Nikola Đurković

I will say a bit more about Nikola Đurković, even though he is not from Novi Bečej but is related by marriage to Novi Bečej. I do this primarily because he was an exceptionally talented and great creator in the fields of music and theater, and secondly because I believe he has not been given an appropriate place in the history of our culture. There are many who have not received due recognition, and it is neither my wish nor possible to take them all under personal protection and promote them.

However, in the case of Đurković, I feel it is my duty to introduce my fellow citizens to his significant contributions to Serbian culture, as he married Ekaterina Petrović from Novi Bečej in the Orthodox church on January 19, 1853, and his daughter settled in Novi Bečej after her parents' deaths. His daughter Irena taught piano and German to the children of Novi Bečej until her death in 1937. You will learn more about her through letters written by our fellow citizen, grandmother Jana Kiselički, to Dr. Mihovil Tomandl from Pančevo about Irena and what she heard from her about Nikola Đurković's family.

Some may ask why I don't shed light on the figures of other prominent sons-in-law from Novi Bečej who were theater creators, such as Pera Dobrinović, actor, Dimitrije Ružić, actor, Dimitrije Kolarović, and Aksentije Maksimović (all four were sons-in-law of priest Luka Popović from Vranje)? Besides the reasons stated for presenting Đurković, I believe they have each received appropriate recognition and a place in the cultural history of the Serbs in their own way.

Before I introduce readers to the life and work of Nikola Đurković, I will explain how his marriage to our compatriot Ekaterina Petrović came about. She was visiting her relatives in Pančevo in the spring of 1844, at a time when Nikola was founding an amateur theater troupe. This was a movement that stirred the local Serbian youth, and the guest from Novi Bečej could not remain unaffected by this event. She joined the theater troupe and on April 19, 1844, participated in the "fifth performance of the volunteer society" in the play "Svetislav and Mileva" by Jovan Sterija Popović, in the role of Danica, while Nikola was the director and lead actor in the role of the Tatar Emperor Tamerlane.

It was quite some time—nine years—between their joint appearance in the play and their marriage. They were married until Nikola's death in 1875. They had two children, a son and a daughter. The son died young, shortly after his father's death, in Timișoara, where his mother also moved and stayed until her death. After her mother's death, the daughter Irena moved from Timișoara to Novi Bečej with her aunt Julijana Petrović. She lived in Novi Bečej until her death on June 1, 1937.

There is a lot of information about Nikola Đurković collected by a diligent researcher from Pančevo, Dr. Mihovil Tomandl, who wrote a monograph on the Serbian Church Singing Society of Pančevo and on the Pančevo Amateur Theater Troupe in his book "Serbian Theater in Vojvodina." It could be said that the people of Pančevo repaid him, but he was a creator whose contributions greatly exceeded the borders of Pančevo, so we believe he did not receive an appropriate place in the history of Serbian theater.

Nikola was born in Trieste on May 12, 1812, and died in Osijek on December 25, 1875.

In the Encyclopedia of Yugoslavia, Volume 3, page 213, Dr. Mihovil Tomandl provided the following information about Nikola Đurković:

"Đurković I. Nikola, theater worker and musician (Trieste 12.5.1812 - Osijek 25.12.1875). Worked in Belgrade as a choirmaster (1840-42) and as a member of the semi-professional theater of A. Nikolić and J. S. Popović, which performed at Đumruk (1841-42), was choirmaster of the Pančevo Serbian Church Singing Society until March 1852, and an agent of the Danube Steamship Company in Hungary and Osijek, where he committed suicide. Đurković organized the Amateur Theater Society of the Pančevo Serbian Church Singing Society in 1844 and 1847, with which he arranged dramatic performances first in Pančevo, then in Belgrade from May 1847 to mid-March 1848 under the patronage of the Belgrade Reading Room, in the hall at Jelena. He translated or adapted more than 30 plays from German and Italian, publishing in Szeged adaptations of "The Drunkard and Two Fathers" by A. Kocebu (1845). In addition to church compositions, Đurković wrote a number of secular pieces, mostly harmonizations of folk or foreign, particularly Italian, melodies (Ti plaviš zoro zlatna; Oj talasi; Lepa Maca; Hajduci; Zdravice; Pijanice; Viju vetri, viju vali; Konstantine naš dobri, etc.).

Nikola came to Belgrade in the 1840s and, after two years, moved to Pančevo, a national romantic environment where he found fertile ground for his diverse creative abilities. An excellent singer, composer, good actor, director, theater organizer, and prolific theater translator, he taught youth in Belgrade piano and musical notation in 1841 and 1842. In Pančevo, as a choirmaster, he prepared the Pančevo Serbian Church Singing Society to perform in church within 11 days. He was a distinguished tenor singer, performing both folk and church songs and operatic arias. He arranged concerts with his singers in Belgrade in 1844 and 1845. As a composer, he composed beautiful songs for Pančevo parish priest Vasa Živković.

"Dynamic and talented, Đurković was at the center of cultural activity in Pančevo. In collaboration with patriots Aleksandar Barić, Đorđe Tamburić, and Vasa Živković, he founded the Pančevo Volunteer Theater Society in 1844, with the approval of the City Magistrate of Pančevo."

Đurković is considered one of the greatest and most sympathetic Serbian theater enthusiasts of the 19th century and deserves more distinguished recognition than he has previously received, according to Đorđe Maletić.

Đurković translated or adapted "Serbianized" over thirty pieces from German and probably Italian, covering a wide range of themes and ideas, mostly cheerful plays, and less often dramas. There may be more, but for now, only those performed and recorded in newspapers, theater posters, and archival materials are known.

He translated the most plays between 1841 and 1848. He composed secular and church songs for solo parts, duets, quartets, octets, and choir. He composed, among other things, two liturgies in three voices, about 60 troparions, and nearly 40 secular songs. His compositions with very pleasant melodies, such as "Viju vetri, viju vali," "Lepa Maca," "Ti plaviš zoro zlatna," "Hajduci," "Oj talasi," and "Zdravica," were long cherished and sung by the people.

He was also noted as a beloved tenor singer who performed in plays between acts and at concerts in Pančevo and Belgrade.

Regarding the interpretation of Đorđe in the play "Two Sergeants," the reviewer of "Novine serbske" writes that he deserves general praise, not only for his skillful translation but also for his masterful performance, demonstrating a thorough understanding of the work and the intent of the playwright. Although he had previously performed his roles to the full satisfaction of the audience, he again showed true mastery in his difficult role, as a honorable and honest clerk, a kind and merciful man, a caring father, a good husband, and a faithful friend, willing to die to keep his word. The reviewer even highlights his inclination towards psychological analysis, noting that Đurković in the play "various passions of the heart and human life" was quite thoughtful and skillful in his examination.

Even Jovan Đorđević wrote about Nikola Đurković, describing him as "an excellent actor and worker around the repertoire," but did not consider him for his collaboration in founding the Serbian National Theater due to the very qualities from which he was somewhat "deterred."