Page 81 - Glasbenopedagoški zbornik Akademije za glasbo v Ljubljani / The Journal of Music Education of the Academy of Music in Ljubljana, leto 10, zvezek 21 / Year 10, Issue 21, 2014
P. 81
nka Rotar Pance, VREMŠAKOV OPUS ZA OTROŠKE IN MLADINSKE ZBORE
VREMŠAK’S OPUS FOR CHILD’S AND YOUTH CHOIRS
Summary
As a musician, Samo Vremšak was active in several areas: he was a composer, baritone
singer soloist, choral conductor, choral singer, music teacher, and for a short period also
an advisor for music. However, composing was most important to him. His creative opus
extends to various areas, among which music for children’s and youth choirs have a
special place. Vremšak’s compositions for children’s and youth choirs are presented
together with an overview of their publications in Grlica – a journal for music teachers and
conductors of school choirs, where they were published between 1963 and 1984. Most of
them were later compiled in his collection of compositions for children’s and youth choirs:
Samo Vremšak: otroški in mladinski zbori (1997). The composer selected the poetry he
used in his compositions for children’s and youth choirs very carefully and also arranged
many Slovene folk songs, as is evident from his collection (1997). The main part of the
paper is dedicated to the analysis of the 12 pieces for children’s choir and 19 for youth
choir from the collection. Most of the compositions for children’s choir are for unison
voices with piano accompaniment. Vremšak’s musical language reflects the texts in terms
of meter and rhythm as well as the melodic line of the singing voice and the independent
and mostly complementary piano accompaniment. In his later compositions, the regular
meter is substituted by an open tonal space. The compositions, most of which are in
ternary form or recomposed, have very clearly defined interpretation markings. All
compositions for youth choirs are intended for a cappella singing. Here the transition from
the tonal system into an open, atonal musical space and free musical time is even more
rapid than in the case of children’s compositions. The composer uses principles of
polyphonic and homophonic construction; both approaches show his excellence in
shaping and leading the lines of each individual part, which, in the simultaneous singing of
all parts, also demands good intonation abilities from the singers. The harmonies include
numerous seconds and fourths. The compositions for youth choir also have numerous
interpretation markings determined: for the dynamics and agogics, metronome markings
when the tempo changes, as well as for the modes of singing. This is particularly evident
in Vremšak’s arrangements of Slovene folk songs, which represent a true virtuosic
challenge for performers. His compositions for children’s and youth choirs require sound
singing skills and in-depth study in order for the choir to be able to recreate the composer’s
musical testimony. In it, Samo Vremšak is true to himself, following an artistic and
aesthetic path he forges entirely independently, expressing himself through his own
musical language.
81
VREMŠAK’S OPUS FOR CHILD’S AND YOUTH CHOIRS
Summary
As a musician, Samo Vremšak was active in several areas: he was a composer, baritone
singer soloist, choral conductor, choral singer, music teacher, and for a short period also
an advisor for music. However, composing was most important to him. His creative opus
extends to various areas, among which music for children’s and youth choirs have a
special place. Vremšak’s compositions for children’s and youth choirs are presented
together with an overview of their publications in Grlica – a journal for music teachers and
conductors of school choirs, where they were published between 1963 and 1984. Most of
them were later compiled in his collection of compositions for children’s and youth choirs:
Samo Vremšak: otroški in mladinski zbori (1997). The composer selected the poetry he
used in his compositions for children’s and youth choirs very carefully and also arranged
many Slovene folk songs, as is evident from his collection (1997). The main part of the
paper is dedicated to the analysis of the 12 pieces for children’s choir and 19 for youth
choir from the collection. Most of the compositions for children’s choir are for unison
voices with piano accompaniment. Vremšak’s musical language reflects the texts in terms
of meter and rhythm as well as the melodic line of the singing voice and the independent
and mostly complementary piano accompaniment. In his later compositions, the regular
meter is substituted by an open tonal space. The compositions, most of which are in
ternary form or recomposed, have very clearly defined interpretation markings. All
compositions for youth choirs are intended for a cappella singing. Here the transition from
the tonal system into an open, atonal musical space and free musical time is even more
rapid than in the case of children’s compositions. The composer uses principles of
polyphonic and homophonic construction; both approaches show his excellence in
shaping and leading the lines of each individual part, which, in the simultaneous singing of
all parts, also demands good intonation abilities from the singers. The harmonies include
numerous seconds and fourths. The compositions for youth choir also have numerous
interpretation markings determined: for the dynamics and agogics, metronome markings
when the tempo changes, as well as for the modes of singing. This is particularly evident
in Vremšak’s arrangements of Slovene folk songs, which represent a true virtuosic
challenge for performers. His compositions for children’s and youth choirs require sound
singing skills and in-depth study in order for the choir to be able to recreate the composer’s
musical testimony. In it, Samo Vremšak is true to himself, following an artistic and
aesthetic path he forges entirely independently, expressing himself through his own
musical language.
81
