Mokranjac's  predecessors in Serbian music liked to combine adaptations of folk songs into medleys or, as Josif Marinković called compositions of this type, a kolo (circle dance). Yet not until Mokranjac did this genre attain maturity under the poetic name "garland", which became a synonym for an artistically adapted, organically unified choral cycle of folk songs. Miloje Milojević saw the Garlands as "great vocal rhapsodies", "our folk bal­lads and romances", and Milenko Živković as " a musical epos celebrating our people and lands, our customs and ways, the fateful attachment of our people to their birthplace..."

      Fifteen Garlands composed over a quarter century (1883-1909) reflect the artist's development, the main characteristics of his creative work. By using songs from Serbia of the period - before the Balkan Wars (indicated in the subtitle, From My Homeland: I-VI and XIII "gar­lands"), from Old Serbia (VII, XI), Kosovo (VIII, XII), Montenegro (IX), Macedonia (X, XV), Bosnia (XIV), and for Coastal melodies from the Croatian littoral, he demonstrated the breadth of his national sentiments.

      The artistic qualities of the Garlands are based on several factors. First of all, Mokranjac chose essentially rhythmic, melodious songs; for the first time the mixed, non-symmetrical measures typical of southern Serbia and Macedonia are used in an art form. Seeking an adequate interpretation of the latent harmonic features of folk melodies, especially in the later Garlands, he often substituted the Europeanized major-minor concept for modal solutions, including oscillation between two equal tonal centres. Though the choral structure is basically homophonic, there is evident concern for the melody line of each individual voice; as successful contrasts there are occasionally unobtrusive canon imitations. Instead of treating all stanzas of a song in the same manner, like most of his predecessors, Mokranjac liked to vary the harmonization and choral structure, illustrating the con­tent realistically (for example, by introducing soloists or alternating the female and male chorus when interpret­ing dialogue sections in the text) and giving psychological depth. Finally, while the material for some of the earlier Garlands (I, III, V) because of the large number of songs used (up to 10) sounds quite rhapsodic, later the number was limited to four or five, and deliberate contrasts in tempo and character produce a coherent whole and awaken associations with instrumental forms (sonata or suite).

     All the Garlands were directed for the first time by Mokranjac himself, and except for the First, with the Belgrade Choral Society; from the Eleventh onwards this generally took place at a traditional concert on New Year's Eve (January 13th by the Gregorian calendar).