19th century Croatia was marked by aspirations to gain national identity, show national pride in the form of political activities, inspiring speeches and all types of art. Among many people who left an unforgettable mark in Croatian history of that era, Vatroslav Lisinski was one of the most prominent ones. When most of the national activists focused on political and literary work, Lisinski was the one person who made this magic happen in music. Born in 1819 as Ignac Fuchs in a German- Jewish family, Lisinski showed interest in music at an early age which was only later more and more influenced by the national movements around the country. He came in touch with multiple people from the national campaign who inspired him to explore traditional Croatian music and create new music with a bit of national pride and history. In the meantime, he changed his name to Vatroslav Lisinski, for which we remember him today. He began to write all kinds of musical pieces, from solo songs to piano pieces, but his crown work was the first ever Croatian opera, „Love and evil“ which premiered in 1846 and that day was marked as one of the most important in Croatian national history ever! In his later years, Lisinski was living in poverty due to political circumstances of the time and died in poverty, probably thinking he would be forgotten for good in 1854. Fortunately, his name and his work were never forgotten, the most significant concert venue in Zagreb has held his name for decades, and his work is inevitable for every school curriculum.
