Walter Smetak
Walter Smetak (born February 12, 1913 in Zurich ; † May 30, 1984 in Salvador da Bahia ) was a Swiss composer.
Smetak, son of Czech parents, studied at the Conservatory of Zurich , the Mozarteum in Salzburg and the Academy of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna among others, Pablo Casals . From 1937 he lived in Brazil , where he was a cellist with various symphony orchestras. In 1957 Hans-Joachim Koellreutter offered him a position at the Escola de Música at the University of Bahia . Smetak then settled in Salvador da Bahia, where he devoted himself to compositional and acoustic research.
He composed chamber music works and experimental pieces of music using microtonal systems. He also became known as the inventor of about one hundred and fifty experimental musical instruments and the author of poetry in a synthetic language. In 1982 Walter Smetak took part in the West Berlin Horizontefestival ( Horizonte - Festival of World Cultures : No. 2, 1982), which was dedicated to Latin America. His musical instruments, invented in Salvador da Bahia , were also shown in an exhibition at that time. After Smetak's death, the Associaçao dos Amigos de Walter Smetak was founded, which is dedicated to the processing and care of his heritage.
Web links
- Max Nyffeler: The Sound Alchemist of Salvador: In the Footsteps of Walter Smetak (1913-1984) (1998)
- Walter Smetak, the sound alchemist of Bahia , podcast from March 22, 2017, editor: Max Nyffeler , Radio SRF 2 Kultur
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Smetak, Walter |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Swiss composer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 12, 1913 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Zurich |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 30, 1984 |
| Place of death | Salvador da Bahia |