This score is in excellent condition

Together with Petar Konjović and Stevan Hristić, Miloje Milojević represented a generation of composers who introduced modern styles and a high compositional technical level to Serbian music. In the beginning phase of his creative development, Milojevic set out from the Serbian Romanticist national school (Stevan Mokranjac and Josif Marinković). During his studies in Munich, he discovered German New Romanticism and became closely involved with the music of Richard Strauss. His stay in France resulted with even stronger impressions. The influence of French Impressionism was decisive in Milojević�s stylistic development. While in Prague, working on his dissertation, he made contacts with Czech avant-garde composers. In certain works, Milojević turned to expressionism. Throughout his life, though, he preserved his affinity toward the national style�toward folklore as a foundation of art music. Thus, the last stage of his creative work is characterized by utilizing folk melodies amidst the stylistic blend of Neo-romanticist and Impressionist elements.

Miloje Milojević is predominantly a lyricist and a master of small forms. Two main areas of his work belong to the Lied and piano character piece, but he also significantly contributed to choral and chamber genres.

In his Lied, Milojević used Serbian, Croat, French, German, and Japanese poetry. His interpretation of the lyrics was realized by supple melodies and rich harmonic palette of the piano part. Among his pieces for voice and piano, it is important to note the following:

Before the Magnificence of Nature (Pred veličanstvom prirode), a collection of ten songs, was conceived between 1908 and 1920. This song cycle features all the elements representative of Milojević as a composer of this genre (Serbian romanticist Lied, influences of R. Strauss, and Impressionism). Among the most successful Lieder in this cycle are The Autumn Elegy (Jesenja elegija), The Eagle song (Pesma orla), Japan, The Nymph, and The Bells (Zvona).

About fifteen Lieder composed in France in 1917 after the lyrics by French poets were influenced by Impressionism, the most well-known among them Berceuse triste (Tu�na uspavanka). From his later period, significant are The Three songs for high voice (Tri pesme za visoki glas), the most remarkable being �A very hot day� from 1924 (�Vrlo topli dan�), composed upon German lyrics, and Haikai (Hai-kai), after the poetry of Japanese poet Matsuo Bashō, from 1942. These works merge impressionistic and expressionistic elements.

A Field feast (Gozba na livadi), �a lyrical symphony for voice and orchestra� (1939) represents the first example of symphonic Lied in Serbian music.

Milojević also wrote choral music. His activities in this genre encompass simple, unassuming music for children�s and youth choirs to complex works. The most significant include: How green is the long field (Dugo se polje zeleni) (1909), a miniature for mixed choir, after the lyrics of Vojislav Ilić; dramatic ballad Presentiment (Slutnja) (1912), marked by Neo-romanticist chromaticism and polyphony, and considered among masterpieces of Serbian choral literature; and cycle The Feast of illusions (Pir iluzija) (1924), after poetry of Miroslav Krle�a (Evening decorations (Večernje dekoracije), Triptych (Triptih), and Dark gloomy afternoon (Crno sumorno popodne)), a work of modern expression and high technical demands regarding choral texture. Milojević�s most popular choral composition, The Fly and a Mosquito (Muha i komarac) (1930), is a humorous scherzando piece written upon folk text and utilizing tone painting. This effective work is often compared to The Goat-herd (Kozar) by S. Mokranjac. Milojević also wrote sacred music (two liturgies, three opelos (Orthodox Requiem), a particularly successful piece being A Short Opelo in b-flat minor (Kratko Opelo u b-mollu), for men�s choir (1920).

Miloje Milojević is one of the most significant Serbian composers of piano music. By their high artistic qualities, his Four piano pieces (Četiri komada za klavir) (1917), marked a shift in the history of Serbian piano music. His highly successful collections Cameos (Kameje) (1937�42) and My mother (Moja majka) (1943) are characterized by the synergy of Neo-romanticism and Impressionism. His cycles entitled Melodies and rhythms from the Balkans (Melodije i ritmovi sa Balkana), The Kosovo suite (Kosovska svita), and The Povardarie suite (Povardarska svita) (all from 1942), are all based on folklore and Milojević�s own folk transcriptions. These works feature impressionistic solutions, but also a somewhat robust use of folklore similar to B�la Bart�k. His work Rhythmical grimaces (Ritmičke grimase) (1935), a stride toward Expressionism, occupies a special place in his oeuvre, whereas the piano is treated in a somewhat percussionist way, certain places are void of meter markings, and the harmonic aspect is characterized by the departure from tonality and use of tone clusters.

Milojević was less prolific in the genre of orchestral music. Among his orchestral compositions is The Death of the Jugović mother (Smrt majke Jugovića) (1921), with glimpses of R. Strauss�s influences. This work somewhat exhibits insufficiencies in the aspects of thematic development and orchestral sound. His suite for string orchestra, Intimacy (Intima) (1939), built on the re-la-do-mi-la motive, deems far more successful. While featuring six movements and several moods (depicted by the subtitles), this composition demonstrates coherency and rich sound colour.

Miloje Milojević wrote a number of chamber works. He composed two string quartets (in G-major, 1905 and in c-minor, 1906), the G-major quartet being the first work of this genre in Serbian music. He also composed two sonatas for violin and piano (in b-minor, 1924 and in d-minor 1943), Sonata for flute and piano in f-sharp minor (1944) and Sonata in g for viola solo (1944). The most substantial among these works is Sonata for violin and piano in b-minor, a piece of sturdy structure and great expressivity ranging from discrete lyricism to passionate drama.

One of Milojević�s most distinct works belongs to stage music � Le balai du valet (Sobareva metla) (1923), a ballett grotesque upon a surrealist text by Marko Ristić.

Miloje Milojević is represented in the Anthology of Serbian piano music (vol. 1, no. 1, selection by Dejan Despić, Vlastimir Peričić, Du�an Trbojević, and Marija Kovač; editing: Vlastimir Trajković; Belgrade: Composers� Association of Serbia, CAS, 2005, pp. 30�96), with Four piano pieces, op. 23, Cameos, impressions for piano, op. 51, and Visions, op. 65. He is also represented in the Anthology of Serbian Lied (no. 1, selection and foreword by Ana Stefanović, Belgrade: CAS, 2008, p. 49�101) with �The Nymph� (�Nimfa�), op. 9, no. 1 form the cycle Before the Magnificence of Nature; �The Autumn elegy� (�Jesenja elegija�), op. 5, no. 1; �The Prayer of the Jugović mother to the Evening star� (�Molitva majke Jugovića zvezdi Danici�), op. 31, no. 1; L�heure exquise (Zanosni čas), op. 21, no. 1; Vigil (Bdenje), op. 22, no.1; Do you remember, too? (Dal� se sećas i ti?), op. 46, no. 1; Two Quatrains of Al-Ghazali (Dva Al-Gazalijeva katrena), op. 46, no. 2; Two blue legends of Jovan Dučić (Dve Dučićeve Plave legende), op. 34 (�A Little princess� (�Mala princeza�) and �Love� (�Ljubav�)); �A Very hot day,� op. 67, no. 1, from the cycle Three songs for high voice and piano, op. 67; La fl�te de jade, op. 39, for tenor, soprano, flute, violin, and piano (�Since she left� (�Od kada je oti�la�) and �In the shade of an orange leaf� (�U senci narand�ina lista�); and �Spring rain,� (�Prolećna ki�a�), op. 45, no. 2.

This score is in excellent condition

Piano 4