Mojmir Sepe (11 July 1930 – 24 December 2020), nicknamed ''Mojzes'', was a Slovenian composer, conductor, arranger and

trumpeter The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard B ...

Career

In 1949, he graduated from

Celje First Grammar School The Celje First Grammar School ( sl, I. gimnazija v Celju) is a coeducational nondenominational state secondary general education school for students aged between 15 and 19 in Celje, Slovenia. It was the first high school built in the region, est ...

( gymnasium) in Celje. Later he studied piano and trumpet at Ljubljana Academy of Music. In 1950, he started his professional music career as a promising

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

player at Radio Ljubljana Dance Orchestra. In 1956, Sepe married Slovenian singer

Majda Sepe Majda Sepe, born Majda Bernard, (2 July 1937 – 11 April 2006) was one of the most successful and well recognized Slovenian singers in the time of Yugoslavia and was one of the most renowned singers of the Golden Age of Slovenian folk music. B ...

. He also established the

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

Mojmir Sepe Band (), which published the first jazz

vinyl record A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English), or simply a record, is an analog sound storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove. The groove usually starts nea ...

in Yugoslavia. His trumpet career ended after an altercation at

Opatija Opatija (; it, Abbazia; german: Sankt Jakobi) is a List of cities and towns in Croatia, town and a municipality in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County in western Croatia. The traditional seaside resort on the Kvarner Gulf is known for its Mediterranean ...

Festival '65 when four guys knocked out a couple of his front teeth as he defended her from having her purse stolen. He committed to composing and conducting, mostly influenced by jazz and swing music. He collaborated with several Slovenian poets who wrote lyrics for his arrangements. Among them were Frane Milčinski Ježek,

Gregor Strniša Gregor Strniša (18 November 1930 – 23 January 1987) was a Slovenian poet, playwright, and songwriter. He is considered one of the most important Slovene-language poet of the second half of the 20th century. He spent most of his life away from ...

, Branko Šomen, Miroslav Košuta, and Ivan Minatti.

Hit songs

*1962 — " Zemlja pleše" by Marjana Deržaj *1964 — "Poletna noč" by

*1966 — " Brez besed" by Berta Ambrož *1969 — "Ljubi, ljubi, ljubi" by

Eva Sršen Eva Sršen (born 1951 in Ljubljana) is a Slovenian singer, who had a short career in Popular music in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Yugoslav pop music in the first half of the 1970s. She first became well known by winning the nat ...

*1970 — " Pridi, dala ti bom cvet" by Eva Sršen *1972 — "Med iskrenimi ljudmi" by Majda Sepe *1978 — "Ribič, ribič me je ujel" by Majda Sepe *1978 — Bojan the Bear (cartoon instrumental theme)

Brez besed vs. Eres tú plagiarism

Eres tú Eres (English: "You Are") may refer to: * "Eres" (Alejandro Fernández song), 2008 * "Eres" (Café Tacuba song), 2003 * "Eres", a song by Anahí from her album ''Inesperado'', 2016 * "Eres", a song by José María Napoleón, 1975, later covered ...

, the Spanish entry in the

1973 Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest 1973 was the 18th edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Luxembourg (city), Luxembourg City, Luxembourg, following the country's victory at the with the song "Après toi" by Vicky Leandros. Or ...

, has been accused of being a plagiarism of the Slovenian song " Brez besed" performed by Berta Ambrož and representing

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

at the 1966 Eurovision Song Contest. Brez Besed was written by composer Mojmir Sepe and lyricist Elza Budau, both Slovenians. However, Sepe and Budau never officially complained or filed a lawsuit against Eres Tú composer

Juan Carlos Calderón Juan Carlos Calderón López de Arróyabe (7 July 1938 – 25 November 2012) was a Spanish singer-songwriter and musician. Born in Santander, he was the author of "Eres tú", which, performed by Mocedades, came second in the Eurovision Song Co ...

, and therefore nothing further happened.

Eurovision

Sepe represented Yugoslavia two times as composer. Sepe conducted both his compositions in the Eurovision Song Contest. Additionally, he was the conductor for the Slovenian entries in 1997 and 1998. He was also the Slovenian jury member in the 1993 Eurovision pre-selection.

Personal life

Sepe was married to

, a famous Slovenian singer, for whom he also wrote music. He died on Christmas Eve 2020, at the age of 90. In 1957, the daughter , who later proclaimed herself as a film director, was born to them.

References

External links

Slovenian Composers Society
dss.si * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sepe, Mojmir 1930 births 2020 deaths 20th-century classical composers 20th-century conductors (music) 20th-century jazz composers 20th-century male musicians 21st-century classical composers 21st-century conductors (music) 21st-century jazz composers 21st-century male musicians Male classical composers Male conductors (music) Male jazz composers Slovenian classical composers Slovenian male musicians Slovenian conductors (music) Slovenian jazz composers Slovenian music arrangers Eurovision Song Contest conductors People from the Municipality of Črna na Koroškem