Zagreb
Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...
,
Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capit ...
) is a
Croat
The Croats (; hr, Hrvati ) are a South Slavic ethnic group who share a common Croatian ancestry, culture, history and language. They are also a recognized minority in a number of neighboring countries, namely Austria, the Czech Republic, Ge ...
ian
composer
A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music.
Etymology and Defi ...
and
musician
A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who wri ...
. He has been composing for over 60 years. During that time he has created an opus of more than 40 film and more than 100 episode soundtracks, eleven
musicals
Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...
, two
musical film
Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serve merely as breaks ...
s and two
ballet
Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...
s. His musicals have been performed over 2000 times.
He was taught music by the Croatian composer
Rudolf Matz
Rudolf Matz (19 September 1901 – 22 March 1988) was a Croatian composer who wrote about 500 instrumental and vocal compositions. Matz lived in the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia. He was born in Zagreb, 1901 and di ...
and later enrolled the
Vatroslav Lisinski
Vatroslav Lisinski (, 8 July 1819 – 31 May 1854) was a Croatian composer.
Lisinski was born Ignatius Fuchs to a German Jewish family. He would later change his name to Vatroslav Lisinski, which is a Croatian calque of his original name. For a t ...
music school
A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music academy, music faculty, college of music, music department (of a larger ins ...
. Roger Samyn helped him brush up his composing skills. Although he received a degree on the Faculty of Architecture of the
University of Zagreb
The University of Zagreb ( hr, Sveučilište u Zagrebu, ; la, Universitas Studiorum Zagrabiensis) is the largest Croatian university and the oldest continuously operating university in the area covering Central Europe south of Vienna and all of ...
, Alfi Kabiljo has never made use of it. He has spent most of his life in the Zagreb neighborhood of
Šalata
Šalata () is an upper-class residential neighborhood in Zagreb, Croatia. It is administratively part of the Gornji Grad - Medveščak city district in the northern part of Zagreb and it has a population of 1,929.
Šalata houses the Šalata Sp ...
, although he stayed in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
for a short while. Kabiljo is a former president of the
Croatian Composers' Society
Croatian Composers' Society ( hr, Hrvatsko društvo skladatelja, HDS) is a professional organization of composers in Croatia.
The society has more than 300 full and over 9000 associate members. The full membership is available to composers, musi ...
( hr, Hrvatsko društvo skladatelja) and a member of the
FIDOF
Federation Internationale des Organisations de Festivals (FIDOF, "International Federation of Festival Organizations") was an organization to hold and organize festivals worldwide. It was established in 1966, and headquartered in Split, Yugoslavia ...
organization.
Alfi wrote his first song when he was eight years old.
Since then, he has written soundtracks for various films, including the 1991 film ''
Scissors
Scissors are hand-operated shearing tools. A pair of scissors consists of a pair of metal blades pivoted so that the sharpened edges slide against each other when the handles (bows) opposite to the pivot are closed. Scissors are used for cutti ...
'', starring
Sharon Stone
Sharon Vonne Stone (born March 10, 1958) is an American actress. Known for primarily playing femme fatales and women of mystery on film and television, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1990s. She is the recipient of various ...
and
Ronny Cox
Daniel Ronald Cox (born July 23, 1938) is an American actor, singer and songwriter. His best-known roles include Drew Ballinger in ''Deliverance'' (1972), George Apple in ''Apple's Way'' (1974–75), Ozark Bule in '' Bound for Glory'' (1976), Co ...
, and the 1986 film '' The Girl''. He has also written soundtracks for over 100 television episodes, including the
Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capit ...
Ivan Kušan Ivan Kušan (30 August 1933 – 20 November 2012) was a Croatian writer.
Kušan was born in Sarajevo, Kingdom of Yugoslavia to the family of Jakša Kušan, a bookstore owner. The family moved to Zagreb in 1939. At the age of ten Ivan discovered his ...
, the TV series '' Ne daj se Floki'', and series about the famous inventor
Ivo Robić
Ivo Robić (28 January 1923 – 9 March 2000) was a Croatian singer-songwriter.
Domestic career
Robić began his career as a soloist with the Radio Zagreb Orchestra, while studying at the same time in Zagreb. He performed during World War II o ...
and
Tereza Kesovija
Tereza Ana Kesovija (; born 3 October 1938) is an internationally acclaimed Croatian recording artist. She was one of the most recognizable figures on the music scene in former Yugoslavia, and is renowned for her wide vocal range and operatic sty ...
. Kabiljo is the author of one of the greatest Croatian patriotic songs, ''Tvoja zemlja'', which was performed by
Vice Vukov
Vinko "Vice" Vukov (3 August 1936 – 24 September 2008) was a Croatian singer and politician.
Biography
Vukov was born in Šibenik. In 1959, he achieved instant fame by winning the Opatija Music Festival in his singing debut, with the song "Mir ...
.
Kabiljo's best-selling and best known work is the musical ''
Jalta, Jalta
''Jalta, Jalta'' is a Croatian musical from 1971. Libretto for the musical was written by Milan Grgić, and the director is Vlado Štefančić. Author of the music is the Croatian composer Alfi Kabiljo. First performance was on 28 December 1 ...
'', for which he received the 2004 Porin award for the
magnum opus
A masterpiece, ''magnum opus'' (), or ''chef-d’œuvre'' (; ; ) in modern use is a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or a work of outstanding creativity, ...
. To date, the musical has been released in audio format three times and it had its first
premiere
A première, also spelled premiere, is the debut (first public presentation) of a play, film, dance, or musical composition.
A work will often have many premières: a world première (the first time it is shown anywhere in the world), its first ...
in 1971. All three releases have been sold out decades ago.