Vasilije Mokranjac - Biography

Biography

Vasilije Mokranjac was born into one of the most prominent Serbian musical dynasties. His father, the cellist Jovan Mokranjac, was a nephew of the composer Stevan Stojanović Mokranjac; his mother Jelena, of Czech origin, was also a cellist. However, Vasilije Mokranjac chose to study piano: from 1932 to 1942 he was studying privately with Alexei Butakov, and then he enrolled at the Belgrade Music Academy (nowadays Faculty of Music) to study with Emil Hajek; he graduated in 1948. However, while studying piano, he became interested in composing music, so he enrolled to study composition with Stanojlo Rajičić and graduated in 1951. After graduating, he devoted himself to composing and teaching, and he never performed as a pianist. From 1948 to 1956 he taught at music schools “Josif Marinković” and “Mokranjac” (named after his grandfather) in Belgrade. In 1956 he became a Lecturer at the Music Academy; in 1965 he was promoted into a Senior Lecturer, and in 1972 he became a Professor. From 1962 to 1965 he held the post of the President of Association of Serbian Composers. He became an Associate Member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts in 1967, and in 1976 he was elected a full member. Also in 1976, he received the award for lifetime achievement.

In 1984, he jumped from the window of his New Belgrade flat, from the never determined reasons. Given his premature death, Mokranjac also had many unfinished works. He is survived by his wife Olga and daughter Alexandra.