Josef Berg

Josef Berg (8 March 1927 – 26 February 1971) was a Czech composer, musicologist and librettist. His work represents a remarkable value in the context of Czech music after World War II.

Life From 1946 to 1950 he studied at the Brno Conservatory, in the class of Vilém Petrželka. Simultaneously he attended the music lectures at the Faculty of Philosophy on Brno university given by Jan Racek and Bohumír Štědroň. He worked as a music editor in the Czechoslovak Radio in Brno (1950–53), and also wrote reviews for the journals and newspapers. Later he concentrated exclusively on composing. Berg founded an association of young composers called Group A. The members of the group strived in their program to connect convincing artistic activity with the new musical language, and also to promote new musical trends in Czechoslovakia.

Style Even though the Berg's style was at first influenced by Moravian folk music, his mature compositions are very individual and take advantage of new composition techniques and principles.

Selected works Months. Piano cycle (1956) Seven Preludies for Piano (1959) Sextet for Harp, Piano and String Quartet (1959) Nonet for Two Harps, Piano, Cembalo, Glockenspiel, Vibraphone, Xylophone and Percussion (1962) Return of Ulysses (chamber opera, 1962) Songs of new Werther for Baryton and Piano (1962) Sonata per cavicembalo e pianoforte in modo classico (1964) Organ Music on the Theme of Gilles Binchois (1964) European Tourism (a chamber opera, 1963–64) String Quartet (1965) Breakfast at the Schlankenwald Castle (chamber opera, 1966) Johannes Doctor Faust (opera, 1963-1969) Dreaming - Snění (1970)

Footnotes

https://web.archive.org/web/20110522214354/http://www.musica.cz/skladatele/berg-josef.html