Trajko Prokopiev

Trajko Prokopiev (born in Kumanovo, November 6th, 1909 - died in Belgrade, January 21st, 1979) is a Macedonian composer and conductor. He belongs to the first generation of Macedonian composers and founders of the national music culture. He has graduated at the Music Academy in Belgrade, Serbia and has gained a specialization in orchestral conducting at the Music Academy in Prague, Czech Republic. Upon graduation he pursued his music career in choral conducting. His role and contribution to the macedonian music life is evident in all its: composition, performance, management and pedagogy. Together with Todor Skalovski, Trajko Prokopiev is the founder of the most important macedonian institutions, such us: Macedonian Opera and Ballet, Macedonian Philharmonic Orchestra, The Folklore Institute, the Music school. He gives enormous contribution to creating an enviroment for cultural and music developement in the contry with long cultural discontinuity.

His creative opus contains the roots of the macedonian contemporary music. It includes choral and chamber works, works for voice and piano and vocal-instrumental works amoung which are two operas and one ballet. His opus also consists of theatre and film music. Prokopiev's musical expression is based on the folklore which exsists in most of his works as original or stylized material - from the simple arrangements of folk songs, through the larger choral and stage works, where his creative thought reaches its peak. They are all characterized with pure melodic beauty and sicerety. His approach to creating the melody includes folk songs and music quotations, which he modifies, yet keeping their authentic traits. Regarding the harmony, the composer uses chords and harmonic progressions typical for the folklore idiom, thus avoiding classical structures. Over the years, his works have been performed in Macedonia and abroad, as a part of the repertoire of different choirs and orchestras. Numerous of them are recorded and published. During his lifetime, Trajko Prokopiev has been a significant and active contributor to the social life of the country as a director and first conductor of the Opera, conductor of the Macedonian Philharmonic Orchestra, director of the National ensemble for songs and danses Tanec and presiden of the Composers Association of Macedonia. He has been recognized and rewarded with numerous prizes. The most important among all these recognitions is the highest state award "11th October", presented for his life achievment.

Working as a choral conductor, Trajko Prokopiev shows a particular interest in composing choral music. In 1936 he begins working on the opus of six compositions titled Kumanovki, which in many ways rperesent the author's musical thinking at the beginning of his career. Here is the main concern for creating music using folklore. Following the examples of the similar choral works by the serbian composer Stevan Mokranjac, Prokopiev creates six compositions for mixed choir based on folk songs, originated from the Kumanovo region which differ in mood and character. He transforms the simple folk tunes into themes of rare beauty, showing that he had succeeded in evolving in the stylisation and modification of the simple folk quotation. In these works he created a dyptych form which consists of two contrasting folk songs which make a logical organic form.

At the end of the 1950es, Trajko Prokopiev is alredy acknowledged author whose opus includes works of different styles. In this period, he focuses his entire creative potential towards the stage forms: opera and ballet. Inspired by the old Macedonian legends and tales, he creates a ballet about the love and the evil against it. Labin and Dojrana based on the folk tale The Shepherd and the Three Faries represents a new begining in the Macedonian ballet music. This works consists of realistic and magical elements, rustic atmosphere and musical landscapes. Its most significant part are the two orchestral suites. The play Pechalbari by the macedonian playwriter Anton Panov is the literary basis for Prokopiev's opera Razdelba. The musical expression in the work is again based on folklore. Many fragments in the opera sound emotinal and powerful. The libreto is about the hard life of Macedonian migrant workers, who make their living abroad. The piano piece for children Pinocchio's play which the authors considers as a "miniature ballet play" is the only composition in written for this instrument. Here, he uses chromatic modulations, melodic variations and characteristic rhythm patterns. Trajko Prokopiev's first contact with the spiritual music occurs during his work as a member and conductor of several choral ensembles.

During this period he shows an interest for composing spiritual works. "In high school i used to sing in the school choir, and in that period, most of the choirs were finansed by the church and performed in different church ceremonies. When I went to study in Belgrade, my first performance as a choir member was in the city's main church. For 10 years I used to work with choirs which had regular performance in the church. The fact is - I had no religious beleifs to do so. As a matter of fact, my family was inclined towards atheism. Making a living was the only reason why I chose to compose and perform spiritual music". Among the chamber works, there are a few compositions for solo voice and piano based on lyrics by contemporary macedonian poets. The composition Galebe Moj (My dove) , with its musical expressin counts among the most performed works by this author.

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Dojrana Prokopieva

2009