Ljubica Marić’s “Ostinato Super Thema Octoïcha”: Byzantine Mysticism

Ljubica Marić (1909-2003) is widely considered to be the most important Serbian composer of the 20th century. Her music has been described as a synthesis of “medieval music with the avant-garde,” and a precursor to the mediative minimalism of Arvo Pärt and John Tavener. (Borislav Čičovački)

“Ljubica Marić has used an entire arsenal of contemporary music in order to achieve a high goal,” wrote Shostakovich after examining Marić’s 1956 cantata, Songs of Space. “She speaks from the depth of her soul with clear and impressive language.”

Marić’s music enters the timeless, mystical world of Byzantine liturgical chant. It draws upon the Octoechos, an ancient eight-mode system used for the creation of chant in Slavic Orthodox Christianity.

These influences can be heard in the Ostinato super thema Octoïcha for piano, harp, and string orchestra, composed in 1963. A serene, impassive chant, intoned by the piano, flows through the work as an eternal thread. The composer likened the simple, solitary line to the finger-training keyboard exercises that are given to children, and stressed that it reflect “absolute peace and uniformity.” The voices of the strings and harp swirl around the ostinato line as a ghostly choir. The dichotomy is something akin to Charles Ives’ The Unanswered Question. 

Recordings

  • Marić: Ostinato super thema Octoïcha, Oskar Danon, Radio Television Belgrade Chamber Orchestra cdgo.com

Featured image: Ljubica Marić on a 2009 Serbian stamp

About Timothy Judd

A native of Upstate New York, Timothy Judd has been a member of the Richmond Symphony violin section since 2001. He is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music where he earned the degrees Bachelor of Music and Master of Music, studying with world renowned Ukrainian-American violinist Oleh Krysa.

The son of public school music educators, Timothy Judd began violin lessons at the age of four through Eastman’s Community Education Division. He was a student of Anastasia Jempelis, one of the earliest champions of the Suzuki method in the United States.

A passionate teacher, Mr. Judd has maintained a private violin studio in the Richmond area since 2002 and has been active coaching chamber music and numerous youth orchestra sectionals.

In his free time, Timothy Judd enjoys working out with Richmond’s popular SEAL Team Physical Training program.

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