Skalkottas, Nikos (actually, Nikolaos)

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Skalkottas, Nikos (actually, Nikolaos)

Skalkottas, Nikos (actually, Nikolaos ), greatly talented Greek composer; b. Chalkis, island of Euboea, March 8, 1904; d. Athens, Sept. 19, 1949. He studied violin with his father, with his uncle, and with a nonrelated violinist at the Athens Cons. (1914–20). In 1921 he went to Berlin, where he continued his violin studies with Hess at the Hochschule für Musik (until 1923); then took lessons in theory with Jarnach (1925–27). The greatest influence on Skalkottas’ creative life was Schoenberg, with whom he studied in Berlin (1927–31); Schoenberg, in his book Style and Idea, mentions Skalkottas as one of his most gifted disciples. Skalkottas eagerly absorbed Schoenberg’s instruction in the method of composition with 12 tones related only to one another, but in his own music applied it in a very individual manner, without trying to imitate Schoenberg’s style. In Berlin, Skalkottas also received some suggestions in free composition from Kurt Weill (1928–29). He returned to Athens and earned his living by playing violin in local orchs., but continued to compose diligently, until his early death from a strangulated hernia. His music written between 1928 and 1938 reflects Schoenberg’s idiom; later works are tonally conceived, and several of them are in the clearly ethnic Greek modalities, set in the typical asymmetric meters of Balkan folk music. After his death, a Skalkottas Soc. was formed in Athens to promote performances and publications of his works; about 110 scores of various genres are kept in the Skalkottas Archives in Athens.

Works

DRAMATIC: I lygery kai o charos (The Maiden and Death), ballet (1938; Athens, May 10, 1940; rev. version, Athens, March 23, 1947); Me tou mayoa ta maya (The Spell of May), incidental music (1943–44; orchestrated 1949; London, May 30, 1961); Henry V, incidental music to Shakespeare’s play (1947–48; not extant). ORCH.: 1 unnumbered symphonic suite (1928; not extant); 2 numbered symphonic suites: No. 1 (1935; London, April 28, 1973) and No. 2 (1944; orchestrated 1946–49; London, Jan. 31, 1966); Concerto for Winds and Orch. (1929; Berlin, May 20, 1930; not extant); Little Suite for Violin and Chamber Orch. (1929; Berlin, April 6, 1930; not extant); Concerto for Piano, Violin, and Chamber Orch. (Berlin, April 6, 1930; not extant); 3 piano concertos: No. 1 (1931), No. 2 (1937–38; Hamburg, Oct. 12, 1953), and No. 3 (1938–39; London, July 9, 1969); 36 elliniki chori (36 greichische Tänze) (1931–36; reorchestrated, 1948–49); Concertino for 2 Pianos and Orch. (1935; Geneva, June 15, 1952); Violin Concerto (1937–38; Hamburg, May 14, 1962); Cello Concerto (1938; not extant); Concerto for Violin, Viola, Winds, and Double Basses (1939–40; London, July 7, 1969); 10 Musical Sketches for Strings (1940; Athens, Nov. 6, 1952; also for String Quartet); Little Suite for Strings (1942; Zürich, Aug. 30, 1953); I epistrophi tou Odysseus (The Return of Ulysses), overture (1942–43; London, June 23, 1969; also for 2 Pianos, 1943–44); Double Bass Concerto (1942–43); Concerto for 2 Violins and Orch. (1944–45); Klassiki symphonia for Winds and Double Basses (1947); Sinfonietta (1948); Piano Concertino (1948); Mikri chorevtiki suita: 4 chori ya balleto (Kleine Tanz-Suite: 4 Tanze für Ballett; 1948–49; Athens, May 2, 1949); Dance Suite (1948–49); Nocturne-divertimento for Xylophone and Orch. (1949); I thalassa (The Sea; 1949). CHAMBER : 2 string trios (1924, not extant; 1935; Athens, March 20, 1954); 1 unnumbered string quartet (1924; not extant); 4 numbered string quartets: No. 1 (1928; Berlin, June 19, 1929), No. 2 (1929; Athens, Nov. 27, 1930; not extant), No. 3 (1935; Oxford, July 3, 1965), and No. 4 (1940; London, July 13, 1969); Sonata for Solo Violin (1925); 2 violin sonatas (1928, not extant; 1940); Evkoli mousiki (Easy Music) for String Quartet (1929; Athens, Nov. 27, 1930; not extant); 4 violin sonatinas (1929, only second movement extant; 1929; 1935; 1935); Octet for Flute, Clarinet, Bassoon, Trumpet, Trombone, and Piano Trio (1929; not extant); Octet for Woodwind Quartet and String Quartet (Berlin, June 2, 1931); Piano Trio (1936); Der Marsch der kleinen Soldaten, Rondo, Nachstück, Kleiner Choral und Fuge for Violin and Piano (1937–38); Suite for Cello and Piano (1937–38; not extant); Duo for Violin and Viola (1938); 8 Variationen über ein griechisches Volksthema for Piano Trio (1938; Athens, March 31, 1950); 9 Greek Dances for String Quartet (1938–47); Gavotte, Scherzo, Menuetto cantato for Violin and Piano (1939); Concertino for Oboe and Piano (1939); Scherzo for Piano Quartet (1939–40); 2 quartets for Oboe, Bassoon, Trumpet, and Piano (1940–2; Bamberg, June 15, 1968); Concertino for Trumpet and Piano (1940–42); 6 Greek Dances for Violin and Piano (1940–47); Largo for Cello and Piano (1941–2); Sonata concertante for Bassoon and Piano (1943); Mikri serenate (Kleine Serenade) for Cello and Piano (1945); Bolero for Cello and Piano (1945); 3 Greek Folksongs for Violin and Piano (1945–6); 2 Little Suites for Violin and Piano (1946, 1949); 4 parties for Violin and Cello (1947); Cello Sonatina (1949); Zarte Melodie for Cello and Piano (1949). Piano : 2 suites for 2 Pianos (1924–25); Sonatina (1927); 15 Little Variations (1927); 4 suites (1936, 1940, 1940, 1940); 32 pieces (1940–41). VOCAL : Choral piece (1930; not extant); 3 songs for Voice and Piano (1932–38); Kapote (Sometime) for Soprano or Baritone and Piano (1938–39); 16 Songs for Mezzo-soprano and Piano (1941; London, March 18, 1962); To fengari (The Moon) for Soprano and Piano (1941–12); To tragoudi tou kleidona (The Locksmith’s Song) for 2 Sopranos and 2 Mezzo-sopranos (1943–44).