This story tells how one family influenced the development of culture in Herceg Novi . Herceg Novi City Music is the basic for the development of cultural heritage that makes the city of Herceg Novi recognized throughout Europe.

HERCEG NOVI’S CULTURAL HERITAGE Designers of cultural and traditional appearance of Herceg Novi People breathe in the soul to the city. Big or small, educated or not. Each of them, in their unique way, consciously or not, has given a grain of love, knowledge, wit, originality, culture or vision to our “little place”. The history dictated the rhythm and the way of habitants’ demographic fluctuation. Inhabitation and depopulation brought different cultures along with ordinary and unusual people to Herceg Novi, amidst that, for decades, people of Croatia and Slovenia,and other countries, have been leaving their mark for the generations to come, modeling the social picture which is the stepping stone for current town’s cultural portrayal. CIber Ivan-Đanko ( November 1911 – January 1989 ) I’ve been preparing this story for the long time now… It seems like I always miss the right approach and the right beginning. It speaks, not only of the most musical family in municipality of Herceg Novi but in Zagreb, Dubrovnik, Belgrade, Podgorica and Vinkovci as well, making it possible to bring us from the distant past to the recent moment and in some stubborn way not letting those two to become parted. This article, along with many others reaching back to the past, will confirm once again that one cannot escape its roots. This is the story of Grandpa and his granddaughter. The story of Ciber family. Part I Along with Austrian army’s arrival, musician in military orchestra Ignjac Ciber moved to Herceg Novi from the village of Ig near Ljubljana, from Slovenia. Baker by trade, he met and started a family with Lucija DÁstriom in the Old town. Lucija dedicated all of her love to her new family. She gave birth to 13 children and 11 of them have lived and grown up along their parents. Living was humble, but they were never hungry beside their father, the baker and the house was filled with music and singing. Ignjac was very cheerful, hardworking man. Beside his job as a baker, he was familiar with different playing techniques of brass instruments and little French harmonica Bandoneon. He passed his knowledge on to his kids and the stories of their gatherings filled with music and laughter still echo till today. Five of his sons grew up to be diligent craftsmen and six of his daughters contributed by working as cleaning ladies. I do not have much information about daughters, but I cannot leave out the only name I know: Micika married Karuzic, of whom I only know that she lived in Dubrovnik and had seven children: Tina, Ana, Pipa, Rudolf (Njuno), Zvonko, Anton and Marjana. Anton-Tonko until 2013 lived in Podgorica and played in the Military Orchestra. His daughter, Ana, is a professor in elementary school and as a graduate of the Music Academy, teaches basic music education. Marjan Karuzic is also an educator at the music school in Dubrovnik, teaches trumpet, and gave his career special significance because he is one of the founders and organizers of "Little Singing Dubrovnik". The oldest son of Ignjac and Lucia was Rudolf-Rudi. Married to Olga, he played the trumpet. They lived across the Topla Hotel in Herceg Novi and had no children. Grgur-Giga, a baker, married Anka, a native of Sitić, they had two daughters, Lucija and Marija, and his instrument was a baritone. Karlo left for Belgrade and sang in the choir of Radio Television Serbia. Franjo-Franci founded his family in Vinkovci and has one descendant-son Ivan. Ivan- Djanko Ciber is the youngest son of the Ignjaca Ciber family and Lucia D'Astria. Everyone in the family has learned to play an instrument, but it is unlikely that the true music education possessed by Ivan can be acquired in this way alone. It requires a music academy or incredible talent. A tailor by profession, Ivan has been married to tailor Irma Bojolka since 1942. Irma grew up without a mother who came from a noble Polish family of Bojolka. Her name was Marijana Vojiskievich Boyolka and after the birth of her second child she passed away, leaving her children, Irma and her little brother, to grow up without maternal love. Dedicated to each other, Ivan Djanko and Irma crafted their world with craftsmen's hands. There was a lot of space in that world for music that was Djanko's obsession. And so, as an uneducated musician, he played saxophone, clarinet, trumpet accordion, and S clarinet that has a specific sound and is played only by the best. He received all the knowledge he had from his father Ignjac. In 1942, after the wedding, they moved to Dubrovnik. Back in the 1950s, he conducted City Music and the Dubrovnik City Orchestra, played in hotels and terraces in both Dubrovnik and Herceg Novi, and occasionally played at the Zagreb Philharmonic. In 1962 he became bandmaster at City Music in Heceg Novi. As a versatile musician, he educated young staff and thus strengthened City Music. He did not allow the orchestra to leave without knowing and mastering the material. As a long-time bandmaster in City Music, he put things in order. The woodwinds and trumpets were known to be in the first, and the baritones and tenors were in the second-deeper melody line; who connected the solo and the rhythm, and who held the main sections. The moment he would raise a conductor baton like a symphony orchestra, in, then small town Novi’s City Music everything would turn to silence. He himself wrote scores for musicians and marches. He adapted the music of the marches to the capabilities of this orchestra and each member individually. Together with Mato Vusetic, he introduced a dress code that had to be obeyed. Special concerts were held in the park of the former Boka Hotel and they were perfected by one such great authority as Djanko Ciber. Both of his brothers, Rudolf and Grgur played in City Music which was "neat as a new pin". Back in a day it gained glory that is remembered till today and generations speak of. Since then, she has never reached the level she had at the time of Djanko Ciber. In a refined and traditional way, music has become a part of the daily routine and all major events. The residents of Novi still remember the beautiful concerts held in the garden in front of the formerly legendary Boka Hotel, which was the center of all festive events where the entire city would gather. All events, anniversaries, and concerts were followed by the famous marches. City music also had friends from other cities who respected each other and also toured and assisted each other, such as City Music of Dubrovnik, Cavtat and Kotor. They helped, and respected each other, because times were difficult and instruments and uniforms were scarce, so at the very beginning equipment was borrowed. Each anniversary was celebrated with invitations and special gifts. With presence of the Mayor to special guests from other cities and music. After his involvement in Novi’s, he also applied his knowledge in City Music in Đenovići, which he rehabilitated and put on its feet and which still rivals many music today, it was his last engagement before retirement . After 17 years of marriage in 1956. Ivan and Irma had a daughter, Ljerka, a lawyer, married Dabovic, who lived and worked with her family in Herceg Novi. Ljerka brought three daughters to the world: Ivan, Maja and Dragan, which gives our story a new plot, and we'll talk about it in the lines that follow. Part II The mark that one family holds can be so strong that you can never tell, while it is carried on by generations, is it “stronger in width or length”, where and how it comes from and one can never resist its strong imprint and one cannot ignore it as anywhere you move you collide with it. The second generation of the musically gifted Ciber family, although numerous, did not leave a large offspring in Herceg Novi. When least expected, after 17 years of marriage, Djanko and Irma Ciber got a daughter - Ljerka. Ljerka Ciber, married Dabovic, a lawyer from Herceg Novi has three daughters: Ivan, Maja and Dragana. Ivana, by name and destiny, seems destined to carry on the greatness of this strong music gene that Cibers brought to Novi and spread mainly through the "male" lineage. As tiny as she was, she had a flame of unusual energy. Born only on August 9, 1978, with a lively look and perfect ear (what the Ciber brothers - her grandfather and his two brothers received from their father), she upgraded with education and in a thorough way presented it to Novi’s public. With the great support of her grandfather Djanko, Ivana began to study music and got elementary music education at Novi’ Elementary Music School, completing clarinet and flute with Prof. Norbert Simunovic. She graduated from the High school of music "Stevan Stojanovic Mokranjac" in Belgrade, the class of prof.Bodin Starcevic on vocal and instrumental section, flute section. But, she did not stop there and graduated flute at the Music Academy in Cetinje, the class of prof. Ljubisa Jovanovic. She continued to study music professionally as a professor at the Primary Music School in Herceg Novi in 1997 and, like her ancestors, in City Music from 1998 till 2006, interrupting it only to continue again from 2013. During that break from 2006 to 2013, this young woman devoted herself to her motherhood welcoming now seven-year-old Ines and six-year-old Srdjan into her arms. She is married to sailor Davor Petkovic. As children grew older and became more independent, Ivana had more time again for her first love – music. In November 2014 she accepted the position of bandmaster In Herceg Novi City Music making music, fallen asleep for many dusty years, alive again in the new glory. The trumpets, clarinets and basses were revived, shoes were polished, and the old musicians turned their gaze to the conductor bat of the descendant of the legendary Djanko Ciber. For the first time in the history of City Music of Herceg Novi, it is run by a woman. The young conductor’s baton took this music to the old paths of ceremonial marches exactly as Ivan's uncle Djanko did. They had their first appearance of the self-contained defile „Primavera-Greetings to Spring" on”sunny Saturday, March 21 2015, on the streets of Herceg Novi when they left in disbelief the younger ones and brought back our elderly fellow citizens to the past. “Djir started under the Torah, across Nikola Đurković Square and continued along Njegoš Street to the Boka Hotel Park. As more than 40 years ago, when Djanko Ciber conducted the City Music, the park was echoed by beats very well known to the old palm trees and wisteria, which, unfortunately, are heard by younger generations of Novi only now. While the piccolo played by Ivana Dabovic Petkovic directs the steps in a manner of march and the smiling faces of people of Novi follow the ceremonial attire of the red uniforms, few know that the City music has been refreshed by some new musicians. The temporary band is supported by two trumpets, a saxophone, a clarinet and a drum from the guys from Niksic and the choir is played by young Antonia Ulcar from Perast. The music was also joined by four of Ivana's students of the Music School in Herceg Novi, as well as 8 new students of City Music. The old members activated their children and the murmur of rehearsals, before it fell silent under the raised baton of the conductor, reminiscent of the once long forgotten sense of the strong unity of such a collective as it was under the leadership of Djanko Ciber. How much, besides talent and leadership charisma has Djanko Ciber passed on to his granddaughter is to be found by the achievement of the old splendor of Herceg Novi City Music.

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