Dušan Šestić ( sr-cyr, Душан Шестић; born 1946) is a Bosnian-Serb musician and composer; he composed the national anthem of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Early life and education

Šestić, a Bosnian Serb, was born in

Banja Luka Banja Luka ( sr-Cyrl, Бања Лука, ) or Banjaluka ( sr-Cyrl, Бањалука, ) is the List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, second largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the largest city in Republika Srpska. Banja Luka is the tr ...

in 1946. He studied the violin at the Music Academy in

Belgrade, Serbia Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

Career

Šestić began his professional career at the JNA Symphony Orchestra in

. He was a musician at the Military Orchestra in

Split, Croatia Split (, ), historically known as Spalato (; ; see #Name, other names), is the List of cities and towns in Croatia, second-largest city of Croatia after the capital Zagreb, the largest city in Dalmatia and the largest city on the Croatian coast ...

, where he lived from 1984 to 1991. During that time, he also performed for the Split Opera. He also composes children's music, popular music, radio music, and TV music. He also worked in theater. In the 1990s, in need of money, Šestić composed for the state the national anthem of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which was adopted provisionally in 1998 and formally in 1999. After its adoption, some Bosnian Serbs denounced him for composing a national anthem for a country whose existence they were opposed to, whereas some Bosniaks and Bosnian Croats disliked that a Bosnian Serb, such as Šestić, composed it instead of one of their ethnic kinsmen. It is wordless, despite efforts spanning nearly two decades to get lyrics adopted for it. Šestić has expressed his disappointment at its lack of lyrics, having written proposed ones for it which were never adopted. In 2008, he and Benjamin Isović had written lyrics for the composition but they were not adopted. Though he was promised monetary compensation for those lyrics, he had not received payment as of 2015. In the late 2000s, commentators noted an aesthetic similarity of the Bosnian national anthem to

Elmer Bernstein Elmer Bernstein ( '; April 4, 1922August 18, 2004) was an American composer and conductor. In a career that spanned over five decades, he composed "some of the most recognizable and memorable themes in Hollywood history", including over 150 orig ...

's instrumental piece "Faber College Theme" that serves as the introductory music to the 1978 film '' National Lampoon's Animal House'', leading to accusations of plagiarism and calls for the composition to be replaced as a result. Šestić defended himself against accusations of plagiarism, saying that he could not have plagiarized Bernstein's work as he was unaware of the latter's composition. In 2008, when the

Republika Srpska Republika Srpska ( sr-Cyrl, Република Српска, ; also referred to as the Republic of Srpska or Serb Republic) is one of the two Political divisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, entities within Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other bein ...

was looking for entries for a new

regional anthem An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to short s ...

, Šestić along with Benjamin Isovic submitted an entry, "Мајко земљо" () as a contender, though ultimately it was not chosen. Šestić taught violin at the strings department of the Vlado Milosevic Music School in

Personal life

Šestić's daughter,

Marija Šestić Marija Šestić ( sr-cyr, Марија Шестић; born 5 May 1987) is a Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnian Serb singer and musician. She is most known for representing Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Eurovision Song Contest, Bosnia and Her ...

, is also a musician and represented Bosnia and Herzegovina at the

Eurovision Song Contest 2007 The Eurovision Song Contest 2007 was the 52nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Helsinki, Finland, following the country's victory at the with the song "Hard Rock Hallelujah" by Lordi. Organised by the European Broadcasti ...

Helsinki, Finland Helsinki () is the capital and most populous city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipality, with million in the capital region and ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sestic, Dusan 1946 births Living people People from Banja Luka Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina musicians Bosnia and Herzegovina composers National anthem writers