Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes on Music Theory Print

Blaž Arnič

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Blaž Arnič (31 January 1901 – 1 February 1970) was a Slovenian symphonic composer. Born in Luče, Lower Styria, Austria-Hungary, Arnič grew up on an isolated farmstead near Mount Raduha in the Kamnik Alps. He taught himself how to play the accordion, and at the age of nineteen moved to Ljubljana to study music. Life Arnič studied composing at the Ljubljana Conservatory, and later (1930-1932) at the New Vienna Conservatory, under the tutelage of Professor Rudolf Nilius, with advanced composition in Warsaw, Kraków In 1943 Arnič was arrested for his political views, and in 1944 he was sent to the Dachau concentration camp, where he became seriously ill (eventually causing him to go blind in one eye). His music has been compared to that of Bruckner and classified as “neo-romantic realism.” Arnič developed from a neo-romantic base, but avoided the dissonance of the Expressionists. The first film for which Arnič wrote music was Partizanske bolnice v Sloveniji in 1948, a documentary about a partisan infirmary. In 1955, Milan Kumar of Triglav Film made a 452-minute film entitled Ples čarovnic starring ballerina Stanislava Brezovar which featured Arnič’s symphonic poem by the same name. In 2

Ivana Lang

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Ivana Lang (15 November 1912 – 2 January 1982) was a Croatian composer, pianist and piano teacher. She was born in Zagreb, Croatia, Austro-Hungarian Empire). She completed piano studies in 1937 at the Music Academy in Zagreb. Ivana Lang composed orchestral works (concert for piano and orchestra), chamber music, an opera (“The Captain of Kastav”, ) and two ballets, “False Knight” () and “Dance of the Ghosts” (). Works (selection) *Agnus Dei for soprano and chamber ensemble Op 15 (1942) *Melodramas for voice and piano, Op 21 (1942) *Grotesque, for symphony orchestra Op 11 (1942) *Concerto for piano and orchestra Op 22 (1944) *The Silent Shadows, ballet in 3 acts Op 52 (1959) *To a Nameless One, four-song cycle for mezzo-soprano and piano Op 75 (1970) *Four Bagatelles for piano Op 59 (1962) *Four Bagatelles for harp and strings Op 86 (1974) *Four Compositions for piano Op 50 (1961) *The Black Olive, song cycle of five songs for dramatic soprano and piano Op 49 (1959) *Two Songs by Domjanić for voice and piano Op 17 (1942) *Two Istrian Songs from Pazin for female choir and piano Op 39 (1952) *The Dance of the Black People, ballet act with piano accompaniment Op 36 (1950) See also *Musi

Jakob Jež

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Jakob Jež (23 November 1928 – 8 March 2022) was a Slovenian composer. Life Jakob Jež was born on 23 November 1928 in Boštanj, a village in eastern Slovenia. In 1954, he graduated from the Academy of Music in Ljubljana, Department of Music History. His dissertation, defended in 1959, focused on the early works of Slovenian composer Marij Kogoj. Kogoj remained a consistent influence for Jež throughout his career. Although he did not obtain a degree in composition, Jež studied composition with Marijan Lipovský and Karol Pahor. The Lexicon of Yugoslav Music describes his musical style as follows: “By adopting some modern compositional procedures, Jež creates a distinctive musical language, full of intimate expressiveness, with a developed sense of colour, lyricism and loose structures - a modern and contemporary language which is never incomprehensibly aggressive.” Jež taught throughout his career, first at a music school and a high school, and then at the Music and Ballet School in Ljubljana (1955–1970). From 1992 until his retirement, he was a full-time professor of music education at the Faculty of Pedagogy in Ljubljana. From 1960 to 1965, he was a member of the composers’ group Pro

Janez Matičič

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Janez Matičič (3 June 1926 – 18 April 2022) was a Slovenian composer and pianist. He was a regular member of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts starting in 2007. Matičič was born in Ljubljana, and was the brother of writer Nada Matičič. He graduated in composition from the Ljubljana Academy of Music in 1950 and conducting in 1951. From 1959 to 1961 he studied in Paris with Nadia Boulanger. Then, from 1959 to 1975, he collaborated with the Groupe de Recherches Musicales, who were experimenting with electroacoustic music under the direction of Pierre Schaeffer. Among Matičič’s works are two concertos for piano and orchestra, a concerto for cello and orchestra, and a number of pieces created in a modernist and experimental mode. In 2007 he received the Prešeren Award for his lifetime achievement in music. He died on April 17, 2022, at the age of 95. Works (Selection) Choir and Orchestra *Vision for choir and orchestra, op. 19 (1950) *Artemis for choir and orchestra, op. 69 (2012) Orchestra *Symphony No. 1, op. 21 (1950–1953) *Suite for string orchestra, op. 24 (1951–1955) *Trans…, op. 56 (1997) *Symphony No. 2, op. 58 (1997) Solo Instrument and Orchestra *Piano Concerto No. 1,

Josip Hatze

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Joseph Hatze (1879–1959) was one of the first and most prominent Croatian composers at the beginning of the 20th century. Hatze was born in Split (then Austro-Hungarian Empire, now Croatia) to a family of craftsmen from Split. Whilst still at school he attended musical events, especially of sacred music and folk songs. Upon discovering his musicality, and with family support, he attended all the performances in the newly opened Municipal Theater in Split. His strong response to orchestral and choir performances in the Split theater encouraged the 16-year-old Hatze to sing at Chapel Mass. During that time he wrote “Misa a Kapela” (in Croatian text), which was performed with great success. Later other Dalmatian school choirs started performing his musical work. He completed his studies in composition in 1902 at the Rossini Conservatory in Pesaro in Italy with the operatic composer Pietro Mascagni. Returning home to Split, he worked as a choir teacher at the Central Technical School in Split and was the choirmaster at the choral society Zvonimir. During World War I, he was at the front, away from home, and was not aware that his wife Gilda had died of the Spanish flu. Gilda was from t

Josipina Eleonora Hudovernik

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Josipina Hudovernik, sister Marija Eleonora, (March 25, 1863 – March 1, 1945) was a Slovenian music teacher, headmistress and composer. She wrote and composed the popular Slovenian Christmas carol “Dete rajsko, Dete sveto” (Heavenly Child, Holy Child). Early life Josipina Eleonora was born on March 25, 1863 in Radovljica into a religious Slovene family. Her mother was an innkeeper, Lucija Oman, Career She studied music privately, piano with conservatory teacher Valentine Karinger and organ with Anton Foerster. She later studied singing with Berta de Pop-Stockert. She passed the special examination in singing, piano and organ with distinction in 1893. Due to her talent, she soon became a recognized organist and composer. She first worked as a music teacher at a school for girls, and later was its headmistress between 1903 and 1923, when she retired. She is credited with over 120 choral compositions, mostly written for the monastery choir and for the girls’ school. She died on March 1, 1945, in Ljubljana. Awards In 1937 she received an award for her artistic work: the Order of the Yugoslav Crown, Fifth Class. Legacy Her Christmas carol “Dete rajsko, Dete sveto” (Heavenly Child, Holy

Ljubica Marić

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Ljubica Marić (Љубица Марић , 18 March 1909 – 17 September 2003) was a composer from Yugoslavia. She was a pupil of Josip Štolcer-Slavenski. She was known for being inspired by Byzantine Orthodox church music. She was professor at the Faculty of Music in Belgrade and a member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts. Ljubica Marić is considered to be the most original Serbian composer of the twentieth century and musically the most influential one. Life Born in Kragujevac, Serbia to Father Pavle and Mother Katarina née Đorđević, a descendant of Vojvoda Čolak-Anta Simeonović, one of the leaders of the First Serbian Uprising. Ljubica traveled a huge artistic and intellectual journey in order to facilitate the advancement of Serbian music. She was the first Serbian to get a diploma in composition in 1929. At the State Conservatory in Prague, she attended postgraduate studies under Josef Suk. While she was a student, she received praise in festivals in Amsterdam, Strasbourg and Prague. She was described as a genially gifted woman, and her music was promoted by the great supporter of contemporary music, Hermann Scherchen. Her music was performed by the most important chamber ensemble

Marij Kogoj

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Marij Julij Kogoj (Trieste, 20 September 1892 – Ljubljana, 25 February 1956) was a Slovenian composer and writer of Italian birth. He is noted for his expressionist music, including the opera (Black Masks), work that was well received in 1920s Slovenia amid a flowering of avant-garde artistic, cultural, and political movements. As a young man, he studied with Franz Schreker and then Arnold Schoenberg. In 1932, schizophrenia ended his career prematurely. His music and milieu is receiving renewed attention in the 21st century, but he remains little known internationally. Biography and music Kogoj was born an orphan in Trieste, where he was misidentified as his deceased brother Marij (27 April 1895 – 31 January 1896). In 1910, he began composing as a self-taught musician while at school in Gorizia (1907–1914). He studied counterpoint and composition with Franz Schreker at the Vienna Music Academy (1914–1917) and then continued his studies with Arnold Schoenberg at Eugenie Schwarzwald’s school (1918). In 1919, he married Marija Podlogar. Among the Slovenian avant-garde, Kogoj was an especially prominent figure between 1919 and 1922. He performed his own music as part of the September 1

Marija Hladnik Berden

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Marija Hladnik Berden, also known as Mimi Hladnik (30 March 1892 – 10 May 1924), was a Slovenian teacher, organist, and composer. She was regarded as one of the most musically gifted women of her generation in Lower Carniola, where she worked as a teacher, church organist, soprano, and pianist. She composed mainly church music, appeared as a soloist, and in addition to her regular employment also taught piano. Her life ended tragically when she was poisoned at the age of thirty-two. Childhood and education She was born on 30 March 1892 into a Slovenian family in Novo Mesto, where she was baptised on 2 April in the Novo Mesto Cathedral. At the time of her birth, her father held the poorly paid post of chapter organist. Because of this, he had the right to use a small plot of church-owned farmland, which he cultivated together with her mother, whose parents were farmers. Of her surviving sisters, one devoted herself to teaching, another, Štefanija Hladnik Hanak, was employed as a piano teacher and founded the Ignacij Hladnik Music School in Novo Mesto, while another was a milliner. Of all the children, she was the most musically gifted and therefore her father’s favourite. Her classm

Marjan Kozina

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Marjan Kozina (4 June 1907 – 19 June 1966) was a Slovene composer. He is considered one of the most important Slovene composers of the 20th century. His best known works include a symphony, composed in stages through the late 1940s; the opera Equinox, completed in 1943; two ballets from the early 1950s, and the music for the film On Our Own Land (Na svoji zemlji), which he later arranged into a suite for orchestra. Life Kozina was born to a musical family in Novo Mesto, then part of Austria-Hungary. In Ljubljana, Kozina began studying philosophy and mathematics and in the same time also piano and violin, but later completely turned to the study of music. He graduated from composition in Vienna in 1930, and completed the studies of conducting and composition also in Prague. After his return from Prague he worked for a short time (1932–34) at Ljubljana and Maribor Opera, and then worked at Maribor Music Society (). From 1940 until 1943 and from 1945 until 1947, he worked as a music teacher at the Academy of Music in Belgrade. In World War II, his house was bombed in an air raid and his wife imprisoned by the Gestapo. In September 1943, after the capitulation of Italy, he joined the S

Pavel Šivic

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Pavel Šivic (born February 2, 1908, in Radovljica, Slovenia — died May 31, 1995, in Ljubljana ) was a Slovenian composer, concert pianist, and music educator. Šivic wrote the libretto to this opera himself, which is based on the 1967 play of the same name by Andrej Hieng. He was also active as concert pianist and accompanist in Ljubljana; contributing greatly to the music life of that city. He was given the Prešeren Award in 1965. Partial list of works *Oj, ta prešmentana ljubezen Oh, that Cursed Love (operetta in 3 Acts, libretto by M. Simončič); 29 April 1931 *Dogodek v mestu Gogi An Event in the Town of Goga (ballet), 1967 *Cortesova vrnitev The Return of Cortés , 1971 (opera in 3 Acts, libretto by Šivic, after A. Hieng); 20 March 1974 *Svitanje The Daybreak (opera in 1 Act, libretto by Šivic, after B. Šömen); 10 May 1979 *Samorog The Unicorn (opera in 3 Acts, libretto by Šivic, after G. Strniša), 1981 *Kaznovana radovednost Curiosity Punished (Children’s opera in 1 Act, libretto by Šivic and V. Rudolph); 9 February 1988 *Hiša iz kart (opera), 1989 References

Primož Ramovš

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Primož Ramovš (March 20, 1921 – January 10, 1999) was a Slovenian composer and librarian. Life Ramovš was born in Ljubljana, then the administrative centre of the Slovenian part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. He studied at the Ljubljana Academy of Music from 1935 to 1941 under Slavko Osterc. Afterwards, he studied in Siena under Vito Frazzi in 1941 and in Rome with Goffredo Petrassi and Alfredo Casella from 1941 to 1943. From 1945, he worked as a librarian at the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts and was the director of its library from 1952 until 1987. He also taught at the Ljubljana Conservatory from 1948 to 1964. He died in Ljubljana at the age of 78 years. Musical style Ramovš was a pioneer of Slovenian musical avant-garde and one of the most prolific Slovenian composers. Throughout his career, Ramovš wrote almost exclusively instrumental music, for which he found inspiration in the abstract world. His works from the 1960s and 70s employ serialism and other modernist techniques, including experiments bordering on graphic notation and use of indeterminacy. He often experimented, even in very extreme sense: “If the result is negative, it will fall away by itse

Vasilije Mokranjac

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Vasilije Mokranjac (Belgrade, 11 September 1923 – Belgrade, 27 May 1984) was a Serbian composer, professor of composition at the Faculty of Music in Belgrade and a member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts. He was one of the most prominent Serbian composers in the second half of the 20th century. Although famed for his symphonies, he also wrote piano music, as well as music for radio, film and theatre. He won the most prestigious awards in former Yugoslavia, including the October Prize, the award of the Yugoslav Radio-Diffusion, as well as the Lifetime Achievement Award. Biography Vasilije Mokranjac was born into one of the most prominent Serbian musical dynasties. His father, the cellist Jovan Mokranjac, was a nephew of the composer Stevan Stojanović Mokranjac; his mother Jelena, of Czech origin, was also a cellist. However, Vasilije Mokranjac chose to study piano: from 1932 to 1942 he was studying privately with Alexei Butakov, and then he enrolled at the Belgrade Music Academy (nowadays Faculty of Music) to study with Emil Hajek; he graduated in 1948. However, while studying piano, he became interested in composing music, so he enrolled to study composition with Stanojl