Dušan Radić facts for kids

Dušan Radić (Serbian Cyrillic: Душан Радић; born April 10, 1929 – died April 3, 2010) was an important Serbian composer and university professor. He was also a full member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SASA).

About Dušan Radić

Dušan Radić was born in Sombor, a city in Serbia. He started his education there, attending elementary school and a music school. In 1941, he moved to Belgrade and continued his studies at a high school and the "Stanković" music school.

In 1946, he joined the Belgrade Academy of Music. He studied composition with Milenko Živković until 1954. Later, in 1957, Radić traveled to Paris to study with famous composers like Darius Milhaud and Olivier Messiaen. He earned his master's degree in 1962.

His Early Music Style

Even in his first student works, Radić showed he was a very creative composer. He wanted to find new ways to express music, different from the old styles. His melodies often sounded like they came from Serbian folk music, but he rarely used actual folk songs. He also liked to treat singing parts like instruments, focusing a lot on rhythm.

Radić became well-known with his piece Sonata Lesta, which was first played in 1952. His final project for his diploma, Sinfonietta, was performed by the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra in 1954. Another important work, The Name list, caused a lot of discussion among music critics. They debated about new music styles versus older, more traditional ones. His cantata Awaiting Maria and Divertimento were also performed in 1957.

A Composer and Professor

Dušan Radić worked as a composer for 25 years. In 1979, he became a professor of composition at the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad, where he taught until he retired. He also traveled to many cities around the world, like Kyiv, London, Moscow, Paris, Prague, Riga, Rome, and St. Petersburg, to learn more about music.

He was very active in the music scene in Serbia and Yugoslavia for 45 years. He joined the Composers’ Association of Serbia in 1949. Radić also composed music for films, including Siberian Lady Macbeth (1962), The Long Ships (1964), and Genghis Khan (1965).

Radić received several awards for his music, including the Composers’ Association of Yugoslavia Award in 1954 and the Belgrade October Award in 1959. He became a member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts in 1972 and a full member in 1983.

Dušan Radić passed away on April 3, 2010, in Belgrade.

Dušan Radić's Compositions

Radić wrote many different kinds of music. His works include:

• Stage works: These are pieces for the stage, like an opera called Love, that's the main thing and a ballet called The Ballad of the vagabond moon.
• Vocal-instrumental compositions: These combine voices and instruments. Examples include The Scull-Tower, The Standup country, and Awaiting Maria.
• Orchestral pieces: These are for a full orchestra, such as a Symphony, Sinfonietta, and Divertimento.
• Chamber and solo pieces: These are for smaller groups of instruments or a single instrument, like his Sonata Lesta for piano.

His Unique Musical Style

Dušan Radić's music often had lyrical and joyful parts. But some of his works, even early ones, used strong and unusual harmonies. He liked to use rhythms that were playful and sometimes even funny. His music often showed a sense of humor or parody. Even though he explored new sounds, Radić still kept some traditional musical ideas in his compositions.

The Ballad of the vagabond moon

The Ballad of the vagabond moon is a ballet that Radić composed in 1957. It tells a story about a poet who feels out of place in the world. He searches for his ideal love among the stars, even swapping places with the Moon! But his search is difficult, and he eventually returns to Earth, still looking for his dream woman.

Radić used a neoclassical style for this ballet, and he added jazz elements, especially in the rhythms. What made this ballet special was that it included a narrator who spoke during the performance, and a jazz band even played on stage! Radić wanted his music to encourage the audience and reflect modern times. He said he wanted to "subtly guide the audience to thinking about mechanical machinery of the present time."

Two Symphonic images

Two Symphonic images (1953) is a two-part orchestral piece. The second part includes a female choir and a solo mezzo-soprano singer. Radić used a quote from Oscar Wilde's De Profundis as inspiration for this work. The music features strong themes and complex rhythms.

The Name list

The Name list is a piece for thirteen performers, including a soprano and mezzo-soprano, and various instruments like oboe, saxophone, harp, and percussion. Radić finished this work in 1955. He based it on short poems by Vasko Popa, which he felt "paint the inner nature of things." The vocal parts in this piece are very dynamic, using different singing styles and sounds.

Gungulice

Gungulice is a piece for a mixed choir, inspired by Serbian folk tunes. Radić chose various ritual, love, and humorous songs. He didn't just copy the folk songs directly but used their sounds to create a modern musical piece.

Oratorio profano

Oratorio profano (1974) is a large work for narrators, instrumental groups, orchestras, and even tape recordings. It was first performed in 1979. In this piece, Radić mixed folk and popular music styles with newer, experimental techniques like chance music and electronic media. He also included parts from piano pieces by Alexander Scriabin and Igor Stravinsky. Radić explained that he wanted to use "nowadays’ ‘music fluids’ to come up with my representation of our time."

Important Works

Here are some of Dušan Radić's most important compositions:

Stage Works

• Ballet The Ballad of the vagabond moon (Balada o mesecu lutalici) (1957)
• Opera Love, that’s the main thing (Ljubav, to je glavna stvar) (1962)

Vocal-Instrumental Compositions

• The Name list (Spisak) (1954)
• The Standup country (Uspravna zemlja) (1964)
• Awaiting Maria (U očekivanju Marije) (1955)
• The Scull-Tower (Ćele kula) (1957)
• Oratorio profano (1974)

Orchestral Pieces

• Two Symphonic images (Dve simfonijske slike) (1953-77)
• Sinfonietta (1954)
• Divertimento (1956)

Choral Pieces

• Gungulice (1953)

Solo Works

• Sonata Lesta, for piano (1950)

Selected Recordings

• Vuk’s Serbia, PGP RTB, LP 2505, 1977.
• The Long Ships (soundtrack), Colpix Records, CP 517, 1964.
• Genghis Khan (soundtrack), Kritzerland, 0026296CD, 2011.