Page 206 - Weiss, Jernej, ur. 2018. Nova glasba v “novi” Evropi med obema svetovnima vojnama ?? New Music in the “New” Europe Between the Two World Wars. Koper/Ljubljana: Založba Univerze na Primorskem in Festival Ljubljana. Studia musicologica Labacensia, 2
P. 206
nova glasba v »novi« evropi med obema svetovnima vojnama
Hába never studied with Schönberg either, although he was certainly
influenced by the latter’s ideas. Although in his teachings Hába constant-
ly stressed the importance of independence, like Schönberg he developed
his own micro-intervallic systems exclusively in order to develop and ex-
pand his range of expression, and in doing so “strove for the maximum and
most appropriate use of the expressive possibilities of different tone sys-
tems.”9 He therefore went a step further in the development of the semitone
system, to which he added quarter-tone, fifth-tone and sixth-tone intervals.
Jiří Vysloužil explains that the period in which Arnold Schönberg and his
pupils were losing the right of domicile in Austria and Germany coincid-
ed with the arrival of their music in Prague.10 It could be heard at concerts
and on the radio. Thanks to Hába, it was also discovered by students at the
conservatory. Hába’s lessons soon gained an international dimension and
reputation, since as well as Osterc his students included a number of oth-
er soon-to-be highly influential composers: the Czechs Karel Reiner, Jaro-
slav Ježek and Karel Ančerl, the Serbs Milan Ristić, Ljubica Marić, Vojislav
Vučković and Stanojlo Rajičić and the Bulgarian Konstantin Iliev. These
and many other attendees of Hába’s course went on to form some of the
leading avant-garde movements around Europe.
In this connection, it is worth highlighting Hába’s particular fondness
for his Yugoslav colleagues, a fondness that was in fact shared by the major-
ity of the Czech cultural and political community in this period. A special
issue of music periodical Tempo, formerly Listy Hudební matice (produced
by the Hudební Matice music publishing company) dated 16 October 1927
was entirely devoted to the music scene in Yugoslavia and included a Slavo-
phile poem by Aleksa Šantić entitled Nové pokolení (New Generation).11 The
same issue also included a brief report on the most important Slovene com-
posers working at that time, among them Anton Lajovic. The report ends
with a mention of the fresh creative potential of Slavko Osterc, a student at
the Prague conservatory. It was Lajovic, the true spiritus agens of Slovene
music in the immediate post-war years, who intervened with Václav Talich
– the first conductor of the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra – regard-
ing Osterc’s enrolment at the conservatory in Prague (where Talich taught).
In contrast to Osterc, who in the late 1920s was just beginning his ca-
reer as a professional music teacher at the conservatory of the Glasbena
9 Jiří Vysloužil, “Alois Hába Heute,” Muzikološki zbornik 20 (1984): 62.
10 Ibid., 57.
11 Aleksa Šantić, “Nové pokolení,” Tempo – Listy Hudební matice 7, no. 2 (1927–28): 55–
56.
204
Hába never studied with Schönberg either, although he was certainly
influenced by the latter’s ideas. Although in his teachings Hába constant-
ly stressed the importance of independence, like Schönberg he developed
his own micro-intervallic systems exclusively in order to develop and ex-
pand his range of expression, and in doing so “strove for the maximum and
most appropriate use of the expressive possibilities of different tone sys-
tems.”9 He therefore went a step further in the development of the semitone
system, to which he added quarter-tone, fifth-tone and sixth-tone intervals.
Jiří Vysloužil explains that the period in which Arnold Schönberg and his
pupils were losing the right of domicile in Austria and Germany coincid-
ed with the arrival of their music in Prague.10 It could be heard at concerts
and on the radio. Thanks to Hába, it was also discovered by students at the
conservatory. Hába’s lessons soon gained an international dimension and
reputation, since as well as Osterc his students included a number of oth-
er soon-to-be highly influential composers: the Czechs Karel Reiner, Jaro-
slav Ježek and Karel Ančerl, the Serbs Milan Ristić, Ljubica Marić, Vojislav
Vučković and Stanojlo Rajičić and the Bulgarian Konstantin Iliev. These
and many other attendees of Hába’s course went on to form some of the
leading avant-garde movements around Europe.
In this connection, it is worth highlighting Hába’s particular fondness
for his Yugoslav colleagues, a fondness that was in fact shared by the major-
ity of the Czech cultural and political community in this period. A special
issue of music periodical Tempo, formerly Listy Hudební matice (produced
by the Hudební Matice music publishing company) dated 16 October 1927
was entirely devoted to the music scene in Yugoslavia and included a Slavo-
phile poem by Aleksa Šantić entitled Nové pokolení (New Generation).11 The
same issue also included a brief report on the most important Slovene com-
posers working at that time, among them Anton Lajovic. The report ends
with a mention of the fresh creative potential of Slavko Osterc, a student at
the Prague conservatory. It was Lajovic, the true spiritus agens of Slovene
music in the immediate post-war years, who intervened with Václav Talich
– the first conductor of the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra – regard-
ing Osterc’s enrolment at the conservatory in Prague (where Talich taught).
In contrast to Osterc, who in the late 1920s was just beginning his ca-
reer as a professional music teacher at the conservatory of the Glasbena
9 Jiří Vysloužil, “Alois Hába Heute,” Muzikološki zbornik 20 (1984): 62.
10 Ibid., 57.
11 Aleksa Šantić, “Nové pokolení,” Tempo – Listy Hudební matice 7, no. 2 (1927–28): 55–
56.
204
