Ivan Zajc | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1832-08-03)3 August 1832 |
| Died | 16 December 1914(1914-12-16) (aged 82) |
| Occupation | Conductor |
Ivan von Zajc (alsoCroatian:Ivanplemeniti Zajc,Italian:Giovanni de Zaytz;pronounced[ǐʋanzâjts]; August 3, 1832 – December 16, 1914), was a Croatian composer, conductor, director, and teacher who dominatedCroatia's musical culture for over forty years. Through his artistic and institutional reform efforts, he is credited with its revitalization and refinement, paving the way for new and significant Croatian musical achievements in the 20th century. He is often called the CroatianVerdi.
Ivan Dragutin Stjepan Zajc was born inFiume,Austrian Empire (modern-dayRijeka,Croatia). His family migrated from Pressburg,Kingdom of Hungary (nowBratislava,Slovakia); his father, Johann Zaytz (Jan Nepomuk Zajitz), was ofCzech descent, and his mother, Anna Bodensteiner was ofGerman descent. His musical talent was evident very early on in his life, as he began to study the piano and violin at the age of five, performed in public by the age of six, and even began to compose his own music by the age of twelve. Nevertheless, despite his early musical success, his military bandmaster father was opposed to the idea of a career in music and wanted him to study law instead following the completion of his secondary education. In the end, Zajc's professors prevailed and he entered theMilan Conservatory in 1850 with his father's consent.
Zajc studied inMilan from 1850 to 1855, under the supervision ofStefano Ronchetti-Monteviti (counterpoint and composition),Alberto Mazzucato (orchestration), andLauro Rossi (dramatic music). During this period, Zajc took his studies very seriously and regularly won prizes as one of the conservatory's most talented students. He was awarded first prize at his graduation examination for the operaLa Tirolese (1855), which was performed on stage in the same year. Zajc's future as a composer and conductor in Milan was secure, but the death of his parents in the meantime forced him to return to Fiume.
Back home, he accepted the post of conductor and concert master of the Town Theatre Orchestra, taught stringed instruments at the Philharmonic Institute, and simultaneously wrote numerous compositions with his characteristic speed and ease. In 1860, his operaAmelia ossia Il Bandito was met with great success, though two years later, after a prolonged illness, Zajc chose to move toVienna, where opera and theatre were flourishing. His eight-year stay there (1862–70) was marked by further success, though he settled for composing operettas rather than operas. His first Viennese work,Mannschaft an Bord (1863), was enormously well received and his later operettas only served to strengthen his growing reputation. Yet it was in Vienna that Zajc became involved with the Croatian academic societyVelebit and frequently met with young Croatian students. Influenced by such Croatian cultural figures as bishopJosip Juraj Strossmayer and poetsPetar Preradović,Ivan Trnski,August Šenoa, andMatija Divković, Zajc chose patriotism over world fame and returned toKingdom of Croatia-Slavonia.
Upon his arrival inZagreb in 1870, Zajc was presented with two posts: director and conductor of theCroatian Opera and director and teacher at theCroatian Institute of Music. It was during this period that Zajc made his major contribution to Croatian musical culture, not only through his compositions, but also through his leadership in reorganizing Zagreb's musical institutions. He was also an excellent vocal teacher and succeeded in training several prominent singers. Zajc was an exceptionally prolific composer, as evidenced by almost 1000 works, from Op. 234 to Op. 1202, produced during his time in Zagreb. Included in this number areMislav (1870),Ban Leget (1872), his masterpieceNikola Šubić Zrinski (1876), andLizinka (1878), in addition tooperettas,musical comedies,cantatas, songs and choral compositions,concerti,chamber music, and many other works.
Zajc's appointment at the opera was maintained until 1889, when owing to financial difficulties the organization lapsed for a time, but Zajc retained his post at the school until 1908, when he finally retired. He is credited with reviving Croatian music during a period of musical stagnation after the collapse of theIllyrian Movement and raising it to the artistic level where it stands today. His efforts paved the way for new and significant Croatian musical achievements in the early 20th century, which Zajc himself lived to see up to his death on December 16, 1914 in Zagreb.
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