Alois Hába

Alois Hába (June 21, 1893, Vizovice – November 18, 1973, Prague) was a Czech composer, musical theoretician, teacher and organiser, one of the creators of microtonal systems. His most significant innovative contribution to European music is his reworking of the tonality into quarter, six, twelve, and five tone systems, which come from the Moravian folk tradition. He was a student of Vítězslav Novák, doggedly fought for a new style, which precisely mirrored the Schoenberg and Webern evolution in the twenties. According to his designs, special instruments (pianos, harmoniums, clarinets, guitars, and bugles) were constructed. He also substantially changed the existing rules of form with the so-called athematic style, which deliberately removed all of the thematic relations in a composition. He used these principles consistently in his works and also published them in book form. Hába also educated a succession of students as a professor at Prague's Conservatory and AMU. Included in his vast body of works is the excellent quarter-tone opera Matka (Mother) and the fantasy symphony Cesta života (Road of Life), also written using the quarter-tone system. His other operas include Nová země (New Land) and Přijď království tvé (Your Kingdom Come) - written in the six tone system. His many instrumental works consist of sonatas and suites for various instruments written in different systems, 13 quartets, a concerto for viola and violin, etc.. LIST OF WORKS COMPOSITIONS FOR ORCHESTRA Overture for orchestra, op. 5 (1920), UE Path of Life, symphonic fantasy, op. 66 (1933), Panton, o EdS 20' Wallachian Suite for orchestra, op. 77 (l952-53), CHF 2ó' CONCERTANT COMPOSITIONS Symphonic Fantasy for piano and orchestra, op. 8 (l920 - 21), CHF 24' Concerto for violin and orchestra, op. 83 (l954-55), CHF 30' Concerto for viola and orchestra, op. 86 (l956-57), CHF 30' COMPOSITIONS FOR CHAMBER ENSEMBLES String Quartet No. 1, op. 4 (1918), UE String Quartet No. 2 in the quarter-tone system, op. 7 (l820), Fantasy for flute (or violin) and piano, op. 34 (l927-28), CHF 20' Fantasy for nonet No. 1 in the twelve-tone system, op. 40 (1931), SHV, o EdS Duo for two violins in the sixth-tone system, op. 49 (l937), at own expense, o Columbia String Quartet No. 7 "Christmas', op. 73 (1950-51), SNKLHU 13' String Quartet No. 9 op. 79 (1952), o EdS 8' Nonet No. 3, op. 82 (l953), SNKLHU, o EdS 20' String Quartet No. 11 in the sixth-tone system, op. 87 (l957), SHV, o EdS l2' String Quartet No. 12 in the quartet-tone system, op. 80 (l959-60), SHV, o EdS l3' String Quartet No. 13, op. 92 (l961), SHV, o EdS l2' String Quartet No. 14 in the quarter-tone system, op. 94 (l963), Panton, o Panton 11' String Quartet No. 15, op. 95 (l964), o EdS 13' Nonet No. 9, op. 97 (1962-63) String Quartet No. 16 in the fifth-tone system, opus 88 (1967), Panton, o Panton l2' Suite for bass clarinet and piano, op. 100 (1869), o Panton COMPOSITIONS FOR SOLO INSTRUMENTS Variations on a Canon by Robert Schumann for piano, op. l6 (1918), UE Deux morceaux pour piano, op. 2 (1917 - l8), UE Sonata for piano, op. 3 (1918), UE Six Piano Compositions, op. 6 (l920), EdS Fantasy for violin solo in the quarter-tone system, op. 9a (192l), UE, o Panton Music for violin solo in the quarter-tone system, op. 96 (1822), UE Toccata quasi una fantasia for piano, op. 38 (1931), CHF, o Panton 13' Four Modern Dances for piano, op. 39 (1927), UE Sonata for Quarter-tone Piano, op. 62, (1846-47) ,CHF 15' Suite for Quarter-tone Guitar op 63 (1847), CHF 12' Suite for bassoon solo, op. 69 (1950), CHF Fantasy for organ, op. 75a (1951), CHF Suite for violin solo in the sixth-tone system, op. 85a (1955), CHF 10' Suite for violoncello solo in the sixth-tone system, op. 85b (l955) CHF 9' Suite for dulcimer, op. 8l (l960) o EdS 12' Suite for bass clarinet solo, op. 9B (1964), o EdS 12' Suite for saxophone solo, op. 99 (1968) Six Moods for piano, op. l02 (1971) SONGS Sayings for children for medium voice and piano, op. 48 (l936) Text J. Foltyn, at own cost To My Beloved, cycle of seven songs for soprano and piano, op. 57 (1944), text B. Benesova, at own cost Five Folk Lovesongs from Moravia for mezzo-soprano, op. 58 (1944), at own cost From the Wise Sayings of the Slavonic Nations for children's or women's choir with piano accompaniment, op. 84 (1945- 55), text F. L. Celakovsky, CHF CHOIRS The Constitution of 8th May, men's choir, op. 64 (1948), CHF CANTATA For Peace, cantata for mixed choir and orchestra, op. 68 (1949), text A. Haba, CHF STAGE WORKS Mother, opera in the quarter-tone system, op. 35 (l927-29), in 10 scenes libretto A. Haba, Dilia, o EdS A New Land, op. 47 (l934-36), opera in 3 acts. libretto F. Pujman after F. Gladkov, o EdS The Kingdom Come (Unemployment), musical drama in the sixth-tone system, op. 50 (1941 - 42), in 7 scenes, libretto A. Haba, arrangement F. Pujman, at own cost THEORETICAL WORKS Harmonic Principles of the Quarter-tone System, Prague, HMUB, 1922 On the Psychology of Composition, the Laws on Tonic Movement and the Principles of a New Musical Style, Prague, HMUB 1925 Von der Psychologie der musikalischen Gestaltung, Gesetzmaessigkeit der Tonbewebung und Grundlagen eines neuen Musikstils, UE Vienna l925 Neue Harmonienlehre des diatonischen, chromatischen, Viertel-, Drittel-, Sechstel- und Zwoelftel-Tonsystems, Letpzig, Kistner - Siegl l927 Vitezslav Novak (for his 70th birthday), Prague, Vysehrad l940 Mein Weg zur Viertel- und Sechsteltonmusik, Duesseldorf 1971 Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.