Joseph Hatze (1879–1959) was one of the first and most prominent Croatian composers at the beginning of the 20th century. Hatze was born in

Split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, enter ...

(then

Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...

, now

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

) to a family of craftsmen from Split. Whilst still at school he attended musical events, especially of sacred music and folk songs. Upon discovering his musicality, and with family support, he attended all the performances in the newly opened Municipal Theater in Split. His strong response to

orchestral An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, a ...

and

choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

performances in the Split theater encouraged the 16-year-old Hatze to sing at Chapel Mass. During that time he wrote "Misa a Kapela" (in Croatian text), which was performed with great success. Later other

Dalmatia Dalmatia (; ; ) is a historical region located in modern-day Croatia and Montenegro, on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea. Through time it formed part of several historical states, most notably the Roman Empire, the Kingdom of Croatia (925 ...

n school choirs started performing his musical work. He completed his studies in composition in 1902 at the Rossini Conservatory in

Pesaro Pesaro (; ) is a (municipality) in the Italy, Italian region of Marche, capital of the province of Pesaro and Urbino, on the Adriatic Sea. According to the 2011 census, its population was 95,011, making it the second most populous city in the ...

in Italy with the operatic composer

Pietro Mascagni Pietro Mascagni (7 December 1863 – 2 August 1945) was an Italian composer primarily known for his operas. His 1890 masterpiece '' Cavalleria rusticana'' caused one of the greatest sensations in opera history and single-handedly ushered in the ...

. Returning home to Split, he worked as a choir teacher at the Central Technical School in Split and was the choirmaster at the choral society ''Zvonimir''. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, he was at the front, away from home, and was not aware that his wife Gilda had died of the

Spanish flu The 1918–1920 flu pandemic, also known as the Great Influenza epidemic or by the common misnomer Spanish flu, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 subtype of the influenza A virus. The earliest docum ...

. Gilda was from the patrician Marulić family (related to

Marko Marulić Marko Marulić Splićanin (; ; 18 August 1450 – 5 January 1524), was a Croatian poet, lawyer, judge, and Renaissance humanist. He is the national poet of Croatia. According to George J. Gutsche, Marulić's epic poem '' Judita'' "is the first ...

). Afterwards he was the choirmaster of the choral society ''Guslar''. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Hatze became a refugee in

El Shatt The El Shatt was a complex of World War II refugee camps in the desert of the Sinai peninsula in Egypt, established in early 1944. The region of Dalmatia (in today's modern Croatia, then Yugoslavia) was evacuated by the Allies of World War II, All ...

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

. There he organized a camp choir. Hatze taught the basics of music to his grandson, Ruben Radica (b. 1941), who became a professional musician, teacher and composer.Gligo, Nikša
"Radica, Ruben"
''Grove Music Online'', Oxford University Press, 2001, retrieved 10 May 2018 Hatze wrote about 60 songs, as well as the

cantata A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian language, Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal music, vocal Musical composition, composition with an musical instrument, instrumental accompaniment, ty ...

s "Night at Una" (with verses by Hugo Badalić), "Exodus" (1912) and "Golemi Pan" (1917). The work "Golemi Pan" (Huge Pan) was written to the poetry of

Vladimir Nazor Vladimir Nazor (30 May 1876 – 19 June 1949) was a Croatian poet and politician. During and after World War II in Yugoslavia, he served as the first President of the Presidency of the Croatian Parliament (Croatian head of state), and first ...

. Hatze's sense of dramaturgy is evident in both of his operas ''The Return'' (1910) and ''Adel and Mara'' (1932). ''The Return'' is the story of a Croatian peasant who had to go to a foreign land and then return to his family home. ''Adel and Mara'', based on true events from the 16th century, deals with loyalty and love that cannot survive as a result of religious and cultural conflicts. Joseph Hatze died in Split at the age of 80. On the 125th Anniversary of the birth of Josip Hatze, Croatia issued a stamp in his honor. In Split, a secondary music school, Glazbena Škola Josipa Hatzea (Josip Hatze Music School), is named in his honor, as is Hatzeov Perivoj (Hatze Park).

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* performed in HNK Split on a concert dedicated to Hatze's birth. The piece was done by Split's music school's choir and string orchestra. {{DEFAULTSORT:Hatze, Josip 1879 births 1959 deaths Croatian composers Croatian male composers Romantic composers Musicians from Split, Croatia People from the Kingdom of Dalmatia Austro-Hungarian military personnel of World War I Croatian male classical composers Croatian refugees 20th-century male composers 19th-century male musicians Burials at Lovrinac Cemetery Composers from Austria-Hungary

See also

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