SMiLeS : Serbian Musician Rudolf Bruči

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Rudolf Bruči[/caption]

There’s something soothing about the way that the musician’s head leans into a violin, almost as if he or she is a child leaning onto a parent’s chest, falling asleep. The bow cuts across the strings in a way that looks like it should be uncomfortable, like petting a dog the wrong way or teasing one’s hair, but creates perfectly peaceful sounds. The instrument is the perfect lullaby, and the music that it emits is composed of dreams, or at least it seems.

One particular master of the violin was Rudolf Bruči. Born in Croatia, Bruči had aspirations of becoming a composer. Once he had accomplished preforming on every type of Croatian stage with his violin, from cabaret to symphony, Bruči moved to Belgrade, Serbia, in order to pursue his career as a composer.

Over the next several years, Bruči worked under Petar Bingulac and then at the Vienna Music Academy under Alfred Uhl. During this time Bruči prepared for the Queen Elizabeth Music Competition, knowing the honor and prestige associated with those who won.

The Queen Elizabeth Music Competition is named after Queen Elizabeth of Belgium, who was a patron of the arts. The competition is for Serbian violinists, singers, and cellists, but has a special international competition for composers. This competition is one of the most acclaimed opportunities for musicians, and is particularly renowned for starting careers in symphony arts.

While studying, Bruči also worked different jobs. One such job included following his pattern of working for various types of musical production. In this case, while learning to compose classical pieces, Bruči became the director of the Opera of the Serbian National Theater. Finally, Bruči took part in the 1965 Queen Elizabet Competition in Brussels, Germany. To his honor, Bruči won with his composition, Lesta.

Having achieved this goal, Bruči went on to personally improve the state of the arts, both through teaching as well as establishing new avenues of teaching musicians. Immediately following the competition, Bruči continued his career as a teacher, and later a headmaster for a high school. In the 1970s, Bruči also became the first dean of the Novi Sad Academy of Arts.
So grand was Bruči’s activism for the musical arts, that, according to the Bach-Cantatas website, “Rudolf Bruči was personally responsible for the uprising of the Novi Sad Academy of Arts.” Furthermore, Bruči was one of the primary people whose insistence led to the building of the Serbian National Theater. Bruči was also among those who founded the Vojvodian Academy of Arts and Sciences high school. Other exceptionally honorable accomplishments include being president of both the Association of Composers and Music Writers of Vojvodina and the Association of Composers and Music Writers of Yugoslavia.

Part of what’s so astounding about Bruči was his ability to allow music to be the voice and heart of his activism for music and community building. In listening to his composition, “Concerto for clarinet and strings,” what is overwhelmingly clear was that the music was meant to convey a message, rather than just be beautiful. In this way, Bruči was able to transcend normal barriers of nationality and language in order to use music to speak to his audiences.

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