Joannes Baptista Dolar

Joannes Baptista Dolar (Slovene: Janez Krstnik Dolar or Janez Kersnik Dolar, Czech: Jan Křtitel Tolar, also Tollar or Thollary; c. 1620, Kamnik – February 13, 1673, Vienna) was a composer and contemporary of Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber, Johann Heinrich Schmelzer, Andreas Hofer and Pavel Josef Vejvanovský.^[1][2][3]

Education

Dolar attended a Jesuit college in Ljubljana until 1639, when he began studying philosophy and later theology at the University of Vienna. He may have studied music at the time, as well, with local musicians like Antonio Bertali. He also began the process of joining the Jesuit order in 1639, and was ordained a priest in 1652.^[4]

Career

Janez Krstnik Dolar was employed to oversee musical performance at the Jesuit college in Ljubljana from 1656 to 1658. Around 1661 or 162, he returned to Vienna, where he spent the rest of his life. He became the head of St. Ignatius and St. Pancratius Jesuit college, and also served as the musical director for a convent church.^[4]

Dolar's compositions are characteristic of European music from the middle of the Baroque period, including use of stile concertato.^[4]

Works

Dolar composed a number of large-scale instrumental and vocal works, many of them as part of his official duties. Only 14 of his works are known to survive,^[4] including:

• Sonata à 13: 2 Violini, 2 Viole, Fagotto, 2 Clarini, 2 Cornetti, 4 Tromboni, Violone & Organo.^[3]
• Miserere mei Deus: SATB, SATB in concerto, SATB, SATB in cappella, 2 Violini, 2 Viole, 2 Clarini, 2 Cornetti Muti, 3 Tromboni, Violone & Organo.^[3]
• Missa Viennensis: SSSSAAAATTTTBBBB in concerto, SATB in cappella, 2 Cornetti, 2 Clarini, 4 Tromboni, Fagotto, 3 Violini, 2 Violae, Violoncello, Violone, Organo.
• Missa villana : For solo voices (SSATTB), chorus (SSATTB), and string orchestra.

References

1. Edo Škulj (2004). "Glasbeniki v Dolničarjevi Bibliotheci Labacensis publica". In Klemenčič, Ivan (ed.). 300 let Academia Philharmonicorum Labacensium 1701–2001: zbornik referatov z mednarodnega simpozija 25. in 26. oktobra 2001 v Ljubljani. Ljubljana: ZRC SAZU. p. 85. Janez Gregor Dolničar mentions eleven contemporary musicians: Joannes Berthold Höffer, Joannes Baptista Dolar ...
2. Cutter, Paul F. (1967). "A Program of Renaissance and Baroque Music by the Slovenian Composers Jacobus Gallus and Joannes Baptista Dolar". The Florida State University Slavic Papers. 1: 100–105.
3. Cvetko, Dragotin (1975). Musikgeschichte der Südslawen. Kassel: Bärenreiter Verlag. pp. 103–107.
4. Dolar, Jan Krtitel; Cuderman, Mirko (1995). "Introduction". Missa villana. Monumenta artis musicae Sloveniae (Druga izdaja ed.). Ljubljana: Slovenska akademija znanosti in umetnosti. ISBN 978-86-7131-091-8.

• Faganel, Tomaž (2001). "Dolar, Joannes Baptista". In Sadie, Stanley; Tyrrell, John (eds.). The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (2nd ed.). London: Macmillan Publishers. ISBN 978-1-56159-239-5. ‎