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Miloje Milojević (
Serbian Cyrillic The Serbian Cyrillic alphabet ( sr, / , ) is a variation of the Cyrillic script used to write the Serbian language, updated in 1818 by Serbian linguist Vuk Karadžić. It is one of the two alphabets used to write standard modern Serbian, the ...
: Милоје Милојевић; 27 October 1884,
Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; names in other languages) is the capital and largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and the crossroads of the Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. Nearly 1,166,763 m ...
 – 16 June 1946,
Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; names in other languages) is the capital and largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and the crossroads of the Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. Nearly 1,166,763 m ...
) was a Serbian
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 Def ...
, musicologist, music critic, folklorist, music
pedagogue Pedagogy (), most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken as ...
, and music promoter.


Biography

The father of Miloje Milojević, Dimitrije, an apparel merchant, was born in the village Dedina near the town of
Kruševac Kruševac ( sr-cyr, Крушевац, , tr, Alacahisar or Kruşevca) is a city and the administrative center of the Rasina District in central Serbia. It is located in the valley of West Morava, on Rasina river. According to the 2011 census, ...
. His last name was in fact Đorđević, but according to the custom at the time, he adopted a surname based on his father's first name. Dimitrije Milojević was rather musically gifted, being self-taught in playing the flute. The mother of Miloje Milojević, Angelina, was born in Belgrade, in the Matić clerk's family. She was also musically gifted and took private
piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a musica ...
lessons. Miloje Milojević had a sister Vladislava, and brothers Vojislav, Vladislav, Branko, Milorad, and Borivoje, a renowned biologist. Miloje Milojević began private
violin The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regula ...
lessons at the age of five, with Karlo Mertl, an orchestra member of the
National Theatre in Belgrade The National Theatre ( sr-cyr, Народно позориште, Narodno pozorište) is a theatre located in Belgrade, Serbia. Founded in the later half of the 19th century, it is located on the Republic Square, at the corner of Vasina and Fra ...
. His first piano teacher was his mother, Angelina. His father's sudden death turned the family life upside-down. The changed financial situation made his mother, now a widow, move to
Novi Sad Novi Sad ( sr-Cyrl, Нови Сад, ; hu, Újvidék, ; german: Neusatz; see below for other names) is the second largest city in Serbia and the capital of the autonomous province of Vojvodina. It is located in the southern portion of the Pan ...
where life was more affordable. The Milojević family lived in Novi Sad for six years. Miloje began his schooling in Novi Sad in his junior year at the Serbian Orthodox High Gymnasium (graduated 1904). This school was well known for its music activities (Svetosavke besede). During his music education, Miloje Milojević received encouragement from composer Isidor Bajić (1878–1915), his secondary school music teacher. Milojević matriculated at the Faculty of Philosophy,
University of Belgrade The University of Belgrade ( sr, / ) is a public university in Serbia. It is the oldest and largest modern university in Serbia. Founded in 1808 as the Belgrade Higher School in revolutionary Serbia, by 1838 it merged with the Kragujevac- ...
, where he studied for three semesters (fall 1904 until spring 1906): Germanics ( Miloš Trivunac), comparative literature ( Bogdan Popović), Serbian language and literature (
Aleksandar Belić Aleksandar Belić (Serbian Cyrillic: Александар Белић, ; 15 August 1876 – 26 February 1960) was a Serbian linguist and academic. Biography Belić was born in Belgrade. After studying Slavic languages in Belgrade, Odessa, and M ...
, Pavle Popović, and Jovan Skerlić), and philosophy ( Branislav Petronijević). He concurrently attended Serbian music school (until 1907, and also later), where he studied music theory subjects and composition with Stevan St. Mokranjac and piano with Cvetko Manojlović. For the next five semesters (summer 1907–08 until summer 1909–10 academic year), Milojević continued his studies at the
Munich University The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (simply University of Munich or LMU; german: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München) is a public research university in Munich, Germany. It is Germany's sixth-oldest university in continuous operatio ...
Philosophy Department, where he studied musicology (with Adolf Sandberger and Theodor Kroyer), literature, and philosophy disciplines. At the same time, Milojević attended Munich Music Academy, studying composition (with
Friedrich Klose Friedrich Klose (born 29 November 1862 in Karlsruhe, Germany; died 24 December 1942 in Ruvigliana, Switzerland) was a German composer. He studied with Vinzenz Lachner in Karlsruhe, and then with Anton Bruckner in Vienna, and recorded his impression ...
), piano ( Richard Meier-Gschray), and conducting with score reading (
Felix Mottl right Felix Josef von Mottl (between 29 July/29 August 1856 – 2 July 1911) was an Austrian conductor and composer. He was regarded as one of the most brilliant conductors of his day. He composed three operas, of which ''Agnes Bernauer'' ( Weim ...
). He graduated from Munich Music Academy in June 1910. Between 1 September 1910 and 1 March 1911, Milojević served his military duty for the
Kingdom of Serbia The Kingdom of Serbia ( sr-cyr, Краљевина Србија, Kraljevina Srbija) was a country located in the Balkans which was created when the ruler of the Principality of Serbia, Milan I, was proclaimed king in 1882. Since 1817, the Princ ...
, in the student squadron. While in military service, he was appointed a music teacher in the Fourth Belgrade Gymnasium, and the same year also started teaching in the Serbian Music School. In 1912, he founded the Serbian Music School Teachers’ Chamber Society. This event initiated the nurturing of
chamber music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small numb ...
in Belgrade on a more regular basis. In the fall of 1912, at the onset of the
First Balkan War The First Balkan War ( sr, Први балкански рат, ''Prvi balkanski rat''; bg, Балканска война; el, Αʹ Βαλκανικός πόλεμος; tr, Birinci Balkan Savaşı) lasted from October 1912 to May 1913 and invo ...
, Milojević was drafted as a sergeant for the Dunav Division cavalry squadron. Following the outbreak of World War I he was appointed to the Supreme Command headquarters (until 1917). He crossed Albania with the Serbian Army (
Serbian army's retreat through Albania The Great Retreat, also known in Serbian historiography as the Albanian Golgotha ( sr, Албанска голгота / ''Albanska golgota''), was a strategic withdrawal of the Royal Serbian Army, which marked the end of the second Serbian ca ...
). In 1917, Milojević was in service for the Kingdom of Serbia Ministry of Education, during which he was sent to
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 ...
to the Committee for Cultural Affairs. He remained in France from 1917 until mid 1919. During the entire war, he remained involved with composing; he also performed at concerts of Serbians music in Nice, Monte Carlo, Lyon, and Paris as a piano accompanist, and held a public lecture about modern Serbian music in Paris. In 1919, Milojević returned to Belgrade and developed an extraordinary rich music career as a composer, musicologist, music critic,
folklorist Folklore studies, less often known as folkloristics, and occasionally tradition studies or folk life studies in the United Kingdom, is the branch of anthropology devoted to the study of folklore. This term, along with its synonyms, gained currenc ...
, music pedagogue, conductor, and organizer of music affairs. At first, he returned to his previous teaching positions at the gymnasium and music school. Concurrently, from 1920 until the beginning of 1922 he also held the conductor position with the Academic Singing Society “Obilić”. In fall 1922 he was appointed an Assistant Professor of Music History at the Belgrade University Faculty of Philosophy. Soon afterward he turned to completing his musicology studies and earned his doctorate degree at the
Charles University in Prague ) , image_name = Carolinum_Logo.svg , image_size = 200px , established = , type = Public, Ancient , budget = 8.9 billion CZK , rector = Milena Králíčková , faculty = 4,057 , administrative_staff = 4,026 , students = 51,438 , underg ...
(1925). Upon returning to Belgrade, he was a Docent and an Associate Professor of Music History until 1939. At the same time, up until 1946 he also taught at the Music School in Belgrade—previously Serbian Music School (principal 1943–46). In 1939 he became a Professor of composition and theory disciplines at the Music Academy in Belgrade. During World War II Milojević was arrested (1941) by fascist authorities. During the heavy bombing of Belgrade by the American forces on Easter Day in 1944, his house on 16 Nemanjina Street in Belgrade was demolished, leaving him wounded. Of a diminished health condition, starting in February 1946, he was no longer able to continue teaching at the Music Academy. After the liberation, as a formality, he was appointed to the Music Academy Institute of Musicology managed at the time by musicologist and pianist Stana Đurić-Klajn (now Institute of Musicology of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, SASA). Milojevic died 16 June 1946 in Belgrade. Milojević was married (from 1907) to a vocalist and music pedagogue Ivanka Milutinović (1881–1975). They had one daughter, Gordana (1911–2003), a pianist and music pedagogue. Nephew Đorđe (1921–1986), the son of Borivoje, was a violoncellist and a composer. The grandson of Miloje Milojević is a composer and member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Vlastimir Trajković (1947), Professor of Composition and Orchestration at the Faculty of Music, University of Arts, in Belgrade.


Composer

Together with Petar Konjović and Stevan Hristić, Miloje Milojević represented a generation of composers who introduced modern styles and a high compositional technical level to Serbian music. In the beginning phase of his creative development, Milojevic set out from the Serbian Romanticist national school ( Stevan Mokranjac and Josif Marinković). During his studies in Munich, he discovered German New Romanticism and became closely involved with the music of
Richard Strauss Richard Georg Strauss (; 11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a German composer, conductor, pianist, and violinist. Considered a leading composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras, he has been described as a successor of Richard W ...
. His stay in France resulted with even stronger impressions. The influence of French
Impressionism Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passag ...
was decisive in Milojević's stylistic development. While in Prague, working on his dissertation, he made contacts with Czech avant-garde composers. In certain works, Milojević turned to expressionism. Throughout his life, though, he preserved his affinity toward the national style—toward folklore as a foundation of art music. Thus, the last stage of his creative work is characterized by utilizing folk melodies amidst the stylistic blend of Neo-romanticist and Impressionist elements. The most prominent areas of his output are
lied In Western classical music tradition, (, plural ; , plural , ) is a term for setting poetry to classical music to create a piece of polyphonic music. The term is used for any kind of song in contemporary German, but among English and French s ...
s and
character piece A character piece is a musical composition which is expressive of a specific mood or non-musical idea. History The term "character piece" was coined by Marin Marais in the ''avertissement'' to his fifth book of viola da gamba music published in ...
s for the piano, but he also wrote choral and chamber works. In his Lied, Milojević used Serbian, Croat, French, German, and Japanese poetry. His interpretation of the lyrics was realized by supple melodies and rich harmonic palette of the piano part. Among his pieces for voice and piano, it is important to note the following: ''Before the Magnificence of Nature'' (''Pred veličanstvom prirode''), a collection of ten songs, was conceived between 1908 and 1920. This song cycle features all the elements representative of Milojević as a composer of this genre (Serbian romanticist Lied, influences of R. Strauss, and Impressionism). Among the most successful Lieder in this cycle are ''The Autumn Elegy (Jesenja elegija), The Eagle song (Pesma orla), Japan, The Nymph, and The Bells (Zvona)''. About fifteen Lieder composed in France in 1917 after the lyrics by French poets were influenced by Impressionism, the best known among them being ''Berceuse triste'' (''Tužna uspavanka''). From his later period, important ones include ''The Three songs for high voice'' (''Tri pesme za visoki glas''), the most remarkable being “A very hot day” from 1924 (“Vrlo topli dan”), composed upon German lyrics, and ''Haikai'' (''Hai-kai''), after the poetry of Japanese poet
Matsuo Bashō born then was the most famous poet of the Edo period in Japan. During his lifetime, Bashō was recognized for his works in the collaborative '' haikai no renga'' form; today, after centuries of commentary, he is recognized as the greatest ma ...
, from 1942. These works merge impressionistic and expressionistic elements. ''A Field feast'' (''Gozba na livadi''), “a lyrical symphony for voice and orchestra” (1939) represents the first example of symphonic Lied in Serbian music. Milojević also wrote choral music. His activities in this genre encompass simple, unassuming music for children's and youth choirs to complex works. The most significant include: ''How green is the long field'' (''Dugo se polje zeleni'') (1909), a miniature for mixed choir, after the lyrics of Vojislav Ilić; dramatic ballad ''Presentiment'' (''Slutnja'') (1912), marked by Neo-romanticist chromaticism and polyphony, and considered among masterpieces of Serbian choral literature; and cycle ''The Feast of illusions'' (''Pir iluzija'') (1924), after poetry of Miroslav Krleža (''Evening decorations'' (''Večernje dekoracije''), ''Triptych'' (''Triptih''), and ''Dark gloomy afternoon'' (''Crno sumorno popodne'')), a work of modern expression and high technical demands regarding choral texture. Milojević's most popular choral composition, ''The Fly and a Mosquito'' (''Muha i komarac'') (1930), is a humorous scherzando piece written upon folk text and utilizing tone painting. This effective work is often compared to ''The Goat-herd'' (''Kozar'') by S. Mokranjac. Milojević also wrote sacred music (two liturgies, three ''opelos'' (Orthodox Requiem), a particularly successful piece being ''A Short Opelo in b-flat minor'' (''Kratko Opelo u b-mollu''), for men's choir (1920). Miloje Milojević is one of the most significant Serbian composers of piano music. By their high artistic qualities, his ''Four piano pieces'' (''Četiri komada za klavir'') (1917), marked a shift in the history of Serbian piano music. His highly successful collections ''Cameos'' (''Kameje'') (1937–42) and ''My mother'' (''Moja majka'') (1943) are characterized by the synergy of Neo-romanticism and Impressionism. His cycles entitled ''Melodies and rhythms from the Balkans'' (''Melodije i ritmovi sa Balkana''), ''The Kosovo suite'' (''Kosovska svita''), and ''The
Povardarie Povardarie ( mk, Повардарие) is a geographic region in the central part of North Macedonia, and includes all of the canyons, mountains and valleys through which the river Vardar flows. Term is used in names of Diocese of Povardarie of t ...
suite'' (''Povardarska svita'') (all from 1942), are all based on folklore and Milojević's own folk transcriptions. These works feature impressionistic solutions, but also a somewhat robust use of folklore similar to
Béla Bartók Béla Viktor János Bartók (; ; 25 March 1881 – 26 September 1945) was a Hungarian composer, pianist, and ethnomusicologist. He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century; he and Franz Liszt are regarded as Hu ...
. His work ''Rhythmical grimaces'' (''Ritmičke grimase'') (1935), a stride toward Expressionism, occupies a special place in his oeuvre, whereas the piano is treated in a somewhat percussionist way, certain places are void of meter markings, and the harmonic aspect is characterized by the departure from tonality and use of tone clusters. Milojević was less prolific in the genre of orchestral music. Among his orchestral compositions is ''The Death of the Jugović mother'' (''Smrt majke Jugovića'') (1921), with glimpses of R. Strauss's influences. This work somewhat exhibits insufficiencies in the aspects of thematic development and orchestral sound. His suite for string orchestra, ''Intimacy'' (''Intima'') (1939), built on the re-la-do-mi-la motive, deems far more successful. While featuring six movements and several moods (depicted by the subtitles), this composition demonstrates coherency and rich sound colour. Miloje Milojević wrote a number of chamber works. He composed two string quartets (in G-major, 1905 and in c-minor, 1906), the G-major quartet being the first work of this genre in Serbian music. He also composed two sonatas for violin and piano (in b-minor, 1924 and in d-minor 1943), ''Sonata for flute and piano in f-sharp minor'' (1944) and ''Sonata in g'' for viola solo (1944). The most substantial among these works is Sonata for violin and piano in b-minor, a piece of sturdy structure and great expressivity ranging from discrete lyricism to passionate drama. One of Milojević's most distinct works belongs to stage music — ''Le balai du valet'' (''Sobareva metla'') (1923), a ballett grotesque upon a surrealist text by Marko Ristić. Miloje Milojević is represented in the ''Anthology of Serbian piano music'' (vol. 1, no. 1, selection by Dejan Despić, Vlastimir Peričić, Dušan Trbojević, and Marija Kovač; editing: Vlastimir Trajković; Belgrade: Composers’ Association of Serbia, CAS, 2005, pp. 30–96), with ''Four piano pieces'', op. 23, ''Cameos'', impressions for piano, op. 51, and ''Visions'', op. 65. He is also represented in the ''Anthology of Serbian Lied'' (no. 1, selection and foreword by Ana Stefanović, Belgrade: CAS, 2008, p. 49–101) with “The Nymph” (“Nimfa”), op. 9, no. 1 form the cycle ''Before the Magnificence of Nature''; “The Autumn elegy” (“Jesenja elegija”), op. 5, no. 1; “The Prayer of the Jugović mother to the Evening star” (“Molitva majke Jugovića zvezdi Danici”), op. 31, no. 1; ''L’heure exquise'' (''Zanosni čas''), op. 21, no. 1; ''Vigil'' (''Bdenje''), op. 22, no.1; ''Do you remember, too?'' (''Dal’ se sećas i ti?''), op. 46, no. 1; ''Two Quatrains of Al-Ghazali'' (''Dva Al-Gazalijeva katrena''), op. 46, no. 2; ''Two blue legends of
Jovan Dučić Jovan Dučić ( sr-cyr, Јован Дучић, ; 17 February 1871 – 7 April 1943) was a Herzegovinian Serb poet-diplomat and academic. He is one of the most influential Serbian lyricists and modernist poets. Dučić published his first collec ...
'' (''Dve Dučićeve Plave legende''), op. 34 (“A Little princess” (“Mala princeza”) and “Love” (“Ljubav”)); “A Very hot day,” op. 67, no. 1, from the cycle ''Three songs for high voice and piano'', op. 67; ''La flûte de jade'', op. 39, for tenor, soprano, flute, violin, and piano (“Since she left” (“Od kada je otišla”) and “In the shade of an orange leaf” (“U senci narandžina lista”); and “Spring rain,” (“Prolećna kiša”), op. 45, no. 2.


Selected compositions

Solo Lied and Symphonic Lied: *''Before the Magnificence of Nature'' (''Pred veličanstvom prirode''), ten songs for voice and piano (1908–20) *Songs after lyrics of French poets, for voice and piano: ''La lettre, Berceuse triste, Prière, Hymne au soleil, L’heure exquise, La chanson du vent du mer'' (Pismo, Tužna uspavanka, Molitva, Himna suncu, Zanosni čas, Pesma vetra s mora) (1917). *''Three Songs for High Voice and Piano'' (''Tri pesme za visoki glas i klavir''), op. 67 (1924–1942) *''The Field feast'' (''Gozba na livadi''), cycle for voice and orchestra (1939). Piano and Chamber Music: *''Four piano pieces'' (''Četiri komada za klavir''), op. 23 (1917) *''Rhythmical grimaces'' (Ritmičke grimase), for piano, op. 47 (1935) *''Cameos'' (''Kameje''), for piano, op. 51 (1937–42) *''Melodies and Rhythms from the vicinity of Sara, Drim, and Vardar'' (''Melodije i ritmovi sa domaka Šare, Drima i Vardara''), for piano (1942) *''The Kosovo suite'' (Kosovska svita), for piano (1942) *''Melodies and rhythms from the Balkans'' (''Melodije i ritmovi sa Balkana''), op. 69 (1942) *''The Povardarie suite'' (''Povardarska svita''), for piano (1942) *''The Village motives'' (''Motivi sa sela''), for piano (1942) *''Sonata for Violin and Piano in B Minor'', op. 36 (1924) Choral and Sacred Works: *''How Green is the Long Field'' (Dugo se polje zeleni), for mixed choir, op. 1, no. 1 (1909) *''Presentiment'' (''Slutnja''), for mixed choir, op. 1, no. 2 (1912) *''The Feast of illusions'' (''Pir iluzija''), op. 35 (1924) *''The Fly and a mosquito'' (''Muha i komarac''), op. 40, for mixed chori (1930), *''A Short Opelo in b-flat minor'' (''Kratko Opelo u b-molu''), for men's choir (1920). *''The
Vidovdan Vidovdan ( sr-cyr, Видовдан, lit. "Saint Vitus Day") is a Serbian national and religious holiday, a ''slava'' (feast day) celebrated on 28 June (Gregorian calendar), or 15 June according to the Julian calendar. The Serbian Church desi ...
communion'' (''Vidovdanska pričest''), for two choirs (1929) Stage Works: *''Le balai du valet'' (Sobareva metla) (1923), a ballet grotesque Orchestral Works : *''The Death of the Jugović mother'' (''Smrt majke Jugovića''), symphonic poem (1921) *''Intimacy'' (''Intima''), suite for string orchestra, op. 56 (1939)


Musicologist, music critic, folklorist, and music promoter

Milojević was the first Serbian to hold a doctorate in
musicology Musicology (from Greek μουσική ''mousikē'' 'music' and -λογια ''-logia'', 'domain of study') is the scholarly analysis and research-based study of music. Musicology departments traditionally belong to the humanities, although some mu ...
. His dissertation, defended at the Charles University in Prague and entitled Smetana’s harmonic style addressed issues of systematic musicology (Belgrade: Grafički Institut “Narodna misao,” A. D, 1926). His monograph Smetana—life and works, a pioneer work in thematic and genre terms in Serbian musicology, occupies a notable place among his musicological studies (Belgrade: S. B. Cvijanović, 1924). In his study entitled Music and Orthodox Church (Muzika i Pravoslavna crkva), he opened up the research of Serbian church music toward comparative disciplines such as music Byzantology and Oriental studies (
Sremski Karlovci Sremski Karlovci ( sr-cyrl, Сремски Карловци, ; hu, Karlóca; tr, Karlofça) is a town and municipality located in the South Bačka District of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. It is situated on the banks of the Danub ...
: “An annual and calendar of Serbian Orthodox Patriarchy for simple 1933,” 1932, pp. 115–135). His pedagogical work in musicology was also very important. He taught history and theory of music at the Belgrade University School of Philosophy from 1922–39 (Assistant Professor since 1922, Docent since 1927, and Associate Professor since 1934). These were the pioneering and until present day the only lectures in those disciplines at that institution. Milojević did not hold an independent office; his courses belonged to the Department for Classical Archeology and Art History, and then Department for Comparative Literature and Literature Theory, and finally the Department for Serbian Literature. Music history was at the time studied as a minor course at the departments for general history, and comparative literature and literature theory. Attempts to open a musicology department were not materialized. By the act of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia Education Minister, on 4 April 1930 a Seminar for Musicology was founded at the School of Philosophy and Milojević became its first director. However, the degree granting possibility in musicology has never existed at the School where Miloje Milojević worked. Milojević's university courses were thematically and chronologically rather diverse and attracted a large number of attendants. He was an extraordinary speaker and lecturer. The Belgrade Faculty of Music Library stores his unfinished textbook on music history. This was the first comprehensive work on music history by a Serbian author since the textbook entitled ''A History of Music'' (1921) by Ljubomir Bošnjaković. Another voluminous material in manuscript form, ''A History of Music'' by Božidar Joksimović, completed in 1926 (400 pages), still unpublished is kept at the Archives of the SASA Institute of Musicology in Belgrade. Miloje Milojević was also a Serbian music critic and essayist of the first half of the 20th century, and one among the most significant music critics and writers in the history of Serbian music. He published over a thousand critiques, studies, essays, treatises, reviews, obituaries and notes in a large number of various daily papers, and literary and other periodicals. He was a music critic of the most relevant Serbian literary periodical during the first half of the 20th century, the “ Serbian Literary Herald,” from 1908–41. He was also a music critic for “
Politika ''Politika'' ( sr-Cyrl, Политика; ''Politics'') is a Serbian daily newspaper, published in Belgrade. Founded in 1904 by Vladislav F. Ribnikar, it is the oldest daily newspaper still in circulation in the Balkans. Publishing and owners ...
,” the most influential daily paper in Serbia, from 1921–41. The significance of his writings on music is multifold. In his essays and critiques, he provided for Serbian and Yugoslav audiences critical information about a number or events, personalities, phenomena, and issues on older and newer European music. A luminary and communicator of art music and its history, Milojević exceeded his duties of a disseminator of knowledge and information, and in his writings always presented a certain critical position. In his numerous evaluations of national composers’ contemporary output, he offered objective assessments, later largely adopted in Serbian musicology. A passionate proponent of the Slavophil and Yugoslav ideology, he nonetheless did not allow ideology to rule over aesthetics. Thus, the autonomy of art and primacy of aesthetic values were never questioned in his writings. His breadth of education, exceptional awareness of developments in European music, including the avant-garde, and knowledge of German, French, Czech, and English musicology literature, enabled Milojević to exercise an ardent, invigorating writing style, without neglecting factual and expertise layers in his writings. The Serbian postwar musicology did not approvingly view the stylistic aspect of his writings. Consequently, after his death, he was to a degree, and certainly unjustifiably underrated, and his writings were by all means insufficiently read. That was in any way, also the case in the relationship of Serbian postwar musicology toward the history of writing about music, as a branch of research and exploration in musicology. This discipline was deeply overshadowed by composition analysis, the priority of our musicology at the time. Only recently, primarily in the works by Roksanda Pejović, Slobodan Turlakov, and Aleksandar Vasić, are the writings of Miloje Milojević being thoroughly examined and undertaking work on his bibliography and minute analysis of his texts being suggested. In Milojević's writings, noticeable is a friction between tradition and innovation, most apparent in his writings on contemporary music. His views on contemporary music were not straightforward, but rather vacillating, particularly in accepting radical avant-garde practices. At the same time, he did not withhold from his audience information on events he personally did not endorse. A worthy example was his as early as 1912 text on
Arnold Schoenberg Arnold Schoenberg or Schönberg (, ; ; 13 September 187413 July 1951) was an Austrian-American composer, music theorist, teacher, writer, and painter. He is widely considered one of the most influential composers of the 20th century. He was as ...
in the “Serbian Literary Herald.” He, however remained faithful to the ideas of national style in music and modernized music Romanticism. Milojević was also one of the editors of periodical the “Music” (Belgrade, January 1928 – March 1929). Among the most superior music periodicals in Serbia and Yugoslavia prior to World War I, the “Music” had a decisive role in critical presentation of European music to the internal readers’ audience. This was especially corroborated by thematic volumes dedicated to Czech music,
Franz Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wor ...
, achievements of Polish and English music, and
Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...
. “Music” offered discussions on national style, and critically recorded events in Yugoslav, Slavic, and Western European art music cultures. During the interwar period, Milojević's textbook on the basics of music theory (''Basics of musical art'' I–II, 1922–27; later under a new title The Basic theory of music, thirteen editions, until 1940) was in use for a long time, as well as his handout course package in harmony, assembled from the well known textbook entitled ''The Study of Harmony'' (''Harmonielehre'') by Rudolf Luis and
Ludwig Thuille Ludwig Wilhelm Andreas Maria Thuille ( Bozen, 30 November 1861 – 5 February 1907) was an Austrian composer and teacher, numbered for a while among the leading operatic composers of the so-called Munich School of composers, whose most famous repr ...
. Milojević translated opera librettos for ''
Eugene Onegin ''Eugene Onegin, A Novel in Verse'' ( pre-reform Russian: ; post-reform rus, Евгений Оне́гин, ромáн в стихáх, p=jɪvˈɡʲenʲɪj ɐˈnʲeɡʲɪn, r=Yevgeniy Onegin, roman v stikhakh) is a novel in verse written by Al ...
'' by A. S. Pushkin/ P. I. Tchaikovsky (1920), ''The Tales of Hoffman'' by Jules Barbie – Мichel Carré/
Jacques Offenbach Jacques Offenbach (, also , , ; 20 June 18195 October 1880) was a German-born French composer, cellist and impresario of the Romantic music, Romantic period. He is remembered for his nearly 100 operettas of the 1850s to the 1870s, and his uncom ...
(1921), and ''Manon'' by Henry Meilhak – Philippe Jules/
Jules Massenet Jules Émile Frédéric Massenet (; 12 May 1842 – 13 August 1912) was a French composer of the Romantic era best known for his operas, of which he wrote more than thirty. The two most frequently staged are ''Manon'' (1884) and ''Werther'' ...
(1924). The selected writings of Miloje Milojević were published in three volumes entitled ''Music studies and essays'' (Belgrade: Géza Kohn (Geca Kon) publishing, I, 1926; II, 1933; Belgrade: edited by Gordana Trajković-Milojević, author's publication, III, 1953). Milojević's treatise ''The Artistic ideology of Stevan St. Mokranjac'', published in 1938 in the “Serbian Literary Herald” is included in the anthology of Serbian music essayism entitled ''Essays on Art'', edited by Jovan Ćirilov (drama), Stana Đurić-Klajn (music), and Lazar Trifunović (visual arts), published in 1966 (pp. 251–262). In 1925–26 together with the group of University faculty, Milojević founded a University chamber music association “Collegium musicum” that played a major role in Belgrade interwar life. Between 21 April 1926 and 15 March 1940, “Collegium musicum” held sixty-seven concerts and performed 417 compositions ranging from Baroque and Rococo pieces to the works of
Paul Hindemith Paul Hindemith (; 16 November 189528 December 1963) was a German composer, music theorist, teacher, violist and conductor. He founded the Amar Quartet in 1921, touring extensively in Europe. As a composer, he became a major advocate of the '' ...
and
Igor Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (6 April 1971) was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor, later of French (from 1934) and American (from 1945) citizenship. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential composers of the ...
. Milojević took part in these concerts as an organizer, lecturer, conductor, and piano accompanist. Within the auspices of the association, he started and edited sheet music publishing, an activity of extraordinary importance. Beside Milojević's compositions, “Collegium musicum” published a number of works by Serbian, Slovenian, and Croatian composers (chronologically): Predrag Milošević,
Slavko Osterc Slavko Osterc (17 June 1895 – 23 May 1941), was a Slovenian composer. Osterc was born in Veržej. He studied under Emerik Beran, who was a pupil of Leoš Janáček, in his youth before attending the Prague Conservatory from 1925 to 1927. Wh ...
, Lucijan Marija Škerjanc, Anton Neffat,
Jakov Gotovac Jakov Gotovac (11 October 189516 October 1982) was a Croatian composer and conductor of classical music. His comic opera, ''Ero s onoga svijeta'' (''Ero the Joker''), Croatia's best-known opera, was first performed in Zagreb in 1935. Biography ...
, Petar Konjović, Božidar Sirola, Milenko Živković, Bogomir-Bogo Leskovac, and Vojislav Vučković. In regard to such endeavor, Konjović remarked: “Through the activities of Miloje Milojević, ‘Collegium musicum’ by its selections, editorship, print and technical appearance, represented a big step toward Europization of Serbian and Yugoslav music culture” (compare with P. Konjović, ''Miloje Milojević, composer and music writer'', Belgrade: SASA, 1954, 177). Milojević was a regular piano accompanist at concerts of his wife, the first Serbian concert singer, Ivanka Milojević. As a folklorist, he explored, transcribed, and interpreted musical folklore of Kosovo and Metohija, Macedonia, and Monte Negro. He produced a number of works in this field and transcribed nearly 900 melodies and dances. He was attracted to folklore, both as a researcher and a composer, thus was also fond of the idea of composing art music upon folk tunes. His folk transcriptions entitled Folk songs and dances from Kosovo and Metohija were published recently, edited by Dragoslav Dević (Belgrade: Zavod za udžbenike—Karić fondacija, 2004). The music school in
Kragujevac Kragujevac ( sr-Cyrl, Крагујевац, ) is the fourth largest city in Serbia and the administrative centre of the Šumadija District. It is the historical centre of the geographical region of Šumadija in central Serbia, and is situated on ...
bears the name of Miloje Milojević. His legacy, classified and catalogued is kept in the family archives of Milojević's grandson, academician Vlastimir Trajković, composer and Professor of Composition and Orchestration at the Faculty of Music in Belgrade.


Selected recordings

*Miloje Milojević, ''The Macedonian Berceuse – Two love songs'', Ivanka Milojević, voice, Miloje Milojević, piano. Gramofonska ploča, „Pathé – France, (19?). *Miloje Milojević, ''The Nymph – Japan – The Prayer of the Jugović Mother to the Evening Star'', Ljiljana Molnar-Talajić, soprano, Nada Vujičić, piano. Gramofonska ploča, Radio televizija Beograd, Edition: „Anthology of Serbian Music”, Belgrade, 1977. *Miloje Milojević, ''Miniatures'', op. 2, Biljana Gorunović, piano, CD. Produkcija gramofonskih ploča Radio televizije Srbije, Belgrade, 2001. *''Music for violoncello and piano by Serbian composers'', Dušan Stojanović, violoncello, Radmila Stojanović, piano. Miloje Milojević: ''The Nymph, The Christmas Song, The Legende of Yéphimia''. CD. Učiteljski fakultet Univerziteta u Beogradu i Dušan Stojanović, Belgrade 2009 *''Identities of Serbian music in 20th–21st centuries'', songs and music for piano. Miloje Milojević: ''The Nymph and The Autumnal Elegy'', Aneta Ilić, soprano, Lidija Stanković, piano CD. Srpska akademija nauka i umetnosti – Muzikološki institut SANU, Belgrade 2010.


See also

* Kosta Manojlović * Petar Krstić * Stevan Hristić * Stevan Mokranjac * Isidor Bajić * Davorin Jenko * Jovan Đorđević * Josif Marinković * Nenad Barački * Tihomir Ostojić * Stefan Stratimirović * Branko Cvejić * Stefan Lastavica * Stanislav Binicki


Literature

*Konjović, Petar. 1954. ''Miloje Milojević, composer and music writer'' (Miloje Milojević, kompozitor i muzički pisac). Belgrade: Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (Monographs, no. CCXX, Department for Fine Arts and Music, no. 1). * Peričić, Vlastimir. (1969). ''Composers in Serbia'' (''Muzički stvaraoci u Srbiji''). Belgrade: "Prosveta", pp. 282–296. *Milojević, Miloje (1884–1946). 1979. ''Manuscripts of Compositions – Texts – Documents''. (Miloje Milojević (1884–1946), Rukopisi kompozicija. Tekstovi. Dokumentacija). A critical catalogue, ed. by Slobodan Varsaković and Vlastimir Trajković. Belgrade: unpublished text. Copies in the Library of the Faculty of Music, Belgrade, and in the Institute of Musicology, Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Belgrade *Kuntarić, Marija (editor-in-chief). 1984–1986. ''A Bibliography of Studies and Articles'' (''Bibliografija rasprava i članaka''), Music, vol. 13–14. Zagreb: Yugoslav Lexicographic Institute "Miroslav Krleža". *Simić, Vojislav (ed.). 1986. ''Miloje Milojević, composer and musicologist'' (Miloje Milojević, kompozitor i muzikolog). Papers from the Conference held on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the composer's birth. Belgrade: Composers’ Association of Serbia. *Turlakov, Slobodan. 1986. ''"Collegium musicum" and Miloje Milojević''. In Godišnjak grada Beograda (Belgrade), vol. XXXIII, pp. 93–132. *Živanović, Đorđe. 1990. ''Miloje Milojević – professor at the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade'' (Miloje Milojević – professor Filozofskog fakulteta u Beogradu). In Zbornik Matice srpske za scenske umetnosti i muziku (Novi Sad), vol. 6–7, pp. 325–348. *Turlakov, Slobodan. 1994. ''Musical life in Belgrade 1841–1940: a chronology'' (Letopis muzičkog života u Beogradu 1841–1941). Belgrade: Muzej pozorišne umetnosti Srbije *Stefanović, Ana. 1995. ''Serbian Lied at the crossroads of traditions'' (Srpska vokalna lirika na raskršću tradicija). MA Thesis defended at the Department for Musicology, Faculty of Music, University of Arts, Belgrade; mentor: Vlastimir Peričić. *Stefanović, Ana. 1996. "Poetry of Jovan Dučić in Stevan Hristić’s and Miloje Milojević’s Lied" ("Poezija Jovana Dučića u vokalnoj lirici Stevana Hristića i Miloja Milojevića"). In Predrag Palavestra (ed.) ''On Jovan Dučić'' (''O Jovanu Dučiću''), collection of papers on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of his death. Belgrade: Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, pp. 147–154. *Peričić, Vlastimir; Milin, Melita (eds). 1998. ''The Works of the composer Miloje Milojević'' (Kompozitorsko stvaralaštvo Miloja Milojevića). Conference Proceedings, 25–27 November 1996, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the composer's death. Belgrade: Institute of Musicology of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts. *Stefanović, Ana. 1999. ''Miloje Milojević’s writings on Lied''. (Napisi Miloja Milojevića o solo pesmi). In Muzički talas (Belgrade), no. 1–3, pp. 66–75. *Pejović, Roksanda. 1999. ''Musical criticism and essay writings in Belgrade (1919–1941)'' (Muzička kritika i esejistika u Beogradu /1919–1941). Belgrade: Faculty of Musical Arts. *Vasić, Aleksandar. 2004. ''Literature on music in the "Serbian Literary Magazine" 1901–1941'' (Literatura o muzici u "Srpskom književnom glasniku" 1901–1941), MA thesis defended at the Department for Comparative Literature and Theory of Literature, Faculty of Philology, University of Belgrade; mentor: Danica Petrović; copy in the Department Library, Faculty of Philology in Belgrade. *Katunac, Dragoljub. 2004. ''Piano Music of Miloje Milojević'' (Klavirska muzika Miloja Milojevića). Belgrade: "Clio". *Vasić, Aleksandar. 2005. ''Reception of the European Music in the musical criticism of "The Serbian Literary" Magazine (1901–1941)'' (Recepcija evropske muzike u muzičkoj kritici „Srpskog književnog glasnika” (1901–1941)). In Naučni sastanak slavista u Vukove dane (Beograd), vol. 34/2, pp. 213–224. *Vasić, Aleksandar. 2005. ''"Serbian Literary Magazine" and Avantgarde Music'' (Položaj avangarde u srpskoj muzičkoj kritici i esejistici prve polovine XX veka – Srpski književni glasnik). In Musicology (Muzikologija) (Belgrade), no. 5, pp. 289–306. *Radoman, Valentina. 2005. ''The Elements of the Impressionistic Style in Serbian Music in the first half of the 20th Century'' (Elementi impresionističkog stila u srpskoj muzici prve polovine 20. veka). MA thesis defended in the Department of Musicology, Faculty of Music, University of Arts, Belgrade; mentors: Roksanda Pejović and Vesna Mikić; copies in the Library of the Academy of Arts, University of Novi Sad and in the Institute of Musicology of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Belgrade. *Vasić, Aleksandar. 2006. "''The Serbian Literary Magazine'' and the Polish Art Music" ("Srpski književni glasnik i poljska umetnička muzika"). In ''110 godina polonistike u Srbiji'', ed. Petar Bunjak. Slavističko društvo Srbije (Beograd), pp. 243–256. *Vasić, Aleksandar. 2007. ''Problem of the "National Style" in the Writing of Miloje Milojević'' (Problem nacionalnog stila u napisima Miloja Milojevića) In Muzikologija (Beograd), no. 7, pp. 231–244. *Vasić, Aleksandar. 2008. ''Serbian Musical Criticism in the First Half of the Twentieth Century: its Canon, its Method and its Educational Role'' (Starija srpska muzička kritika: kanon, postupak, prosvetiteljska tendencija). In Muzikologija (Beograd), no. 8, pp. 185–202. *Radoman, Valentina. 2009. "French Impressionists and their Others: Impressionistic Works of George Enescu and Miloje Milojević". In ''„George Enescu” International Musicology Symposium – 2007'', Bucharest: Musical Publishing House, pp. 53–62. *Tomašević, Katarina. 2009. ''At the Crossroads of the East and West. On the Dialogue between the Traditional and the Modern in Serbian Music (1918–1941)'' (''Na raskršću Istoka i Zapada. O dijalogu tradicionalnog i modernog u srpskoj muzici (1918–1941)''). Belgrade – Novi Sad: Institute of Musicology of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Belgrade – Matica srpska. *Gordana Karan, ''Miloje Milojević, the Pedagogue'' (Pedagoška aktivnost dr Miloja Milojevića). Ph. D., defended 2010 at the Department for Solfeggio and Music Pedagogy, Faculty of Music, University of Arts in Belgrade; mentor: Dragana Stojanović-Novičić. *Vasić, Aleksandar. 2011. ''Reception of avant-garde music in Belgrade between the two wars: the example of journals "Music" and „The Herald of the Musical Association „Stanković"'' (Recepcija avangardne muzike u međuratnom Beogradu: primer časopisa "Muzika" i "Glasnik Muzičkog društva Stanković" / "Muzički glasnik"). In Zbornik Matice srpske za scenske umetnosti i muziku (Novi Sad), no. 44, pp. 133–151. *Vasić, Aleksandar. 2011. ''The reception of West European Music in Belgrade between World Wars: on the Examples of "Muzički glasnik" and "Muzika" magazines'' (Recepcija zapadnoevropske muzike u međuratnom Beogradu: primer časopisa "Muzički glasnik" i "Muzika"). In Muzikologija (Beograd) no. 11, pp. 203–218. *Radoman, Valentina. 2011. ''Empire and Nation in the Field of Culture: Imperial and National Ideology in Compositions of Claude Debussy and Miloje Milojević''. In Music and Society in Eastern Europe (Idyllwild, California, USA), vol. 6, pp. 35–50. *Vasić, Aleksandar. 2012. ''Serbian music periodicals between the two world wars and the problem of the national style in music'' (Srpska muzička periodika međuratnog doba i pitanje nacionalnog stila). In Zbornik Matice srpske za scenske umetnosti i muziku (Novi Sad), no. 47, pp. 65–77. *Vasić, Aleksandar. 2012. ''Serbian Interbellum Music Writings in the Mirror of the Music Periodicals'' (Srpska muzikografija međuratnog doba u ogledalu korpusa muzičke periodike). Ph.D., defended at the Department of Musicology and Ethnomusicology, Academy of Music, University of Novi Sad; mentor: Danica Petrović; copies in the Library of Matica srpska in Novi Sad and in the Institute of Musicology of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts in Belgrade.


Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Milojevic, Miloje 1884 births 1946 deaths Musicians from Belgrade People from the Kingdom of Serbia Serbian composers Composers of Christian music