Ristić, Milan (EN)

Ristić Milan, *31 August 1908 Belgrade, †20 December 1982 Belgrade, Serbian composer. In 1927–29, he studied privately with G. Piérson in Paris; from 1929, he studied composition under M. Milojevic and J. Slavenski as well as the piano under I. Brezovšek at the music school in Belgrade; in 1937–39, he continued studies in the microtonal composition class of A. Hába at the Prague Conservatory. From 1940, he worked at Radio Belgrade, where in 1945–63 he was deputy editor-in-chief of the music department and from 1963, musical advisor to the director. In 1960–62, he was chairman of the Serbian Composers’ Union. In 1954, he received the first SAKOJ Prize (Savez Kompozitora Jugoslavije); in 1961, the Prize of the City of Belgrade for Symphony No. 3; in 1966, the first Prize at the Festival Nove Jugoslovenske Muzike in Belgrade for Symphony No. 4; from 1961, he was a corresponding member, from 1974 a member of the Srpska Akademija Nauka i Umetnosti.

Ristić’s works created up until 1945, feature innovative means at the time, such as atonality, the dodecaphonic technique and the quarter-tone system (used in the Suite for 4 trombones, Septet and Suite for 10 instruments). Stylistically, these works reveal musical inspirations from expressionism. The next stage in Ristić’s work began in 1943 with the symphonic poem Čovek i rat; it includes compositions written before 1950, harmonically remaining within the major-minor tonality. Their main features are the simplification of means of expression, the use of literary texts (or an extra-musical programme), and references to folk music. Starting from the 1950s, the composer stylistically approached the neoclassical trend in his works. In the 1960s and 1970s, symphonic works gained greater importance in his output.

Literature: M. Bergamo Delo kompozitora. Stvaralacki put M. Ristić od Prve do Šeste simfonije, Belgrade 1977; M. Ristić – povodom stogodišnjice rođenja, ed. S. Marinković, Belgrade 2011.