BASA-1124K-1-8-4-Jakov Gotovac with the National opera of Bulgaria, 1940 (cropped)

Jakov Gotovac (11 October 189516 October 1982) was a

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 = , capi ...

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 ...

and conductor of classical music. His comic

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

, ''

Ero s onoga svijeta ''Ero s onoga svijeta'' (usually translated as ''Ero the Joker'', literally ''Ero from the other world'') is a comic opera in three Act (theater), acts by Jakov Gotovac, with a libretto by Milan Begović based on a Folklore, folk tale. The genesis ...

'' (''Ero the Joker''), Croatia's best-known opera, was first performed in

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 ...

in 1935.

Biography

Gotovac was born in

Split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, entertai ...

(then part of

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

) and initially had little if any formal education in music. Jakov was fortunate to be encouraged and supported by Josip Hatze, Cyril Metoděj Hrazdira and

Antun Dobronić Antun Dobronić (2 April 1878, Jelsa, Croatia – 12 December 1955, Zagreb, Croatia) was a Croatian composer and pupil of Vítězslav Novák. He studied at the Prague Conservatory from 1910 to 1912. From 1922 to 1940, he served as professor at th ...

who instilled him with a nationalistic orientation in music. He started as a law student in

, but switched to writing music in 1920. In

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, he studied in the class of

Joseph Marx Joseph Rupert Rudolf Marx (11 May 1882 – 3 September 1964) was an Austrian composer, teacher and critic. Life and career Marx was born in Graz and pursued studies in philosophy, art history, German studies, and music at Graz University, earnin ...

. Back home, in 1922 he worked with Masaryk's Philharmonia Society Kolo founded in

Šibenik Šibenik () is a historic city in Croatia, located in central Dalmatia, where the river Krka flows into the Adriatic Sea. Šibenik is a political, educational, transport, industrial and tourist center of Šibenik-Knin County, and is also the ...

by Vice Iljadica in 1899. In 1923 he moved to Zagreb, where he kept working both as conductor and composer until his death. Between 1923 and 1958, he was the opera conductor at the Croatian National Theatre (''Hrvatsko narodno kazalište''), and leader of an academic musical society Mladost, and of the choir

Vladimir Nazor Vladimir Nazor (30 May 1876 – 19 June 1949) was a Croatian poet and politician. During and after World War II in Yugoslavia, he served as the first President of the Presidium of the Croatian Parliament (Croatian head of state), and first S ...

. His best-known work is no doubt ''Ero s onoga svijeta'' (

libretto A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major li ...

written by Milan Begović) which has been performed on all continents except Australia, and has been translated into nine languages. It has been performed in more than 80 theatres in Europe alone. He also wrote numerous other works for orchestra as well as vocal music, piano pieces, and others. In his works, Gotovac represents the late

national romanticism Romantic nationalism (also national romanticism, organic nationalism, identity nationalism) is the form of nationalism in which the state claims its political legitimacy as an organic consequence of the unity of those it governs. This includes ...

, with Croatian

folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, rangin ...

being the main source of ideas and inspiration. Musically, he prefers homophonic textures and fairly simple harmonic structures in keeping with the folk idiom he admired. Gotovac died at the age of 87 in

(then

SFR Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as SFR Yugoslavia or simply as Yugoslavia, was a country in Central and Southeast Europe. It emerged in 1945, following World War II, and lasted until 1992, with the breakup of Yu ...

Works

Orchestral works

* ''Simfonijsko kolo'' ('' Symphonic

kolo Kolo may refer to: Places Poland *Koło *Koło, Łódź Voivodeship * Koło, Lublin Voivodeship * Koło, Lubusz Voivodeship Other places * Kolo, Bosnia and Herzegovina * Kolo, Central African Republic * Kolo (Tanzanian ward), Kondoa district, Dod ...

''), Op. 12 (1926) * ''Pjesma i ples s Balkana'' (''Song and Dance from the Balkans''), Op. 16 (1939) * ''Orači'' (''Men and ploughs''), Op. 18 (1937) * ''Guslar'' (''

Gusle The gusle ( sr-cyrl, гусле) or lahuta ( sq, lahutë) is a single- stringed musical instrument (and musical style) traditionally used in the Dinarides region of Southeastern Europe (in the Balkans). The instrument is always accompanied by ...

player''), Op. 22 (1940) * ''Dinarka'' (''Lady from

Dinara Dinara is a long mountain range in the Dinaric Alps, located on the border of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia. It has four major mountains or peaks, from north-west to south-east: * Ilica or Ujilica (1654 m) * Sinjal or Dinara (1831 m), ...

'') (1945) * ''Plesovi od Bunjevaca'' (''The dances from

Bunjevci Bunjevci ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Bunjevci, Буњевци, ; sh-Latn-Cyrl, label=, separator=" / ", Bunjevac, Буњевац, sh-Latn-Cyrl, label=, separator=" / ", Bunjevka, Буњевка) are a South Slavic sub-ethnic group living ...

'') (1960)

Choral works

* 2

Scherzo A scherzo (, , ; plural scherzos or scherzi), in western classical music, is a short composition – sometimes a movement from a larger work such as a symphony or a sonata. The precise definition has varied over the years, but scherzo often re ...

s (1916) * 2 pjesme za muški zbor (2 songs for men's choir) (1918) * ''2 pjesme čuda i smijeha'' (''2 songs of wonder and joy'') (1924) * ''Koleda'' (1925) * ''Dubravka'':

Pastorale Pastorale refers to something of a pastoral nature in music, whether in form or in mood. In Baroque music, a pastorale is a movement of a melody in thirds over a drone bass, recalling the Christmas music of ''pifferari'', players of the traditio ...

for

Choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...

Orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

, text from Ivan Gundulić, Op. 13 (1927–28) * 3 momačka zbora (3 choruses for boys' voices) (1932) * ''Pjesme vječnog jada'' (''Songs of Eternal Sorrow'') (1939) * ''Pjesme zanosa'' (''Songs of Excitement'') (1955)

Vocal solo works

* ''Djevojka i mjesec'' (''A girl and the moon'') for

alto The musical term alto, meaning "high" in Italian ( Latin: ''altus''), historically refers to the contrapuntal part higher than the tenor and its associated vocal range. In 4-part voice leading alto is the second-highest part, sung in choruse ...

& orchestra (1917) * ''Erotski moment'' za glas i glasovir (''Erotic Moments'' for voice & piano) (1929) * 2 Sonate za bariton i orkestar (2 sonatas for

baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the ...

& orchestra) (1921) * Pjesme djevojčice za jedan glas i glasovir (Songs for girl's voice & piano) (1923) * ''Gradom'' za glas i glasovir (''Through the Town'' for voice & piano) * ''Rizvan-aga'' za bariton i orkestar (''Rizvan-aga'' for bariton & orchestra (1938) * ''Pjesme čežnje'' za glas i orkestar (''Songs of Passion'' for voice & orchestra) (1939)

Operatic works

* ''Morana'', Op. 14 (1928–30) * ''

'' (''Ero the Joker''), Op. 17 (1933–35) * ''Kamenik'', Op. 23 (1939–44; UA 1946) * ''Mila Gojsalića'', Op. 28 (1948–51; UA 1952) * ''Đerdan'', Op. 30 (1954–55) * ''Dalmaro'', Op. 32 (1958; UA 1964) * ''Stanac'', Op. 33 (1959) * ''Petar Svačić''. Opera-Oratorij (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 ...

, Op. 35 (1969; 1971)

External links

Ero s onoga svijeta - in EnglishVatroslav Lisinski Music Hall - in Croatian
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gotovac, Jakov 1895 births 1982 deaths 20th-century classical composers 20th-century conductors (music) 20th-century male musicians Croatian opera composers Croatian classical composers Croatian conductors (music) Male classical composers Male conductors (music) Members of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts Musicians from Split, Croatia Burials at Mirogoj Cemetery People from the Kingdom of Dalmatia Vladimir Nazor Award winners