Jani Christou
Encyclopedia
Jani Christou was a Greek composer.
He was born in Heliopolis
, Egypt
, of Greek parents. He was educated at the English School in Alexandria and he took his first piano lessons from various teachers and from the important Greek pianist Gina Bachauer
. In 1948 he gained an MA in philosophy after having studied with Ludwig Wittgenstein
and Bertrand Russell
in Cambridge
.
During that time he also studied music with Hans Redlich
and in 1949 travelled to Rome
to study orchestration with Angelo Francesco Lavagnino
. He briefly attended lectures by Carl Jung
in Zurich
. In 1951 he returned to Alexandria
where he married Theresia Horemi in 1961. He died on his 44th birthday in a car accident in Athens
, Greece
.
Christou's work is often thought to fall into three broad periods. The works of the first period (1948-58) have been described by Christou himself as freely atonal. In his second phase (1960-64) Christou developed what he called "meta-serialism" whose main emphasis is on polyphony
, rhythmic dynamism and instrumental colours. During his third period (1964-70) Christou developed his own notation and he increasingly stressed the improvisatory element.
He was born in Heliopolis
Heliopolis (Cairo Suburb)
Modern Heliopolis is a district in Cairo, Egypt. The city was established in 1905 by the Heliopolis Oasis Company, headed by the Belgian industrialist Édouard Louis Joseph, Baron Empain, as well as Boghos Nubar, son of the Egyptian Prime Minister Nubar Pasha.-History:The Baron Empain, a well known...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, of Greek parents. He was educated at the English School in Alexandria and he took his first piano lessons from various teachers and from the important Greek pianist Gina Bachauer
Gina Bachauer
Gina Bachauer , was a Greek classical pianist who toured extensively in the United States and Europe....
. In 1948 he gained an MA in philosophy after having studied with Ludwig Wittgenstein
Ludwig Wittgenstein
Ludwig Josef Johann Wittgenstein was an Austrian philosopher who worked primarily in logic, the philosophy of mathematics, the philosophy of mind, and the philosophy of language. He was professor in philosophy at the University of Cambridge from 1939 until 1947...
and Bertrand Russell
Bertrand Russell
Bertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell, OM, FRS was a British philosopher, logician, mathematician, historian, and social critic. At various points in his life he considered himself a liberal, a socialist, and a pacifist, but he also admitted that he had never been any of these things...
in Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
.
During that time he also studied music with Hans Redlich
Hans Redlich
Hans Ferdinand Redlich was an Austrian classical composer, conductor, musicologist and writer.-Redlich's Continental Years:...
and in 1949 travelled to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
to study orchestration with Angelo Francesco Lavagnino
Angelo Francesco Lavagnino
Angelo Francesco Lavagnino was an Italian composer. He is best known for writing the scores to dozens of films, including The Naked Maja, Legend of the Lost, Gorgo, Daisy Miller, and two directed by Orson Welles, Othello, Chimes at Midnight, and Esther and the King.Lavagnino won the Nastro...
. He briefly attended lectures by Carl Jung
Carl Jung
Carl Gustav Jung was a Swiss psychiatrist and the founder of Analytical Psychology. Jung is considered the first modern psychiatrist to view the human psyche as "by nature religious" and make it the focus of exploration. Jung is one of the best known researchers in the field of dream analysis and...
in Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
. In 1951 he returned to Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
where he married Theresia Horemi in 1961. He died on his 44th birthday in a car accident in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
.
Christou's work is often thought to fall into three broad periods. The works of the first period (1948-58) have been described by Christou himself as freely atonal. In his second phase (1960-64) Christou developed what he called "meta-serialism" whose main emphasis is on polyphony
Polyphony
In music, polyphony is a texture consisting of two or more independent melodic voices, as opposed to music with just one voice or music with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords ....
, rhythmic dynamism and instrumental colours. During his third period (1964-70) Christou developed his own notation and he increasingly stressed the improvisatory element.
Main works
- Phoenix Music (for orchestra) - 1949
- First Symphony - 1949-50
- Latin Liturgy - 1953
- Six T.S. Elliot Songs (for piano or orchestra & mezzosoprano) - 1955 (piano) / 1957 (orch.)
- Symphony no.2 - 1957-8
- Toccata for piano and orchestra - 1962
- Tongues of Fire (a Pentecost oratorio) - 1964
- Persians (Incidental music for Aeschylus' drama) - 1965
- Agamemnon - 1965
- Enantiodromia - 1965-8
- The Frogs 1966
- Mysterion (for orchestra, tape, choir & soloists) - 1965-6
- Praxis for 12 (for 11 string instruments & director-pianist) - 1966
- Anaparastasis I (The baritone) - 1968
- Anaparastasis III (The pianist) - 1968
- Oedipus Rex - 1969
- Oresteia (unfinished) - 1967-70
Sources
- Lucciano, Anne Martine: Jani Christou, Works and Personality of a Greek composer of our era, Yorgos Leotsakos trans., Bibliosynergatiki, Athens, 1987
Further reading
- Leotsakos, George. 2001. "Christou, Jani". The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, second edition, edited by Stanley SadieStanley SadieStanley Sadie CBE was a leading British musicologist, music critic, and editor. He was editor of the sixth edition of the Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians , which was published as the first edition of the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians.Sadie was educated at St Paul's School,...
and John TyrrellJohn Tyrrell (professor of music)John Tyrrell was born in Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia in 1942. He studied at the universities of Cape Town, Oxford and Brno. In 2000 he was appointed Research Professor at Cardiff University....
. London: Macmillan Publishers. - Slonimsky, NicolasNicolas SlonimskyNicolas Slonimsky was a Russian born American composer, conductor, musician, music critic, lexicographer and author. He described himself as a "diaskeuast" ; "a reviser or interpolator."- Life :...
. 1965. "New Music in Greece". Musical Quarterly 51:225–35.