As we approach the 25th edition of “Horizons on the Tisa,” besides the usual and expected praise for the original achievements of this completely unique festival in our region, and the mention of its great moments and interpretive successes of numerous artists, the organizers have decided to portray the Days of Josif Marinković with a monograph. Given the preserved rich documentation, this monograph could certainly be the most authentic witness to the festival's history.

I was born in Vranjevo (Banat) on October 11, 1851, to father Jovan and mother Mileva. After finishing primary school and lower secondary school, my father wanted me to continue with high school and then attend university. However, I was drawn to studying music, as from an early age, singing and playing were my favorite pastimes—I grew up with them.

The musical works of Josif Marinković belong to the highest achievements of Serbian Romanticism in the 19th century. They reveal various aspects of his personality—cheerful and sunny in solo songs, and patriotic, sometimes even tragic, in choirs. The stylistic frameworks he embraced in his youth remained with him throughout his life, though he always enhanced them, particularly in terms of harmony. His first compositions emerged during the period of the "rise of the youth movement ideology" and the "flourishing of Romantic patriotic poetry," as well as the "refined and sensitive moods of Romantic lyricism."

Vranjevo, Franjevo, or the trench Vranjevo is a settlement in Banat, which was settled in the mid-18th century by Serbian border guards from Bačka after the dissolution of the Potisje-Pomorišje border. From 1774 to 1876, Vranjevo was part of the Velikokikinda district¹, an autonomous territorial area within the Habsburg Empire, and had a privileged position. In 1806, Vranjevo received the status of a small town and the right to organize two fairs annually. After the abolition of the district in 1876, it became part of the Torontal County, specifically the new Bečej district.

In the "Sveska Matice srpske" (Materials and Contributions to Culture and Social History), number 6/1987, Mr. Milana Bikicki, in the article "First Steps in Musical Education of Serbs in Hungary," writes:

The name of composer Josif Marinković is spoken with deep reverence by the people of Novi Bečej, especially by the residents of the Vranjevo district. And rightly so — he is the most distinguished figure ever born in this town.

May 14–15, 1993

After months of preparation and searching for the right concept and content, the first Days of Josif Marinković – “Horizons on the Tisa” were held on May 14 and 15, 1993, at the Workers’ Hall “Jovan Veselinov Žarko” in Novi Bečej.

May 11–13, 1994

The successful organization of the first “Horizons on the Tisa” festival did not go unnoticed in the musical circles of Serbia.