''Nikola Šubić Zrinski'' is an opera written and composed by

Ivan Zajc Ivan Zajc (also hr, Ivan plemeniti Zajc, it, Giovanni de Zaytz; ; August 3, 1832 – December 16, 1914), was a Croatian composer, conductor, director, and teacher who dominated Croatia's musical culture for over forty years. Through his ar ...

in 1876. It is a retelling of the

Battle of Szigetvár A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

of 1566, in which

Nikola IV Zrinski Nikola IV Zrinski or Miklós IV Zrínyi ( hu, Zrínyi Miklós, ; 1507/1508 – 7 September 1566), also commonly known as Nikola Šubić Zrinski (), was a Croatian nobleman and general, Ban of Croatia from 1542 until 1556, royal master of the tr ...

, Ban of

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

and captain of the assembled Croatian and Hungarian forces, took a heroic last stand against overwhelming Ottoman forces, led personally by

Suleiman the Magnificent Suleiman I ( ota, سليمان اول, Süleyman-ı Evvel; tr, I. Süleyman; 6 November 14946 September 1566), commonly known as Suleiman the Magnificent in the West and Suleiman the Lawgiver ( ota, قانونى سلطان سليمان, Ḳ� ...

. Though the fortress fell, the defenders inflicted grievous injuries on the assaulting forces, all but crippling the victors' ability to progress past the Croatian-Hungarian border, and causing the death of the sultan himself. The opera premiered in

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...

on 4 November 1876 at what was then the People's Theater housed in the present-day Old City Hall building. It was well received by audiences and critics alike. Its enduring fame is due in large part to its climactic chorus, "

U boj, u boj "U boj, u boj" (Croatian for "To battle, to battle") is a Croatian patriotic song. It was written by Franjo Marković and composed by Ivan Zajc in 1866, who later incorporated it as an aria into his opera ''Nikola Šubić Zrinski (opera), Nikola Š ...

!" (''To battle, to battle!''), written by the composer ten years prior to the rest of the opera. ''Nikola Šubić Zrinski'' remains a staple of the opera repertoire, having seen a total of 682 performances as of 2010. It has achieved lasting popularity as a Croatian patriotic song, removed from the context of the opera, as well as a Japanese

glee club A glee club in the United States is a musical group or choir group, historically of male voices but also of female or mixed voices, which traditionally specializes in the singing of short songs by trios or quartets. In the late 19th century it w ...

staple. Its recordings include one conducted by

Milan Sachs Milan Sachs (28 November 1884 – 4 August 1968) was a Czech-Croatian opera conductor and composer, who was long associated with the Zagreb Opera in Croatia, where he conducted some important local premieres, including Wagner's ''Parsifal'', an ...

References

Croatian-language operas 1876 operas Operas Cultural depictions of Croatian men Cultural depictions of military officers Operas based on real people Operas based on actual events Operas set in the 16th century Operas set in Hungary {{opera-stub

See also

References