History of Guča Festival

The traditional Dragačevo trumpet - its cult kept alive for nearly two centuries regardless of political and social considerations - has with time become world-renowned. It is owing to the trumpet that the name of Serbia has resounded worldwide, in all the continents. Some orchestras, when they appear on stage, whether for official competition national dress, the authentic and indigenous dances and other folk inspired elements, coupled with music, have become an integral part of national gathering.

The virtuoso music performers, the trumpet players to the paradox and make the story more authentic - are for the most part fully self-taught. They play by ear and quite spontaneously, relying on their musical memory; they play from the heart and soul, and their music reaches out to listeners precisely for this quality. The Gucha Assembly of Trumpet Players continues to grow year after year: today, this musical feast of recognizable national skills is more popular, more diverse and bigger than ever before.

The first Dragacevo Assembly of Trumpet Players was held on October 16, 1961 in the yard of the Church of Sts. Michael and Gabriel in Gucha. Initially, it was a very modest Assembly - almost subversive for the prevailing political circumstances of that time. However, the Assembly gradually grew and expanded its, one might say, magical influence, and over the past ten or so years has become the folk remained its key symbol and raison detre, it is no longer held solely for the trumpet players. It grew into an Assembly of toastmasters, painters, song "Sa Ovcara I Kablara", marks the beginning of the festival each year. Some church music festivals notwithstanding, the Assembly of Trumpet Players is the best know event of this kind extending uninterruptedly for 43 years and attracting guests and musicians alike from every continent. Trumpet players and folk song and dance groups from around the world deem it a great honor to be invited to the Assembly, and the number of v visitors increases with each coming year. The record was set in 2002, when Gucha hosted in excess of 300.000 visitors.

With considerable experience in organizing Assemblies, today the traditionally hospitable Gucha has earned its place on the map of world music festivals, inviting high interest from ethno music lovers, and deservedly so. As an internationally recognized trumpet capital, and a singular corner of positive energy, a place with accumulated joy, gaiety and spontaneity, coupled with the piercing yet gentle sound of the trumpet, Gucha is a place of catharsis of the heart and soul while the festival lasts. All this is more than enough to attract visitors to Gucha each Mexico, Spain, Greece, Denmark, China and many other close or distant countries. The names of Boban Markovic, Milan Mladenovic, Ekrem Sajdic, Elvis Ajdinovic, Fejat and Zoran Sejdic have carried the glory of the Serbian trumpet across the world. Some 600,000 visitors are expected at the next, and 50th Assembly. That would be very impressive indeed, would it not?

History of Guča Festival

The traditional Dragačevo trumpet - its cult kept alive for nearly two centuries regardless of political and social considerations - has with time become world-renowned. It is owing to the trumpet that the name of Serbia has resounded worldwide, in all the continents. Some orchestras, when they appear on stage, whether for official competition national dress, the authentic and indigenous dances and other folk inspired elements, coupled with music, have become an integral part of national gathering.

The virtuoso music performers, the trumpet players to the paradox and make the story more authentic - are for the most part fully self-taught. They play by ear and quite spontaneously, relying on their musical memory; they play from the heart and soul, and their music reaches out to listeners precisely for this quality. The Gucha Assembly of Trumpet Players continues to grow year after year: today, this musical feast of recognizable national skills is more popular, more diverse and bigger than ever before.

The first Dragacevo Assembly of Trumpet Players was held on October 16, 1961 in the yard of the Church of Sts. Michael and Gabriel in Gucha. Initially, it was a very modest Assembly - almost subversive for the prevailing political circumstances of that time. However, the Assembly gradually grew and expanded its, one might say, magical influence, and over the past ten or so years has become the folk remained its key symbol and raison detre, it is no longer held solely for the trumpet players. It grew into an Assembly of toastmasters, painters, song "Sa Ovcara I Kablara", marks the beginning of the festival each year. Some church music festivals notwithstanding, the Assembly of Trumpet Players is the best know event of this kind extending uninterruptedly for 43 years and attracting guests and musicians alike from every continent. Trumpet players and folk song and dance groups from around the world deem it a great honor to be invited to the Assembly, and the number of v visitors increases with each coming year. The record was set in 2002, when Gucha hosted in excess of 300.000 visitors.

With considerable experience in organizing Assemblies, today the traditionally hospitable Gucha has earned its place on the map of world music festivals, inviting high interest from ethno music lovers, and deservedly so. As an internationally recognized trumpet capital, and a singular corner of positive energy, a place with accumulated joy, gaiety and spontaneity, coupled with the piercing yet gentle sound of the trumpet, Gucha is a place of catharsis of the heart and soul while the festival lasts. All this is more than enough to attract visitors to Gucha each Mexico, Spain, Greece, Denmark, China and many other close or distant countries. The names of Boban Markovic, Milan Mladenovic, Ekrem Sajdic, Elvis Ajdinovic, Fejat and Zoran Sejdic have carried the glory of the Serbian trumpet across the world. Some 600,000 visitors are expected at the next, and 50th Assembly. That would be very impressive indeed, would it not?

Serbian History of Trumpet Tradition

Dragačevo, which used to be a rural region, experienced strong economic and general educational and cultural development after 1950, and mostly in the first decade of the 21st century, first of all thanks to the Trumpeters Festival.

The capital of modern trumpeting - Guča, is relatively small, and the trumpet was first played as far ago as 1831. Before nearly two centuries Miloš Obrenović ordered the establishment of a "Principle's Serbian band" in Kragujevac, and that the first brass band be led by Josip Šlezinger (1794-1870), a man from Sombor, who in those times was the first musically literate expert in Serbia. "Oberlautar" Mustafa, a man who played the violin and "zurle" (zurna), was until then amusing the Serb ruler and his entourage "and was amusing also even foreigners who did not have much understanding for Turkish music". Immediately upon his arrival in Kragujevac he started to organize the band. Since he lacked in skilled musicians, he asked the Principle to arrange that young man from among the population be found, who have talent and will to do this job. Miloš promptly ordered that each county delegates five young men. And, so it started. Although it did not always run smoothly, they learned to play the new "golden" instruments, by playing the round-dances and songs which they knew and were familiar with them, but learning also everything that maestro J. Šlezinger was teaching them in the then Serbian capital Kragujevac.

Almost two centuries passed by, there were many outstanding military brass bands and band leaders from the regiments and divisions. However, only in the mid 19th century were the foreign musical and cultural influence getting stronger; they can be identified at the beginning of the new era in the folk music of Dragačevo and were particularly strong in regard to trumpet music and homophonic multi-part singing , i.e. in singing "na bas". How the brass bands were emerging we heard from spontaneous statements of modern Dragačevo musicians. It is known in Dljina that their oldest trumpeter "was a guy named Ćebić who was playing before World War I… And he himself inherited it from the past times. "In Goračići the first orchestra was founded by the Davidović brothers from Dragačica "probably sometimes about the times of World War I, and this band included only four musicians". Also, the story goes that "in Rti the band leader and first trumpet was Milisav Kostić–Tralja, and his today's heirs are trumpeters playing in the Srećko Obradović orchestra". And so we come also to the trumpeter Desimir Perišić from Goračići and the winning orchestra at the First Festival in Guča in 1961.

The songs are usually based of two-bar motives and melodies, mainly of two part structure consisting of 4 to 5 tones.

The vigorous folk round-dances from the western regions are characterized by occasional pauses of the leading trumpets, with the basses taking over the leading tune of the leading trumpets, highlighting the basic harmonies.
Also, we will notice that southern folk dances are usually characterized by oriental music, in the so-called "aksak" rhythm. This is especially emphasized with the "performance" of the drummer, who expertly combines larger "čukan" (right hand) strokes with those of the thinner stick (left hand, on the edge of the drum, skillfully stressing the changes of double and triple meter in the specific rhythmical formulas and combinations (8/8; 7/8; 9/8 etc.), especially in the characteristic dances – songs called "chochek". Then, spontaneously and ravishingly, genuinely enjoying in the music, dance only those who truly know how to do it.
In the eastern region a big number of folk dances of the "Batrna" (ancient dance) type and "Stara Vlajna", i.e. "Timočka Rumenka" or "Svrljiški laskavac", are preserving the genetic features of the Vallah or Serb Hora dancing, when the dancers are crossing their hands and holding each other by the belt. And all Serbian songs and dances have up to five tones, while Vallah melodies are more diversified and with an occasional alternation of the slow parts with the usually faster refrain. Singing with trumpet accompaniment is gaining in popularity nowadays here with us. Like the first folk trumpeters from the times of Miloš, contemporary ones are also mainly autodidacts having keen hearing, and are playing a huge repertoire of songs and dances by heart, and by the ear, improvising their interpretation spontaneously and from their soles and hearts.
With the first orchestras, their members evolved as musicians and their number was invreasing. At the beginning the orchestras had five musicians, and the contemporary orchestras usually have up to ten musicians (three to four ''B'' trumpets, three bass flugelhorns, one bass trumpet – helicon or euphonium, and, finally, snare drum and large drum with cymbals. Three regions clearly identified themselves by the style of their music, and are today three famous centers with the best trumpeters in Serbia today.
Although the trumpet is not as deeply rooted in our people like the vocal music tradition, the fact is that those active in the field of culture have four decades ago broke the ground for trumpet music in tiny Guča. Since then, like awakening from a dream, trumpet music grew very quickly in those areas of western, eastern and southern Serbia in which the trumpet seed probably had already been thrown and did exist, and it also woke up during so many decades in the center of Šumadija, where its seed was for the first time thrown in the far away year 1831.

Serbian History of Trumpet Tradition

Dragačevo, which used to be a rural region, experienced strong economic and general educational and cultural development after 1950, and mostly in the first decade of the 21st century, first of all thanks to the Trumpeters Festival.

The capital of modern trumpeting - Guča, is relatively small, and the trumpet was first played as far ago as 1831. Before nearly two centuries Miloš Obrenović ordered the establishment of a "Principle's Serbian band" in Kragujevac, and that the first brass band be led by Josip Šlezinger (1794-1870), a man from Sombor, who in those times was the first musically literate expert in Serbia. "Oberlautar" Mustafa, a man who played the violin and "zurle" (zurna), was until then amusing the Serb ruler and his entourage "and was amusing also even foreigners who did not have much understanding for Turkish music". Immediately upon his arrival in Kragujevac he started to organize the band. Since he lacked in skilled musicians, he asked the Principle to arrange that young man from among the population be found, who have talent and will to do this job. Miloš promptly ordered that each county delegates five young men. And, so it started. Although it did not always run smoothly, they learned to play the new "golden" instruments, by playing the round-dances and songs which they knew and were familiar with them, but learning also everything that maestro J. Šlezinger was teaching them in the then Serbian capital Kragujevac.

Almost two centuries passed by, there were many outstanding military brass bands and band leaders from the regiments and divisions. However, only in the mid 19th century were the foreign musical and cultural influence getting stronger; they can be identified at the beginning of the new era in the folk music of Dragačevo and were particularly strong in regard to trumpet music and homophonic multi-part singing , i.e. in singing "na bas". How the brass bands were emerging we heard from spontaneous statements of modern Dragačevo musicians. It is known in Dljina that their oldest trumpeter "was a guy named Ćebić who was playing before World War I… And he himself inherited it from the past times. "In Goračići the first orchestra was founded by the Davidović brothers from Dragačica "probably sometimes about the times of World War I, and this band included only four musicians". Also, the story goes that "in Rti the band leader and first trumpet was Milisav Kostić–Tralja, and his today's heirs are trumpeters playing in the Srećko Obradović orchestra". And so we come also to the trumpeter Desimir Perišić from Goračići and the winning orchestra at the First Festival in Guča in 1961.

The songs are usually based of two-bar motives and melodies, mainly of two part structure consisting of 4 to 5 tones.

The vigorous folk round-dances from the western regions are characterized by occasional pauses of the leading trumpets, with the basses taking over the leading tune of the leading trumpets, highlighting the basic harmonies.
Also, we will notice that southern folk dances are usually characterized by oriental music, in the so-called "aksak" rhythm. This is especially emphasized with the "performance" of the drummer, who expertly combines larger "čukan" (right hand) strokes with those of the thinner stick (left hand, on the edge of the drum, skillfully stressing the changes of double and triple meter in the specific rhythmical formulas and combinations (8/8; 7/8; 9/8 etc.), especially in the characteristic dances – songs called "chochek". Then, spontaneously and ravishingly, genuinely enjoying in the music, dance only those who truly know how to do it.
In the eastern region a big number of folk dances of the "Batrna" (ancient dance) type and "Stara Vlajna", i.e. "Timočka Rumenka" or "Svrljiški laskavac", are preserving the genetic features of the Vallah or Serb Hora dancing, when the dancers are crossing their hands and holding each other by the belt. And all Serbian songs and dances have up to five tones, while Vallah melodies are more diversified and with an occasional alternation of the slow parts with the usually faster refrain. Singing with trumpet accompaniment is gaining in popularity nowadays here with us. Like the first folk trumpeters from the times of Miloš, contemporary ones are also mainly autodidacts having keen hearing, and are playing a huge repertoire of songs and dances by heart, and by the ear, improvising their interpretation spontaneously and from their soles and hearts.
With the first orchestras, their members evolved as musicians and their number was invreasing. At the beginning the orchestras had five musicians, and the contemporary orchestras usually have up to ten musicians (three to four ''B'' trumpets, three bass flugelhorns, one bass trumpet – helicon or euphonium, and, finally, snare drum and large drum with cymbals. Three regions clearly identified themselves by the style of their music, and are today three famous centers with the best trumpeters in Serbia today.
Although the trumpet is not as deeply rooted in our people like the vocal music tradition, the fact is that those active in the field of culture have four decades ago broke the ground for trumpet music in tiny Guča. Since then, like awakening from a dream, trumpet music grew very quickly in those areas of western, eastern and southern Serbia in which the trumpet seed probably had already been thrown and did exist, and it also woke up during so many decades in the center of Šumadija, where its seed was for the first time thrown in the far away year 1831.

Visit Serbian Monasteries

Day 1th: Arrival to Belgrade. Meeting of passengers and representatives of the agency at the airport Nikola Tesla - Belgrade. Transfer to the hotel. Spare time. Overnight.

Day 2nd: Breakfast. Route: Belgrade - Vrnjačka Banja [spa]
Sanctum places of Serbian capital [St. Petka Chapel and Church Ružica, Orthodox Church and Patriarch's residence, St. Sava's Temple, the biggest Orthodox Temple in the Balkans]. Departure to Vrnajčka banja. Visit to the Monasteries Pokajnica, Manasija, and Ravanica; lunch in the monastery. Arrival to Vrnajčka banja. Accommodation. Overnight.

Day 3rd: Breakfast. Route: Vrnajčka banja - Monasteries Žiča, Ljubostinja, Kalenić - Vrnjačka Banja. Lunch is planned in Monastery Kalenić. Visit to the open - air Museum "Kalenić" and familiarizing with the old Serbian crafts: weaving, spinning, knitting, basket weaving. Presentation of the national architecture and traditional usable objects.
Return to Vrnjačka Banja. Accommodation. Overnight.

Day 4th: Breakfast. Spare time. Route: Vrnjačka Banja - Monastery Studenica.
Visit to Monasteries Djurdjevi Stupovi, Sopoćani. Arrival to Monastery Studenica. Lunch. Accommodation in the Monastery's residential building and presence to the evening prayer. Overnight

Day 5th: Breakfast in the Monastery residential building. Route: Studenica - Ovčar banja [spa] - Ovčarsko - Kablarska Gorge - Valjevo

Visit to Monastery Gradac [long hiking tour] and St. Peter's Church on the way to Ovčar Banja. Arrival to Ovčar banja. Lunch in the national restaurant. Visit to the Monasteries of Ovčarsko - Kablarska Gorge: Vavedenje [Presentation of the Virgin], Vaznesenje [Resurrection], Sretenje [Meeting of Our Lord in the Temple], Svete Trojice Blagovestenje [Annunciation of Holy Trinity], Ilinje, Savinje, Nikolje, Jovanje i Uspenje [Dormition]. Departure to Valjevo. Accommodation. Overnight.

Day 6th: Breakfast. Route: Valjevo - village Sitarice - Valjevo.
Petnica cave, Research Center in Petnica. Visit to the old city center Tešnjar, Muselin's konak [hist. castle, palace], the monument of the greatest Serbian army commander Živojin Mišić, and the monument of poetess Desanka Maksimović]. Visit of the Monasteries Ćelije and Lelić in which are the relics of the Bishop Nikolaj Velimirović, the Orthodox theologian and writer from 20th century. Visit to the Monastery Pustinja from 14th century, built during the rule of the Nemanjić royal family.

Visit to the village Sitarice on the hillsides of Medvednik Mountain. This is the place with traditional, old Serbian houses, outbuildings, folklore, customs and traditional dishes of Serbian cuisine are preserved and cherished. In the yard of an old authentic village house, Serbian dining table brimming with national dishes and drinks, traditional Serbian host, songs and dancing typical for this part of Serbia, welcomes guests. Return to the hotel. Overnight.

Day 7th Breakfast. Route: Valjevo - Soko Grad - Monastery Tronoša - Tršić - Belgrade
Departure from Valjevo. Arrival to Soko Grad and visit to the Monastery Complex of "Soko Grad". Short break. Departure to Monastery Tronoša and Trsić. Visit to the Monastery Tronoša and monastery residential building. Visit to the Ethnographic Commemorative Park and Commemorative House dedicated to the father of Serbian literacy Vuk Stefanović Karadžić in Tršić. Lunch break and individual activities. Departure to Belgrade in the evening. Accommodation in the hotel. Overnight.

Day 8th: Breakfast. Transfer to the airport; departure.

Gledičke Mountains

Description: In the hearth of Šumadija, on the slopes of the Gledičke Mountains, there is one of the most pleasant parts of Central Serbia, hilly landscape full of clear springs, rivers, gorges, medical herbs, game... It is a grove decorated with picturesque natural attractions, better known as Levac. It can also be recognized by the Kalenić Monastery, spiritual and cultural center, of which protected area we care. Open - air Museum "Kalenić" acquaints visitors with authentic experience and tradition, customs, history and culture of Levac, national kitchen, correlates with domestic and wild animals in nature. Youngest devotees of nature and healthy life can express their creativity and research spirit within the educational workshops in healthy and attractive natural environment:

Leaving Belgrade at 7:00 AM Arrival at Kalenic at 11:00 AM from 11:00h until 17:00h

- familiarizing with the old handycrafts and participating in making toys and souvenirs of natural materials [weaving, spinning, knitting, basket weaving…],
- visit to the Monastery; a lesson about Despot Stefan Lazarević,
- presentation of the folk architecture and traditional usable things [visit to the households],
- participating in the workshop of fine arts [presentation of Janko Baršić naïve art school],
- recreation in nature, learning old children's games, familiarizing with natural lair of animals, plants, bird watching…
- familiarizing with domestic animals and ways of cultivating land, planting and growing, cereals, fruits and vegetables,
- enjoying honey and its products,
- visit to a watermill and manifestation of grinding wheat,
- participating in the production of homemade dishes and products [bred baking, curdling, making jam, drying fruit, making soaps…].

Workshops are adjusted to juvenile; a lot of games, songs and careless socializing in pure nature.

Arrival at Belgrade around 09:00 PM

Spa Banja Koviljaca

Day 1th: Arrival Arrival to Belgrade. Accommodation in three star hotel. Dinner. Overnight.

Day 2nd: Breakfast. Checkout. Route: Belgrade - Banja Koviljača. Belgrade sightseeing with a professional tourist guide [City Parliament, Federal Parliament, Terazije Square, Republic Square, Students' Square, Belgrade Fortress, City Gate ["Varoš kapija"], New Belgrade, Topčider Hill, Dedinje, Oslobodjenje Square, Slavija Square, Nikola Pašić Square. Departure to Koviljača Spa.

Visit to Zasavica Swamp, Natural Reservation as we pass along. In this beautiful natural reservation you can enjoy shipping on the tourist boat [without engine], photo - safari and richness of natural and animal world - 200 species of plants, 120 species of birds, more than 20 species of fish… Lunch in the national restaurant "Čardak". Arrival to the Koviljača Spa in the evening. Accommodation and dinner.
Overnight.

Day 3rd: to 9th Full board [FB] arrangement in Spa. The use of wellness program in health resort or sanitary and therapy services under the professional medical control is planned for the guests.

Every day in the afternoon, an excursion is planned for visiting cultural, historical and natural sights in the area.

Day 10th: Breakfast. Departure to Belgrade.

Spa Banja Koviljaca

Day 1th: Arrival Arrival to Belgrade. Accommodation in three star hotel. Dinner. Overnight.

Day 2nd: Breakfast. Checkout. Route: Belgrade - Banja Koviljača. Belgrade sightseeing with a professional tourist guide [City Parliament, Federal Parliament, Terazije Square, Republic Square, Students' Square, Belgrade Fortress, City Gate ["Varoš kapija"], New Belgrade, Topčider Hill, Dedinje, Oslobodjenje Square, Slavija Square, Nikola Pašić Square. Departure to Koviljača Spa.

Visit to Zasavica Swamp, Natural Reservation as we pass along. In this beautiful natural reservation you can enjoy shipping on the tourist boat [without engine], photo - safari and richness of natural and animal world - 200 species of plants, 120 species of birds, more than 20 species of fish… Lunch in the national restaurant "Čardak". Arrival to the Koviljača Spa in the evening. Accommodation and dinner.
Overnight.

Day 3rd: to 9th Full board [FB] arrangement in Spa. The use of wellness program in health resort or sanitary and therapy services under the professional medical control is planned for the guests.

Every day in the afternoon, an excursion is planned for visiting cultural, historical and natural sights in the area.

Day 10th: Breakfast. Departure to Belgrade.