Miroslav Cangalovic
Encyclopedia
Miroslav Čangalović (March 3, 1921 in Glamoč
, present-day Bosnia and Herzegovina
, former Yugoslavia
– October 1, 1999 in Belgrade
, FR Yugoslavia, present-day Serbia
) was a Serbian opera
and concert singer and is considered to be one of the greatest basses
in Serbian and Yugoslav history.
Čangalović was born in a small Bosnian town of Glamoč. It was due to his friendship with the family of Dušan Trbojević
, a distinguished Serbian pianist and composer, that he familiarized himself with the art of opera as well as operatic and concerto performing. His operatic debut took place in 1946 in Belgrade National Theater Opera House, with the role of jailer in Giacomo Puccini
's opera Tosca
. Between 1946 and 1954 he took singing lessons by Zdenka Zikova, a well-known operatic singer and a pedagogue.
His operatic repertoire included more than 90 roles which he interpreted with his rich voice and his dramatic strength. His most successful creation is considered to be that of Boris Godunov
, from the Modest Mussorgsky
's opera of the same name. Right next to it is the role of Dosifey, from the opera Khovanschina of the same composer. By many music historians and critics he is regarded as the greatest ever Boris Godunov, right after Feodor Chaliapin
.
His other roles include those of Don Quichotte (Massenet
's Don Quichotte), Galitsky and Konchak (Borodin
's Prince Igor), Mephistopheles (Gounod
's Faust), Phillip The Second (Verdi
's Don Carlos), Figaro (Mozart
's The Marriage of Figaro), Kuchobey (Tschaikovsky
's Mazeppa), Ivan The Terrible (Rimsky-Korsakov
's The Maid of Pskov), Mitke (Konjović
's Koštana), and others.
His concert repertoire consisted of 520 pieces that included solo songs, song-cycles, cantatas and oratorios. A great deal of these were pieces written and composed by numerous Serbian and Yugoslav composers, most of which had its premiere thanks to Čangalović. His concert career lasted more than 40 years during which he gave over 300 concerts held across former Yugoslavia as well as more than 160 world wide.
His outstanding achievements were awarded on various occasions both at home and abroad. To note just a few; he was awarded twice by International Jury of Critics in France as the best singer of the season at the Festival Theatre of Nations in Paris, in 1959 (for the role of Mephistopheles) and in 1961 (for that of Boris Godunov). He was also awarded by the French government as the Chevalier de l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres, for his contribution to promoting the French culture.
He died in Belgrade, Serbia, in 1999.
Glamoc
Glamoč is a town and municipality of the same name in western Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is in Canton 10, in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina...
, present-day Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
, former Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
– October 1, 1999 in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, FR Yugoslavia, present-day Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
) was a Serbian opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
and concert singer and is considered to be one of the greatest basses
Bass (voice type)
A bass is a type of male singing voice and possesses the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, a bass is typically classified as having a range extending from around the second E below middle C to the E above middle C...
in Serbian and Yugoslav history.
Čangalović was born in a small Bosnian town of Glamoč. It was due to his friendship with the family of Dušan Trbojević
Dušan Trbojevic
Dušan Trbojević was a famous Serbian pianist, composer, musical writer and university professor.-Education:...
, a distinguished Serbian pianist and composer, that he familiarized himself with the art of opera as well as operatic and concerto performing. His operatic debut took place in 1946 in Belgrade National Theater Opera House, with the role of jailer in Giacomo Puccini
Giacomo Puccini
Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini was an Italian composer whose operas, including La bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and Turandot, are among the most frequently performed in the standard repertoire...
's opera Tosca
Tosca
Tosca is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900...
. Between 1946 and 1954 he took singing lessons by Zdenka Zikova, a well-known operatic singer and a pedagogue.
His operatic repertoire included more than 90 roles which he interpreted with his rich voice and his dramatic strength. His most successful creation is considered to be that of Boris Godunov
Boris Godunov (opera)
Boris Godunov is an opera by Modest Mussorgsky . The work was composed between 1868 and 1873 in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is Mussorgsky's only completed opera and is considered his masterpiece. Its subjects are the Russian ruler Boris Godunov, who reigned as Tsar during the Time of Troubles,...
, from the Modest Mussorgsky
Modest Mussorgsky
Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky was a Russian composer, one of the group known as 'The Five'. He was an innovator of Russian music in the romantic period...
's opera of the same name. Right next to it is the role of Dosifey, from the opera Khovanschina of the same composer. By many music historians and critics he is regarded as the greatest ever Boris Godunov, right after Feodor Chaliapin
Feodor Chaliapin
Feodor Ivanovich Chaliapin was a Russian opera singer. The possessor of a large and expressive bass voice, he enjoyed an important international career at major opera houses and is often credited with establishing the tradition of naturalistic acting in his chosen art form.During the first phase...
.
His other roles include those of Don Quichotte (Massenet
Jules Massenet
Jules Émile Frédéric Massenet was a French composer best known for his operas. His compositions were very popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and he ranks as one of the greatest melodists of his era. Soon after his death, Massenet's style went out of fashion, and many of his operas...
's Don Quichotte), Galitsky and Konchak (Borodin
Alexander Borodin
Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin was a Russian Romantic composer and chemist of Georgian–Russian parentage. He was a member of the group of composers called The Five , who were dedicated to producing a specifically Russian kind of art music...
's Prince Igor), Mephistopheles (Gounod
Charles Gounod
Charles-François Gounod was a French composer, known for his Ave Maria as well as his operas Faust and Roméo et Juliette.-Biography:...
's Faust), Phillip The Second (Verdi
Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was an Italian Romantic composer, mainly of opera. He was one of the most influential composers of the 19th century...
's Don Carlos), Figaro (Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
's The Marriage of Figaro), Kuchobey (Tschaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Russian: Пётр Ильи́ч Чайко́вский ; often "Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky" in English. His names are also transliterated "Piotr" or "Petr"; "Ilitsch", "Il'ich" or "Illyich"; and "Tschaikowski", "Tschaikowsky", "Chajkovskij"...
's Mazeppa), Ivan The Terrible (Rimsky-Korsakov
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov was a Russian composer, and a member of the group of composers known as The Five.The Five, also known as The Mighty Handful or The Mighty Coterie, refers to a circle of composers who met in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in the years 1856–1870: Mily Balakirev , César...
's The Maid of Pskov), Mitke (Konjović
Petar Konjovic
Petar Konjović was a Serbian composer. He was born in Čurug . While a pedagogy student in Sombor, Konjovic self-taught himself the art of compositure and conducting. He finished his education at the Prague Conservatorium in 1906...
's Koštana), and others.
His concert repertoire consisted of 520 pieces that included solo songs, song-cycles, cantatas and oratorios. A great deal of these were pieces written and composed by numerous Serbian and Yugoslav composers, most of which had its premiere thanks to Čangalović. His concert career lasted more than 40 years during which he gave over 300 concerts held across former Yugoslavia as well as more than 160 world wide.
His outstanding achievements were awarded on various occasions both at home and abroad. To note just a few; he was awarded twice by International Jury of Critics in France as the best singer of the season at the Festival Theatre of Nations in Paris, in 1959 (for the role of Mephistopheles) and in 1961 (for that of Boris Godunov). He was also awarded by the French government as the Chevalier de l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres, for his contribution to promoting the French culture.
He died in Belgrade, Serbia, in 1999.