His formative years were lived in the medieval town of Cesky Krumlov where he learned to play the piano and organ. The events of World War II interrupted his musical studies. Expelled from school when the Nazis came to occupy Czechoslovakia in 1943, he and his father and relatives, were sent to the Buchenwald Concentration Camp where he remained until the camp's liberation in 1945.

Following the war, Petr Eben resumed his musical studies in earnest, entering the Prague Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts where he studied piano with Pavel Borkovec and composition with Frantisek Rauch (1948-1952). His teaching career began in 1955 when he joined the faculty of Charles University in Prague.

As a teacher, Petr Eben taught composition, intonation and score playing for 35 years at the department of musicology of the Faculty of Arts and guided the development of many of the younger and middle-aged generation of Czech musicologists. From 1977-78, he was active as visiting professor of composition at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, England. After the Velvet Revolution (September 1990), he was finally appointed senior lecturer in composition at the Academy of Music in Prague, becoming Professor in 1991 for several years. Official recognition of his work came on his 65th birthday when Charles University in awarded him an honorary doctorate.

Petr Eben was a piano and organ performer and appeared as soloist, chamber player, accompanist and brilliant improviser. His interpretive art, just like his compositions, earned him international renown.

Petr Eben, a composer of well over 200 works in all musical genres including opera, developed a personally expressive musical idiom. His music proved that artistic expression firmly rooted in tradition can, at the same time, be modern and topical. With only a few exceptions, he never left the territory of tonality which did not prevent him from using some serial procedures and aleatorics in a functional and meaningful way.

Typical of his idiom is a consistent use of historical material, forms, genres and compositional techniques of old music giving them contemporary relevance. The scope, depth and systematic character of his interest in the forgotten values of old music are highly individual, and constitute the basis of his very original style. Plainchant and liturgical music in general, their melodic material, forms and genres, as well as texts, have been one of the chief sources of Petr Eben's inspiration from the beginning.

Eben's nationalist feelings were reflected in his use of the earliest Czech sacred and secular output as well as Czech folklore in a very individual and original way. His modern arrangements of folk songs, often intended for young people, as well as his own instructional compositions are an equally important contribution towards Czech music and initiate students into the world of modern music.

Never limiting himself to "national" themes, Eben was a modern artist understanding the need for global cultural integrity. He was often inspired by international timeless subjects not restricted either geographically or historically. His subjects came from antiquity and biblical times, inspirations from the cultures of European and non-European cultures, historical as well as modern subjects drawing from music, literature, drama and the fine arts.

Choral Titles by Petr Eben from API

Abba-Amen

SATB a cap - AP-1285

Az ja pojedu & Esce si ja pohar vina (When I Will Ride) & (I'll Buy One More Glass of Wine)

SATB a cap - AP-1295

Ca' Hawkie

Solo/SSA a cap - AP-1326

Das Lieben bringt gross Freud (Loving brings great Joys)

SSA a cap/Alto Recorder - AP-1721

Dobru noc (Good Night)

SATB a cap - AP-1267

Four Polish Songs

SSA/pcn a cap - AP-1325

Galanecko starodavna & Proc si k nam nepriseu (Age-Old Sweetheart) & (Why Didn't You Come to Our House?)

SATB a cap - AP-1296

Good and Upright Is Our God

SATB/organ - AP-1323

Studena rosenka pada (Cold Dew Falls)

SATB a cap - AP-1268

Tancuj, tancuj, vykrucaj (Dance, Dance)

SATB a cap - AP-1270

The Eyes of All Wait

SATB/Organ - AP-1322

Three Czech Carols

SSA a cap - AP-1068

Zahucaly hory (Roaring Mountains)

SATB a cap - AP-1269

Two Invocations

Solo Trombone & Organ - AP-355 (UMP-TP) (11:19) Commissioned by the Czech Music Alliance.

EJ, LASKO, LASKO: Folksongs from Bohemia, Moravia and Slovakia - Classical Guitar stylings by Eckels with Soprano Anita Smisek

• AP-005 Cassette $10.00

• AP-006 Compact Disk $15.00

• AP-1018 Songbook $ 3.00

MUSIC AVAILABLE FROM API:

CHORAL

• AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL - SATB/piano - AP-10004
• WHEN LIFE IS LIVED - SATB/piano - AP-10005

Serguei Ekimovs compositions have been performed in Russia, Latvia, Germany, France, Switzerland, Spain, the USA and Japan. They have also been performed at international music festivals in St. PetersburgMusical Spring, Sound Paths, From Avant-Garde to Our Days, Paschal Festival, as well as at choral festivals in Catalonia, Spain, and in Brittany, France, and Japan. A number of his works have been recorded on CDs and have been played over Russian radio and television.

At the first international festival of Childrends Theatrical Collectives Meotida-2000 in the city of Maripul, Ukraine, by nomination, he received the title Laureate for the performance of his music, Goethe Ballads. In 1993, Serguei became the director of a Youth Chamber Choir. Later he became the director of the womens choir of the Rimsky-Korsakov St. Petersburg State Music Conservatory and is on the choral departments faculty teaches conducting, arrangement, and choral literature. Serguei Ekimovs compositional output includes choral music (secular and spiritual), chamber music, organ and piano, vocal and organ, vocal cycles of childrens music, and arrangements of Russian folksosngs and popular melodies.

Among his compositional output are 10 operas which were all premiered in Budapest, among which are Bathory Maria (1840) and Hunyady Laszlo (1844) which was the first truly national Hungarian opera. It had almost 300 performances in its first 50 years. Additionally, he wrote music for plays, the Festival Overture for orchestra in 1887, as well as many songs and anthems in the national vein which became very popula, such as the Hungarian National Hymn (1845). Of Hunyadi Indulo, Franz Liszt thought so highly of this march that he transcribed it into a massive solo piano work in 1847. It is a classic example of the verbunkos folk style, indigenous of much of the music of Erkel's homeland, dance music which became infused in piano and orchestral works of both Liszt and Brahms.

Performance Note Erkel has composed a nice march which has a good folk flavor utilizing a minor key. Although cut time is indicated, begin practicing it in 4/4 and when the musicans have it, change to the feel in 2 pulse. Pay attention to the dynamic contrasts especially when piano begins and grows into fortes. I was introduced to the work by Laszlo Marosi, former conductor of the Central Army Band of the Peoples Republic of Hungary. Working from a very soiled set of manuscript parts, I had to adapt the instrumentation, create a score (none--even a condensed one!--existed) as well as add editorial articulations, dynamics, etc. in an attempt to communicate an effective Hungarian flavor and style. Play Hunyadi Indulo on the slower side, (q=108-112) and feel it dance!

In 1945 he became Music Director for Pathe Films, conducted the BBC Majestic Orchestra, and was the arranger for the Luton Girls Choir and for the Welsh Gwalia Choir. Responding to a professional music opportunity from Sydney, Australia, Hal Evans emigrated in 1949, making the continent downunder his new home. In Sydney, he became the composer/director of the Australian Performing Rights AssociationAPRA. He formed and served as president of the Fellowship of Australian Composers for many years. He also had a close association with the ABC and the Australian Elizabethan Trust. Here he composed the original score for Norman Lindsays Magic Pudding.

In his professional life, Hal Evans worked with many professional musicians and composers, eg. Irving Berlin, the Andrew Sisters, Vera Lynn, and Julie Andrews. Among his compositional output are 112 choral arrangements. A large part of this repertoire was created in retirement years during which time he made many arrangements for local community groups, etc. The titles made available by API were written since 1989 during his last creative decade.

Hals standard of music quality was high. Writing for the artist-singer, he was exceptionally mindful of the role of the accompaniment, sensitively allowing the voice to be the focal point and not the decoration. Singers describe their experiences with Hal Evans accompanying them and working with him as absolute joy!

More HAL EVANS Choral Titles from API

• Christmas Day Downunder AP-1490 2-pt choral/pno AP-1997 sab/pno AP-1996 satb/pno
• Danny Boy AP-1489 sab/solo/pno
• Lord, Make Me an Instrument AP-1486 sab/pno
• Medley of Afro-American Spirituals AP-1487 satb/pno
• Never Never AP-1488 arr. for sab/pno

As a member of tthe Adrian Dominican Sisters, Magdalena has been composing many musical settings for the liturgy since 1970. She has also composed choral music for Siena Heights’ vocal ensembles. She teaches Piano, Music Theory, Music History and Literature, and coaches Instrumental Chamber Ensemble at Siena University. She has contributed to this group many arrangements from operative literature as well as transcriptions of popular selections. One of her favorite musical activitites is giving lecture-recitals on music performance, aesthetics and appreciation.