Dezider Kardoš (23 December 1914 – 18 March 1991), was Slovak composer, one of the main representatives of modern Slovak classical music. He was awarded the title National Artist in 1975, in 2006 was matriculated into the Gold Book of the Slovak Performing and Mechanical Rights Society (SOZA).

Life

After finishing the high school (1933), he studied at the Music and Drama Academy where he attended courses of composition of Alexander Moyzes and at the same time attended the lectures in musicology, aesthetics and arts history at the Faculty of Arts of the Comenius University. Kardoš graduated in 1937 and resumed his studies Master's School of the Prague Conservatory up to 1939, where he was a student of Vítězslav Novák. From 1939 to 1945 he was head of the Slovak Radio Music Department in Prešov, from 1945 to 1951 head of the Czechoslovak Radio Music Department in Košice and since 1951 in Bratislava. In 1952 he became the first director of the Slovak Philharmonic. In the years 1955–1963 he was the president of the Slovak Composers Union. Kardoš was also a successful tutor of composition, from 1961 to 1984 he taught at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava (since 1968 as professor of composition). He was the founder of modern symphonisme. He was one of the most important composers of the 20th century, forming the foundation of the Slovak music culture. It has its place in the forefront of modern Slovak symfonizme. The original production, which encompass almost all music genres, based on two sources of inspiration - from the Slovak national music and modern world. Dynamic process, unique instrumentation, vigorously, resolute and ardent lyricism, a sense of peace and perfection of construction are the hallmarks of his works, which belong to the permanent values of European music. For his work, he was in 1975 awarded the title of National Artist.

List of Compositions

Bibliography

• Zavarský, E.: Súčasná slovenská hudba. Bratislava: Závodský, 1947, pp. 109–113.
• Nováček, Z.: Dezider Kardoš: Počiatky a rast. Bratislava: SVKL, 1955.
• Faltin, P.: Hrdinská balada Dezidera Kardoša. In: Slovenská hudba, 1960, No. 5, pp. 234–238.
• Faltin, P.: III. symfónia Dezidera Kardoša. In: Slovenská hudba, 1961, No. 11, pp. 461–467.
• Donovalová, V.: Niektoré vývojové črty slovenskej programovej hudby. In: Kresánek, J. (ed.) K problematike súčasnej hudby. Bratislava: SAV, 1963, pp. 102–116.
• Hrušovský, I.: Slovenská hudba v profiloch a rozboroch. Bratislava: ŠHV, 1964, pp. 254–274.
• Vajda, I. – Jurík, M.: 20 rokov slovenskej hudobnej tvorby v diskusii. In: Slovenská hudba, 1965, No. 7, pp. 303–309.
• Vajda, I. – Jurík, M.: 20 rokov slovenskej hudobnej tvorby v diskusii. In: Slovenská hudba, 1965, No. 10, pp. 422–432.
• Mokrý, L.: Hudba. In: Rosenbaum, K. (ed.): Slovenská kultúra 1945–1965. Bratislava: Obzor, 1965, pp. 75–94.
• Podracký, I.: Národný umelec Dezider Kardoš jubiluje. In: Hudobný život, 1979, No. 24, p. 3.
• Hatrík, J.: Dezider Kardoš: III. sláčikové kvarteto, op. 49. In: Hudobný život, 1980, No. 17, p. 5.
• Burlas, L.: Slovenská hudobná moderna. Bratislava: Obzor, 1983, pp. 151–156.
• Berger, I.: O symfonizme národného umelca Dezidera Kardoša. In: Hudobný život, 1984, No. 24, p. 3.
• Nováček, Z.: Osobnosť pevných zásad. K sedemdesiatke národného umelca Dezidera Kardoša. In: Pravda 20. 12. 1984.
• Chalupka, Ľ.: Dejiny slovenskej hudby (Ed. O. Elschek). Bratislava: ASCO Art and Science, 1996, pp. 273–341.
• Faltin, P.: Slovenská hudobná tvorba v rokoch 1956–1965. In: Slovenská hudba, 1997, No. 3–4, pp. 175–210.
• Elschek, O.: Slovenská hudba medzi minulosťou a dneškom. In: Slovenská hudba, 1997, No. 3–4, pp. 211–233.
• Zvara, V.: Dezider Kardoš. In: Jurík, M. - Zagar, P. (ed.): 100 slovenských skladateľov. Bratislava: NHC, 1998, pp. 140–144.
• Chalupka, Ľ.: Dezider Kardoš: Hrdinská balada pre sláčikový orchester op. 32. In: Hudobný život, 2001, No. 5, pp. 15–18.

See also

• The 100 Greatest Slovak Albums of All Time