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The entomologist as philosopher - Bass-baritone Marcos Fink |
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The Zither |
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The Musical Identity of Middle Europe |
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Awards for the "Jacobus Gallus" Choir from Trieste |
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The Song of a Styrian Shepherd |
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Slovenian Music |
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Vinko Vodopivec |
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Jacobus Handl Gallus (1550 - 1591) |
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Marij Kogoj (1892 - 1956) |
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The Avsenik Band |
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Ansambel SVIT (http://www.ansambel-svit.com/) |
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Muzika in Izvor Slovencev - Robert Vrcon |
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Walter Ostanek |
| The entomologist as philosopher |
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| A Slovene from Argentina: Bass-baritone Marcos Fink is singing today at the Staatsoper "Der geduldige Sokrates" |
| Aus der Berliner Morgenpost vom 29. September 2007 |
| German text: |
| A person like Marcos Fink does not have to study philosophy. One, who is tossed about in life's currents in such a way, has wisdom in the blood. And without any effort he personifies Telemanns "Geduldigen Sokrates". Because Fink had to practice patience for a long time, before his talent was really discovered. At the time, in 1990, he worked in Buenos Aires as an agricultural engineer, and had already accomplished a 16 year long university career in the field of entomology: Insect scientist. Thus, he was multicoloured enough for the opera world. And since the temptation for art was greater than a safe position for life, he changed jobs. |
| Making changes in life was always a strength of the Fink family. One could have regarded them as born Gauchos, if they were not originally from Slovenia. The parents of the meanwhile very successful Bass-baritone left their homeland at the end of war. "The communists had monopolized the resistance", the singer describes, "in 1945 my father realized that he could not remain in Slovenia? As a catholic, he would immediately have been singled out as a class enemy. As a catholic he had no problems in Buenos Aires, but as a father of six children. Those wanted to be fed. And besides, they were also talented! "My parents suffered very much, when they discovered my talent, but could not finance any schooling. But we sang together often in our family. I had a very happy childhood." |
| The young Fink sang in choirs, studied also singing in due form - for ten years he was a member of the Slovenian vocal group Karantania, directed by Maria Fink-Gerzinic - and at the end he decided himself for a bread-winning occupation. Now and then his family wanted also to eat and not only listen to Schubert. By the way, he feels related with the Viennese composer." There are very strong ancient Austrian traditions in Slovenia and also in our family. The Finks probably came 400 years ago from Bavaria." With the "Winterreise", sung in Slovenian, he recently proved that Austrian and Slovenian culture have the same root - after all, the Lipizzaner in Austria originated from a Slovenian stud farm! |
| He must have made an even bigger impression in Austria at the end of the 80's, when he intonated a tango on his sister's wedding. With this Fink began his international career, the National Theater Salzburg contracted him for two years. With Renee Jacobs, the conductor of "Sokrates", Fink already practiced music for ten years. |
| Since 1994, the Argentine Slovene lives in the homeland of his ancestors, in Ljubljana. Whether he is missing Buenos Aires? "For me, as a refugee child, the melancholy and Larmoyanz of the Argentines was always strange", he answers. "We could not afford such things, we were always struggling. Now, seen from a different perspective, I discover the beauty and poetry of the Argentine mentality." And how deeply he discovered it! On a record, which Marcos made together with his sister Bernarda Fink, "Canciones Argentinas" are celebrated, songs by Piazzolla, Guastavino and Buchardo. For us it is a new musical continent. For Marcos Fink a piece of the past, which he carries around with him like Slovenia, like Schubert and the Austrian Monarchy. |
| The connecting element between everything is the music, is Fink's elegant, full chamber singer voice. It will lend an additional eloquence to Sokrates. "He was one of the greatest philosophers of the Occident. Who personifies him, must not slip off into comedy", the singer warns. "Therefore, I do not permit myself any Basso-buffo-manners, no exaggerating and pressing of the voice. Everything has to be sung in a noble way." Exactly the way, as one knows it from the Slovene from Argentina. |
| Marcos Fink is regularly invited to sing as soloist in oratorios and has performed in concert halls in Buenos Aires, Paris, Vienna, Madrid, Barcelona, Geneve, Prag, Bratislava, Ljubljana, Strasbourg, Lisbon, Milano, Zagreb, Tokyo ... |
| In Ljubljana, he regularly participates in the production and recording of oratorios of Slovenian and other nationality authors for the Slovenian Philharmony, Slovenian RTV Symphonic Orchestra and vocal concerts given by the Slovenian Chamber Choir. With this choir Marcos Fink participates in the recording of the project "Musica sacra slovenica". |
| German text: |
| Der Insektenkundler als Philosoph |
| Ein Slowene aus Argentinien: Bass-Bariton Marcos Fink singt heute an der Staatsoper in "Der geduldige Sokrates" |
| Einer wie Marcos Fink muss nicht Philosophie studieren. Wer so herumgeweht wird vom Leben, hat die Weisheit im Blut. Und verkörpert mühelos Telemanns "Geduldigen Sokrates". Denn in Geduld hat sich Fink lange üben müssen, bevor sein Talent wirklich entdeckt wurde. Zu dem Zeitpunkt, 1990 nämlich, war er in Buenos Aires als Landwirtschafts-Ingenieur tätig, hatte bereits eine 16jährige Hochschulkarriere im Fachbereich Entomologie hinter sich: Insektenkunde. Bunt genug war er also schon für die Opernwelt. Und da ihm die Verlockungen der Kunst mehr zusagten als eine sichere Lebensstellung, sattelte er um. |
| Umsatteln ist überhaupt eine Stärke der Familie Fink. Man könnte sie für geborene Gauchos halten, stammten sie nicht aus Slowenien. Die Eltern des mittlerweile sehr erfolgreichen Bassbaritons verließen bei Kriegsende ihre Heimat. "Die Kommunisten hatten den Widerstand monopolisiert", erläutert der Sänger, "mein Vater begriff 1945, dass er nicht in Slowenien bleiben konnte - er wäre als Katholik sofort zum Klassenfeind erklärt worden." Als Katholik hatte er in Buenos Aires keine Probleme, aber als Vater von sechs Kindern. Die wollten erst einmal ernährt sein. Und dann waren sie auch noch begabt! "Meine Eltern haben sehr gelitten, als sie mein Talent entdeckten, aber keine Förderung finanzieren konnten. Aber wir haben in der Familie viel zusammen gesungen. Meine Kindheit war sehr glücklich." |
| Der junge Fink sang in Chören, studierte auch ganz vorschriftsmäßig Gesang - und entschied sich am Ende für einen Brotberuf. Seine Familie wollte hin und wieder auch mal was essen und nicht nur Schubert hören. Mit dem Wiener Komponisten fühlt er sich übrigens verwandt. "Es gibt in Slowenien und auch in unserer Familie sehr starke alt-österreichische Traditionen. Die Finken selbst kamen wahrscheinlich vor 400 Jahren aus Bayern." Mit einer auf Slowenisch gesungenen "Winterreise" bewies er unlängst, dass sich beide Kulturen zum Verwechseln ähnlich sind - schließlich hat ja Österreich auch die aus einem slowenischen Gestüt stammenden Lipizzaner eingemeindet! |
| Noch größeren Eindruck muss er in Austria Ende der 80er Jahre gemacht haben, als er auf der Hochzeit seiner Schwester einen Tango intonierte. Damit begann Finks internationale Karriere, das Landestheater Salzburg verpflichtete ihn für zwei Jahre. Mit René Jacobs, dem Dirigenten des "Sokrates", musizierte Fink bereits vor zehn Jahren. |
| Seit 1994 lebt der argentinische Slowenier in der Heimat seiner Vorfahren, in Ljubljana. Ob er Buenos Aires nicht vermisst? "Mir als Flüchtlingskind war die Melancholie und Larmoyanz der Argentinier immer fremd", antwortet er. "Wir konnten uns so etwas nicht leisten, mussten immer kämpfen. Jetzt aus der Ferne entdecke ich aber die Schönheit und Poesie der argentinischen Mentalität." Und wie er sie entdeckt! Auf einer fulminanten Platte, die Marcos gemeinsam mit seiner Schwester Bernarda Fink aufgenommen hat, werden "Canciones Argentinas" zelebriert, Lieder von Piazzolla, Guastavino und Buchardo. Für uns ein neuer musikalischer Kontinent. Für Marcos Fink ein Stück Vergangenheit, die er mit sich herumträgt wie Slowenien, wie Schubert und die K.u.K.-Monarchie. |
| Das verbindende Element zwischen allem ist die Musik, ist Finks elegante, volle Kammersängerstimme. Sie wird dem Sokrates zusätzliche Eloquenz verleihen. "Er war einer der größten Philosophen des Abendlandes. Wer ihn spielt, darf nicht in die Komödie abgleiten", warnt der Sänger. "Deswegen gestatte ich mir überhaupt keine Basso-buffo-Manieren, kein Übertreiben und Pressen der Stimme. Alles muss nobel gesungen sein." Eben so, wie man es von dem Slowenen aus Argentinien kennt. |
| ~~~ |
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| The Zither |
| A popular musical instrument in Slovenia |
| by Dr. Jožko Šavli |
| The Drone zither is a Slovenian type of zither. In different dialects, it is also known as švrkovnce, plece, špile, drskalce, drsovnca, and by other names. It is played by plucking only the melodic strings, while the bass ones freely resonate as drone. |
| This zither, usually produced by the zitherists themselves, appeared no later than in the 19th century. Today it is almost completely unplayed. Slovenian musicians have always held a preference for the more refined concert zithers. One of the musical groups that still uses the drone zither is the folk group Tolovaj Mataj. |
| The zither is one of the most ancient stringed instruments and was already known in remote ages. In Egypt, for example, during the period of king Ptolemy I (323 – 283 BC) in Alexandria, an orchestra, suitable for a solemn performance, was composed of ca. 600 musicians, including a proper complement of 300 zitherists. Egyptian kings learned to play this musical instrument, as it has been mentioned in the books of ancient prophets. At that time, the right-angled small resonance chest was called a chetarah. To the Arabians it was known under the name of citharawas. From there it was brought to Europe by the Crusaders. |
| It is a guitar-like instrument, which obviously is a combination of the Arabic lute and the zither. The last issue of the one-time very ramified zither family has been the Alpine people's zither. In Slovenian language, they are generally known as citre (pron. zitre), pl., irrespectively of the fact, if they were elaborated at home or by an artisan. The number of strings is not defined. They are tuned in a different way. |
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| In Slovenia, at the end of the 19th century, in particular in small towns and boroughs the concert zither was well-liked and inspired people to make music at home. It was most commonly used in the German-speaking area of Austria (ancient Carantania). Regardless, if German or Slovenian countryside, the zither was also elaborated at home. It is most likely, that the zither was a very popular Carantanian musical instrument. |
| In the Middle Ages, the zither was widely diffused across the whole of Carantania. It played an important role in Slovenian ballads, and it was almost everywhere present in people's life, from marriages and funerals to religious ceremonies, folk music and ballad-like reciting about queens and kings. A response on a questionnaire from 1838 reveals, that at that time in Postojna, the zither was the most favorite instrument being played. In 1846, the Goth Topography quotes, that in Humperk on Drava and in Šmihel near Mozirje people danced to the zither's melodies. |
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| Alpine zither |
| In the period before the First World War, the first zither schools were introduced in Slovenia. The art of playing the zither was also taught by private teachers. One of those highly respected professionals was Ivan Kiferle, who published 12 tomes of Slovenian songs, all redacted for the zither. Between WW1 and WW2 people's interest for the zither gradually disappeared. After the war it became popular anew, but in a different way. The »Slovenian Alpine« zither blends harmoniously with the sounds of guitar and bass-viol, and soloists, like Miha Dovžan, bring a new sound of indigenous folk music to Slovenia and the world. |
| Scholars say, that at one time the zither could be found in almost every Slovenian home. Slovenian zither schools at the end of the 19th century inspired the general public. Musical literature for zither included instructions for playing and diverse compositions. They mostly ranged from folk tunes to patriotic songs. Major music schools, however, do not teach this instrument, because it does not pertain to the orchestral art parts. |
| Songs for zither originated in all provinces, where Slovenians live. They are a living image of a one-time life style, they are humorous, merry and mournful. They are for lads and girls, for religious life, freedom-loving people, and they sing also about the beauty of nature. |
| There are several movies, in which the authors adopted the zither. In fact, whenever one is longing for a blend of pleasure and intimate homeliness, he thinks about the zither. Perhaps, some compositions of Slovenian entertainment music use the zither as an important key element to achieve that special flavor of harmony. |
| So, from the dusty garretts this forgotten instrument made a come-back. Some of them already injured, others still in surprisingly good shape. Some extremely skilled workers, who had manually produced zithers, are coming back into the spot light, and they do not lack behind top producers of well-known enterprises. It has been said, that hand made zithers from Slovenia are of higher quality than the imported ones. And that the special position of fingers makes music harmony really beautiful, and above all it is »po naše« (our way), in Slovenian. (April 13, 2008) |
| ~~~ |
| The Musical Identity of Middle Europe |
| also in the sense of the historical legacy of the Veneti |
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| Prospectus with the program of the symposium, (title page) |
| Dr. Jožko Šavli |
| Dr. Ivan Klemencic, the Chairman of the Musicological Institute, a department of the Scientific Research Centre of SAZU (the Slovenian Academy of Sciences & Arts), took the initiative to organize an international Symposium under the title "The Musical Identity of Central Europe", held on October 23rd and 24th, 2003, in Lublana (Slovenia). The invitations to attend the Symposium were issued last year in 2002, and no one could predict that they received such an overwhelming response. The participants came from Vienna, Bratislava, Prague, Munich, Warsaw, Budapest, Zagreb, Brescia (Italy), Chapell Hill (USA), Oxford, and Lublana. They presented the results of their researches in the frame of the above topic. |
| As an introductory essay to the symposium, Dr. Peter Vodopivec spoke about Middle Europe between myths and realty, and gave a historical review of the area. Then Dr. Jožko Šavli presented his introductory essay and talked about Middle Europe in sense of the spiritual and cultural legacy from history and pre-history, and the role of the Veneti. Seen from the historical point of view, this theme represented a whole new outlook on the culture and spirituality of Europe, including the musical tradition. |
| The author, who explored this new field of research thoroughly, does not consider the cultural affinity of the Central European peoples as a consequence of the fact, that they for some centuries lived in a common State formation under the sceptre of the Habsburgs. On the contrary, he considers the peoples of Middle Europe in a prevailing manner as descendants of the pre-historic Veneti, the substrate of which remained preserved in different languages. Later, it is true, these peoples formed diverse linguistic groups and developed to the present-day modern nations, but the ancient Venetic substrate in them has been preserved to this day. |
| In his presentation, he leant towards the substrate theory, which Julius Pokorny, the well-known expert on this subject, presented in his essays after the Second World War. Julius Pokorny, a linguist and historian from Vienna, said among other things, that a nation, after having lost its proper language, still is living on and preserves its culture, albeit it speaks a different language... Dr. Šavli meant, through the agrarian culture, which was preserved until the 20th century, and which was the ancient substrate of the Veneti in all nations of Central Europe. It remained active and influenced in a very similar way the common spiritual, cultural, ethnological and also musical expressions of the nations. |
| Moreover, he ascribes the very similar spiritual tradition between the Middle European nations to the legacy of the ancient Veneti or Vends. Their spirituality, as he explains, comes from the common inner experience, which inspired so many creators. Very probably, this experience originates from the message of the Salvation, which the Veneti tried to bring to the world during their migrations after 1200 BC. In his opinion, this spiritual and cultural legacy, which has been preserved in the (Venetic) substrate of Middle Europe, influenced also Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin, Dvorak, Liszt and others. As to speak of the musical field only. |
| At the beginning of the symposium, Dr. Kajetan Gantar, the vice president of SAZU, said among other things in his allocution to the participants: Music is impartial, it is something that all people understand. |
| ~~~ |
| Awards for the "Jacobus Gallus" Choir from Trieste |
| Recently, in Vittorio Veneto (Ceneda) the 40th Italian Choir Competition took place, which also presented the Slovenian choir "Jacobus Gallus" from Trieste - Trst. The judges presented four awards to the Slovenian choir: the great award Efrem Casagrande, award for best program, the conductor award, as well as the award for best presentation in the folklore category. The choir "Jacobus Gallus", under its present day conductor Matjaž Šcek, consists of 40 singers. The grand award Efrem Casagrande is giving the choir the opportunity to participate in the prestigious international choir competition, which will be held in August 2005 in Arezzo (Toscana, Italy). The Carantha staff is congratulating the singers and the conductor on their great success! |
| ~~~ |
| The Song of a Styrian Shepherd |
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| On the picture above: Donacka gora (884 m) in Lower Styria. |
| by Andrej Lenarcic |
| Prof. Križnar, a music reviewer, prepared a broadcast for which he received an award at a festival in France. In his broadcast he presented the song of a Slovenian shepherd from Styria, the motif of which the composer Haydn adopted in his "Hymn of the Empire", and it remained in use until 1918. Then, during the Weimar Republic it was taken over by Germany, and it is still today the hymn of the Federal Republic of Germany. In 1823, the composer Beethoven adopted the motif and reworked it in his Ode of Joy (An die Freude in German language). In 1993 Beethoven's hymn "An die Freude" was chosen as a common symbol of the European Union. So, today the whole world is silent, when the ancient Slovenian shepherd's song resounds…. |
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| (cf: Echo, letters: Reader's comment on The Song of a Styrian Shepherd) |
| ~~~ |
| In its European setting |
| by Dr. Jožko Šavli |
| Slovenes encountered art music during the fifth century, when Christianization began to spread in the Duchy of Carantania in the Eastern Alps, where they dwelt. Along with Christianization were also liturgical hymns introduced. The cry-plea-call "Kyrie eleison" (Lord, have pity) was meant to divert the common people from their pagan singing and offer them direct participation in the divine worship. |
| The "Kyrie eleison" was the first plainchant that made a connection to the peoples' language, and became an essential element in shaping the melodic forms of medieval Slovene church songs that developed from the 11th to the I5th century. Even after the enthroning of the Carantanian Dukes at Krn Castle near Klagenfurt/Celovec, in present-day Carinthia (Austria), the ancient ritual songs in Slovenian language, like the "Kyrie eleison" and others, were sung. |
| During the medieval centuries, secular, vocal and instrumental music was also very much alive next to church music. A number of sources provide proof and information that for example, the minnesingers Ulrich von Liechtenstein was saluted in Slovenian tongue on his entrance in Carintha, and that Oswald von Wolkenstein was skilled in Slovenian and made use of the language himself, when both visited Slovenia. |
| Alongside art, religious and secular music, the Middle Ages were also important in the development of folk music. The common people nurtured this and developed even better skills the more the pressure grew to which they were subjected. Singing and playing folk instruments were just as popular as folk dances. |
| The music in Slovenia during the Middle Ages was an important activity. It expressed the original creativity of the people where it came from; it was also partly a reflection of foreign cultures that played an influential role in their lives. Evidence of composers for this period, who should be mentioned here, is lacking. |
| The Reformation during the second half of the 16th century was particularly significant for musical development, by using music as one of the most effective means to spread the new creed. Initially, the Slovenian Protestants required appropriate songs for the words with reformatory precepts. This requirement led to the realization of the first Slovenian hymnal "Eni Psalmi" (Some Psalms, 1567). With every supplement and addition, this hymnal enjoyed four subsequent editions in the years 1574, 1579, 1584 and 1595. |
| When singing the Protestant liturgy either unison or in parts, the lack of singers could be replaced by collaborating instruments. We may suppose that both, the Slovene Catholic and the Protestant circles did at least partially incline toward Renaissance reproduction. |
| During this time some Slovene born musicians sought after, and indeed found, better conditions to further their musical development outside of the country than at home. Many of them remain unknown, because they frequently Latinized, Romanized or Germanized their surnames. |
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Jurij Sladkonja (1456 - 1522) was Bishop of Vienna and chief of the Court Chapel of the Emperor Maximilian I, that he directed since 1498. The chapel is represented on an image of series from Emperor Maximilan's Triumph Procession (woodcut by Hans Burgmair sr., 1512/18). Bishop Sladkonja is sitting in the background of the carriage. |
| In the transition period from the 15th to the 16th century, among the ranking musicians shall be mentioned Jurij Slatkonja (1456 - 1522) from Ljubljana, who was "obrister Capellmeister" for the Vienna Court Chapel and also Bishop of Vienna. Numerous musicians of Slovenian origin, who were active in the various Central European towns, followed him. The most important of them was certainly Jacobus Gallus Carniolus (1550 - 1591). |
| Towards the 16th century the Counter Reformation had began to expel the Protestants from Slovenian lands. For a while the liveliness ceased, but soon it began again, although in some spheres it appeared largely altered than before. The leader of Counter Reformation, the Bishop T. Hren of Ljubljana, possessed a powerful sense for music, which was of equal importance for re-Catholization, as it had been for the Reformation. |
| During the first decade of 16th century, the number of musicians increased, which can be attributed to the efforts of the Jesuits who came to Ljubljana with Hren. They wrote plays and Passion processions, and established their own theatre with works, that presented biblical tales, which at first started out with only modest but later were increasingly rich accompanied by music. In order to do this singers and instrumentalists had to be educated by Jesuits in their own colleges. |
| Musical activity in Slovenia was very much alive in the 17th century. The bishop's chapel was still important, and the Jesuit theatrical presentations were particularly significant for the growth of musical production. Numerous names of organists, pipers and other musicians exist from those times, which were engaged in church musical choirs, in Jesuit theatrical performances and at other occasions. |
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| The seal of the Academia Philharmonicorum from Ljubljana (Slovenia) dating in 1700 |
| After 170l, similar to the Italian model, the "Academia Philharmonicorum" was founded in Ljubljana, made up of skilled musicians, instrumentalists and singers from both, the nobility and the middle class of the town. The initiator and founder was J. B. Hoffer (1667 - 1718). |
| During the first decades of 18th century musical life in Ljubljana offered a great variety of guest performances given by Italian opera singers. It is an interesting fact, that the first performance known to have occurred in Slovenia, is the one of the Chapel Master working for the Carniolan Vice-Dom, G. C. Bonomi, who evidently wrote an opera in Ljubljana entitled "Il Tamerlano", which was a "tragedia musica" performed in 1732. |
| Towards the beginning of the second half of the 18th century, the country suffered from economic crisis, which also left its imprint on the musical world in Slovenia and demanded substantial changes. The Academy of philharmonists began to falter, and cannot be traced anymore after 1719. In 1773 the Order of Jesuits was dismantled, and consequently all their theatrical activities and stunning rich musical performances. |
| After 1768 German theatre companies began to perform in the Lubljana Provincial Theatre, desirous to diminish the influence of Italian opera through their own Singspiel. But they remained unsuccessful in their endeavour. The social atmosphere in Slovenia at that time was cosmopolitan in a western European sense, and the more clearly defined national question of identity did not disturbed them. |
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The postage stamp issued for the 200-anniversay of the founding of the "Philharmonische Gesellschaft" of Ljubljana (1794 - 1994), which followed the Academia. The stamp bears images of its honorable members: Beethoven, Brahms, Dvoøak, Haydn, Paganini. |
| Nevertheless, in 1794 a new philharmonic society was established entitled under the German name "'Philharmonische Gesellschaft", in German language, which became not only the most important society in the then Habsburg Monarchy, but the language was also spoken among the citizens of Ljubljana besides Slovenian. This Philharmonic Society was one of the firsts in Central Europe. It possessed an orchestra and singers, and planed to have solo performances of quality. Regardless of social rank, nationality or artistic views, it opened its doors wide to all capable musicians. |
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| The end of the letter that Ludwig van Beethoven wrote to the Academia Philharmonicorum in 1819 |
| At the beginning of the eighties of that century J. Zupan (1734 - 1810) wrote his opera "Belin" based on a Slovene text by J. D. Dev. His music has not been preserved, but it was apparently Baroque. Some ten years later, around 1790, J. K. Novak (ca. 1756 - 1833) wrote a musical accompaniment to a comedy of Linhart, entitling it Figaro. His composition was in Rococo. |
| In the first half of the 19th century, in the Classicism, a great part of active composers in Slovenia were foreigners. |
| In the Romanticism during the forties of that century, under the influence of the awakening Slovene national movement the situation began essentially to alter... By means of music the national conscience was to be aroused. Through the centuries Slovenes had been linked with western European music. Then, the western, in this phase Romantic music, was useless for the fresh, nationally conditioned tasks in Slovenia. |
| A different, simple style of composition, a tangible music was required, melodically attractive, with enthusiastically patriotic texts. At the same time this ought to be the foundation stone for Slovenian adjusted originality that was not identical in style or technique. |
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From 1848 onwards there was issued in Slovenia a collection of musical works called "Slovenska gerlica" (Slovenian Turtle-Dove), and since 1878 the "Cerkveni glasnik" (Church Herald magazine) with church music compositions also began to be published. |
| The national stamp characterizes the Romanticism in Slovenia. Here and there the simple Lieder (songs) and small pieces added life to Slovene gatherings called "Besede" (Allocutions), from the March revolution of 1848 onwards through the decades, rendering the publication of "Slovenska gerlica" (Slovenian Turtle-Dove) possible, a collection of undemanding works available from then on to the Slovene people. |
| From the sixties onwards, various factors contributed to the development and spread of Slovene music and made the presentation of Slovene creative works possible. These included, among others, the "Glasbena Matica" (The Musical Association, 1872), that published original Slovene compositions, arranged concerts and planed a music school, and the ''Cecilijino društvo" (Cecilian Society, 1877) whit its aim of promoting Slovene church music, achieved through the magazine ''Cerkveni glasbenik" (Church Harald magazine, 1878), and other publications. In 1892 and under the auspices of the Provincial Theatre in Ljubljana, the Slovene "Opera" began. |
| In Slovenia, the German minority, composed of influential classes of townspeople, insisted to remain on the musical scene. However, its leaning toward Germanification became more and more obvious and caused frictions within the Slovene regions. |
| In opposition to the German "'Philharmonische Gesellschaft" was the Slovene "Glasbena Matica", in concept much broader then its German counterpart. Consequently, German production and reproduction diminished considerably, whilst both flourished for Slovenes. During the last four decades of the 19th century, a generation of numerous Slovene Romantics developed. |
| Romanticism in Slovenia extended into the 20th century. The composers produced a variety of works. Particular alive was the church song which embraced wide social classes, creating during the festival days a feeling full of glory and deep experiences. |
| The transition into the 20th century was an about-turn characterised by conception of an artistic form more appropriate for the European situation. A retreat from what had been until then customary, and a more conscious move towards the new began to be brought about by the music magazine "Novi akordi" (New Chords). The editor preferred a powerful initiative for a drawing closer to contemporary western European music. |
| In the European music world Impressionism was already taking effect. But this style never found any broader or former base in Slovenia. Current artistic principles of post-Romanticism, Expressionism and neo-Classicism were becoming effective much more successfully. The first was still linked with traditional work, enriching it with fresh possibilities of sound; the second two heralded a break with the past and the start of Slovene musical Modernism. This signified complete inclusion into the European scene. |
| This period saw composers enter the Slovene musical scene one after the other, who had the fresh artistic desires at heart just before the World War I. |
| The first one to indicate this, was Marij Kogoj (1892 - 1956), with his characteristic Lieder, choirs, piano works and opera "Crne maske" (Black Masks, 1927), in which the composer asserted Expressionism upon a Romantically coloured background. This too, as realized by this author, fundamentally shook the still well-rooted in tradition Slovene music of the twenties. - It was even more disturbed by Slavko Osterc (1895 - 1941). He brought stylistic Expressionism and new-Classicism onto the Slovene musical scene, making current the principles of twelve-tone systematic, athematics, atonality and arrhythmic. |
| Kogoj and Osterc differed from each other, but both represented the new movement. Contemporary European music confirmed the validity of this new way. |
| After World War II, on one hand various phases of work inclined to Romanticism continued, on the other hand a tendency towards academism and socrealism (Socialistischer Realismus) appeared. During the fifties a new situation arose. |
| The earlier writers of music worked respecting their former artistic views. Composers appearing after the World Word II were in diverse in style and definition. Even more numerous were those accepting the Modernist teaching and personally devoted themselves to the principles of European post-war endeavours. But the bond with the Slovene emotional space can be detected in almost all of them, alongside the universal concept. |
| Vinko Vodopivec |
| Master of the Slovenian Church Song |
| 1878 - 1952 |
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| by Dr. Jožko Šavli |
| He was born in1878, in the locality of Rocinj near Kanal in the Soca (Isonzo) Valley, in the province of Gorica (Goerz, Gorizia). It was still in the period of the Habsburg Monarchy. His father originated from the Vipava Valley and was an organist. Vinko (Vincent) was the eldest son in a family of ten children. Later, the family transferred to Grgar, a village, which is found under the famous pellegrinage (place of pilgremage) of Sveta gora (682 m), the Holy Mountain that raises above the city of Gorica. |
| From his early youth Vinko was very inclined to church music. His father gave him his first lessons, and at the age of 12 he was able to accompany the church choir on the organ. Then, Vinko attended the gymnasium in Gorica, and in those years his interest in music grew steadily. |
| After the general examination in 1898, he entered the Catholic seminar in Gorica, and in 1901 he was consecrated priest. After various positions in the service he was appointed vicar in the village of Kromberk (Cronberg), east of Gorica, where he remained all his life. When in 1936 the vicariate was elevated to a parish, he became the parish priest there. |
| After WW1, when the province of Gorica came under Italy, Vinko Vodopivec was incessantly under observation of the Italian Police (Questura). One of the reports states, that he "is composing church music under pretext, but in reality he is carrying out an efficient propaganda for the Slav appurtenance..." It was in the period, when the Italian Fascist regime tried to suspend the Slovenian language and to Italianize the Slovenian inhabitants in the province of Gorica as well as those, who lived in the provinces of Trieste and of Istria. These provinces represented the ancient land of Littoral. Despite of that, they even received a new name, i.e., "Julian Venice" (Venezia Giulia). It should indicate that this territory traditionally appertained to Venice and with that to Italy, which never was the case. |
| The statements of the Questura were wrongly explained, but they were essentially correct. The cultural and musical creativity of Slovenians, who had to live under Italy at that time, were responding to the persecution of the Italian Fascist regime. After 1924, the regime forbade to speak Slovenian in public, suspended all Slovenian schools, banks and savings institutions. During the time of general persecution, only the church remained open, which was not under the competence of the civil authority. Only there was it possible to perform the Slovenian mass and to sing. So, Slovenian composers dedicated their forces to create church songs and music. It was the period, when it reached its summit in Littoral. Never before were people so inspired by them as in those days. |
| In this regard, Vinko Vodopivec was seen as the leading composer. He also composed secular songs, as for example Žabe (Frogs). The inspiration for this melody came to him in exile during WW1, when he was stationed at Cerknica (east of Postojna), where one can find a large periodic lake, and listen to quaking frogs in the evening. The song conjures up a very naturalistic imagination, very frequently carried out by the temporal choirs. |
| However, his compositions were mostly destined for church music. In his creative energy, he intentionally left aside the high composition and wrote for the everyday people. They performed his compositions with great enthusiasm. Sundays and feasts, to which he also made contributions, became the very experience for the masses. It must have been the time, when the saying appeared: "Who sings beautiful, prays twice!" Indeed, the church song became the most important way of praying, which reached deeply in the soul. One says: It goes to the heart. The songs and compositions expressed a somewhat romantic melody and rhythm, their message was very well understood by the people. Sometimes one felt the sensation as if a rift was opening in the door to heaven, and that a ray of celestial glory reached the earth. |
| I remember, when I was still very young in the period after the WW2, already under the Communist regime, the song Biser (Pearl), which Vinko Vodopivec composed based on the text of a mystical poem, written by the poetess, Mother Elisabeth (Kremzar), an Ursuline nun. It begins with the soprano: I found the pearl of a great splendour, such could not be found in the deep sea... followed by the alto: The earth did not get it, and neither the royal family... And then both voices joined in duo: All the people glorified it, this pearl is the Holy Host. - Much later I found out that already in the ancient Christendom the "pearl" was a symbol of Christ, because, after being brought from the depth of the sea, it reflects the light. - Indeed, it seems, that the song brought on some moments of celestial glory, when the faithful went to Communion, and the last verses of Mother Elisabeth's song resounded under the church arches: All praised Him in a silent prayer, and thousands of angels stood around. - |
| Vinko Vodopivec had an excellent understanding of the mystical message of the poem, and he composed it in a touching song. |
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| Bozji spevi (Divine songs), the collection of Slovenian church songs, published in Gorica 1929 |
| The collection Božji spevi (Divine Songs, 1929), which he edited during the great Fascist repression, contains church songs of Slovenian composers including his own. Soon followed another collection called Gospodov dan (Lord's Day, 1930). Then, Zdrava Marija (Ave Maria, 1933) was published and some years later also Svete pesmice (Sacred Ditties, 1940). All collections were published in Gorica, but they were also spread over other parts of Slovenian lands, and were accepted enthusiastically by the population. The collection from 1929 contains also his song dedicated to Jesus Heart - Božje milostno srce... (God's merciful heart...). Still today, it is very popular among the people. |
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| Gospodov dan (Lord's Day), the second collection of Slovenian church songs, Gorica 1930 |
| In one of these collections we find also a series of melodies concerning the Benediction - Tantum ergo sacramentum..., in Slovenian: V zakramentu vseh sladkosti... They were composed by several composers, who in this way approached the sacramental experience in the people. Indeed, they succeeded with a series of melodies, which started with the very simple, sang by all people, and reached the more elevated, which only could be sang by choirs. |
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| Zdrava Marija (Ave Maria), the third collection, Gorica 1933 |
| The Slovenian Mass on Sundays was in this way a very feast in a feast. In Littoral, during the period between WW1 and WW2, when the Italian Fascist regime suspended all Slovenian cultural life, the Slovenian church song remained. It was a sign of national survival. Vinko Vodopivec with his work made decisive contributions in this respect. |
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| Svete pesmice (Holy Ditties), the fourth collection, Gorica 1940 |
| His musical creative energy was enormous, and some critics say: Why did the Church authority not let him study music? His compositions would have been of very high standard! - In fact, he composed some masses: Missa in honorem nativitatis B.M.V. (1914), Missa in honorem ss. Cordis Iesu (1933), and others. His collections of songs for mixed choir is most numerous, besides those dedicated to St. Mary. He honoured particularly Heart Jesus - Pesmi v cast presv. Srcu Jezusovemu (Songs in Honour to the Sacred Heart Jesus, Ljubljana 1937), Deset pesmi v cast presv. Srcu Jezusovemu (Ten Songs in Honour to Sacred Heart Jesus, Ljubljana 1938)... It is true, his compositions are somewhat romantic. He did not search for new ways of expression in the vocal music. But he carried out his task, so that the people of all walks of life experienced the divine message through his songs, and their sentiments were elevated to a very high cultural level. |
| After WW2, when the larger part of Littoral territory came under Yugoslavia, the new Communist regime began to suspend church choirs and to discriminate against faithful people. Such persecution continued publicly for some years, but the underground persecuted the faithful until the end of the Yugoslav regime. Vinko Vodopivec did not experience all this, because he was already of high age. He died in 1952, but the greatness of his work was also respected by the new regime. Because in the years after the WW2, some spirit of patriotism still lived among the Partisans. Belgrade started to liquidate Slovenian national structures at the beginning of the 60s. |
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| Memorial of Vinko Vodopivec in Kromberk near Nova Gorica |
| Vinko Vodopivec composed also temporal vocal music, not only for the church, which made it possible to preserve his memory under the Communist regime of the post-war period. So, already in 1953, the students of the academic choir of Littoral in Ljubljana assumed the name "Vinko Vodopivec". A street in Koper and another one in Solkan were named after him. In 1992, his statue was inaugurated in front of the church of St. Mary Comforter in Kromberk. |
| Regretfully, the Slovenian church song and the opus of Vinko Vodopivec received a decisive hit from Rome. The Council Vatican II introduced a new liturgy, which put the emphasis on loud-voiced prayers, mechanically repeated by the people from time to time. The mass on Sunday lost its divine fascination, and also Slovenians' enthusiasm for the church diminished. After some years the steady stream of churchgoers declined drastically. |
| ~~~ |
| Jacobus Handl Gallus |
| dictus Carniolus, and his work |
| (1550 - 1591) |
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Jacobus Handl Gallus dictus Carniolus - the image from his obituary notice († 1591). As the inscription says, the image was made in 1590, when he was 40. Thus, he was born in 1550. |
| by Dr. Jožko Šavli |
| Four hundred years ago in Prague, on July 18, 1591, died Jacobus Gallus, a great Renaissance composer and master of polyphony. The protocol of his legacy represents a man, who was penniless, without funds, his only goods and chattels were his compositions. He often made it known in the preface of his music editions , that all his capital was invested in music printing, and his life was dedicated to the art of music, coming from an inward feeling and conviction, that music is the most spiritual from all other arts. |
| Many composers of great influence created an important evolution in music at this time, by melting the traditional and the new styles into one another. Music in the 16th century had in many respects both characteristics, a prolific and a diverse one. Local polyphony gained ground and continued to be practised even in later years, though it gradually gave way to the early Baroque monody (funeral song). Three musical forms in particular reached peak performance: The mass, motet and madrigal. |
| Among the composers Jacobus Gallus occupies one of the most visible places. He was born in 1550. It seems that his original name was Handl, but he most often used the name Gallus, its Latinized form, as was customary at that time. |
| Besides the above-mentioned two names, Gallus adopted as a third name Carniolus, to indicate that he was from Carniola (Kranjska), the central county of present-day Slovenia. However, no known record with the exact date and place of his birth exists. In the 16th century the family names Handl and Gallus were quite common in Carniola, but none of the people bearing these names can be identified as "Gallus the composer". Many parish registers from that period are lost. Only a text carved on an original woodcut from 1590 tells us the date of his birth and bears his portrait. |
| There arises also the other question about the original form of his family name, which probably was Germanized in the registry. At that time, the German style of writing was used in most parts of Slovenian countries, because the Slovenian language was still in its early beginning of literary workmanship. Therefore well-known personalities Latinized their names, whereas common family names as well as names of villages and towns were traduced or written in German mode. |
| It is next to certain that the name Handl was a translation of the Slovenian family name Petelin meaning cock, since in the following period the writing of the original Slovenian form prevailed, so that nowadays only this type can be found in Slovenia. |
| The signature of Jacobus Gallus or Handl appears for the most part in Latinized form and less often in German. The last one was his official name. He never used the Slovenian form in his signatures, but he added the epithet Carniolus, not only to indicate his origin, but mainly to distinguish himself from all other people, who bore the same name. During his lifetime there were many artists with the same name all over the countries. |
| Nevertheless, it is also possible, that by calling himself Carniolus, he wanted to emphasize his link to his native country. |
| Gallus' Life |
| There is no known record clarifying Gallus' early youth, so we do not know whether he came from a town or village. Formal education was not obligatory at the time. Parents decided on sending their children to school, if they noticed special talents. Jacobus Gallus was obviously a gifted boy, but nothing has been recorded about his childhood and basic education. It seems to be most likely, that he gained his first knowledge in the monastery of Sticna (Sittich), south-east of Ljubljana. This monastery had a good reputation in educating boys and young men, and in putting special emphasis on music. |
| According to some authors, who occupied themselves with his biography, the main reason for leaving home and getting education abroad has to be ascribed to the Reformation, which at that time diffused Slovenian lands. But the oppressing Reformation was not the only reason for this expatriation. The musical situation in Slovenia played another important factor. The Protestant chorale was introduced and encouraged in Protestant churches and schools. The musical work, carried out by Slovenian Reformers, was very positive, but it never reached the artistic level of unlimited opportunities to satisfy young Gallus outstanding gift for music. |
| Gallus was one of many Slovenian musical emigrants, who moved to places that had to offer a more favourable climate to further their development - Graz, Innsbruck, Prague and elsewhere. In the introduction of his first volume of masses (1580) he gave an insight of his early youth, still being a boy he decided to dedicate his life to music, "not thinking of possible profits, but driven by an inner urge." And in the introduction to the third volume of his motets (1587), he declared: "I will, if life be granted to me, adorn music even when I am old; dead or alive, I will never desert it." |
| It seems that Gallus left home quite early, certainly before 1565, taking his first lodgings in the Benedictine Monastery of Melk in Lower Austria, where he stayed for about 10 years. Proof of his life in Melk provides the fourth volume of his collection of masses, which was dedicated to Johann Rueff, the "'most honoured Father and spiritual guide in Christ", at first being a monk of the monastery and later Abbot of the Cistercian Monastery in Zwettl. In Melk, Gallus started to compose masses, which were published in 1580. |
| Just before 1574 Gallus joined the Court Chapel in Vienna, which seemed to be far more promising to promote his artistic advancement and recognition, since it consisted of vocalists and instrumentalists. Because he was 24 years old at that time, he could have been only a tenor or a bass singer, belonging to the Capellsingerknaben-extraordinarii (Sängerknaben der Kapelle), a title that was given to adult singers. Vienna was the perfect place for Gallus to associate with many other musicians. He lived in the centre of the current musical endeavours, and he undoubtedly took full advantage of them. He was young and ambitious; he wanted to excel in every respect. |
| Gallus left the Court Chapel some time in 1575. We may assume that he wanted to leave the capital, being aware of the fact that no further advancements could be accomplished here. The following years he spent travelling and wrote about his journeys that included numerous towns in Moravia, Bohemia and Silesia. In Wroclaw he stayed for a longer period, which is evidenced by his many manuscript compositions, studies of motets and other compositions that were later published. |
| Between 1575 and 1578, in Zabrdovice near Brno in Moravia, Gallus might have made contact already with Stanislav Pavlovský, a Premonstratensian monk, who in 1580 was consecrated Bishop of Olomouc (Moravia). Bishop Pavlovský invited Gallus to stay at his court. Since the middle of 1580 Gallus became choro praefectus at the bishop's court in Kromìøiž (Kremsier). Again he composed a number of secular works to meet the needs of the local instrumentalists and singers, who were directed and trained under his immediate instructions. |
| After having served the bishop for five years, Gallus wanted to leave. Pavlovský obliged and issued him a testimonial describing "the faithful service of Jakob Handl, a Carniolan musician, and his release from the court". The letter of discharge was "given in Kromìøiž at our castle on 26th July in the year of our Lord 1585". |
| Afterwards Gallus settled down in Prague, the Residence City of Emperor Rudolf II. Gallus was made organist and choirmaster with the title regens chori of St. John's Church. The church was built at the beginning of the 12th century and later rebuilt in Gothic style (demolished in 1896). It was within the competence of the Archbishop of Prague, and its patron was the Emperor. |
| The printing of his compositions presented a serious burden for him. Gallus was actively involved in their technical realization and corrected each one of them. The publisher was Nigrin, a printer who belonged to the circle of humanists in Prague and was in touch with many Bohemian poets. Nigrin's publications were of high technical quality. Gallus and Nigrin were more than acquaintances - they were friends. This friendship helped Gallus to overcome a variety of printing problems, and with much effort he could be ensured, that almost his entire opus was printed during his lifetime. |
| Gallus died in 1591 in Prague. The cause of his death remains unknown. He died suddenly at the age of forty-one, probably suffering from an acute disease... Did the composer sense that his life was drawing to an end? Among the pieces that Gallus composed in 1590 is the choral "Dulces exuviae". Here the composer used Virgils lines (The Aeneid IV, 651 - 654): |
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"O relics once dear, while God and Fate allowed! |
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Take my spirit, and release me from my woes! |
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I have lived; I have finished the course that Furtun gave; |
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And now in majesty my shade shall pass beneath the earth." |
| Following his death various Latin poems were published. Altogether there were four, written by Bohemian poets who had contact with the late composer, reflecting their attitude toward him and illustrating the cultural atmosphere in Prague at that time. |
| Gallus' Opus |
| It appears that Gallus started to compose in the 1570's. In the beginning there were probably the masses followed by his early motets. |
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Selectiones quaedam missae (Several selected masses) was the first collection of Gallus' compositions, published in Prague in 1580. |
| Gallus published his masses first. He entitled the collection Selectiores guaedam missae (Several selected masses). The collections comprise four volumes, which were issued by Nigrin in 1580 in Prague. Gallus dedicated the first and the second to his superior Pavlovský, the third to the Abbot Schönauer and the fourth to the Abbot Rueff, i.e., to his main supporters and friends. The collection of masses, however, was dedicated to his own work. The thoughts express his devotion to God, to the Church and his art. Those were the leading motives, and they more or less accompanied him throughout his creative life. |
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Opus musicum (Prague, 1586) is a collection of motets. Motets were musical depictions of liturgical and biblical texts. Gallus wrote altogether 374 motets for four to twelve voices. |
| The form of composition, that Gallus paid special interest to, was the motet. Motets were musical depictions of liturgical and biblical texts. Gallus published them in many volumes, altogether 374 rnotets. They are composed in the collection entitled Opus musicum. The first volume, dedicated to the archbishop of Prague and the bishops of Olomouc and Wroclaw, was published in 1586. It contains motets for each feast in the church year, divided into three sections: Advent, Christmas, New Year, and Lent. |
| In the following year of 1587 the second volume of that collection was issued. It is composed of four sections: the first depicts the suffering of Christ, the second the lamentations of Jeremiah, the third the resurrection of Christ, and the fourth the meditations of the Holy Spirit. - In the same year the third volume was also published, which includes motets dedicated to the Holy Trinity and the Eucharist, plus other motets referring to the period after the Pentecost to Advent. |
| The last volume of that collection was published in Prague, in 1590. It differs from the previous three, for it bears the composer's portrait in caption, and next to it the text ending with the significant words: "I will sing to the Lord all my life, I will sing to my God as long as I live." The motets in this volume, written for four to twelve voices, were intended for various religious occasions. They praised Mary, the apostles, evangelists, martyrs, witnesses, virgins, and holy women. At the end the composer added four triumphal psalms in honour of all saints, two of which were eight-part, and the other two twenty-four-part. The latter two very impressively wound. |
| This collection of motets is Gallus' greatest work. In the compositions can frequently be noticed the intimate relation between word and music. Said J. Mantuani, a Slovenian writer (1916): "Gallus has a true sense of painting with sounds. He sets to music the most important words by painting them with the movement of melody." Mantuani quotes six such instances, and it is interesting to note that all of them come from the first volume of the collection Opus musicum. |
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The first volume of Harmoniae morales (Prague, 1589), a collection of madrigals. The word "morales" stays for "madrigales" (madrigals), meaning the musical pieces with secular contents. |
| The last Gallus' collection of compositions contained madrigals that were quite varied in their nature, in some cases being close to the sacred madrigal and the motet. The collection of madrigals was entitled Harmoniae morales, and Nigrin in Prague published the first volume in 1589. Gallus dedicated it to "his friends and the friends of music". This volume contained 14 four-part choral pieces. The second volume was also published in Prague, in 1590, comprising 19 four-part choral works. And in the same year the third volume with 20 compositions was issued. |