Beret'ta

Giov. Batt, Verona, 1819— Milan, 1876; theorist, editor, and composer..: b. St. (bér-é-sdf’-ské), Petersburg, Nicolai, 17, 1900; violinist, composer; at 8 entered Imp. Capella and grad. with honours; 1918, concertm. Saratov Nat’l. Op.; 1921, dir. Sch. of Mod. Art, Moscow; after 1922 in U. S.; studied with Josef Borisoff, then at Juilliard Sch. of Mus. with R. Gold mark and Kochanski; played in N. Y. Phil.; c. sextet for strings, piano, and clarinet (heard Washington Chamber Mus. Fest., 1926); four string quartets; quartet for soprano and_ strings; piano trio; quintet for wind instruments; (orch.) two symphonies (the first played by Boston Symph., as well as his ’cello concerto); ‘‘ Hebrew” Suite (N. Y. Phil.); Sinfonietta; violin concerto (played by Flesch with Dresden Phil. under composer’s baton); (opera) ‘‘ Prince Batrak.” Berg (bérkh), (1) Adam, 1540—1599; music-printer, Munich. 1550; music-printer, (2) Jn. von, Ghent, berg. (3) G., German composer in England, 1763-71. (4) Kon. Mat., Colmar, Alsatia, 1785—Stra burg, 1852; violinist, pianist, and writer. (5) Alban, Vienna, Feb. 7, 1885— Dec. 24, 1935; eminent composer; studied with Schénberg, 1904-08, whose radical doctrines in harmony and tonality he combined in his work with an original capacity of expre ion that makes him the outstanding member of that composer’s school; served as director of concerts given by Private Performing Society organized by Schérberg in Vienna; c. piano sonata (1908); string quartet (1910); songs with piano and orchestra (1908-09); four pieces for clarinet and orchestra (1913); three orchestral pieces (1914); chamber concerto for piano, violin, and 13 wind instru- (1924); ‘‘Wozzeck’’ (based play by Georg Biichner, nineteenth century German poet), which is written in novel style, partly atonal, and utilizing antique forms such as suite, pa acaglia, etc., in its operatic texture (prem iére after many rehearsals sensational impre ion at Berlin State Op., Dec. 14, 1925); Lyric Suite for string quartet (1926); concert aria, ‘‘Le Vin,” for soprano and orchestra (1929); partially completed music drama, ‘‘Lulw” (based on Wedekind dramas, ‘f Erdgeist” and “*Pandora’s Box’’), after his premiered, Zurich, 1937; also posth; violin concerto (Barcelona, 1936, Intern. Society for Contemp. Music Festival). One of the most original figures in early twentieth-century music, B. in his ‘‘Wozzeck,” relates the heart-rending tragedy of an ignorant soldier who, oppre ed by his superiors, murders his sweetheart and drowns himself; this work made a definite contribution to post Wagner i an music drama. The opera was given its American prem iére by the Philadelphia Orch. and Grand Opera Co., under Stokowski, both in Phila. and N. Y., with impre ive effect in 1931. B. also served as editor of the Vienna publication “Musikblatter des Anbruch,” for a period after 1920.