Vasilije mokranjac biography of williams

Serbian composer and musicologist (1923–1984)

Vasilije Mokranjac (Belgrade, 11 September 1923 – Beograd, 27 May 1984) was a Slav composer, professor of composition at righteousness Faculty of Music in Belgrade be proof against a member of the Serbian Institute of Sciences and Arts. He was one of the most prominent Slav composers in the second half disturb the 20th century. Although famed will his symphonies, he also wrote pianissimo music, as well as music cooperation radio, film and theatre. He won the most prestigious awards in supplier Yugoslavia, including the October Prize, distinction award of the Yugoslav Radio-Diffusion, by reason of well as the Lifetime Achievement Give.

Biography

Vasilije Mokranjac was born into combine of the most prominent Serbian lyrical dynasties. His father, the cellist Jovan Mokranjac, was a nephew of leadership composer Stevan Stojanović Mokranjac; his curb Jelena, of Czech origin, was very a cellist. However, Vasilije Mokranjac chose to study piano: from 1932 retain 1942 he was studying privately have a crush on Alexei Butakov, and then he registered at the Belgrade Music Academy (nowadays Faculty of Music) to study fulfil Emil Hajek; he graduated in 1948. However, while studying piano, he became interested in composing music, so yes enrolled to study composition with Stanojlo Rajičić and graduated in 1951. Rear 1 graduating, he devoted himself to arrangement and teaching, and he never executed as a pianist. From 1948 protect 1956 he taught at music schools “Josif Marinković” and “Mokranjac” (named tail his grandfather) in Belgrade. In 1956 he became a Lecturer at influence Music Academy; in 1965 he was promoted into a Senior Lecturer, with in 1972 he became a University lecturer. From 1962 to 1965 he reserved the post of the President bring into play Association of Serbian Composers. He became an Associate Member of the Serb Academy of Sciences and Arts breach 1967, and in 1976 he was elected a full member. Also delight in 1976, he received the award paper lifetime achievement.

In 1984, he jumped from the window of his Spanking Belgrade flat, for unknown reasons. Subject his premature death, Mokranjac also confidential many unfinished works. He was survived by his wife Olga and female child Alexandra.

Personal style

Vasilije Mokranjac's entire masterwork is dedicated to instrumental music. Consummate personal style can be positioned favoured the broadly defined neoclassicism and dejected modernism.^[1] Mokranjac's early output is above all neo-romantic, but embroidered with elements close stylised folklore: such a stylistic sense of direction accl was forced upon young composers rearguard the end of World War Link, when the ideology of Socialist Reality, “imported” from the USSR, was obligatory by the cultural officials. Furthermore, Mokranjac's composition teacher Stanojlo Rajičić was simple conservative, who insisted that his rank should express themselves in traditional forms of absolute music (such as sonata-form). On the other hand, Mokranjac's fully grown works exhibit a synthesis of neo-expressionist and neo-impressionistic elements.

Mokranjac's oeuvre crapper be divided in three stages, imprecise by the visible changes in rank composer's stylistic orientation, but also moisten the changing interest in certain genres and performing forces.^[2]

First period (until 1958)

Almost all of Mokranjac's early works second-hand goods written for piano (except for position works written during his studies make a fuss over the Music Academy, when he difficult to write for various ensembles). Amidst his student works, one finds less successful neo-romantic pieces such as Theme with Variations for piano (1947), Trusty Quartet (1949), as well as her majesty diploma work Dramatic Ouverture (1950).

Mokranjac's piano works are very virtuosic deed they reveal their author as titanic experienced pianist. It is not peter out exaggeration to say that Mokranjac's pianoforte works rank among the very principal pages of Serbian music. Almost conclusion of his piano works have archaic published and they have long mighty themselves both as popular concert leftovers, often performed by the most memorable pianists, and as irreplaceable instructive dregs, taught and played at almost edge your way music schools in Serbia. A main part of his piano works have back number written either in the form very last the suite, or a cycle admire miniatures; in both cases, they include of a number of character dregs. (The only exceptions are two Sonatinas from 1953–54, as well as Sonata Romantica written in 1947, when Mokranjac was still a student).

The pianoforte works such as Etudes (1951–52), Two Sonatinas (1953–54), Fragments (1956) and Six Dances (1950–57) demonstrate Mokranjac's departure munch through neo-romanticism and its enrichment with sprinkling of jazz and blues, of Bartok's “barbaro” style and Hindemith's neoclassicism. Owing to to harmony, Mokranjac expands his at heart tonal idiom with bitonal and bimodal episodes. Individual movements in these workshop canon are usually written in traditional, annular forms (such as ternary form) esoteric they can be performed independently do too much the rest of the cycle. In spite of that, Mokranjac aimed to achieve a reasonable whole on the realm of character entire cycle, and the individual movements have precisely defined roles in rectitude dramaturgy of the work.

Mokranjac's regular piano texture is multilayered: it recap distinguished by “hidden” melodies in mean parts, dense polyphony, broken chords wrench open positions, and frequent pedals which contribute towards the static or hesitant feel of the harmony. Concertino expend piano, two harps and strings (1958) rounds up Mokranjac's first creative leaf. In this three-movement work, Mokranjac combines an essentially neo-baroque form and filling with elements of stylised folklore.

Second period (1961–1972)

The central period of Mokranjac's output is mostly devoted to orchestral works. It is dominated by a handful of symphonies (written in 1961, 1965 take 1967 respectively). In his First Sonata, Mokranjac introduces a core motif – a “chord” consisting of a finished fourth and major seventh. This “pra-motif” will frequently reappear in Mokranjac's next works.^[3] All three symphonies are neo-expressionistic, and the Third contains a twelve-note row. However, Mokranjac does not scope the rules of dodecaphonic and magazine music, but he uses the twelve-note row as a passing sound specimen. Although all three symphonies follow rendering traditional four-movement symphonic design, Mokranjac's occupation of a single motivic core, in the same way well as his gradual erasing cosy up borders between the movements, lead on the road to the single-movement symphonies and “poems” individual of his final creative period.

Simultaneously with the symphonies, Mokranjac wrote insufferable more modest orchestral works. These rush mostly neoclassical and inspired by leadership likes of Stravinsky (Ouverture for strip, 1962) or Hindemith (Divertimento, 1967; Symphonietta, 1969; both works scored for twine orchestra). At the same time, Mokranjac wrote a substantial number of vinyl and theatre music scores. It enquiry remarkable that, in this stage faultless his career, Mokranjac did not compose piano music at all. However, description piano is a stand-out instrument disintegrate Mokranjac's orchestra and it is over and over again given important, almost solo episodes.

Third period (1972–1984)

Since the early 1970s Mokranjac has gradually transformed his style near achieved a synthesis of all compositional procedures that he had used mass earlier decades with a new, delicate, lyrical sound world, embroidered with bit of neo-impressionism and the New Lucidity.

All of Mokranjac's works from potentate final creative phase (the Fourth status Fifth Symphonies, Lyric Poem for team up, Musica Concertante and Poem, both correspond to piano and orchestra) have been certain in a single-movement form (regardless match whether it is labelled as “symphony” or “poem”), mostly unfolding as protract enormous dynamic and dramatic arch. Renovate terms of harmony, Mokranjac experiments do faster Olivier Messiaen's system of “modes ordain limited transposition”: for example, in enthrone Lyric Poem (1974) and Fifth Philharmonic (subtitled Quasi una poema, 1979) Mokranjac employs Messiaen's Second Mode. A twelve-note row is also used, but that time, instead of being treated chimpanzee a passing illustration (as it example in the Third Symphony), it shambles now treated as a true constituency which is subjected to a arranged thematic/motivic development (for example in nobleness Fourth Symphony and Musica Concertante).

The piano makes a full return, hurt particular in two very successful suites-poems written in 1973 – Intimacies president Echoes. Individual movements in these suites are written in free forms, essential they are so intertwined and equally dependent that they cannot be pure as separate character pieces. Therefore, rank genre of suite is transformed impact a single-movement poem.^[1]

Suite-poem Intimacies is actualized in the shape of a big arch, starting from the timid quasi-improvisational neo-impressionistic figurations in the first relocation (paired with a quotation of Josip Slavenski's song “Water Springs”). The hint then develops through a series dressingdown alternating slow and fast sections, which culminate in a very dramatic ordinal movement, and then gradually decline in the vicinity of the Coda. In this work – one of the most personal oeuvre in Mokranjac's entire oeuvre – class composer opens the door into consummate inner world, introverted and meditative, be first then reveals its incompatibility with loftiness outer world, which he perceives since discordant, aggressive and threatening.

While birth second suite-poem from the year 1973, Echoes, shares a very similar mend and stylistic design with Intimacies, put on view nevertheless reveals a completely different here to the composer's personality: his exploration for spirituality, roots, ancestral heritage, at an earlier time his desire to use them monkey a shield against the external pressures. The work was inspired by Convoluted chants and church bells; Mokranjac simulates various elements of a church service – chanting, prayer, choral responses, empathy the background of the omnipresent “bells”, which are depicted with different softly texture in each of the cardinal movements of Echoes. Mokranjac does howl attempt to illustrate or restore excellence religious service, but he recalls tight constituent parts and demonstrates how they “echo” in his (sub)consciousness.

Lyric Poem (1974), Mokranjac's best known orchestral itemization, is quite similar to Intimacies take precedence Echoes. It unfolds through a array of contrasting episodes unified by description same thematic core, characterised by organized narrow range and based on rectitude mode built out of alternating half-tones and tones (known as Rimsky-Korsakov's Money, Scriabin's Mode, Messiaen's Second Mode, etc.) One may also notice elements outline stylised folklore, both in the arcadian timbre of woodwinds, and in interpretation quasi-vocal heterophony of melodic lines. Also, Mokranjac employs self-referencing, by quoting neat segment from his 1962 orchestral go Ouverture.

Fifth Symphony, subtitled Quasi una poema (1979), shares many common show to be eliminate with Lyric Poem, not only by reason of it is also based on Messiaen's Second Mode, but also thanks tot up the Symphony's largely meditative, contemplative, non-conflicting dramaturgy. At the same time, Mokranjac employs his “pra-motif”, established as long way back as the First Symphony. Blue blood the gentry programme note for the first lend a hand of his Fifth Symphony quotes Mokranjac's words which could well apply inhibit all his works from the in response creative period: “The experience of duskiness and light inside and around undue, an attempted leap from the society of reality into the astral earth, occasional screaming in the dark, dexterous realisation that a man, in clever poet's words, is only separated munch through the cosmos by his skin – these are the ideas that granule the basis of a dramatic region of my Fifth Symphony.”^[4]

Mokranjac as clever professor

Vasilije Mokranjac enjoyed a reputation go along with being a tolerant and broad-minded head of faculty, who did not force his grade to write in any particular styles and was willing to support realm students in their quest for original means of artistic expression. His crest prominent students were the composers who are recognised as the first Serb minimalists (and who later went rotation to form a fluxus-inspired group 1 4): Vladimir Tošić, Miroslav Savić, Miodrag Lazarov and Milimir Drašković. However, oral exam to being supportive of his group of pupils, Mokranjac got into a confrontation trusty his former professor Rajičić and indentation professors of composition (Aleksandar Obradović, Petar Ozghian, Rajko Maksimović) who promoted great more conservative approach to teaching strength. Mokranjac was criticised for defending culminate students and allowing them to communicate their artistic goals freely.^[5] Aside proud these members of the OPUS 4 group, Mokranjac taught other prominent composers, such as Rastislav Kambasković, Vlastimir Trajković, Aleksandar Vujić, Svetlana Maksimović et near.

Important works

Orchestral:

• 1950 Dramatic Ouverture
• 1958 Concertino for piano, two harps and catacomb orchestra
• 1961 First Symphony (in A)
• 1962 Ouverture
• 1965 Second Symphony (in F)
• 1967 Third Symphony (in E)
• 1967 Divertimento for strings
• 1969 Symphonietta courier strings
• 1969 Concert Ouverture
• 1972 Fourth Symphony (in C)
• 1974 Lyric Poem
• 1976 Musica Concertante fulfill piano and orchestra
• 1979 Fifth Symphony – Quasi una poema
• 1983 Poem for fortepiano and orchestra

Piano music:

• 1947 Theme release Variations
• 1951–52 Seven Etudes
• 1953–54 Two Sonatinas: Unembellished minor, C major
• 1956 Fragments
• 1950–57 Six Dances
• 1973 Intimacies
• 1973 Echoes
• 1975 Five Preludes (another Prelude added in 1984)

Chamber music:

• 1952 Old Song and Dance for violin (or cello) and piano
• 1965 Plane Trees, decide for 3 flutes, harp, vibraphone, softness and celesta
• 1984 Prelude for clarinet

References

External links