Anton Dobronić (1878 - 1955) + audio samples

[eternalorphea]

I^st Symphony: Vigorosa   (1937)
Maestoso ed energico
Larghetto e mistico
Quasi maestoso
Instrumentation: 3 Fl, 3 Ob, 3 Cl, 3 Fag, 4 Cor, 3 Tbe, 2 Tbni, 1 Tuba, Batt, Cel, Arpa, archi
Duration: 30 min.
___
II^nd Symphony: Cantabile   (1941)
Triste
Giocoso
Maestoso
Instumentation: 3F1, 3 Ob, 3 Cl, 3 Fag, 4 Cor, 3 Tbe, 2 Tbni, 1 Tuba, Batt, Cel, Arpa, archi
Duration: 30 min.
___
III^rd Symphony: Dolorosa   (1943)
Dolente e giocoso
Meditazione lirica
Grandezza del Dolore
Instrumentation: 3 Fl, 3 Ob, 3 Cl, 3 Fag, 4 Cor, 3 Tbe, 3 Tbni, 1 Tuba, Batt, Cel, Arpa, archi
Duration: 35 min.
___
IV^th Symphony: Vittoriosa   (1945)
Fervour
Jubilation
Instrumentation: 3 Fl, 3 Ob, 3 Cl, 3 Fag, 4 Cor, 3 Tbe, 3 Tbni, 1 Tuba, Batt, Camp, Cel, Arpa, Pf, archi
Duration: 35 min.
___
V^th Symphony: Enfatica  (1949)
Andantino spiritoso
Moderato affettuoso
Andantino scherzoso
Maestoso enfatico
Instrumentation: 3 Fl, 3 Ob, 3 C1, 3 Fag, 4 Cor, 3 Tbe, 3 Tbni, 1 Tuba, Batt, Cel, Arpa, Pf, archi
Duration: 25 min.
___
VI^th Symphony: Maestosa   (1952)
Andantino
Moderato quasi larghetto
Moderato quasi andante e deciso
Instrumentation: 3 Fl, 3 Ob, 3 CI, 3 Fag, 4 Cor, 3 Tbe, 3 Tbni, 1 Tuba, Batt, Cel, Arpa, Pf, archi
Duration: 25 min.
___
VII^th Symphony: Story   (1953)
Here begins his love
The ballerina's in love too
Song
March and tin soldiers' dance
All-encompassing merriment
Instrumentation: 2 Fl, 2 Ob, 2 Cl, 2 Fag, 3 Cor, 2 Tbe, 2 Tbni, Batt, Pf, archi, mixed choir
Duration: 20 min.
___
VIII^th Symphony: Funebre e trionfale   (1954)
To the painful memory of my Jerka
Soulmates
Along with our kids
Lonely
Children go into the world
Instrumentation: 2 Fl 2 Ob, 2 Cl, 2 Fag, 3 Cor, 2 Tbe, 2 Tbni, Batt, Pf, archi
Duration: 30 min.
___
Symphony with choir (without number and title)   (1945)
Allegretto
Allegretto
Andantino
Instrumentation: 3 Fl, 3 Ob, 3 C1, 3 Fag, 4 Cor, 3 Tbe, 3 Tbni, 1 Tuba, Batt, Cel, Arpa, Pf, archi, mixed choir
Duration: 25 min.
___
Croatian Kings   (1944)
A whole-evening symphonic cycle on sonnets by Vladimir Nazor

King's dream
King's rejoicing
King's tillage
King's reveling
King's prayer
Instrumentation: 3 Fl, 3 Ob, 3 Cl, 3 Fag, 4 Cor, 3 Tbe, 3 Tbni, 1 Tuba, Batt, Ccl, Arpa, Pf, archi and recitor
___
Yugoslav Symphonic Dances   (1933)
Cycle of 12 dances
Instrumentation: 2 Fl, 2 Ob, 2 CI, 2 Fag, 4 Cor, 3 Tbe, 3 Tbni, 1 Tuba, Batt, Cel, Arpa, Pf, archi
___
Pjesma mjeseca maja / Poem of the Month of May (op. 6)   (1915)
Symphonic image
Prayer, children and flowers
Youth, meadow and love
Instrumentation: 4 Fl, 3 Ob, 4 Cl, 2 Fag, 4 Cor, 2 Tbe, 3 Tbni, 1 Tuba, Carillon, Pf, archi
Duration: 30 min.
___
Carnival  (1913)
Portrait in tones
Burlesca
Erotica
Baccanale
Instrumentation: 3 Ft 3 Ob, 2 Cl, 3 Fag, 6 Cor, 4 Tbe, 3 Tbni, 1 Tuba, Batt, Arpa, archi
Duration: 20 min.
___
'Viaggio Dantesco' in three sections:
I. Città dolente (Inferno)   (1946)
Symphonic portrait
Duration: 25 min.

II. Luoghi mesti (Purgatorio)   (1955)
Cantata 
Duration: 25 min.

III. Rosa mistica (Paradiso)   (1955)
Cantata
Instrumentation: 3 Fl, 3 Ob, 3 C1, 3 Fag, 4 Cor, 3 Tbe, 3 Tbni, 1 Tuba, Batt, Cel, Arpa, Pf, archi, choir and recitor (tenor) 
Duration: 30 min.

[semloh]

eternalorphea - Interesting.  Can you tell us anything about the style of this music, and whether it has ever been recorded?

[eschiss1]

I see no mention of recordings of anything other than some solo songs, and a pastorale called Shepherd's Music for oboe and clarinet, in Worldcat, but Worldcat can be a bit generic and also I was searching with some -very- specific search terms, not allowing for alternate spellings.

The Musical Times (London) mentions a string quartet of his in an issue in 1922 (August 1 1922, p.587) which I do not see listed above? (I think this was in a review of the ISCM Festival or something- anyhow under "Vienna"- works by many composers, Dobronic among them, from many countries, are listed. I recognize quite a few, some- not a few - I first saw on this board- e.g. Jens Emborg, a string quartet by whom is -also- mentioned... hrm!  Always used to enjoy going to the library and scouring through those journals- back before quite a few were digitized and uploaded, and I could do so at home. )

[Mark Thomas]

The dates of almost all of these compositions by Dobronić are well into the 20th century and so, on the face of it, they'd fall outside our usual scope. Backing up semloh, and in the absence of any recordings, can you give us an idea of Dobronić's idiom, please, eternalorphea? If he continued to write in a romantic style (which we define here) then that's good, but if his idiom is contemporary to his era then I'm afraid that Dobronić will need to be talked about elsewhere.

[eternalorphea]

Warning: some mediterranean Croatian folk tunes sound very dissonant, so their use in these works might mislead you into thinking..

Audio excerpts:

Carnival, Symphonic portrait, op. 2
I. Burlesque
http://www.antundobronic.hr/audio/01-Karneval-Burleska.mp3

Carnival, Symphonic portrait, op. 2
II. Erotica
http://www.antundobronic.hr/audio/02-Karneval-Erotika.mp3

Carnival, Symphonic portrait, op. 2
III. Bacchanal
http://www.antundobronic.hr/audio/03-Karneval-Bakanal.mp3

Moods (/Atmospheres), for 4 violas
II. Doloroso
http://www.antundobronic.hr/audio/05-Ugodjaji-Bolno.mp3

En famille, piano trio, op. 24
http://www.antundobronic.hr/audio/07-En famille.mp3

Hajduk, song cycle for basso and piano
Ljubovta je do groba
http://www.antundobronic.hr/audio/08-Hajduk-Ljubovta je do groba.mp3

Hajduk, song cycle for basso and piano
Tuk ne bila malkaj moma
http://www.antundobronic.hr/audio/12-Hajduk-Tuk ne bila malkaj moma.mp3

I. string quartet - Soulmates' song
http://www.antundobronic.hr/audio/I. Gudacki kvartet.mp3

Symphony No.1 "Vigorosa"
I. maestoso ed energico - allegretto scherzoso
http://www.antundobronic.hr/audio/I. simfonija - Vigorosa.mp3

Symphony No.5 "Emfatica"
II. moderato affetuoso
http://www.antundobronic.hr/audio/V. simfonija Emfatica.mp3

Jelšonski tonci (Dances from Jelsa), suite for string orchestra
V. Poskakuša (Saltarello)
http://www.antundobronic.hr/audio/Jelsonski_tonci-poskakusa.mp3

[semloh]

Thank you for the links, but in my view, these compositions do not have a place on UC, as they unequivocally lie outside the declared remit of " romantic" music. This is not a judgement as to their quality, of course, but simply that they are misplaced here. 

[eternalorphea]

No they're not! It is called extended romanticism, if you didn't know.. a romanticism, but of a different kind, modernised - thus some mistaking it as modernism. It all begun when a late-romantic composer broke trough the time capsule he was captivated by and caught up with the pace of the times. At least that's what may have happened to Dobronić.

[Mark Thomas]

Sorry, eternalorphea, you need to understand that if one of the administrators says that pieces of music are outside UC's remit than that's the final decision. "No, they're not!" is an unacceptable and disrespectful response. No one expects you or any other member to agree with the administrators all the time, particularly when a decision goes against a strongly held enthusiasm, but there are plenty of other places online to talk about music, and our job is keep UC focussed on what most people come here for.