Stevan Hristic

Born June 19, 1885, in Belgrade; died there Aug. 21, 1958. Serbian composer and conductor (Yugoslavia). Member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts from 1950.

From 1904 to 1908, Hristić attended the Leipzig Conservatory, where he studied with S. Krehl, R. Hofmann (music theory), and A. Nikisch (conducting). He took up residence in Belgrade, and from 1908 to 1912 he taught at the Serbian School of Music. In 1913, Hristić made his debut as a conductor at the National Theater, which he directed from 1924 to 1934. It was at the National Theater that two of his works were premiered: the musical drama Dusk (1925; revised version, 1954) and the ballet The Ohrid Legend (1947; revised version, 1958, Moscow). Hristić also composed a rhapsody for piano and orchestra, symphonic works, vocal works, and music for the theater and motion pictures. A major Serbian composer, Hristic was a founder of the Academy of Music and one of its professors; he taught at the academy from 1937 to 1950.