in my first trimester, I have chosen theory as my major, so that, upon graduation, I may become a capable bandmaster and music teacher, and so that I may contribute meaningfully to the collection of our traditional folk songs and refine them to be on par with contemporary works…”. Recognized as exceptionally talented, Binički was awarded another scholarship the following year – this time from the Ministry of the Army – to continue his musical studies, a decision that would significantly shape the direction of his artistic career. While in Munich, Binički married a fellow student, Frieda Blanke, who upon marriage became Miroslava Binički. She would go on to become not only his loyal artistic collaborator, but also a respected music professor in her own right. In 1899, upon graduation, Binički returned to Serbia, where he was appointed bandmaster and music administrator at the Ministry of the Army. In this role, he was responsible for the education of military musicians, the staffing and organization of military orchestras, the transfer and coordination of military musicians, as well as the procurement of instruments for all military ensembles. That same year marked a turning point not only in Binički’s career but also in the history of Serbian music. He founded the first symphonic orchestra in Serbia, known as the Belgrade Military Orchestra, and participated in its inaugural concert. In collaboration with Stevan Mokranjac and Cvetko Manojlović, he also co-founded the first Serbian Music School – today’s Mokranjac Music School – where Binički worked as a vocal instructor. The Serbian Music School also brought together a distinguished group of educators: Cvetko Manojlović as piano teacher, Miroslava Binički as vocal instructor, Jovan Ružička as violin teacher, and Venceslav Rendl as cello teacher. Music theory was taught by Stevan Mokranjac, who also served as the school’s principal.

From his inaugural concert in 1899, performed in collaboration with the Belgrade Military Orchestra – featuring the premiere of his overture Iz mog zavičaja (From My Homeland) – Binički introduced completely new programmatic content to the local audience. At a time when Belgrade was still marked by the lingering cultural influences of the Ottoman invaders, Belgrade greeted with curiosity the fresh musical spirit Binički brought through the performance of both his own compositions and those of foreign composers.

By organizing concerts that featured popular music – often held in the garden of the Kolarac Café – as well as symphonic performances that included the works by the old masters, Binički helped educate both the musicians and the audience of his time. He took on the role of an educator for all who were open and willing to embrace new musical ideas.

At the beginning of 1904, the Belgrade Military Orchestra was disbanded, and Binički went on to establish the Music Band of the King’s Guard, selecting military musicians from various units, choosing those with the greatest knowledge and experience in orchestral performance. In 1907, the Music Band of the King’s Guard was officially renamed the Orchestra of the King’s Guard. However, due to its widespread recognition and lasting cultural significance, it is still more commonly referred to in music literature by its original name. In the period leading up to the First World War, the work of the Orchestra of the King’s Guard – and of Stanislav Binički as its leader and conductor – had a significant impact on the Serbian musical landscape. Several important concerts were held in the Serbian capital, and Binički took part in all of them, performing alongside the musicians of the Orchestra of the King’s Guard. Some of these concerts are regarded as significant milestones in our music history, as they provided the local audience with the opportunity to hear grand classical works for the first time, including compositions by Joseph Haydn and Ludwig van Beethoven. On December 12, 1907, at the Kolarac Concert Hall, Joseph Haydn’s oratorio The Seven Last Words of Christ, composed for solo voices, chorus, and orchestra, was performed. Joseph Haydn’s oratorio The Creation was performed at the National Theatre on April 7, 1908. Another significant event held at the National Theatre was the Opera Night held on November 10, 1909. The culmination of the successes achieved up to that point was the performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony for solo voices, chorus, and orchestra, which took place on April 5, 1910, at the National Theatre. For this occasion, a special orchestra of 75 musicians was assembled – primarily composed of members of the Orchestra of the King’s Guard. The performance also featured a choir of more than 120 singers, drawn from several different singing societies. While Binički oversaw nearly three months of preparations as well as the performance itself, Miroslava Binički was responsible for preparing the soloists. Among others, composer Stevan Hristić shared his impressions of the evening in the Serbian Literary Gazette, offering words of praise: “At last, Belgrade has heard Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. So much work! So much preparation! And so much excitement. Given our musical circumstances, only good things can be said about this performance. Mr Binički gave more than our musical environment is typically able to offer – because he created a special occasion, a special choir, and a special orchestra. None of that exists in our usual circumstances.”

From the founding of the Belgrade Military Orchestra, the National Theatre in Belgrade, as one of the country’s most significant cultural institutions, maintained ongoing collaboration with military orchestras and Stanislav Binički. A 1901 contract, signed by the then-director of the National Theatre, comedy writer Branislav Nušić – and Ljuba Marković, commander of the Belgrade Military Orchestra - stipulated: “There must never be fewer than 25 musicians in this theatre orchestra, all using state-provided instruments and accompanying equipment”. In the same year, Binički conducted the orchestra in 82 performances at the National Theatre.

Binički’s educational role extended beyond his work at the Serbian Music School to include his engagement at the Stanković Music School, where he dedicated himself to fostering vocal and instrumental traditions. He contributed to the continued education not only of singers and instrumentalists, but also of their teachers.
He also worked at the Military Academy, where he taught music theory, music history, and patriotic songs. The syllabus was characterized by a strong ethical dimension, emphasizing and nurturing the national musical identity. The goal of the classes was to develop both aesthetic and patriotic feelings, giving them not only a musical purpose but also a character-building quality.

The First World War interrupted Binički’s significant efforts to secure suitable conditions for the uninterrupted functioning of military orchestras within the military department and to maintain a high level of professional engagement of the Orchestra of the King’s Guard. The ensuing events also halted the efforts to establish systematic education for military musical personnel, which had been initiated as part of the broader process of professionalizing the army.

In 1915, Binički crossed Albania alongside the army. During this difficult journey, many musicians lost their lives, and the entire musical archive of the Orchestra of the King’s Guard, along with the majority of their instruments, was lost. Upon his arrival in Corfu, Binički began reorganizing the ensembles, procuring new instruments, and rebuilding the musical archive. The process started with copying scores and rearranging compositions for different orchestral sections, enabling the military ensembles to resume work as quickly as possible. The military leadership’s readiness to carry out the reorganization as quickly as possible reflects deep awareness of the powerful role of military music during wartime. The sound of an orchestra on the battlefield provided a significant boost to the morale of both soldiers and civilians, reinforcing essential national values. Concerts for soldiers and the wounded – from both Serbian and allied forces, charity events for refugees, families of fallen soldiers, and the Red Cross, as well as performances with Serbian theatres in exile and at ceremonies commemorating religious and national holidays, all formed part of a broader musical effort, aiming to cultivate a sense of national identity, patriotism, and the importance of preserving one’s cultural heritage. A notable example was the concert tour of the Orchestra of the King’s Guard in France, organized by the Serbian government and led by Stanislav Binički. This tour helped introduce Serbian culture to European and international audiences, earning admiration for the Serbian army and people among the citizens of allied nations.

Following the liberation, Binički held the first concert with the Orchestra of the King’s Guard on December 7, 1918. Shortly thereafter, with the aim of fostering friendship between the Serbs and other nations within the newly formed Yugoslavia, he embarked on a six-month concert tour. Performances were held in cities such as Vršac, Bela Crkva, Novi Sad, Timisoara, Sombor, Kikinda, Subotica, Osijek, Zagreb, Karlovac, Bjelovar, Ljubljana, Sarajevo, Mostar, Split, Makarska, Sinj, Dubrovnik, Cavtat and Thessaloniki.

In 1920, Binički decided to leave military service and joined the Ministry of Education. Shortly thereafter, he founded the National Opera and become its first director. Following Binički’s departure from the Ministry of the Army, the Orchestra of the King’s Guard ceded its role as the leading musical institution in the cultural life of Serbia and its capital to the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra. However, it retained the status of a highly trained ensemble, capable of performing full symphonic programmes.

The musical landscape in which Binički worked and created was vast, yet the significance and impact of his contributions have not been sufficiently recognized. In the decades following the Second World War, his artistic achievements and role in the development of Serbian musical culture were nearly forgotten. It took both the passage of time and a physical distance to rediscover and acknowledge him as the founder of the first Serbian music school, the first Serbian symphonic orchestra, and the National Opera, as well as the creator of the first Serbian opera. His accomplishments and dedicated work undoubtedly reflect a profound love for music and the cultural environment that shaped him.

It is interesting to note that from 1903, when Binički composed the first Serbian opera Na uranku (At Dawn) to a libretto by Branislav Nušić, until 1910, it was performed at the National Theatre only six times. After that, it was absent from the repertoire for nearly 60 years, until September 26, 1968, when the National Theatre once again included it in its repertoire, on the occasion of the Theatre’s 100th anniversary and the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Opera. The lost score was reconstructed by Krešimir Baranović, and the opera was directed by Jovan Putnik.

Inspired by the Serbian army’s victory in the Battle of Cer, Binički composed the famous orchestral piece Marš na Drinu (March on the Drina) in Valjevo in 1915, dedicating it to Colonel Milivoje Stojanović-Brka, the fallen commander of the “Iron Regiment”. With this work, Binički created one of the greatest symbols of the courage of the Serbian people and their army – enduring piece that continues to inspire each new generation of Serbs, teaching them honour and valour.

Stanislav Binički withdrew from public life in 1924, in the full vigour of life, to dedicate himself fully to composing in silence. The 25th anniversary of his artistic career was celebrated on February 3, 4, and 5, 1924, with an event that brought together all of Belgrade’s signing societies, the entire musical ensemble of the Opera, and many prominent artists of the time. In a show of respect and admiration, the performers presented almost the complete works of Stanislav Binički to the Belgrade audience.

Beneath the dark clouds of the Second World War, in occupied Belgrade, Stanislav Binički quietly passed away during a harsh winter on February 15, 1942, unnoticed by many. Through his unwavering dedication and exemplary work, he attained the highest spiritual ideals of educating and uplifting generations of Serbs to come. He was the one who first ploughed our fertile musical fields and cultivated the culture of collective memory. He deserves to be remembered – and military musicians will certainly remember him.

Warrant Officer First Class Radoslav Spasić
Representative Orchestra of the Serbian Armed Forces Guard