Ferdo Livadić
(1799 - 1879)
 

Ferdo Livadić - portrait


Ferdo Livadić (Wiesner) je bio prvi moderni hrvatski skladatelj, začetnik narodnog stila u hrvatskoj glazbi, te jedan od vođa Ilirskoga pokreta, odnosno Hrvatskog narodnog preporoda. 
Rodio se 30. svibnja 1799. godine u Celju (danas Republika Slovenija). Otac mu je bio sudski pristav. Godine 1809. Ferdo je od tetke naslijedio imanje u Samoboru i obitelj sepreselila tamo. U Samoboru je Ferdo Livadić završio osnovnu školu, a gimnaziju je pohađao u Zagrebu.Prvo glazbeno obrazovanje stekao je u samoborskoj školi, jer mu je učitelj bio Josip Herović, osnivač samoborske puhačke glazbe (1807.). U Zagrebu  je nastavio obrazovanje učeći pjevanje i violinu. 
Ferdo Livadić (Wiesner) was the first modern Croatian composer, the founder of the national style in Croatian music, and one of the leaders of The Illyrian Movement, that is The Croatian National Revival.
He was born on May 30, 1799, in Celje (today The Republic of Slovenia). His father was a court assessor. In 1809 Ferdo inherited from his aunt an estate in Samobor and the family moved there. In Samobor Ferdo Livadić finished primary school and continued his education in Zagreb. His first musical education he acqiured in Samobor school, where his teacher was Josip Herović, the founder of the Samobor brass orchestra (1807). In Zagreb he continued to study music, especially singing and violin.
Livadićev posjed - akvarel oko 1810.

Samobor (akvarel, oko 1810) - u sredini Livadićev posjed
Samobor (watercolor, around 1810) - in the middle The Livadić Estate


Godine 1815. poslao ga je otac u Graz (Austrija) studirati pravo. U isto je vrijeme studirao i glazbu kod znanog skladatelja Anselma Hüttenbrennera, prijatelja Beethovena i Schuberta. uskoro je postao poznat u Grazu kao violinist, pijanist i skladatelj, pa ga je Štajersko glazbeno društvo proglasilo počasnim članom. Nakon što je diplomirao pravo 1822. godine, htio je otići u Beč i steći doktorat, te nastaviti svoje glazbeno obrazovanje. Ali, s navršenih 24 godine, otac mu je, u skladu s tetkinom oporukom, predao imanje. Morao se vratiti u samobor i skrbiti za imanje. U Grazu se i oženio 24. veljače 1823. godine s Katarinom Presinger. 
In 1815. his father sent him to Graz (Austria) to study law. At the same time he studied music by the well known composer Anselmo Hüttenbrenner, the friend of Beethoven and Schubert. Soon he became known in Graz as a violinist, pianist and a composer and Steyr Music Society made him a honorary member. After his law degree in 1822 he wanted to go to Vienna to get his doctorate and continue his musical education. But, when he turned 24, his father had, as was stated in his aunt's will, handed him over the estate. He had to return to Samobor and take care of the estate.He got married in Graz on February 24, 1823, with Katarina Presinger.
Livadićev dvorac

Livadićev dvorac - danas Samoborski muzej
The Livadić Mansion - today The Samobor Museum


Punih 56 godina proveo je Livadić u svome dvorcu i bio je domaćin trima generacijama hrvatskih političara, pisaca, pjesnika i skladatelja. Njegov je dom bio središte Ilirskoga pokreta i Hrvatskog narodnog preporoda. Proučavao je i skupljao narodno glazbeno blago i koristio ga u svojim skladbama. On je u svome domu jedne zimske večeri 1833. godine skladao glazbu za prvu i najslavniju hrvatsku budnicu "Još Hrvatska ni propala" na tekst svoga prijatelja i vođe Ilirskoga pokreta Ljudevita Gaja. 
Kako je Gay sam pripovijedao, početkom 1833. godine vozio se navečer saonicama Livadiću u Samobor. Očaran ljepotom zimskog krajolika i seljačkom glazbom koja je dopirala iz obližnjeg sela, počeo je slagati stihove. Stigavši u Livadićev dom, pohitao je uz stube, zaiskao papira i zapisao pjesmu. Livadić je sjeo za svoj glasovir i prema Gajevu pjevuckanju skladao glazbu u narodnom ritmu.
He dwelled in his mansion for full 56 years, being the host to three generations of Croatian politicians, writers, poets and composers.His home was the center of The Illyrian Movement and The Croatian National Revival. He studied and collected the folk music heritage and later used it in his compositions. He wrote in his home on one winter evening in 1833 the music for the first and most famous Croatian patriotic song "Croatia Hasn't Perished Yet", writen by his friend and the leader of The Illyrian Movement, Ljudevit Gaj. As Gaj himself has told, on the early 1833 winter evening he was riding on a sleigh to Livadić in Samobor. Amazed with the beauty of the winter scenery and with the peasant music heard from the nearby village, he started to make rhymes. Arriving at the Livadić home, he rushed up the stairs, asked for some paper and noted down the poem. Livadić sat at his piano and to Gaj's humming wrote the music in folk rhythm.
Ljudevit Gaj
Ljudevit Gaj

Ta je pjesma bila prva hrvatska budnica i ubrzo je postala svojevrsnom himnom Ilirskoga pokreta. Prvi je puta javno izvedena u zagrebačkom kazalištu 7. veljače 1835. godine u međučinu izvedbe predstave Josefa Schweigerta "Die Magdalenen Grotte bei Ogulin" (na njemačkom). Za zbor i orkestar popijevku je priredio dirigent Juraj Wisner von Morgenstern. Otpjevana na hrvatskom, pjesma je doživjela burne ovacije, ponovljena je dest puta i redovno je izvođena u kasnijim reprizama predstave. 
Ferdo Livadić je priredio skladbu za glas i glasovir za prvi javni nastup šesnaestogodišnje grofice Sidonije Erdödy u ožujku 1835. godine.
Ona je kasnije pjevala u mnogim izvedbama djela ilirskih skladatelja.
This song was the first Croatian awakening song and soon became a kind of hymn of The Illiryan Movement. it was performed for the first time in public as an intermezzo in The Zagreb Theater during the performance of Josef Schweigert's play "Die Magdalenen Grotte bei Ogulin" (in German). The arrangement for the choir and orchestra was written by the conductor Juraj Wisner von Morgenstern. Sung in Croatian, the song received standing ovations, was repeated ten times and was regularly performed later at reruns of the play. 
Ferdo Livadić arranged the song for the voice and the piano for the first public performance of the 16 year old Countess Sidonia Erdödy in March of 1835.She later sung many works of Illiryan composers.
Livadićev glasovir - The Livadić piano

Livadićev glasovir, rad Aloysa Graffa, Beč, oko 1830. - danas u Samoborskom muzeju
The Livadić piano, made by Aloys Graff, Vienna, around 1830 - today in The Samobor Museum


 
U svome dvorcu Livadić je ugostio sve istaknute osobe i vođe Ilirskoga pokreta. Njegovi stalni gosti bili su, pored Gaja, Ljudevit Vukotinović (Livadić je uglazbio njegovu pjesmu "Okićke vrane"), Dragutin Rakovac, Petar Preradović, Stanko Vraz (koji se prilikom posjeta Samoboru zaljubio u u lijepu Gajevu nećaku - Ljubicu Julijanu Cantilly i posvetio joj svoju knjigu pjesama "Gjulabije"), Vatroslav Lisinski (autor prve hrvatske opere "Ljubav i zloba") i mnogi drugi.
Livadića su posjećivali i mnogi stani umjetnici kao Willmers, Julius Epstein, Leopold Zellner, Grün, Stazić-Stöger, Zadrobilkov, Cecilija Frank...
Njegov gost bio je i slavni Franz Liszt za svoga posjeta Zagrebu 1846. godine, pa je i svirao na Livadićevom glasoviru. 

Ferdo Livadić je skladao svoju glazbu tijekom više od 40 godina. Iz njega je ostao sačuvan opus od oko 140 hrvatskih popijevaka, desetak slovenskih, 45 njemačkih, 32 crkvene, 40 koračnica za glasovir, 20 plesova i oko dvadeset raznih drugih skladbi. Svojim je djelom otvorio put hrvatskoj nacionalnoj glazbi Vatroslava Lisinskog i Ivana  Zajca.

Livadić je aktivno sudjelovao i u društvenom i političkom životu Samobora. U jednom je mandatu bio zamjenik (1838.-1841.), a u dva je mandata bio samoborski načelnik (1842.-1845. i 1847.-1850).  Tri je godine (1847.-1850) bio i ravnatelj samoborske škole. 

Umro je u svome domu 8. siječnja 1879. godine i pokopan je na samoborskom groblju. Na grobu i pred njegovom kućom (danas Samoborski muzej) nalazi se njegovo poprsje, rad kipara Samoborca Ferka Ivanščaka. Godine 1902. postavljen je i reljef njemu u spomen na zgradi samoborskog magistrata, rad kipara Rudolfa Valdeca. 
Njegovim imenom danas se zove ulica uz njegov dvorac, samoborsko tamburaško društvo i samoborska osnovna glazbena škola. 
Ove se godine obilježava 200. obljetnica njegova rođenja i 120. godišnjica njegove smrti.

In his mansion Livadić hosted all the important persons and leaders of The Illiryan Movement. His regular guests were, beside Gaj, Ljudevit Vukotinović (Livadić wrote music for his poem "The Okić Crows"), Dragutin Rakovac, Petar Preradović, Stanko Vraz (who has, during his visit to Samobor, fallen in love with beautiful Gaj's niece Ljubica Juliana Cantilly and he later dedicated his book of poems "Gjulabije"/"The Red Apples"/ to her), Vatroslav Lisinski (author of the first Croatian opera "Love and Malice") and many others.
Livadić received many foreign artists, such as Willmers, Julius Epstein, Leopold Zellner, Grün, Stazić-Stöger, Zadrobilkov, Cecilia Frank...
His guest was also the famous Franz Liszt during his visit to Zagreb in 1846, and he even played on Livadić's piano.
 

Ferdo Livadić has composed his music for more than 40 years.His opus includes some 140 Croatian songs, a dozen in Slovenian. 45 in German, 32 sacral pieces, 40 piano marches, 20 dances and some 20 various other pieces. With his work he paved the road for the Croatian national music of Vatroslav Lisinski and Ivan Zajc.

Livadić took an active part in the social and political life of Samobor. In one term he was the deputy mayor (1838-1841) and for two terms he occupied the mayor's seat (1842-1845 and 1847-1850). For three years (1847-1850) he was also the principal of the Samobor school. 

He died in his home on January 8, 1879 and was buried in Samobor cemetery. On his grave and in front of his house is his bust, the work of the Samobor sculptor Ferko Ivanščak. In the year 1902 a memory bas-relief was set on the Samobor Magistrate building, the work of sculptor Rudolf Valdec.
Today his name bears the street by his mansion, the Samobor tamburitzans society and the primary music school in Samobor.
This year 200 anniversary of his birth and 120 years of his death will be marked.

Livadićeva ulica - Livadićeva Street
 

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