Dragana S. Jovanović

Dragana S. Jovanović (Serbia) is an associate professor at the Faculty of Music in Belgrade. She has won a number of awards in various genres of music, both in Serbia and abroad, such as the Golden Badge (Zlatna značka) of the Culture and Education Association of Serbia, for making an enduring contribution to the culture of Serbia; second prize at 2 Agosto International Composing Competition in Bologna, Italy, for her piece “AB RE 1999” for electric guitar and symphony orchestra; an award from the Stevan Hristić Foundation for Usijanje (Incandescence), her final BA project; and a Silver Medal of the University of Arts in Belgrade.
She was a jury member at a number of Serbian and foreign composition competitions. She works in both absolute and applied music. Her sphere of interest includes multimedia projects as well. She is also active in production. She has published two books of harmony exercises. She earned a doctoral degree in art – composition by successfully defending her work Jurijev krug – Teleportacijska svita za vokalno-instrumentalni ansambl i elektroniku (The Circle of Yuri – A Teleportation Suite for a Vocal-instrumental Ensemble and Electronics).

Svita in De (Suite in D) was composed at the initiative of an excellent colleague of mine and top-class violist Saša Mirković, to have a selection of Serbian composers, coming various kinds of poetic backgrounds, compose a new suite “our” way, using one of J. S. Bach’s suites as the starting point. A daunting challenge indeed, for any author, when the source of inspiration is a genius. Bearing in mind the titles of the movements, which refer to their national origins, I opted for a composition in four movements, permeated by different styles, genres, and folk elements. In line with the baroque tradition, none of the movements feature tempo indications, since the title also implies the character of each composition. The result was the four movements that make up this suite. The first movement, “Nachprelude”, is a departure from Bach’s second suite in its tonal, modal system, with a hint at the original Prelude. “Rockallemande” is a sort of energetic take on the German rock band Rammstein. The third movement, “Sevdahsarabande”, combines the Spanish provenance of the Sarabande with sevdah, typical of the Balkans, while the fourth, “Chochekgigue”, clearly denotes not only a fast tempo, but also the character, which is more than just a lively dance, with combinations of the irregular rhythms of “our” parts and the čoček.
Svita in De is dedicated to Saša Mirković.