Slavko Osterc Research Articles

Slovenian Music in its Central European Context: the 20th-century experience

Slovenia has had a rich and varied musical histoiy, despite the fact that it was part of the Habsburg Empire and then a constituent part of Yugoslavia. Its recent smooth transition to independence and its realignment with Central Europe have been noteworthy. In the past, Slovene or part-Slovene composers such as Gallus, Tartini and Wolf worked abroad, while in the 20th century composers normally returned to Slovenia after studying abroad. For example, Marij Kogoj and Slavko Osterc studied in Central Europe and maintained a strong musical connection with Central European modernism in the 1920s and 1930s. Kogoj's strong links with Viennese expressionism were well expressed in the opera Črne maskeof 1927, while Osterc's connections with Hindemith, Honegger and others is evident in the opera Krog s kredo and orchestral works such as Mouvement symphonique. On the other hand, Kozina, Arnič and Škerjanc developed a less advanced style and kept less contact with the rest of Europe. The political situation in the 1940s and 1950s made outside travel difficult, changing the situation dramatically. Composers such as Ramovš and Uroš Krek had different experiences: Ramovš managed to study with Frazzi and Casella in Italy, while Krek did not study abroad. Both, however, produced works in a distinctive neo-classical style that typified the immediate post-war period. Ivo Petrić's music follows the styles of Prokofiev and Shostakovich. From the late 1950s onwards the situation changed with strong contacts with Croatia, Poland and countries of the West: France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States in particular. This contact encouraged the emergence of a new avant-garde in Slovenia in the 1960s with such composers as Petrić, Ramovš, Lebič, Jež, Božič, Matičič, Globokar, Stibilj and Štuhec coming into prominence. Later they were joined by Pavel Mihelčič and Maks Strmčnik. Matičič and Globokar mostly stayed abroad, while Stibilj returned permanently later. In the decades before and after independence in 1991, a new generation of composers became established, with the most advanced composition by Aldo Kumar, Uroš Rojko, Tomaž Svete, Brina Jež-Brezavšček and Nenad Firšt. Postmodern tendencies are found in the music of Jani Golob and Marko Mihevc. Ali these composers are providing the Slovene musical scene with a wide variety of distinctive music that is both challenging and interesting.

Vloga Franca in Minke Zacherl pri razvoju glasbene kulture v Ljutomeru in širšem Pomurju

Za razvoj glasbene kulture na območju Ljutomera in širšega Pomurja sta bila izjemnega pomena Franc in Minka Zacherl, oče in hči. S svojim vsestranskim delovanjem v splošnem in glasbenem šolstvu ter na področju zborovstva sta zaznamovala tudi širši slovenski prostor. Franc Zacherl je predstavnik poklicnega učitelja, ki je svoj talent razvil do profesionalne ravni in je med drugim zaslužen za ustanovitev Glasbene šole Slavka Osterca Ljutomer (1927) kot ene najstarejših na Slovenskem. Minka Zacherl, ki sodi med prve diplomante ljubljanskega konservatorija, je bila cenjena pianistka spremljevalka slovenskih in tujih umetnikov, uspešna zborovodkinja in svetovalka skladateljem mladinskih zborovskih skladb med obema vojnama. Zaslužna je za razvoj pomurskih osnovnošolskih zborov in pevskega festivala v Ljutomeru, spodbujala je delovanje odraslih pevskih skupin ter skrbela za neformalno izobraževanje zborovodij.

Myth in 300 Strokes

This paper aims to explore the phenomenon of the opera minute which emerged from the avant-garde experimentalism after WWI; its beginner and one of the foremost masters, the French composer Darius Milhaud put three short, eight-minute operas on stage in 1927. Others soon followed, among them the Slovenian composer Slavko Osterc who composed the opera-minute “Medea” in 1932. This paper is the first to transcribe in length the manuscript of Osterc’s “Medea”, comparing it to Euripides’ original. Furthermore, the article aims to establish the fine similarities and distinctions between the approach regular opera took towards myth and that of the avant-garde opera-minute.

Between constructivist and pluralistic modernism - a contribution to the understanding of the Slavko Osterc's circle

The theme of this article was inspired by a series of questions that arise to researchers when discussing compositions by musical modernist Slavko Osterc and his pupils from the first half of the 20th century, whose music was neither "tonal" nor extreme "atonal". On the one hand, there is a strong doubt of the Slovenian analysts in the progress (modernity) of the compositional means of the mentioned music, since the works are usually compared with the most extreme solutions of the Second Vienesse School – with atonality, athematicism or twelve-tone technique, and on the other hand the rejection of this music from the Slovenian cultural management in concert performing. The central question that arises is the question of the meaningfulness of such comparison, given that these composers were educated also in Prague and did not want to follow the Schönberg's twelve-tone method.

Slovenska dvanajsttonska glasba

Slavko Osterc’s studies with Alois Haba and subsequent attendance at ISCM festivals triggered his interest in twelve-tone technique. In his first attempts before the Second World War (around 1936) and at the beginning of the 1960s the technique was employed very cautiously, not following the strict logic and system of the method. The f irst fully developed t welve-tone compositions were written by Primož Ramovs and Alojz Srebotnjak in 1961, but these two very distinctive exponents of twelve-tone technique later abandoned the method: the 1970s were the time of post-serialism and postmodernism.

Ravnikovi glasbenoestetski nazori v kontekstu dveh kompozicijskih šol

In the 1930s, Janko Ravnik fell into creative silence. At the same time, two compositional schools took shape in Slovenia: that of Slavko Osterc and that of Lucijan Marija Škerjanc. The article establishes whether Ravnik’s silence came about as a consequence of the (non-)acceptance of Osterc’s aesthetics and compositional ideas.

Miniature za klavir Primoža Ramovša

Primož Ramovš (1921–1999) je klavirske Miniature napisal jeseni 1945. Po končanem študiju pri Slavku Ostercu v Ljubljani (1941) ter izpopolnjevanju pri Alfredu Caselli v Rimu (1941–1943) so bile njegovo drugo obsežno poštudijsko delo. Zasnoval jih je kot variacije na koral, s katerim je bil uvedel sklepni stavek Druge simfonije (1943–1944). Sprva jih je želel imenovati variacije brez teme. V desetih odstavkih nastopa izhodiščna misel razdeljena v dve ne zelo kontrastni temi, ki sta vsakokrat obravnavani bodisi zaporedoma bodisi le ena; v prvotni melodični dikciji se avgmentirani oglasita le v srednjem delu zadnjega odstavka. Delo potemtakem niso variacije brez teme, temveč z »utajeno« temo, zaradi (morda različnih) zunanjih okoliščin pa jih je avtor slednjič in ne najbolj primerno imenoval Miniature. Bile so natisnjene 1955. leta, kot celota pa prvič javno izvedene šele jeseni 1963 in samó v radijskem programu. Ciklus kaže skladatelja na začetku samostojne poti. V njem so prepleteni idiomi »splošnega« neoklasicizma med obema vojnama, enako druga modernistična načela, ki jih je pri Slovencih uvajal Osterc, z ostanki starejšega kompozicijskega repertorija, ki ga je bil Ramovš spoznaval na koncertih in med pianističnim študijem. Oboje govori o potezah neoklasicizma na Slovenskem do 1945. leta, predvsem pa razkriva ustvarjalca z izrazitim novatorskim pogumom ter »improvizacijsko« domišljijo, širokopoteznega v zasnovah in usmerjenega k skrajnim območjem (klavirske) zvočnosti.

Karmen Salmič Melodične in harmonske tonske strukture v orkestralnih skladbah Demetrija Žebreta

Pričujoči glasbeno-analitični prispevek obravnava spreminjanje melodičnih in harmonskih tonskih struktur ter njihovo medsebojno učinkovanje v osmih orkestralnih skladbah Demetrija Žebreta, učenca Slavka Osterca in enega od zmerno modernistično usmerjenih ustvarjalcev slovenske orkestralne glasbe v 1. polovici 20. stoletja. Analiza skladb je pokazala, da se v Žebretovi glasbi "staro" druži z "novim" na različne načine. Večinoma so elementi stare tonalnosti vkomponirani v novo teksturo, zvočnost, stavčno gradnjo in ritmično-metrične kombinacije na nekaj različnih načinov. Skladbe iz časa skladateljevega iskanja radikalnejših rešitev v smeri odklona od tonalnosti pa se skrajno približajo meji neurejene atonalnosti, brez poskusa njihove dodekafonske sistematike.

Osterc's letters to Milojevic

The correspondence between two of the most important composers in Yugoslavia during the period between the two world wars: Miloje Milojevic (1884-1946), a Serb living in Belgrade, and Slavko Osterc (1895-1946), Slovene living in Ljubljana, gives us valuable insight into their musical aspirations ambitions, relations to other colleagues, the functioning of musical institutions and the cultural and even political climate of the times. The stylistic features of their works are basically different, Milojevic being a modernist with late romantic roots, while Osterc was inclined to objectivity of the neoclassical and "constructive expressionist type. The main topics of their correspondence include: the activities of the Yugoslav section of the International Society for Contemporary Music, in which they were very much involved, and the efforts they made to have their works performed both in the country and abroad. Milojevic and Osterc maintained very good relations throughout the period covered by this exchange of letters, that is from 1933-1941 (Osterc's last letter was sent three months before his death in May 1941) and their correspondence provides evidence of several instances of the mutual generosity, as they helped each other in their careers. The portion of this correspondence that is kept in Ljubljana - Milojevic's letters to Osterc - has already been published and analyzed by Dragotin Cvetko. As such, the edition of the remaining correspondence, Osterc's letters to Milojevic, that is kept in the private archive of Milojevic's grandson Vlastimir Trajkovic in Belgrade, completes the picture. The language Osterc used was his mother tongue, Slovenian, with "borrowings" from the Serbian, the result being an often amusing mixture of the two.

Zvočni svet Primoža Ramovša (1921-1999)

Zvočni svet Primoža Ramovša (1921-1999)

Osterčeva pisma Juanu C. Pazu

Osterčeva pisma Juanu C. Pazu

Slavko Osterc med neoklasicizmom in ekspresionizmom

Slavko Osterc med neoklasicizmom in ekspresionizmom

Osterc kot mit avantgarde šestdesetih let

Osterc kot mit avantgarde šestdesetih let

Kompozicijski stavek Simfonije v C-duru ("Ideali") Slavka Osterca

Kompozicijski stavek Simfonije v C-duru ("Ideali") Slavka Osterca

Slavko Osterc v Mariboru

Slavko Osterc v Mariboru

Osterc in Hába

Osterc in Hába

Slavko Osterc in njegov čas

Slavko Osterc in njegov čas

Melodika v Osterčevem kompozicijskem stavku

Melodika v Osterčevem kompozicijskem stavku

Bibliografija o Slavku Ostercu

Bibliografija o Slavku Ostercu

Pahorjevo predkompozicijsko dopisno šolanje pri Slavku Ostercu

Pahorjevo predkompozicijsko dopisno šolanje pri Slavku Ostercu