Stevan Stojanovic Mokranjac is the most prominent and celebrated composer in the Serbian classical music, who has laid a permanent foundations to it. He was the first one to have introduced its value and beauty of Serbian folk songs, as well, to the world on tour with the Belgrade Singing Society, across Europe by the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. Today, his compositions are part of the standard repertoire of national and foreign choirs, being performed across the world.
Although, being mostly a vocal composer, Mokranjac has become an idol to the new generations, for the artistic transformation of folk songs. He was the first one among Serbian composers who had founded a creative school. Influenced with his Garlands, generations of composers and choir singers have been raised. From Mokranjac’s school, the path leads to his contemporaries (Stanislav Binicki, Isidor Bajic, Petar Konjovic), followers or students (Petar Konjovic, Miloje Milojevic, Stevan Hristic, Kosta Manojlovic) to the Garland I by Vojislav Vuckovic and to the composers of the second half of the 20th and the beginning of the 21st century (Konstantin Babic, Dusan Radic, Dejan Despic, Rajko Maksimovic, Svetislav Bozic). It is believed that the future generations would discover a new inspiration and beauty in Mokranjac’s work.
The other Mokranjac’s activity as a melograph and an ethnomusicologist, a pedagogue and an organizer, a founder of the first independent music school in Serbia, the headmaster and a teacher of the school, a founder of chamber music, an associate member of the Serbian Royal Academy (today the Serbian Academy of Science and Arts) – left a significant evidence on each aspect of cultural life in Serbia.
Every September, started since 1965, city of Negotin (his birthplace) organizes a music festival "The Mokranjac Days" in his honour. This is one of the oldest artistic festivals in Serbia. Going back to Mokranjac and his creativity, his music is brought to life under new circumstances, both social and artistic, reminding on all beauty and the importance of his music heritage. With regular participation of national and foreign choirs, who with great enthusiasm sing spiritual and secular music, that of Mokranjac and of contemporary composers, of those who follow in his path and of others who search for a new expression."The Mokranjac Days” light the way and lay the foundations of existence by enabling the audience in city of Negotin to hear the best offsprings in Serbian music in the wake of Mokranjac’s creations.