March on the Drina

The March on the Drina (Serbian Марш на Дрину / Marš na Drinu ) is a song from Serbia, which arose in the First World War. The composer was Stanislav Binicki ( 1872-1942 ).

From August 16 to August 19, 1914, the so-called Battle of Cer was held at the Bosnian border river Drina. Belgrade could they decide for themselves. The victory of the Serbs over the numerically superior Austro-Hungarian opponents was the first victory of the Allies over the Central Powers in the First World War.

In honor of the fallen composed Stanislav Binicki the "March on the Drina ", a song which became a symbol of the bravery of the Serbs during World War II. He dedicated the march Colonel Milivoje Stojanović.

Reception

The song was very popular in the sixties and seventies and was repeatedly reinterpreted by musicians inside and outside Yugoslavia, including in 1966 by Cliff Richard and the 1988 James Last. In 1987, Herbert von Karajan, the Drina -Marsch at the traditional New Year's Concert of the Vienna Philharmonic in Vienna as an encore.

The proposal in the constitutional referendum of 1992 to make the Drina -Marsch the official national anthem of Serbia, failed due to the quorum is not reached.