Blaž Lenger (December 6, 1919 - September 26, 2006) was a performer of traditional folk songs from northern Croatia, especially the region of

Podravina ''Podravina'' (in Croatian) or ''Podravje'' (in Slovenian) are Slavic names for the Drava river basin in northern Croatia and Slovenia. Both names combine the hydronym with the South Slavic prefix "''po''-", meaning "alongside" or "after". Hist ...

Biography and career

He was educated in the village of

Podravske Sesvete Podravske Sesvete is a municipality in the Koprivnica–Križevci County in Croatia. In the 2011 census, there were 1,630 inhabitants in the area, all in the settlement of Podravske Sesvete. History In the late 19th century and early 20th cent ...

. From early childhood he was oriented towards music thanks to his mother and father whose love of music influenced him greatly. As soon as he was old enough, he started performing with the local musical group Vlašički. The first instrument he played was the accordion but he soon switched to bass (''bajs''), a rhythm instrument that matched his strong voice. Later he joined the Štef Ivančan music group in Novo Virje, where he gained enough experience to form his own group. His new group was named after him: Lengeri. The group performed at music festivals, on radio and television, and recorded cassettes and records. Their first recorded song was "Podravino moja mila", followed by "Potočić maleni", "Alaj je divan taj podravski kraj" and a polka "Ruža, ruža". Lenger retired in 1977 but never stopped singing. He was a member to the day he died of a singing group from

named after him, Blaž Lenger. He died on September 26, 2006, at home in Draganci, and was buried in the village cemetery in Podravske Sesvete.

Sources

Blaž Lenger - život i djelo
1919 births 2006 deaths 20th-century Croatian male singers Yugoslav male singers {{Croatia-bio-stub