The historical significance of the song “Djurjevdan”: on the problem of selection of musical material for studies

The author touches upon the issue of justification and logic of musical material (folk and/or original) used in the process of directing performances or student sketches. This aspect is emphasized in the context of the problem of upbringing and education of future directors and actors. Emphasis is placed on the need for a more careful selection of any, including world-famous, musical material in order to avoid harmful mistakes when preparing performances. Freedom of creativity does not give theater workers the right to distort history. In this article, the object of study was the song “Djurdjevdan”, the historical roots of which, according to one version, go back to the “death trains” during the Second World War, the Serbian genocide, but which is now interpreted as a song about love conflicts, out of ignorance it is performed in the territory of the former Yugoslavia “both at weddings and funerals.” The song “Djurdjevdan” became popular in Yugoslavia in 1942 after it was sung by one of the Bosnian Serbs transported to the Jasenovac concentration camp. Then other, no less tragic events from the history of Serbia were layered. The song became world famous thanks to the film by E. Kusturica “House for Hanging” (“Time of the Gypsies”), in which the key scene is the celebration of St. George’s Day (St. George’s Day), Djurdjevdan in Serbian or, in the language of the Gypsies, Ederlezi.