Alexander Moyzes (4 September 1906 – 20 November 1984) was a Slovak neoromantic

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 ...

Biography

Moyzes was born into a musical family in 1906 at

Kláštor pod Znievom Kláštor pod Znievom ( hu, Znióváralja) is a village and municipality in Martin District in the Žilina Region of northern Slovakia, south west from Martin, near the Malá Fatra mountains. History In historical records the village was first m ...

Austro-Hungarian Empire 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 ...

. His father was the composer and educator Mikuláš Moyzes. After earlier technical studies, in 1925 he entered the

Prague Conservatory The Prague Conservatory or Prague Conservatoire ( cs, Pražská konzervatoř) is a music school in Prague, Czech Republic, founded in 1808. Currently, Prague Conservatory offers four or six year study courses, which can be compared to the level ...

, where he studied organ, conducting and composition. He graduated in 1929 and went on to study in the master class of

Vítězslav Novák Vítězslav Augustín Rudolf Novák (5 December 1870 – 18 July 1949) was a Czech composer and academic teacher at the Prague Conservatory. Stylistically, he was part of the neo-romantic tradition, and his music is considered an important ...

, from which he graduated in the following year with his ''Overture for Orchestra, Opus 10''. It was Novák who directed his attention to Slovak music, the source of his inspiration. In 1929, Moyzes was appointed to the teaching staff of the Music and Drama Academy for Slovakia in

Bratislava Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approximately 140% of ...

. He became professor of composition at the Bratislava Conservatory in 1941 and spent a number of years as principal music advisor to Radio Bratislava, until compelled to resign in 1948. On its foundation he was appointed professor of composition at the Bratislava Music Academy, where he taught no less than three generations of Slovak composers. He headed the Academy as Rector from 1965 until 1971, and over the years undertook many important functions in the musical life of his country. He died in

. With

Eugen Suchoň Eugen Suchoň (September 25, 1908 – August 5, 1993) was one of the most important Slovak composers of the 20th century. Early life Eugen Suchoň was born on September 25, 1908 in Pezinok, (Slovakia). His father, Ladislav Suchoň, was an ...

and

Ján Cikker Ján Cikker (29 July 1911 – 21 December 1989) was a Slovak composer, a leading exponent of modern Slovak classical music. He was awarded the title ''National Artist'' in Slovakia, the Herder Prize (1966) and thIMC-UNESCO International Music Pri ...

, Alexander Moyzes is considered one of the three leading composers of his generation in

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the ...

. He succeeded in creating a style of composition that was thoroughly Slovak in inspiration, yet nevertheless took account of contemporary trends in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

an music, a synthesis that he was to consolidate in his later years.

Pieces

Orchestra

*''Down the River Váh'', Op. 26 (1935) *''Pohronie Dances'', Op. 43 (1950) *''Gemer Dances'', Op. 51 (1956) *Violin Concerto, Op. 53 *Symphony No. 1 in D major, Op. 31 (1929, rev. 1937) *Symphony No. 2 in A minor, Op. 16 (1932) *Symphony No. 3 in B flat major, Op. 18 (1942) *Symphony No. 4 in E flat major, Op. 38 (1947, rev. 1957) *Symphony No. 5 in F major, Op. 39 (1947–48) *Symphony No. 6 in E major, Op. 44 (1951) *Symphony No. 7, Op. 50 (1954–55) *Flute Concerto, Op. 61 *Symphony No. 8, Op. 64 (1968–69) *Symphony No. 9, Op. 69 (1971) *Symphony No. 10, Op. 77 (1977–78) *Symphony No. 11, Op. 79 *Symphony No. 12, Op. 83

Chamber

*Four String Quartets (Op. 8, 66, 83 and without opus number)

Piano

*Jazz Sonata for two pianos, op. 14

References

External links

Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moyzes, Alexander 1906 births 1984 deaths 20th-century classical composers 20th-century male musicians Neoromantic composers Male classical composers People from Martin District Pupils of Vítězslav Novák Prague Conservatory alumni Slovak composers Slovak male musicians