Arti musices, Vol. 41 No. 1, 2010.
Original scientific paper
The Legacy of Tihomil Vidošić at the Croatian Institute of Music in Zagreb
Lucija Konfic
orcid.org/0000-0003-3515-4862
; Odsjek za povijest hrvatske glazbe HAZU, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
The work of Tihomil Vidošić (Boljun, Istria, 1 July 1902 - Zagreb, 24 January 1973) can be completely understood only by viewing all aspects of his activity: he was a composer, conductor, educator, and arranger. An autodidact at first, he took lessons from Ivan Matetić Ronjgov (1880-1960) and started composition and conductor studies at the Music Academy in Zagreb in 1923, although he did not finally complete his courses until 1961. In the meantime, he finished organ studies (1929) and took a job as a military bandmaster, which brought him to Tuzla (Bosnia-Hercegovina) in 1930 and then to Mostar three years later. He was mobilised in 1941 and came back to Zagreb, where he was director of the military Music School (1942-1945). After the war, he worked as a teacher of harmony, solfeggio and as conductor at the new school of music (Gradska glazbena škola, later Glazbena škola Pavla Markovca in Zagreb) until his death in 1973. Throughout all that time, he composed and developed his compositional style, very often dedicating his works to the ensembles he was conducting and, later, to his pupils, who gladly played his music that suited them technically and stylistically.
A major part of his legacy was found in 2004, almost by accident. The author of this text sorted and catalogued the material (the basis of her graduation thesis) as a precondition for later studies of Vidošić’s work. Alojzije Seder, who bought the legacy, donated it to the Croatian Institute of Music (Hrvatski glazbeni zavod) in Zagreb, where it was archived under Inventory Number 38. The legacy consists of: books (mostly on music), printed music material, hand-written music material and various types of documents (letters, annotations, lists [of works], and 4 versions of the composer’s autobiographies). The books and documents were catalogued using a standard word processor program (Microsoft Word) while RISM standards (ISIS software) were used for all the music material. The most interesting and most valuable parts of the legacy are Vidošić’s manuscripts that are unique examples - such as the long sought after score of Vidošić’s most popular work, the comic opera Stari mladić / An Old Lad - but this is definitely not the complete legacy that was in the possession of either Vidošić or his widow Štefica. It was partly destroyed (mostly by damp) and partly sold before it came into the possession of Alojzije Seder. That is why it is difficult to draw a relevant conclusion (about the composer’s treatment of his own work, for example). One can find Vidošić’s original scores, arrangements (including many folk songs and dance arrangements), and transcriptions of other composers’ works. Amongst Vidošić’s original compositions, some are well-preserved and in complete form, but there are many piano scores (without instrumentation/orchestration) and sketches bearing the annotation "finished". The aim of this paper has been to systematize the material found in the legacy of Tihomil Vidošić and to show at least a part of his interests, which might encourage further studies and performance of the works of this almost forgotten Croatian composer.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
61211
URI
Publication date:
14.6.2010.
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