Tomislav Ivčić: Zbirka pjesama – Collection of Songs

If Tomislav Ivčić had written and performed just one song – the most famous patriotic anthem, Stop the War in Croatia, his name would have been inscribed in golden letters in the annals of Croatian popular music. While many were still in disbelief that the war in Croatia was a horror taking place in real time, Ivčić sent an unwavering message of peace, hoping that this click would spread as widely as possible.

The song opened up a whole new genre – that of patriotic songs, in which many have tried their hand. Nevertheless, Ivčić’s call to stop the war in Croatia has forever remained a musical testimony to the bloody creation of the modern Croatian state. Making use of the song’s momentum, he also began to collect humanitarian aid, and he was remembered as the musician who first raised his voice for freedom, and even more so for his great humanitarian work.

His premature and unexpected death prevented him from expanding his musical and other careers, as he became an entrepreneur, festival organizer, television director, and ultimately a politician.

(Bojan Mušćet, from the introductory text)

Editor: Zrinko Tutić
Notography and transcription: Zlatan Došlić
Editorial text: Sanja Stojanović Stipanov
Art design and preparation: Emil Šimik, Econik d.o.o.
Croatian Composers’ Society| Cantus d.o.o., 2025.