Lucijan Marija Škerjanc (December 17, 1900 – February 27, 1973) was a Slovene

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 ...

, 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 ...

, conductor,

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 wr ...

, and writer who was accomplished on and wrote for a number of musical instruments such as the

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 keyboa ...

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 regu ...

and

clarinet The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound. Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitch ...

. His style reflected late romanticism with qualities of

expressionism Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it ra ...

and

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 passa ...

in his pieces, often with a hyperbolic artistic temperament, juxtaposing the dark against melodic phrases in his music. Škerjanc belongs among the most important older composers of modern Slovene music and is a key Slovenian music personality of the 20th century. For his work, he was four times awarded the Prešeren Award. Since 1949, he was a regular member of the

Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts The Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts ( sl, Slovenska akademija znanosti in umetnosti (SAZU)) is the national academy of Slovenia, which encompasses science and the arts and brings together the top Slovene researchers and artists as members ...

(SAZU).

Biography

Škerjanc was born in

Graz Graz (; sl, Gradec) is the capital city of the Austrian state of Styria and second-largest city in Austria after Vienna. As of 1 January 2021, it had a population of 331,562 (294,236 of whom had principal-residence status). In 2018, the popula ...

. He studied in

Ljubljana Ljubljana (also known by other historical names) is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is the country's cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative center. During antiquity, a Roman city called Emona stood in the ar ...

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

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

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. Si ...

and

Basel , french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese , neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (B ...

. He spent many years teaching composition at the Ljubljana Academy of Music, teaching composers such as Nada Ludvig-Pečar whilst serving as a chancellor for a period and was a pianist, conductor, music writer, and director of the

Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra The Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra (''Simfonični orkester Slovenske filharmonije'') is a Slovenian orchestra based in Ljubljana. Its primary concert venues are Marjan Kozina Hall in Philharmonic Hall, Ljubljana, at Congress Square () and Gallu ...

based in the country's capital. He became a regular member of SAZU on December 6, 1949. He died in Ljubljana.

Work

Škerjanc was liberal in his attitude to music and multifaceted in his works. Whilst musically diverse, his opus centred on composition, varying from piano miniatures and solos for beginners, and solo and chamber works to full blown

concerto A concerto (; plural ''concertos'', or ''concerti'' from the Italian plural) is, from the late Baroque era, mostly understood as an instrumental composition, written for one or more soloists accompanied by an orchestra or other ensemble. The typ ...

s and

symphonies A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning co ...

.www.slowaymusic.com
Apart from sonatas, he notably composed a cycle of seven nocturnes, which many consider his greatest piano oriented work, and seven orchestral pieces Gazele ( Ghazels).www.posta.si
/ref> He not only composed for the piano but also the

, the

and the

bassoon The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuos ...

in 1952. During his life he also wrote for international composers and composed the

film score A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to e ...

s for a number of films under

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

. Škerjanc was also a music critic and writer about music and is the author of three monographs on Slovene composers, five pedagogical handbooks and a book ''Od Bacha do Šostakoviča'' literally meaning ''From Bach to Shostakovich''.

Awards and commemoration

Škerjanc received the Prešeren Award four times, in 1947 for his ''Concert for Violin and Orchestra'' ( sl, Koncert za violino in orkester), and then again in 1948, 1950 and 1971. He was also a recipient of the Austrian

Herder Award The Herder Prize (german: Gottfried-von-Herder-Preis), named after the German philosopher Johann Gottfried Herder (1744–1803), was a prestigious international prize awarded every year from 1964 to 2006 to scholars and artists from Central and Sou ...

and the French ''

Palmes académiques Palmes is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Sir Brian Palmes, English landowner and politician *Sir Guy Palmes, English politician * Brian Palmes MP *Lieutenant General Francis Palmes Lieutenant-General Francis Palmes MP (d ...

''. In 2001, he was commemorated by appearing on a postage stamp of Slovenia which featured at portrait of him by

Božidar Jakac Božidar Jakac (July 16, 1899 – November 20, 1989) was a Slovene Expressionist, Realist and Symbolist painter, printmaker, art teacher, photographer and filmmaker. He produced one of the most extensive oeuvres of pastels and oil paintings ...

positioned on the manuscript of his symphonic poem ''Marenka''.

Works

Orchestra * ''Lirična uvertura'' (Lyric Overture) for orchestra (1925) * ''Concerto for orchestra'' (1926) * ''Slavnostna uvertura'' (Festive Ouverture) for orchestra (1932) * ''Preludio, Aria and Finale'' for string orchestra (1933) * Symphony No.1 (1933) * ''"V onom cernom lese ..."'' for string orchestra (1934) * ''Jadransko morje'' (Adriatic Sea) for string orchestra (1935) * ''Suita v starem slogu'' (Suite in Old Style) for string orchestra (1935) * Symphony No.2 in B minor (1938) * Suite No.2 for string orchestra (1940) * ''Mařenka'', choreographic symphonic poem (1940) * Symphony No.3 (1941) * ''Dramatična uvertura'' (Dramatic Overture) for orchestra (1942) * Symphony No.4 in B major for string orchestra (1942) * Symphony No.5 in F minor for symphony orchestra (1943) * ''Notturno'' * ''Gazele'' (Gazelles, Ghazels), cycle of 7 orchestral poems after

France Prešeren France Prešeren () (2 or 3 December 1800 – 8 February 1849) was a 19th-century Romantic Slovene poet whose poems have been translated into many languages.

(1950) * Suite No.3, 9 Pieces for string orchestra (1954) * ''Mala suita'' (1956) * ''Sinfonietta (Dixtuor)'' for strings (1958) * ''Problemi'' (1958) * ''Sedem dvanajsttonskih fragmentov'' (7 Twelve-tone Fragments) for string orchestra (1958) * ''Svečana uvertura'' (Solemn Overture) for orchestra (1962) * ''Zarje večerne'' (Evening Dawns) for orchestra (1972) Concertante * Concerto for violin and orchestra No.1 (1927) * Concerto for piano and orchestra in A minor (1940) * Concerto for violin and orchestra No.2 (1944) * ''Fantazija'' (Fantasy) for piano and orchestra (1944) * ''Koncertni allegro'' (Concert Allegro) for cello and orchestra (1947) * Concertino for piano and string orchestra (1949) * Concertino for clarinet and orchestra (1949) * Concerto for bassoon with strings and harp (1952) * Concerto for harp and chamber orchestra (1954) * Concerto for clarinet with strings, percussion and harp (1958) * ''Koncertantna rapsodija'' (Concertant Rhapsody) for viola and orchestra (1959) * Concertino for flute and orchestra (1962) * Concerto for piano left hand and orchestra (1963) Chamber music * String Quartet No.1 (1917) * String Quartet No.2 (1921) * String Quartet No.3 (1925) * Woodwind Quintet (1925) * ''Intermezzo romantique'' for violin and piano (1934) * Sonata for cello solo (1935) * String Quartet No.4 (1935) * ''Maestoso lugubre'' for piano trio (1935) * Piano Trio (1935) * Trio for flute, clarinet and bassoon (1937) * ''Dve bagateli'' (2 Bagatelles) for violin and piano (1941) * ''Tri mladinske skladbe'' (Three Youth Compositions) for violin (or clarinet, trumpet, cello) and piano (1942) * String Quartet No.5 (1945) * String Quintet (1950) * Duo for 2 violins (1952) * ''Pet liričnih melodij in Capriccio'' (Five Lyrical Melodies and Capriccio) for cello and piano (1953) * Concertone for 4 cellos (1954) * ''Štiri ditirambične skladbe'' (4 Dithyrambic Pieces) for violin and piano (1960) * ''Sedem etud'' (7 Etudes) for cello solo (1961) * ''Elegija'' (Elegy) for viola and piano Keyboard * Sonata for piano (published 1956) * Sonata No.2 for piano (1925) * ''Štiri klavirske skladbe'' (4 Piano Pieces) (1925) * ''Deset mladinskih skladbic'' (Ten Youth Compositions) for piano * ''Pro memoria'' for piano (1927) * ''Sedem nokturnov'' (7 Nocturnes) for piano (1935) * ''24 diatoničnih preludijev'' (24 Diatonic Preludes) (1936) * ''6 improvizacij'' (6 Improvisations) for piano (1942) * ''Prelude and Fugue in E Minor'' for organ (1944) * ''Varijacije brez teme'' (Variations without a theme) for piano (1944) * ''Šest skladb za eno roko'' (6 Pieces for One Hand) (1945); 3 pieces for the left hand, three for the right * ''Dvanajst preludijev'' (Twelve preludes) for piano (1954) Vocal * ''Vizija'' (Vision), solo song for high voice and piano (1918) * ''Sonetni venec'', Cantata for soloists, chorus and orchestra (1949); words by

France Prešeren France Prešeren () (2 or 3 December 1800 – 8 February 1849) was a 19th-century Romantic Slovene poet whose poems have been translated into many languages.

* ''De profundis'' for voice and chamber orchestra * choral works * 55 songs for voice and piano

References

External links

Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Skerjanc, Lucijan Marija 1900 births 1973 deaths Slovenian classical composers Slovenian male musicians Male classical composers Slovenian conductors (music) Male conductors (music) Slovenian classical pianists Slovenian film score composers Members of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts Prešeren Award laureates Academic staff of the University of Ljubljana Musicians from Graz 20th-century classical composers 20th-century conductors (music) 20th-century pianists Herder Prize recipients Yugoslav composers Male film score composers 20th-century male musicians