Zoran Simjanović

Zoran Simjanović (pronounced [zǒran simjǎːnoʋitɕ] ; 11 May 1946 – 11 April 2021) was a Serbian and Yugoslav musician, composer and music educator.

Simjanović started his career in 1961, as the keyboardist for the rock band Siluete. In 1962, he moved to the band Elipse, with which he achieved nationwide popularity. After Elipse disbanded in 1968, Simjanović graduated at the Belgrade Music Academy and dedicated himself to composing. He wrote songs for popular Yugoslav singers, and, since 1973, started composing scores for cinema, television and theatre in Yugoslavia and abroad, spawning many different genres. He wrote music for 65 feature films, winning numerous awards for his scores. He was a professor at the Faculty of Applied Arts in Belgrade, the Faculty of Music Arts in Belgrade and the University of Montenegro Music Academy in Cetinje. He was a member of the European Film Academy, International Animated Film Association and the French Society of Authors, Composers and Music Editors.

Zoran Simjanović was born in Belgrade. At the age of six he began playing the piano, and later he attended the Mokranjac Music School.

In 1961, Simjanović was among the forming members of the beat band Siluete, in which he played the keyboards. In 1963, he moved to the band Elipse. With Elipse Simjanović achieved nationwide popularity, with the band's live performances and releases being praised by the press. Yugoslav media promoted rivalry between Elipse and Siluete, comparing it to the one between The Rolling Stones and The Beatles. Elipse initially performed beat and rhythm and blues, and in 1968, with the arrival of African vocalist Edi Dekeng, added a brass section and moved towards soul music. During their six-year career Elipse held hundreds of concerts and performed as an opening band on The Searchers and The Hollies concerts in Yugoslavia.

In 1967, Elipse appeared in the movies The Naughty Ones, directed by Kokan Rakonjac, and The Rats Woke Up, directed by Živojin Pavlović. The Naughty Ones were the first Yugoslav and Balkan film to feature a performance of a rock band. The music for the film was written by composer Zoran Hristić. As he lacked experience in composing popular music, he cooperated with Simjanović on the film score. After this cooperation, Hristić persuaded Simjanović to quit his studies of law and to study music.

With Elipse Simjanović released three EPs. The band disbanded in 1968, when the band members decided to dedicate themselves to their studies. The Elipse material released on the EPs, along with the unreleased material, appeared on the compilation album Elipse za prijatelje (1963-1968) (Elipse for Friends), released by Simjanović through his own independent record label Simke Music in 1999.

After Elipse disbanded, Simjanović composed music for various popular music artists, including Seka Kojadinović, Dušan Prelević, Zdravo and Zafir Hadžimanov and Senka Veletanlić. In 1976, Simjanović wrote music for songs "Dalje, dalje" ("Further, Further") and "Gde je kraj snovima mojim" ("Where Do My Dreams End") on the lyrics of writers Milovan Vitezović and Ljubivoje Ršumović respectively; the songs were recorded by the long jumper Nenad Stekić. He also wrote arrangements for songs recorded by Olivera Katarina, Zafir Hadžimanov, Vlastimir Đuza Stojiljković and Senka Veletanlić. At the end of 1970s he stopped composing songs for popular music acts and dedicated himself to film, theatre and television music. He made exceptions occasionally only, most notably in 1985, when he composed the song "Čarobnjaci" ("Wizards") on the lyrics of writer Milan Oklopdžić for the synthpop/pop rock band Laki Pingvini.

After he graduated at the Belgrade Music Academy, Simjanović turned towards music for film, theatre and television. He debuted in this field in 1973, with music for children's television series Slike bez rama – iz dečijih knjiga (Frameless Pictures – From Children's Books). Another significant contribution as a composer in the field of television was the theme for the newscast Dnevnik in 1979, recorded with the participation of members from Korni Grupa.[10] In 1975, he wrote music for Srđan Karanović's TV series The Unpicked Strawberries, and in 1977 he wrote music for his first feature film, Goran Marković's Special Education. His cooperation with Karanović and Marković would continue during the following decades. The most notable films for which he wrote music were Special Education (1977), Fragrance of Wild Flowers (1977), National Class Category Up to 785 ccm (1979), Petria's Wreath (1980), May 8 1980 (1980), All That Jack's (1980), Do You Remember Dolly Bell? (1981), The Marathon Family (1982), Variola Vera (1982), Something in Between (1983), Balkan Express (1983), Taiwan Canasta (1985), Hard to Swallow (1985), When Father Was Away on Business (1985), Hey Babu Riba (1986), The Beauty of Vice (1986), Reflections (1987), Guardian Angel (1987), A Film with No Name (1988), Cognac (1988), Balkan Express 2 (1988), Time of Miracles (1989), The Meeting Point (1989), Virgina (1991), Tango Argentino (1992), Tito and Me (1992), Say Why Have You Left Me (1993), The Tragic Burlesque (1995), Cabaret Balkan (1998), Serbia, Year Zero (2001), Loving Glances (2003), Midwinter Night's Dream (2004), The Tour (2008), Solemn Promise (2009), Falsifier (2013). Until his death in 2021, he has written music scores for 65 feature films. At the Pula Film Festival he was awarded the Golden Arena for Best Film Music twice, for The Fragrance of Wild Flowers in 1978 and for Balkan Express in 1983. In 1983, he shared the Special Award of the City of Valencia with Yves Montand. For that occasion he wrote music for the opening of that year's Festival in Valencia. Simjanović also wrote music for over 40 short films and for over 30 short animated films.

Music composed for the films Special Education, Fragrance of Wild Flowers, National Class Category Up to 785 ccm, Sok od šljiva, Balkan Express, When Father Was Away on Business, Hard to Swallow, Guardian Angel, Balkan Express 2 and Cabaret Balkan were released on soundtrack albums. Some of the songs written by Simjanović for films became nationwide hits, most notably the songs "Floyd", performed by Dado Topić, and "Zašto" ("Why"), performed by Oliver Dragojević, both originally appearing in the film National Class Category Up to 785 ccm. For the recording of the soundtrack album for this film, a supergroup Mag (Wizard) was formed, consisting of former Korni Grupa member Josip Boček (guitar), former Elipse and Korni Grupa members Bojan Hreljac (bass guitar) and Vladimir "Furda" Furduj (drums), composer and former San member Sanja Ilić (keyboards) and composer and musician Sloba Marković (keyboards). Mag played the songs composed by Zoran Simjanović, with lyrics written by lyricist Marina Tucaković, and the vocals were recorded by popular Yugoslav singers Dado Topić, Oliver Dragojević, Slađana Milošević, Oliver Mandić, Zumreta Midžić "Zuzi" and the members of the band Laboratorija Zvuka.[11] Simjanović cooperated with numerous prominent musicians on his music scores, including Zlatko Manojlović, Bora Dugić, David D'Or, Šaban Bajramović, and others.

During his career, Simjanović composed scores for over 20 theatre plays in various Belgrade theatres, as well as for the musicals Beogradosti (the title being a word play which could be translated as Joys of Belgrade), Ribe u moru (The Fish in the Sea), Male tajne (Little Secrets) and several cabarets. Simjanovć wrote music for Beogradosti on the lyrics of writer Milovan Vitezović. It was released in 1980 on the album of the same title.[12] With Italian director Paolo Magelli he worked on the Paris version of Machiavelli's The Mandrake, and after its success he cooperated with Magelli again, on the play The Straitjacket.

From 1993 until his death, Simjanović was a professor of applied music at the Faculty of Applied Arts in Belgrade. From 1999 to 2002 he was giving lectures in the same field at the Belgrade Faculty of Music Arts and from 2000 to 2002 at the University of Montenegro Music Academy in Cetinje, Montenegro. He also lectured at Dunav Film School, Post-Secondary School of Electrical Engineering and Braća Karić Academy of Fine Arts.

In 1996, he published the book Primenjena muzika (Applied Music). He wrote articles for Leksikon filmskih i televizijskih pojmova (Lexicon of Film and TV terms). He collaborated in making of pedagogical music books for children with Lela Aleksić, Branka Cvejić and Zora Vasiljević.

In 2004, Simjanović published an autobiographical book entitled Kako sam postao (i prestao da budem) roker (How I Started (and Stopped) Being a Rocker).

Simjanović first symphony, The Symphony of New Ideas, had its premiere at Belgrade Fortress on 14 July 2006. It was the first Serbian symphony written in the 21st century.

During his career, Simjanović wrote music for over 500 television commercials.

Simjanović died on 11 April 2021 in Belgrade, aged 74, due to complications caused by COVID-19 during the COVID-19 pandemic in Serbia.[13]