Darko Zubrinic, 2005
U boj, u boj
from the opera Nikola Subic Zrinski (1508 – 1566), composed by Ivan Zajc (1832-1914)
It seems that a well known Croatian tune U boj, u boj from the opera Nikola Subic Zrinski by Ivan Zajc is taught in Japanese schools. Information by Mr. Nenad Bach, New York. Professor Vladimir Devidé, outstanding Croatian japanologist (and mathematician), considers this very probable: he remembered a very young boy walking on a Tokyo street Komaba, wearing a huge rucksack filled with books, and whistling the familiar melody - "U boj, u boj"! (this occured in 1961, during his first visit to Japan; personal information, 2004).
"U boj, u boj" for Japanese readers, with historical account, where you can listen to the tune performed by Japanese choir singing in Croatian!
I have noticed that in Japanese sources the song is sometimes interpreted as a Czech folk song, which is wrong: the song is from Croatia, composed by Ivan Zajc.
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Provided by Kwansei Gakuin Glee Club, where you can find additional information.
Here is an excerpt from a Japanese web site with parallel Croatian and Japanese texts:
Zrinski <Tropiev Eve, Juranica i Zrinskog ~ Finale, "U boj" peteropjev> < Zrinski> < Juranic> O, Boze, tebi hvala, koj' blago uze nju! < Casnici i vojnici> < Zrinski> (Casnici se okupe;on se grli i rukuje s njima.) < Juranic>(digne zastavu) < Juranic, Zrinski i zbor> < Zbor> < Eva, Juranic, Paprutovic, Zrinski> < Zrinski> < Svi> |
Ivan pl. Zajc (pl. = plemeniti = noble),
composer of the opera Nikola Subic Zrinski (1508 – 1566);
libretto by Hugo Badalic, based on drama Zriny written by a
German poet Theodor Korner (1791-1813).
Announcement of the premiere of the opera Nikola Subic Zrinski in Zagreb, 1876
From the announcement of the premiere of the opera
Nikola Subic Zrinski, Zagreb 1876.
Note the Croatian Coat of Arms on the right.
The music for "U boj, u boj!" was composed by Ivan Zajc already in 1866 in Viena, Austria, for a quartet composed of Croatian students in that city. Later, when he lived in Zagreb, he incorporated this song into his opera "Nikola Subic Zrinski" in 1876. Many thanks to maestro Josip degl'Ivelio, Zagreb, for this information.
U BOJ, U BOJ - music score (pdf), edited by Maestro Youichirou Fukunaga
U boj - music score edited by Dr Bozidar Sirola:
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A Japanese choir singing "U boj, u boj" 1989; source: U Boj Story
Japanese choirs singing "U boj, u boj"; source www.kg-glee.gr.jp
many thanks to Professor Yoshinori Kametaka, Kyoto, for his kind information
U boj, u boj - A choir of 1000 Japanese singers, conducted by Katsuaki Kozai, singing in Croatian, in Kokugikan Hall in Tokyo, 2006, in front of about 10,000 listeners!
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The following photos are from http://members.at.infoseek.co.jp/mannel/uboj.html
At the beginning, the large Okayama Choir gave a joint
concert of three smaller groups of singers,
which prepared their programme during the
previous year each.
The above sentence and the titles that
follow are obtained by automatic Japanese - English Google translator.
It seems that in Japan there exists U Boj Choir!
| Lions club 50th anniversary commemoration concert (2006) |
Three choruses and Kurashiki orchestra; an article by the Sanyo newspaper
| 58th Okayama prefecture chorus festival (2005) |
| 57th Okayama prefecture chorus festival (2004) |
Kurashiki Male Choir, Choir Lotus, Male Flannet (?) Choir
| Okayama prefecture chorus festival (2004) |
Kurashiki Male Choir, Choir Lotus, The Okayama University Glee Club
| Okayama prefecture chorus festival (2003) |
| Okayama prefecture chorus festival (2003) |
December 8, 2007, Tokyo, OAZO, Waseda University Glee Club singing at U BOJ, U BOJ at the charity concert for refugee children. Source durianjp.com.jp
Vice Vukov, Croatian pop singer, accompanied with tamburitza
players
in the Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall, Zagreb 1989
Lipa male choir from the town of Vinkovci, Croatia, was singing U boj, u boj in the Trogir Cathedral in 2008, [MP3]
Dr. Drago Stambuk, Ambassador of Croatia to Japan, with Kwansei Gakuin Glee Club in Kobe in 2008, one of the best male choirs in Japan. About fifty singers sang "U boj, u boj" in front of the main building of the University of Kobe in honour of Mr. Stambuk on the occasion of his visit to the University. As a rule, Kwanesi Gakuin Glee Club choir always finishes public music performances by singinig "U boj, u boj", and this song is their trademark. For more information see www.croatia.org.
Dr. Drago Stambuk, Croatian ambassador to Japan, singing "U boj, u boj" with the Kwanesi Gakuin Glee Club choir in 2008, during an official visit to the Kwansei Gakuin University in Kobe. For more information see www.croatia.org.
The impetus for creating this web page came as a result of the request of Maestro Kunimasa Katayama from Japan, asking Mr. Nenad Bach for music score and CD of "U boj, u boj" for the male chorus in Tokyo that sings this song under his guidance. We have obtained an e-mail by Mr. Katayama in July 2005, containing very intersting information about the interest for "U boj, u boj!" in Japan (boldings and links are mine, D.Z.)
Dear Professor Darko Zubrinic, Zagreb
Daer Professor Mirna Potkovac-Endrighetti, Skrljevo
Dear Mr. Nenad Bach, New York
Dear Mr. Jun Karube, KawanishiThank you very much for your kindness to help me. I had already known the home page of Kansei Gakuin Glee Club and Waseda University Glee Club.
The history of "U boj, u boj!" being written in the home page of Kansei Gakuin Glee Club is well known in Japan. This "U boj, u boj!" were being sung among many many male choir student and people from young to old more than half a century in Japan.
We Coro Maschile ROPPONGHI are also singing this "U boj, u boj!" as one of the favorite songs. But in Japan there are several versions of this "U boj, u boj!". We are using now attached version score (PDF) edited by Maestro Youichirou Fukunaga who died about ten years ago. There are some differences of text and score between some versions in Japan. Then I asked to Mr. Nenad Bach to help me to obtain the opera score and CD to know the most original and most true text, score and playing sound.
The representative of Coro Maschile ROPPONGHI is Mr. Shigeaki Saegusa who is a famous composer in the world, and the laurel conductors are Maestro Hiroyuki Iwaki and Maestro Naoto Ootomo both are famous in the world as you know, and the chorus master is Maestro Hiroshi Misawa who is the choir supervisor of National Opera Theater. So we would like to play more original "U boj, u boj!" by true text at any chance in near future.
Best regards,
Kunimasa Katayama
I express my deep gratitude to Japanese colleagues who prepared a beautiful web page devoted to Nikola Subic Zrinski and his samuraian death in 1566 while defending the fortress of Siget.
In August 2005 Croatia has been visited by prof.dr. Teruhiko Awakura, Tokyo University of Agriculture, Faculty of Bioindustry, upon invitation of dr. Emin Teskeredzic from Rudjer Boskovic Institute, Zagreb. In the introduction to his lecture he said that his most favorite song is "U boj, u boj!". According to his information, the song came to Japan already in 1919. The song came after the WWI, when Czechoslowakian army [in fact, Austrian-Hungarian army, D.Z.] moved from Siberia to their country, and their ship stranded near Shimonoseki southwest of Honshu, Japan, in 1919. During the repair of their ship they stayed in Kobe, near Osaka, for about two months. During that period they exchanged courtesies with the members of glee club of Kansaigakuin Universty and when they left Japan, they presented the handwriting score of "U boj, u boj!". It was believed that the song was the Czechoslovakian song [Czechoslowakia did not exist at that time, and Czechs do not have a sea; Austrian-Hungarian crew was obviously composed mostly of Croatian mariners, D.Z]. The song soon extended to other glee clubs of Japanese Universities. In conclusion to his lecture he said:
When I was a university student, I took part in glee-club and we sang "U BOJ!" many times. From 1993, I am taking part in "Sapporo Male Choir" and also sometimes we are singing "U BOJ!".
Listen to very beautiful recording of U boj, u boj! sung by Japanese choir where professor Awakura is singing (in Croatian!).
Many thanks to dr. Ivancica Pizeta, Rudjer Boskovic Institute, for this information and for ppt file of prof. Awakura's lecture.
It is worth mentioning that in September 2005 the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra had a series of concerts in Japan. Especially successful was the concert held in the hall of the Tokyo opera, named Memorial Takemitsu in honour of a famous Japanese composer. The programme included "U boj, u boj", but this time sung also with participation of singers from an amateur choir from the Tokio district of Roppongi, who expressed their wish to sing together with Croatian Philharmonic Orchestra. It was a moving gesture of Japanese singers who sang the song in Croatian, and a great honour for Croatian orchestra.
A Japanese choir composed of 1000 singers conducted by maestro Katsuaki Kozai sang "U BOJ, U BOJ" in the Kokugikan Hall in Tokyo in February 26, 2006, watch and listen to YouTube. This concert attended by about 10,000 listeners has been organized among others by Croatian embassy in Japan. In the introduction to the concert it has been said that this very popular tune was brought to Japan by Croatian mariners (then within Austrian-Hungarian army), immediately after the end of the WWI. Namely, while retreating from the Russian Far East front, a taifoon carried their ship to Japanese coast near Kobe. The Japanese liked very much "U BOJ, U BOJ" sung by Croatian mariners, and since then it became very popular throughout Japan.
Darko Zubrinic, 2005