Ivan Brkanović (27 December 1906 – 20 February 1987) was a Croatian composer. He was a

choir conductor Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance, such as an orchestral or choral concert. It has been defined as "the art of directing the simultaneous performance of several players or singers by the use of gesture." The primary duties ...

, high school teacher,

dramaturge A dramaturge or dramaturg is a literary adviser or editor in a theatre, opera, or film company who researches, selects, adapts, edits, and interprets scripts, libretti, texts, and printed programmes (or helps others with these tasks), consults auth ...

at the

Zagreb Opera The Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb ( hr, Hrvatsko narodno kazalište u Zagrebu), commonly referred to as HNK Zagreb, is a theatre, opera and ballet house located in Zagreb. Overview The theatre evolved out of the first city theatre opened ...

, director of the

Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra The Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra ( Croatian: ''Zagrebačka filharmonija'') is an orchestra based in Zagreb, Croatia. It was officially founded on the 30 November 1919. History The origins of the orchestra can be found in the opera ensemble of ...

and a professor at the

Sarajevo Music Academy The Sarajevo Music Academy or Music Academy , University of Sarajevo ( bs, Muzička Akademija Univerziteta u Sarajevu or MAS) is a Faculty of Music of University of Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina. History Sarajevo Music Academy was foun ...

. He worked intensively as a music publicist and was a 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 ...

. Father of the Croatian composer Željko Brkanović.

Biography

He was born in Škaljari into Croatian family. In 1927 he came to

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital and largest city of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb stands near the international border between Croatia and Slov ...

to study music. In his first years in Zagreb he works in a factory and attends a music school. In 1932 he started writing for magazines ''Evolucija'', ''Hrvatski dnevnik'', ''Sv. Cecilija'' and ''Novosti''. After that he enrolled to

Zagreb Music Academy The Academy of Music ( hr, Muzička akademija or MUZA) is a Croatian music school based in Zagreb. It is one of the three art academies affiliated with the University of Zagreb, along with the Academy of Dramatic Art and the Academy of Fine Arts. ...

where he was taught by

Blagoje Bersa Blagoje Bersa (born as Benito Bersa, 21 December 1873 – 1 January 1934) was a Croatian musical composer of substantial influence.

. Because of Bersa's death he finished Music Academy in the class of

Fran Lhotka Fran Lhotka (25 December 1883 – 26 January 1962) was a Czech-born Croatian composer of classical music. A student of Antonín Dvořák, in 1909 he moved to Zagreb where as a professor of harmony he would teach almost every Croatian contempor ...

. After graduation in 1935 he started working as a music teacher in Zagreb's comprehensive school.hbl.lzmk.hr – Ivona Ajanović: »Brkanović Ivan«
Retrieved 13 July 2016 Later he spent four months on specialization at

Schola Cantorum de Paris The Schola Cantorum de Paris is a private conservatory in Paris. It was founded in 1894 by Charles Bordes, Alexandre Guilmant and Vincent d'Indy as a counterbalance to the Paris Conservatoire's emphasis on opera. History La Schola was founded ...

. In 1951 he was appointed as a music counselor at

Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb The Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb ( hr, Hrvatsko narodno kazalište u Zagrebu), commonly referred to as HNK Zagreb, is a theatre, opera and ballet house located in Zagreb. Overview The theatre evolved out of the first city theatre opened ...

and from 1954 as a director of the

. He was a president of Bosnian Composers' Society (1950–1951) and of

(1953–1955). He taught at the Music Academy in Sarajevo. After returning to Zagreb he retires and continues to compose. In 1983 he became a member of

Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts The Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts ( la, Academia Scientiarum et Artium Croatica, hr, Hrvatska akademija znanosti i umjetnosti, abbrev. HAZU) is the national academy of Croatia. HAZU was founded under patronage of the Croatian bishop J ...

. He died 20 December 1987.

Oeuvre

Brkanović was one of the most prominent representatives of the so-called national style in Croatian music. Using traditional musical means, he blended elements of Croatian

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

with his own strong artistic ideas, and in an attempt to evoke folk art in all its aspects, he drew on traditional rites, particularly on their most primitive features. His musical style is characterized by innovative formal and harmonic procedures, and dense polyphonic textures. Brkanović's feeling for dramatic tension and powerful emotions made him an ideal operatic composer. His first opera, ''Equinox'', is a realistic musical drama, while the opera-

oratorio An oratorio () is a large musical composition for orchestra, choir, and soloists. Like most operas, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias. However, opera is mus ...

''St Simon's Shrine'', inspired by scenes from a 14th-century shrine in

Zadar Zadar ( , ; historically known as Zara (from Venetian and Italian: ); see also other names), is the oldest continuously inhabited Croatian city. It is situated on the Adriatic Sea, at the northwestern part of Ravni Kotari region. Zadar serv ...

, is strongly archaic. Brkanović's best-known work is the ''Triptych'' of 1936, a requiem setting of epic folk poetry. This intensely emotional work contrasts restrained choral settings, striking for their Slavonic melodic inflections, with passages of blazing passion and intensity, reinforced by a sharp-edged orchestration. The five symphonies are dramatically conceived; outstanding among them is the traditionally-planned, tragic ''Second Symphony''. Its freely tonal, and sometimes harsh, harmonic structure shows Brkanović's great contrapuntal skill with simple melodic lines, often reminiscent of folksong. The accumulation of motifs and the magnificent handling of the brass are equally noteworthy. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Brkanović has chosen not to investigate new techniques, but has aimed to draw the best from traditional means.

Selected works

* ''String Quartet No 1'' (1933) * ''Symphony No 1'' (1935) * ''Triptych'', funeral folk rite for soloists, choir and orchestra (1936) * ''String Quartet No 2'' (1938.) * ''Equinox'', music drama in three acts (1944) * ''Symphony No 2'' (1946) * ''Symphony No 3'' (1947) * ''Symphony No 4'' (1948) * ''Symphony No 5'' (1949) * ''O, Croatia – The Figure of my rebellious Country'' for orchestra (1951) * ''Dalmatian Diptych'' for soloists, choir and symphony orchestra (1953) * ''The Chest of Saint Simeon (Zadar's Gold)'' for mixed choir and orchestra (1954) * ''Suite No 1 "Sarajevo"'' for symphony orchestra (1957) * ''Harvest Songs'' for mixed choir and chamber orchestra (1959) * ''Helots'', ballet-oratorio in 2 acts with prologue (1960) * ''Fedra'', musical tragedy in two parts (1975) * ''Diggers of Cres'', cantata for string quartet, organ and voice (1977) * ''Stabat mater dolorosa (The Sorrowful Mother Stood)'', oratorio (1981) * ''String Quartet No 3'' (1983) * ''Wind Quintet'' (1984) * ''Suite No 2 "Zagreb"'' for orchestra (1985) * ''Missa Profana Croatica'' for mezzosoprano, baritone, mixed chorus and orchestra (1986) * ''Missa in G'' (to St Jerome) for mixed choir * Music for the Film ''"Electrification"''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brkanovic, Ivan Croatian composers Yugoslav composers Academic staff of the University of Sarajevo Musicians from Zagreb People from the Kingdom of Dalmatia 1906 births 1987 deaths 20th-century Croatian people 20th-century composers People from Kotor Croats of Montenegro