Jakov Gotovac

Jakov Gotovac (October 11, 1895 – October 16, 1982) was a composer and conductor of classical music. He is the author of the most famous Croatian nationalist opera, the comic Ero s onoga svijeta ("Ero the joker"), which first played in Zagreb in 1935.

Related Topics:
October 11 - 1895 - October 16 - 1982 - Composer - Conductor - Opera - Ero s onoga svijeta - Zagreb - 1935

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Gotovac was born in Split and initially had little if any formal education in music. Jakov was fortunate to be encouraged and supported by Josip Hatze, Cyril Metod?j Hrazdíra and Antun Dobrani? who instilled him with a nationalistic orientation in music. He started as a law student in Zagreb, but switched to writing music in 1920. In Vienna, he studied in the class of Johan Marx.

Related Topics:
Split - Josip Hatze - Cyril Metod?j Hrazdíra - Antun Dobrani? - Zagreb - 1920 - Vienna - Johan Marx

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Back home, in 1922 he founded the Philharmonia Society in ?ibenik. In 1923 he moved to Zagreb, where he kept working both as conductor and composer until his death. Between 1923 and 1958, he was opera conductor in the Croatian National Theatre (Hrvatsko narodno kazali?te), and leader of an academic musical society Mladost, and of the choir Vladimir Nazor.

Related Topics:
1922 - ?ibenik - 1923 - 1958 - Croatian National Theatre - Mladost - Vladimir Nazor

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The best-known piece of work of Gotovac is no doubt Ero, which has been performed on all five continents except Antarctica and Australia and translated into nine languages, with its libretto written by Milan Begovi?. 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.

Related Topics:
Libretto - Milan Begovi?

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In his works, Gotovac represents the late national romanticism, with national folklore 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.

Related Topics:
National romanticism - Folklore

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