Fran Gerbič (1840–1917) 'Hunting Symphony'

[Alan Howe]

A few details on this composer here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fran_Gerbi%C4%8D

[Mykulh]

Hi Alan,
    Is this a CD? If so, details please. Sounds fascinating.

Mike

[Alan Howe]

Hi Mike: it appears to be from a Slovenian Radio broadcast.

[Justin]

Some additional details for this symphony:

I don't believe that the notes for the broadcast are correct.

First, found two sources (the book The Music Topic: Hunt, Military and Pastoral by Raymond Monelle & the All Slovenian Cultural Committee) that date the symphony to 1915, not 1899.

Second, if the radio station Radiotelevizija Slovenija and the Consortium Musicum Choir are correctly credited, then the conductor would be Marko Munih. That would pinpoint the date of the broadcast to 26 August 2019. Anton Nanut passed away in January 2017, and the station doesn't have records of him conducting this piece according to their website.

Below is the link to the program listing, and Nanut's name is there at the bottom for a separate composition, so it may have just accidentally been copied over.

https://ars.rtvslo.si/2019/08/glasbena-jutranjica-4405/

Also, a fun fact: This symphony was the first "Romantic Symphony" composed by a native Slovene composer, according to the All Slovenian Cultural Committee.

http://www.theslovenian.com/articles/stephanija.htm

Finally, the movements for the work:

I. On the pursuit (Allegro)
II. Forest idyll (Andante)
III. Scherzo - Allegro assai
IV. Finale - Allegro ma non troppo

[Gareth Vaughan]

Thank you very much. This additional information is important, valuable and greatly appreciated.

[Alan Howe]

Thanks indeed.

I have made some alterations to the details accompanying the download link. If any further information emerges, please let us know.

[Ilja]

According to the Slovenian Wikipedia entry, Gerbič wrote two symphonies, of which we may safely assume this is the second.

[Alan Howe]

True - but how, then, can this be the first "Romantic Symphony" composed by a native Slovene composer? All the Slovenian entry says is 'two symphonies', without any further detail. Curious...

[Justin]

There are a couple more sources which mention his "symphonies," but there are only ever details about this "Hunting Symphony." I would presume that this is the first one, because of it being hailed as a landmark in Slovenian music.

According to Monelle's book, the "Hunting Symphony" is unpublished, so I'm not surprised we can't find any information on the other one.

[semloh]

The claim that this is the first romantic symphony by a Slovene composer is made by the same author in a number of academic articles, e.g.:

Between autonomy of music and the composer's autonomy - Notes on modernisms and traditionalisms in Slovenian music of the 20th century (Stefanija 2006), published in Muzikologija, Vol.6, pp.117-145.

However in a recent paper he alters the claim to "the disputably "first Slovenian symphony"' (Music during the Great War in Slovenia, Musicological Annual LIII/2). Why it's placed in quote marks is unclear but he goes on to say "the first "Slovenian Symphony", as historiographers disputably label Lovska simfonija from 1915 by Fran Gerbič.

I'm not sure if this helps resolve the issue, or is just a diversion. 
If anyone wants copies of the articles please let me know.

Grove says......

Fran Gerbič (Cerknica, October 5, 1840–Ljubljana, March 29, 1917), composer and singer. He
was taught music by Kamilo Mašek in Ljubljana, and from 1865 to 1867 he attended the Prague
Conservatory, studying singing with František Arnold Vogl and composition with Josef Krejčí.
From 1882 to 1886 he taught singing at the Lemberg Conservatory. In 1886 he went to Ljubljana
and was active there until his death, having connections with various institutions as choral director,
conductor, and teacher; he was also director of the music school of the Glasbena matica. He was
a very versatile musician, successfully active as singer and teacher, as publisher (of a collection
of hymns, Lira Sionska, Prague, 1866), and as the director of the periodical Glasbena zora. In 1892
he established the first professional opera ensemble in Slovenia. At the same time he made an
important contribution to the organization of the music school in Ljubljana and to the general
development of Slovenian music at the end of the nineteenth century. Dragotin Cvetko and Zoran
Krstulović, "Gerbič, Fran", in: Grove Music Online, accessed on May 2, 2013

[Holger]

It should be noted that Sicmu now also uploaded the 'real' Munih recording, so that we have every reason to assume that the first recording he uploaded was conducted by Anton Nanut as initially stated.

[Alan Howe]

Thanks. Duly noted in the Downloads board. Confirmation still needed, however.

[Wheesht]

An illustrated biographical dictionary of German composers from 1911 that I have on loan just now has a long list of Gerbić's compositions, but does not mention a symphony, so presumably the first one dates from after 1911 as well.

[eschiss1]

I hope someone knows where some of the manuscripts are...

[eschiss1]

Meanwhile, a search through a major Slovenian university library catalog (with lots of English translation software applied) turns up 200-odd scores, no symphony as yet, but other potentially interesting things (masses, songs, etc., an opera called Kres...) that -could- be good to hear (at least, now that I'm looking, I'm making a note to see if I can hear some of them...)