Janika Balaž on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
Janika Balaž ( sr-cyr, Јаника Балаж; ; 23 December 1925 – 12 November 1988) was a famous
He was born 1925 to a Hungarian-speaking 
After his death, the city of Novi Sad raised a monument (authored by
Fan club website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Balaz, Janika 1925 births 1988 deaths Musicians from Zrenjanin Serbian jazz musicians Serbian Romani people Serbian people of Hungarian descent Yugoslav musicians Yugoslav Romani people Romani musicians People of Hungarian-Romani descent
tamburitza
Tamburica ( or ) or tamboura ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", tamburica, тамбурица, little tamboura; hu, tambura; el, Ταμπουράς, Tampourás; sometimes written tamburrizza or tamburitza), refers to a family of long-necked lute ...
musician and band leader from Vojvodina
Vojvodina ( sr-Cyrl, Војводина}), officially the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, is an autonomous province that occupies the northernmost part of Serbia. It lies within the Pannonian Basin, bordered to the south by the national capital ...
, Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...
.
Life
He was born 1925 to a Hungarian-speaking Romani
Romani may refer to:
Ethnicities
* Romani people, an ethnic group of Northern Indian origin, living dispersed in Europe, the Americas and Asia
** Romani genocide, under Nazi rule
* Romani language, any of several Indo-Aryan languages of the Roma ...
family with strong musical tradition. His father's surname was ''Rac'' ( Rác, or Rácz), which was a Hungarian term for Serbs
The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history and language.
The majority of Serbs live in their na ...
that was considered derogatory, so he took the mother's surname ''Balaž'' (Balázs). He grew up in Bečej
Bečej ( sr-cyrl, Бечеј, ; hu, Óbecse, ) is a town and municipality located in the South Bačka District of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. The town has a population of 23,895, while the municipality has 37,351 inhabitants. It ...
, where he started playing violin
The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...
in a local kafana
Kafana is a distinct type of local bistro (or tavern), common in former Yugoslav countries and Albania, which primarily serves alcoholic beverages and coffee, and often also light snacks (''meze'') and other food. Many kafanas feature live music ...
with 10 years of age. When he realized that he couldn't become the best violinist, he switched to ("prim" or "bisernica") tamburitza which he played ever since. Later, he played with "Braća kozaci" band in the area of Subotica
Subotica ( sr-cyrl, Суботица, ; hu, Szabadka) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the North Bačka District in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. Formerly the largest city of Vojvodina region, ...
and Horgoš
Horgoš ( sr, Хоргош, Horgoš; hu, Horgos) is a village located in the municipality of Kanjiža, North Banat District, Vojvodina, Serbia. As of 2011 census, it has a population of 5,709 inhabitants. A border crossing between Serbia and H ...
. From 1948 to 1951, he worked in Radio Titograd in Montenegro
)
, image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Podgorica
, coordinates =
, largest_city = capital
, official_languages = M ...
, where he perfected his tamburitza play.
From its foundation in 1951 to the end of his working career he worked in Radio Novi Sad
Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...
and was a member of its Grand Tamburitza Orchestra. He was spending nights playing with his 8-men band in kafanas of Novi Sad, especially on Petrovaradin Fortress
Petrovaradin Fortress ( sr, Петроварадинска тврђава, Petrovaradinska tvrđava, ; hu, Péterváradi vár), nicknamed "Gibraltar on/of the Danube", is a fortress in the town of Petrovaradin, itself part of the City of Novi Sad ...
, of which he became one of icons. During his career, he held concerts across the world, including 36 performances in Paris Olympia
The Olympia (; commonly known as L'Olympia or in the English-speaking world as Olympia Hall) is a concert venue in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, France, located at 28 Boulevard des Capucines, equally distancing Madeleine church and Opéra G ...
. Allegedly, he had several offers from United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
and Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
to move there and work as a tamburitza teacher, but he never wanted to leave Novi Sad, where he died in 1988.
Janika participated in several documentary and feature film
A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...
s. Songs "''Osam tamburaša s Petrovaradina''" (''Eight tambouritza-players from Petrovaradin'') and "''Primaši''" were dedicated to him. During his career, he worked with many renowned musicians, including Zvonko Bogdan
Zvonimir "Zvonko" Bogdan ( sr-cyr, Звонимир "Звонко" Богдан; born 5 January 1942) is a Serbian Bunjevac performer of traditional folk songs of Serbia, Croatia, Hungary and Romania. He is also a composer, wine producer and harne ...
and Júlia Biszák.
After his death, the city of Novi Sad raised a monument (authored by sculptor
Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...
Lászlo Szilágyi), standing on a square opposite the Petrovaradin fortress across the Danube
The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...
.
Quote
See also
* Music of Vojvodina *Music of Serbia
Music of Serbia represents the music, musical heritage of Serbia, both historical and modern. It has a variety of traditional music styles, which are part of the wider Music of Southeastern Europe, Balkan musical tradition, with its own distinctiv ...
References
External links
Fan club website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Balaz, Janika 1925 births 1988 deaths Musicians from Zrenjanin Serbian jazz musicians Serbian Romani people Serbian people of Hungarian descent Yugoslav musicians Yugoslav Romani people Romani musicians People of Hungarian-Romani descent